Organisational structure of British Airways Essay

1.0 Introduction The following assignment aims to highlight the organizational structure of a major player in the aeronautical sector which is BRITISH AIRWAYS. For that purpose, it is necessary to consider fundamental management’s principles in order to understand at best the factors which may influence the result of the company, without forgetting the importance of the interactions between the internal and external environments which play a major role in the success or the failure of the strategies undertaken by the company. It will be then necessary to find aspects to be improved by the company to propose solutions and so optimize the general performances of British airways. 1.1 British airways â€Å"to fly, to serve† With more than 93 years of existence, British Airways acts as an expert of aeronautical services whether it is at the airport or aboard the planes which compose the fleet of the company or for the business trips. The  company employs more than 39 900 persons in 2010 in UK and overseas while the head office is based in Waterside. Web 1: http://www.britishairways.com/cms/global/microsites/ba_reports0910/financial/notes/note7.html 2.0 The organizational structure 2.1 Definition According to H. Mintzberg  «The organizational structure is the total sum of the employees to divide the work into different tasks and to insure then the coordination between the tasks ». The organizational structure can also be defined as the way the authority is considered through the relations hierarchical or the way the activities are specified and distributed and still the way the systems of communication inside organizations are established. The organizational structure can be divided into macrostructure and into microstructure: while the macrostructure relates to the totality of the divisions or the organization, the microstructure relates to the organization of the activities and the hierarchical relations inside a certain department of the organization. 2.2 How to determine the best organizational structure for British Airways? In order to determine the organizational structure which will meet the needs at best of the company and which will allow her to use its resources in a effective and efficient way it is important to estimate two important aspects which are the departmentalization as well as the amplitude of control. The departmentalization consists in group the common resources to exploit them at best whereas the amplitude of control determines the degree of authority which exercises an immediate superior in front of his subordinate. There are several organizational structures offered to companies to respond to their needs such as the tall structure, the flat one or the functional organization. 3.0 Which are the organizational structures adopted by British Airways? 3.1 The tall structure: Having made a current inventory of fixtures of the resources that possess the company, managers decided to opt for a tall structural organization to remain long-lasting. This structure distinguishes the various levels of decision where the highest person in the organization chart detains most power. As for executives, they take care to oversee the work of the subordinates. So, they act as intermediary as shows hit the organization chart below which reveals the position of every manager in the organization chart of the company. The structure consists of three levels where Willie Wash is the chief executive; he controls the customer and operations executive which group the communications sector which is important because the brand image depends on this department, the customer service which is always trying to improve this service, the engineering one, the flight operations and the operations. There is also the management board which includes two departments of customer and operations executive, which are customer and engineering, and also the finance and performance sector, people and organisational effectiveness which verifies if the employees make correctly the tasks which were attributed to them by their superiors, sales and marketing and strategy and business units. Finally, investments, legal and government and industry affairs and safety and security are directly supervised by the chief executive in order to improve these important sectors. British airways organizational structure: Web 2: http://www.britishairways.com/cms/global/microsites/ba_reports0809/our_business/workplace.html 3.1.1 How this structure helps the company to achieve it goals? This structure chosen by the company allows every employee of British Airways to be situated in the organization chart in a clear and detailed way without any ambiguity. So, it allows avoiding any misunderstanding as for the authority which detains every employee on his colleague or his hierarchical  superior what pulls a healthy climate and thus urges the employees to put a lot at best into their tasks. These tasks are determined through the objectives fixed by the managers so every employee is in front of his responsibilities and feels as being a part of the project of the company. This structure also allows the managers to optimize at most the performances of their human resources through trainings offered to the employees to be constantly up to date at the level of the skills. Indeed, it is more and more asked to the employees to be versatile and efficient at the same time. Finally, this structure allows the managers to supervise in a direct way their subordinates what allows t o adjust the problems if they exist. 3.2 The customer structure: This structure considers the importance which represent the customers without whom, no organization can remain long-lasting and show good results. This structure consists in determining need for every specific category of customers of the company to satisfy them at best. The structure which adopts British Airways articulates around the baptized project â€Å"Compete 2012† to answer the bigger and bigger customer requirements and to become eventually the leader regarding customer service in the aeronautical sector. This program turns around three essential entities in the survival of the company which are the partners with whom the relations must be stable and cordial. We also find the colleagues who play an important role there because they represent the direct contact between the company and the customers. And finally the customers among whom needs and expectations must be clearly defined to satisfy them at best and so create a relation on the long term between the parts. Thi s project thus bases itself on two essential qualities that are the excellence as well as the performance as summarizes it the figure below. British airways customer structure: Web 3: http://www.britishairways.com/cms/global/microsites/ba_reports0910/our_business/strategy.html 3.2.1 How this structure helps the company to achieve it goals? This structure contributes largely to the success of the objective of the company which is to become the world’s leading global premium airline world. To reach this objective and in spite of a difficult context there, the company put on the excellence of the services proposed to the passengers and by developing new projects to satisfy them at best. Beyond that, this project contains 5 strategic objectives: Be the airline of choice for long haul premium customers, Deliver an outstanding service for customers at every touch point Grow our presence in key global cities Build on our leading position in London Meet our customers’ needs and improve margins through new revenue streams. Web 4: http://www.britishairways.com/cms/global/microsites/ba_reports0910/pdfs/Strategy.pdf 4.0 Recommendations The tall organizational structure has to be improved because we find inconveniences such as the slowness of decision-making; a decision has to pass by all the hierarchical levels before being approved or rejected. This considers a brake when we know the importance of the speed of transmission of information and data within organizations. So, they can change for a flat organizational structure which will accelerate the time of decision-making. The responsibilities as well as the freedom of the employees are restricted because they have to conform to the decisions taken by their immediate superiors without being necessarily consulted. This entails a lack of motivation or investment on behalf of the employees, so managers have to empower employees by increasing bonuses. The implementation of this structure turns out very expensive because of the administrative costs. In view of the context current, it would be recommended to the company to reduce its costs by opting for a cheaper structure.

The Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Constitution - Essay Example On this note, Attorney General Janet Reno requested the Supreme Court to review the decision on Fourth Circuit in Reno v. Condon. (Axelrod 158). According to Axelrod, Condon claimed that the act implicated states sovereignty which granted the state all the powers even those not specified in the constitution (211). Condon also claimed that enforcement of the act would be enjoying the nation and its administrators. He therefore concluded the act to be contrary to the federalism principles of power delegation, between states and federal government as stated in the constitution. Reno court on the other hand found Driver’s Privacy Protection Act to be a general law of applicability. Generally applicable laws are laws that apply to both the state and private companies. Reno court concluded that, it was constitutional for the congress to regulate the states’ activities where a generally applicable law was involved. If initially Condon had successfully won in Reno v. Condon, there would be both social and political repercussions. Socially, crime levels would increase in the society in case information such as home address or social security number falls in the wrong hands. For example, a woman whose data had been disclosed by the state to another state but ended in hand of a stalker was murdered. Exposure of personal details would also result to segregation among the individuals on the bases of financial level, race or even education levels. Politically, the politicians may use the information for their own advantage by identifying the weakness of the states at individual level eventually leading to manipulation. The other state may with time have enough data from the subject state to investigate the economic power of the state and end up taking advantage of the situation (Axelrod 245) Likewise, the Supreme Court ruled that Driver’s Privacy Protection Act was constitutional and it did not violate federalism principles under the

What has gone wrong with Williams teams efforts and what should be Case Study - 1

