Company structures

Most companies are made up of three groups 'of people: the shareholders (who provide the capital), the management and the workforce. The management structure of a typical,company is shown in the organisation chart.

At the top of the company hierarchy is the Board of' Directors, headed by the Chairperson or President. The Board is responsible for policy decisions and strategy. It will usually appoint a Managing Director or Chief Executive Officer, who has overall' responsibility for the running of the' business. Senior managers or company officers head the various departments or functions within the company, which may include the following: '

a Marketing e Finance

b Public Relations f Production

c Information Technology or IT g Research and Development or R and D
d Personnel or Human Resources'

1. Read the information about Blue Bay Design. Is it better to have a. boss in an organization?

Blue Bay Design is a company in the south of England, which produces printed material for local businesses. The company has no hierarchy and no separate departments. One of the staff of six, Ric Samson, says “We’ve never had any serious problems between people in our organization – nobody’s the boss here”.

Would you feel comfortable working in an organization like this?