A Systems Approach to Organizational Effectiveness: The Alignment of Critical Organizational Dimensions with Selected Business/Competitive Strategies

As indicated by the literature, leader behaviors, salient management practices (management by objectives and compensation practices), organizational structure, and organizational culture were chosen as the dimensions with the greatest impact on business/competitive strategy implementation. So as not to over-generalize, business level strategies were collapsed into two Ð retrenchment and growth. For similar reasons, the competitive strategy schema was simplified in such a way that competition only on the basis of price and innovation was retained. Informed by relevant literature and case studies, implementation guidelines were crafted that appear to have considerable practical utility

Slow Boiling the Economic Frog: A Historical Perspective on Offshoring

The “Theory of Comparative Advantage” has been used to justify international trade and offshoring. However, the theory is predicated on the immobility of factors of production, and that no longer is the case. The world-wide fiber optic network creates a superhighway to all the workforces of the world for all jobs or parts of jobs that can be digitized. While consumers, some investors, and some executives profit from offshoring, many jobs, especially manufacturing, are lost, and they will not be replaced by high tech jobs created by an innovative and flexible economy. Hence, recommendations have been advanced to create greater import/export parity, even if it means higher prices and more inflation

Anatomy of Income and Wealth Inequality in the United States

Much has been written recently about the current income and wealth gaps in the U.S. and the causes proffered. They are: how U.S. elections are financed; offshoring of well-paid jobs; excessive executive salaries; decrease in private-sector unionization; inadequate education of the U.S. workforce; and the outsize return on capital. The authors assume that these are merely the visible manifestations of a larger underlying cause — "The Iron Law of Oligarchy." They identify the oligarchs, describe how they rule and the consequences, and propose ways to ameliorate the consequences

Gaining Competitive Advantage by Streamlining Bureaucracy: A Lesson for Developing Countries

More and more of the developing countries are seeking membership in the World Trade Organization. One of the consequences of WTO membership is the necessity of competing with the "best-in-class" companies in the international marketplace. Unfortunately, many developing countries are plagued by archaic bureaucracies, which constitute a major impediment to competitiveness, at a time when it is crucial for developing countries to create a vibrant private sector in order to assimilate the large numbers of new entrants into the workforce. This paper attempts to identify the causes of bureaucracy and the ways by which organizations can de-bureaucratize. Although intense competition is by far the best prescription for de-bureaucratizing, other strategies must also be pursued simultaneously. The economies that will prosper in the future are the ones that will be able to re-invent themselves periodically, something that bureaucratic societies find difficult to do

A Management Perspective on the Controlled Substance Testing Issue: Management\u27s Newest Pandora\u27s Box

A new literal meaning has been given to the adage of offering one\u27 sweat and blood to the employer - to which is added as well, one\u27s urine. Little wonder then that so many private and public employers have rushed into drug screening programs. Given the trend of recent events, it would seem that an imperative does exist for drug testing at the workplace. However, before organizations establish testing programs, management should consider the known problems associated with substance testing and the organizational implications of such testing

Analysis of the Increasing Income Gap between the Rich and Everyone Else

The growing disparity in income between the rich and middle/lower income groups has resulted in significant skewness in the distribution of wealth in the U.S. The short and tall of it is that the real incomes of the top .01 percent of Americans rose seven fold between 1980 and 2007, but the real income of the median family rose only 22 percent, less than a third of its growth over the previous 27 years. Two main reasons given by economists are technological innovation and inadequate technical education in the U.S. However, there are several other factors that are relevant. This paper analyzes the other issues: 1) the funding of federal political campaigns, 2) the effects of offshoring, 3) the role of the U.S. tax code, and 4) the absence of a strong connection between performance and rewards that may be related to the recent shift in wealth. While wage differences naturally occur in a capitalistic system, massive differences provoke social unrest and the rise of demigods advocating collectivist solutions

The Secret of Successful Leadership—The Critical Match of the Characteristics of the Leader, the Attributes of the Subordinates, and the Circumstances of the Situation

Seldom has so much been written on such an important topic that has produced so little agreement and so much controversy. It starts with “what is leadership and how does it differ from managership?” It continues with the development of competing big, mid-range, and small leadership theories (Muczyk & Adler, 2002). Most recently, scholars are preoccupied with attempting to develop a leadership theory or model by creating a critical match between leader characteristics, subordinate attributes, and the circumstances of the situation. More and more, the influence of national cultures in this global economic village is taken into consideration. This effort is also an attempt at creating such a match in a cultural context that is perceived to be useful by practitioners, is based on reason, and factors in important variables identified in the accepted leadership theories or models

Principles of supervision : First and second-level managemnet

ix, 509 p.; 24 cm

The Secret of Successful Leadership—The Critical Match Between the Characteristics of Leaders, the Attributes of Subordinates, and the Circumstances of the Situation

Seldom has so much been written on such an important topic that has produced so little agreement and so much controversy. It starts with “what is leadership and how does it differ from managership?” It continues with the development of competing big, mid-range, and small leadership theories (Muczyk & Adler, 2002). Most recently, scholars are preoccupied with attempting to develop a leadership theory or model by creating a critical match between leader characteristics, subordinate attributes, and the circumstances of the situation. More and more, the influence of national cultures in this global economic village is taken into consideration. This effort is also an attempt at creating such a match in a cultural context that is perceived to be useful by practitioners, is based on reason, and factors in important variables identified in the accepted leadership theories or models