What has gone wrong with Williams teams efforts and what should be done to ensure a successful outcome for the team - Case Study Example The group dynamic theory highlights on the social and psychological changes that come up in workplaces (David and Frank 2000). It helps in the comprehension of behaviours that come up due to team or group work in businesses. Communication styles play a significant role in the interpersonal relationships that emerge in workplaces. The bonds among workers contribute directly to the success or failure of the company. â€Å"†¦the success of an organization can depend on the levels of team work it employs† (Hartley & Bruckmann, 2008, p.311). Felix is a new employee who has social problems. He does not relate well with other employees and the company manager claims that his character is affecting the profits. Lack of teamwork has contributed to the failure of the company since it has not acquired the set goals and objectives. The main setback is the lack of communication skills and interpersonal relationships at the work place. Felix is competent, but â€Å"Developing sending skills meets only half the requirements for communicating effectively† (David & Frank, 2000, p. 147). He does not want to join groups and causal office conversation, is considered as a loner, and does want to share ideas with other employees. The employer considers his behaviour as a setback to the company because he cannot blend in with other employees. Teamwork requires that all members help each other to overcome problems that emerge in the business. â€Å"Groups and teams have assumed greater prominence in organisations in the past few decades†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Eunson, 2005, p. 566). According to the dynamic theory, it insists on teamwork among employees since interpersonal relationships help in the growth of the business. â€Å"Members of groups act together to achieve common aims or goals† (Eunson, 2005, p. 567). However, Felix does not socialize outside the workplace. He is seen not contributing to fellow employees debates while they are having a drink.

The Dimensions of Interprofessional in Nursing Practice Essay

The Dimensions of Interprofessional in Nursing Practice - Essay Example The collaborative process has also been defined as a dynamic process which requires that professional boundaries be surpassed if each participant is to contribute to developments in patient care while appropriately bearing in mind the qualities and skills of the other professionals (Canadian Physiotherapy Association 2009). However, nurses have long held the view that failure to implement inter-professional has led to the fragmentation of care, patient dissatisfaction and poor outcomes (Leathard, 2004). Therefore, there is a need for inter-professional working in nursing practice to deliver integrated quality healthcare services, improve patient satisfaction, and save more lives. Inter-professional working in nursing practice refers to the collaboration of the healthcare team to ensure the delivery of high quality patient care services. It was acknowledged by the General Medical Council that healthcare is increasingly provided by multidisciplinary team and this collaboration brings m ore improvement to patient care (WHO, 1999). The present reflective commentary is based on a HIV positive patient who was admitted to my ward via A&E. Using this patient; I will analyze and evaluate the contribution of nursing and other members within the inter-professional collaboration process. Gibbs reflective cycle will be used to reflect my experiences of working in an inter-professional team. The cycle will help me identify the decision making and problem solving processes and discuss the effectiveness of the contribution of each member in the inter-professional practice in the light of existing relevant literature. Description I was performing my duties in the ward on a morning/afternoon shift with my mentor when a 32 years old, Vietnamese female immigrant, named Mrs. Yiu Suh was wheeled in from A&E. Mrs. Yiu Suh is a pseudonym for the patient in accordance with the 2008 Professional Code of Conduct on confidentiality promulgated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2008 ) which states that all names and identifying trace to the patient must be changed. Therefore, any resemblance to a ward, person, relative or trust is purely coincidental. In order to gain Mrs. Yiu Suh’s complete medical history, an initial admission process was carried out. This was undertaken by reviewing the patient’s medical notes which revealed that the patient had diarrhoea and a mouth thrush that failed to heal despite trying several home remedies. The report also provided information which suggested that the patient had not been eating well due to her mouth condition and had lost a lot of weight within a very short period of time. Three weeks prior to her admission to the ward, the patient visited her General Physician (GP) in the community for the same complaints. Her GP treated her and advised her to visit again in case there was no improvement. Mrs. Yiu Suh refused to visit her GP again as she was given leaflets on HIV and was recommended an HIV test, which she ignored. Later on the patient confessed to me that she feared the worst because she had been a commercial sex worker. It was during the course of her sex trade that she met her husband, Mr. Charles Robbins, who brought her

