Decision-making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Decision-making - Essay Example (Salaman, 2001. p.75) A smooth-decision making process is important for well-running of the organization. Decision-making process is considered to be the most important work the managers are assigned to deal with in an organization. This view is further consolidated by the fact that some people view managing and decision-making has two words with same meaning but different interpretations. There are infinite reasons to consider decision-making to be an integral part of organizations, a theory which has interested most of the theorists and economists. (Salaman, 2001. p.75) Some theorists believe that decision-making provides the door to the so called 'underworld' of an organization. The process involved in making a decision, brings out the political attitude of people involved, resulting in political activities being performed. So, it can be conceived that decision-making brings out two extreme conclusions about an organization. One end shows the strength of an organization in making crucial decisions, showing the solidarity of the management and their power. The other extreme is where the political games are played, where the leads play around the resources to get the decisions to go in their favour. Decisions made in an organization is always power played by people in influential powers and the way each decision shapes after going through these people is not even known to the people involved in it. The end decision always has as a byproduct in terms of disharmony within the organization but it is almost inherent and non deniable. (Salaman, 2001. p.9 7) According to Pettigrew, every decision has the above said political perspective added to it. According to him, an organization is a political playground, with different sub units having different perspective about a decision and each unit opposes the other in terms of their views, their struggle to show majority and finally, ending up in a lot of major implications both for nature and the end-decision. He views this political aspect of decision making to form the crux of any organization in creating the core structural and organizational processes. Several theists say that most of the people involved in decision making view governments as organization but find it reluctant to agree that all organizations are governments. (Salaman, 2001. p.97) They further reason for the neglect of this aspect explaining that people view decision making as part of a formal structure of an organization rather than viewing it as a political structure. Most people tend to work on decision making in psychological terms instead of seeing it in a sociological basis. In short, no person tends to see them as being political and in case if they act so, they justify it by reasoning that they do it for the well being of the organization. There are several features for this political perspective of decision-making that lends support to it. Pettigrew observes these features and explains how important they are to an organization. (Salaman, 2001. p.97) According to him, every organization is a group of several sub organizations. He views it to be a political system that is open for all. These sub-organizations specialize on each work and some of them may have to be dependent on one another to produce the result. In such cases of inter-dependence, a joint decision has to be done in a decision making process. These kinds of processes pave

Systems and Operation Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Systems and Operation Management - Essay Example The reason why Apple is one of the most acclaimed companies that stands out from the rest of the technology companies is the fact that it has continued to grow through the continuous redefinition of standards and techniques of innovation right from the products designed, to the way that they are marketed and also their improvement. The partnership of Wozniak and Jobs proved to be the perfect recipe for building one of the largest technology companies in the world. The former was the real technical genius who endeavored to create the first computer whereas the latter made advertisements and was involved in the marketing of the first computer. In the summer of 1976, the first computer named apple I was created. By either luck or intensive marketing, it was sold to the Byte Shop which was the premier retail customer chain in the world. The remarkable feat is that the two were able to successfully build and sell all of the first 50 computers that they made in that first summer in operati on. The official incorporation of the company occurred on January 3rd in 1977. This gave the two partners the motivation they required and in that year, they started working on the Apple II but this time with the help of some of their friends who were technically-savvy. The company image was born out of Job’s passion for computers which led to him consulting with the then retired Intel Corporation’s marketing manager, Michael Markkula who even bought a third of the company for $250,000. As the business grew, the three partners thought it prudent to appoint Michael Scott as their CEO and the first president. However, before the launch of the Apple two, it was decided that the company update its image. This led to the involvement of Robert Janoff. The design that he designed is still in use even up to today. The art director states that the only direction that he got from Steve Jobs was that he should not attempt to make the design sweet (Razl 2009). The Apple II and its antecedent the Apple I were very great successes for the company. This prompted them to start working on the Apple III. This project was the first failure for the company and it sparked a protracted battle between Scott and Jobs. This escalated when Scott unanimously, without consulting the board of directors, to sack 40 employees. This action led to his demotion to vice chairman with Jobs assuming the mantle of chairman. Markkula assumed the position of CEO and this led to Scott’s resignation in 1981. Although the tension within the company continued to escalate, the Apple Lisa was to be developed using a new Graphic User Interface (GUI) (Bellis 2009). Jobs were the brainchild behind this development after a visit to the Xerox Company and it is no wonder that the computer was named after his oldest daughter. Xerox seemed oblivious to the potential that this technology had and although they were using it in their products, they did not consider it as being viable to be used in personal computers. Jobs as the lead designer of the Lisa continued to test consumer reaction while continuously improving the interface. Markkula, being impatient with this maneuver relieved Jobs of his role as the lead designer which in turn led him to being demoted and subsequently, John Sculley was hired as the new CEO. The