Functional Areas
Functional organization structures are the ones that involve the enterprise being separated into different specialized units that perform specific jobs. For instance, if the organization is involved in the manufacturing, the specific units or functions may include personnel, accounting, marketing, purchasing, and production (Galbraith, 2014). Therefore, every unit in the company focuses on its specific role, but the overall outcomes are for the benefit of the entire organization. This type of organizational structure ensures that there is increased specialization, which improves on efficiency. Categorizing tasks that require similar resources, skills, and knowledge ensures that they are performed efficiently and workers develop greater expertise (Galbraith, 2014). However, this has the limitation of making the organization complex, especially if it grows rapidly.
Geographic Location
Geographical departmentalization is a type of organizational structure that encompasses the performing activities in a given geographic location together. Companies whose operations are spread over a wide area find this type of organizational structure helpful since it enables them to manage all activities carried out in a specific region together (Galbraith, 2014). The geographic location where the organization operates determines the kind of activities that the organization may be involved in. This type of structure ensures that the organization has a local focus, which enables it to serve its customers in a given location better (Galbraith, 2014) . The location of a given branch is important because it can address the issues that would be difficult to deal with from the headquarters. For example, market a given product in Southeast Asia may demand different requirements compared to when marketing the same product in Western Europe. Corporations that have global networks in their businesses mostly adopt a geographic structure.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Product Groups
Big, diversifies corporations are mostly organized based on products. In this regard, all the endeavors that are geared towards the production and sale of a given product or a range of products are grouped together (Galbraith, 2014). This implies that the product manage has considerable autonomy regarding the operation of the product department. All efforts in the department all focused on the specific product that the department specializes in (Galbraith, 2014). For instance, in an electronic company producing laptops and mobile phones, there can be a department that specializes on mobile phones alone, while the other group specializes on laptops only.
Customer Types
A company may find it appropriate to organize itself based on the types of customers that it serves. For instance, an organization which specializes in product distribution may deal with individual customers, small businesses, large businesses, and even government agencies (Galbraith, 2014). Consequently, the company may choose to base its primary divisions on such varying market segments. As a result, its employees would be proficient in serving the specific needs of the different customers.
Roles and Purpose of Different Functional Areas- Apple
Marketing
The marketing department plays a pertinent role in Apple. Marketers are an important aspect in creating demand for goods and services of the company (Galbraith, 2014) . They are responsible in creating advertisements in various media to ensure that customers are informed about the products that the corporation sells.
Finance
The finance department has various important roles to play. All the financial issues of the company are dealt with in this department. Finance managers prepare financial statements for the company, which reveal its financial position. They make payments to other stakeholders as necessary, and receive payments from their stakeholders. Moreover, the department is involved in the auditing of the company’s financial statements to ensure that there is no financial fraud at any level of the organization.
Customer Service
The customer care representatives help in addressing any concerns that customers and other stakeholders may have (Galbraith, 2014). For instance, any customer who may have a suggestion or a complaint can visit such representatives and present his or her concerns. Furthermore, they may help in providing the relevant information to various stakeholders regarding a given issue.
Production
The production department is involved in the production of the various goods that are sold to the company’s customers. It is also involved in the acquisition of raw-materials.
Sales
The sales department is involved in the distribution of the company’s products to the customers (Galbraith, 2014) . The sales representatives ensure that the demand created by the marketing department is met.
Human Resources
The human resources department is responsible for all human resources activities in the company. This includes recruitment, placement, and remuneration of employees.
Roles and Purpose of Different Functional Areas- Vision First HK
Marketing
This department is involved in the publicity of the company, ensuring that well-wishers and donors are aware of the company’s operations in various areas.
Finance
The finance department manages the corporation’s finances. It prepares financial statements, and it is responsible in the process of internal auditing.
Customer Service
As in the case of Apple, the customer service department plays a critical role in communication and providing the relevant information to various stakeholders (Galbraith, 2014). Customer service representatives are always available to attend to any concerns that people may have regarding the company.
Production
This being a charitable organization, the production department is not relevant.
Sales
The sales department is also unavailable in this organization due to the nature of its operations.
Human Resources
The human resources department is important in managing the human resources activities in the organization. It is involving in recruitment and placement, and employee development. It is also involved in employee compensation and benefits.
Functional Areas
The Apple company has been divided into sectors that have specialized in certain strategic and profit-making departments. With a well-structured hierarchy of governance, the company also has financial, engineering, marketing and production departments (Galbraith, 2014). The Apple company’s summary of functional areas runs from the production line up to the sales sector. Ensuring that all these departments communicate with each other and are effective in doing so is essential in realizing efficiency and maximum profit making. Regarding making profits, the Apple company persistently strives to make it known as a brand (Galbraith, 2014). They manage to do this by ensuring that their marketing department displays their products and services without making comparisons to other competitors. At the same time, the functional areas of Apple Company ensure that a certain quality of products and services are delivered to their clients with a goal of maintaining the momentum of profit making and reliability.
On the other side, being a non-profit organization, Vision First HK’s first priority of their functional areas is to ensure that their set objectives are met. Doing this commands that their management oversees attempts to get more funding from donors and reach a greater target group. Vision First HK’s board of director would love to ensure that they oversee both sides of their financial aspects while aspiring to achieve their objectives at the same time (Galbraith, 2014). The organization’s set objectives can be achieved if the board of directors and regional coordinators ensure that there are no controversies regarding dishonesty of misuse of funds within the non-profit organization. In as much as the company does not have a production line, the organization must ensure that donors trust them with finances which they require to run the organization’s errands.