Interim report Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Interim report - Research Proposal Example Branding is one of those practices that enable businesses to attract and retain customers, who always make comparisons between brands to arrive at the best one that effectively meets their goals and objectives. Having a good business brand is essential in differentiating the goods and services produced by a business to those produced by other businesses1. Additionally, successful business brands and the branding process is essential towards driving customer loyalty. It is important for businesses to understand that the branding process is not meant for multinationals along; instead, it has to be made by all businesses that designs and produces goods and services for people. Brands, as used in business activities can be described from two important approaches, first, a brand can be looked at as a special mark, symbol or image the distinguishes businesses and products of one company to another2. Secondly, branding can be looked at in terms of the thoughts and perspectives that people often have on the business and the products it offers. The process of building successful brands plays an important role in the customers’ decision-making process over products and services they want to buy. In most cases, customers will often go for popular business brands; they often tend to think that these brands have been made under the highest standards. This paper examines the process of creating effective business brands as well as how they help to improve business functions. Brand strategy in business functioning refers to the systematic plan that defines the vision of the business and articulates how the business carries its functions in achieves set goals and objectives3. The strategy illustrates how the business creates its demand and attractiveness for clients that have to make a choice among many products being offered by other business rivals in the environment. It is important to

The Positioning School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Positioning School - Essay Example Through positioning school, the leaders of the organization will be in a position to know which business environment it is supposed to operate in and help in its growth by providing the necessary requirements (Demougin & Fluet, 2001). The market drive and the positional school of the organization shape the organization’s structure.When an organization gets into the market and doesn’t find the right market environment; there the possibility of it collapsing as it does not get to have its own structure it can operate through.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many concepts in competitive advantage in an organizational environment can be described in the five forces identified and described by Porter (1996). First, Porter (1996) discussed the threat of entrants. New organizations face some barriers to entry. These barriers may include capital problems and customer problems. F. X. Pounds, Inc. leaders did not experience these barriers because the company had a wide set client base so they did not have capital problems (Mulcaster, 2009). As a result of providing quality services, F. X. Pounds, Inc. leaders obtained loyal customers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The bargaining power of suppliers is the second force in Porter’s model (Porter, 1996). The strength of a supplier depends on the options has available to the customers. When there are many suppliers in the market and fewer customers, there emerges bargaining power. On the other hand, if there are few suppliers and many customers, bargaining power lies on the supplier's end.This bargaining power enhances tensions between the supplier and the customer. These companies; F. X. Pounds Inc, Miller Fuel, and A&F Group, in this case, study have many sources of suppliers. As a result, the suppliers have little bargaining power.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bargaining power of customers is the third force discussed by Porter (1996) in his model.

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 15

Assignment - Essay Example However, catholic supports an appreciable number of health institutions. Fundamentally, churches are supported by the constitution under the first amendment bill that gives religious institutions the freedom of faith and religion. Therefore, the long-standing faith based principles that catholic uses to run the health institutions should be respected (Parker web). The issue would not have been so tough had the president given a constitutional leeway for church based healthcare systems. The greatest constitutional issue is that the healthcare bill is federally implemented and therefore there is no constitutional exemption for church based healthcare organizations. However, the issue would not have been so inflexible if it was state mandated. This is because the church based organizations would still enjoy their constitutional freedom by exercising constitutional laws from states that recognize their faith and moral stand (USCB web). The religious clauses of the first amendment uphold and respect the value of religious freedom as it pertains to exercise of freedom of conscience. The clauses recognize that the Almighty God gave free mind to man and therefore there should be no law whatsoever that should influence or burden consciousness. The Catholic based healthcare organizations have the constitutional right to exercise the freedom of consciousness as provided by the constitution (USCB web). However, the requirement by the healthcare bill to support health care organizations to offer birth control, the morning after pill, and sterilization, even if they are private nonprofits run by the Catholic Church goes against this religious clause. This is because it forces the Catholic Church to do what it considers fundamentally wrong. In fact, the bill touches on the issues that are of great value to the church especially the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church greatly values the sanctity of life and therefore