Geographic Location
Apple Incorporated Company is global company which tries to reach every corner of the world to sell their products and services. Apple company has an internationally recognized headquarter alongside many other national headquarters in different states globally. The geographic location of their outlets must be strategically located in the cities that they are in to reach as many clients as possible (Galbraith, 2014). This would also depend on the recommendations of their research and marketing team.
On the other hand, the geographic location of Vision First HK’s offices would be strategic depending on where their donors and targeted group come from. Vision First HK would rather not have offices all over the world like Apple unless their management team sees the need to reach other parts of the world. However, the geographical location of their main headquarters should be strategic depending on their research team’s recommendation for them to be reached easily by interested persons or groups from all over the world.
Customer Types
Apple company is a technology company. This means that they will strive to expand their products and services strictly in line with technological advancements (Galbraith, 2014). First, Apple company would ensure that their products and services are designed for people who are interested in technological devices and services. The production line of Apple Inc would fabricate their products and services keeping in mind that they should deliver the best regarding their customers’ technological wishes.
Vision First HK on the other hand are a non-profit organization. The regional team members of Vision First HK would first ensure that their customers are the right audience that they should be dealing with before starting to engage them in any form of business. For instance, the research group and regional coordinators would first get in contact with needy persons before requesting for any funding from donors and well-wishers. The relationship between Vision First HK and their target group would also be strictly free of charge from the audience’s point of view.
Product Groups
Apple Company is an incredibly huge company which offers a wide range of products and services to their customers (Galbraith, 2014). The different production groups of Apple company must first ensure that the quality of their products and services match a certain benchmark as set by the company. For instance, the quality of Apple devices that are manufactured should match the quality of web services that accompany the gadgets. The production line should be in constant communication, with a synchronized way of testing their products before releasing them into the market for consumption (Galbraith, 2014). This way, they will also ensure that their products stay afloat in the technological market and make profits at the same time.
Vision First HK on the other hand has specific objectives which their coordinators take from the board of directors and implement on their target group. Instead of having a production line, Vision First HK has a base of donors which they depend on to run the organization as well as reaching their goals (Galbraith, 2014). The organization must ensure that the donors trust their organization well enough to inject a good amount of money to run the organization. At the same time, Vision First HK has the mandate to conserve the resources which are vital in running the organization and meeting their set objectives. These resources also include their human resource section as well as their monetary resources. The professionals that are in the company ensure that the organization is viewed by the world as a dependable organization regarding their non-profit nature as well as sustaining their employees’ welfare. To some extent, these are the things that would allow the organization to produce desirable outcomes regarding the organization’s priorities and targets.
Vision First and Apple Inc
Vision First is an organization which is looked upon by refugees, and their respect for refugee rights leaves the organization in a situation where they need to set effective strategies. Vision First deploys a “Triple A Strategy” – Advocacy, Activism, Advice (Vfnow, n.d.). With this strategy, Vision First’s strategies include running refugee programs that are aimed at inspiring social change while enabling members to become self-reliant. Such programs are set by a team of employees who have been contracted by the organization and later reviewed by the organization's Board of review (Galbraith, 2014). Vision First’s passionate team of volunteers donate their time, expertise and personal resources to maintain and operate their programs (Vfnow, n.d.). It is important to note that Vision First does research concerning refugees in Hong Kong before setting their strategies.
Professionals within the organization come up with strategies depending on refugee research reports, which are later implemented with the interest of refugees at heart. Prior to conducting research, designing programs and implementing them, Vision First ensure that the objectives that they set are viable (Galbraith, 2014). First, the set strategies must be within their financial and human resource capacities. Donors, well-wishers, and volunteers who equip this organization must be convinced that the organization’s strategies are valid and viable. The convincing nature of Vision First’s programs makes interested parties be more willing and ready to work for them, do good and give refugees better lives. With this kind strategy, Vision First manages to accomplish their goals step by step, as they fabricate newer strategies depending on the success of their previous strategies (Galbraith, 2014). In addition, Vision First has also partnered with other interested groups such as international organizations, who help them in setting strategies which are attributed to newer ideas regarding refugees, as well as amassing financial and human resource who aid in executing the strategies.
Apple's current Mission Statement is: "Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software (Galbraith, 2014). Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad” (Apple, n.d.). Apple company have several options for setting strategies and achieving their goals. First, Apple managed to set up a reliable base of upcoming technocrats in Apple campus, who offer a number of new skills and ideas in production and implementation of strategies that push Apple Company to greater heights (Galbraith, 2014). There are criteria that are used in the admission of technocrats to Apple campus. Among them is the possession of the ability to invent and innovate products and services that are in line with the Apple company’s unique products and services. Thereafter, Apple company offer their production engineers the opportunity to come up with their individual strategies which ensure that their products and services remain unique and meet their customers' needs.
Just like any other company, Apple does intense research about the technology market before they set strategies to conquer the market (Galbraith, 2014). The company usually conducts an all-inclusive research before settling on a strategy. However, Apple has proved to be ahead of the world's technological trend time and again hence their strategies hugely rely on their previous successful ones. For instance, before Apple releases a product, they would release a little information about the product or service to the world and take note of the market’s reaction (Galbraith, 2014). Thereafter, they would come up with a plan to ensure that the new item on sale surpasses the markets projected expectation of the actual product. In real sense, Apple company uses their achievement as the stepping stone in setting strategies that favor their technological advancements and prosperity.
Apple Organizational Structure
Vision First HK Non-profit Organizational Chart
References
Galbraith, J. (2014). Designing Organizations: Strategy, Structure, and Process at the Business Unit and Enterprise Levels . New York: Jossey-Bass.
