The author of this brief report has been asked to engage in a critical analysis of two main components to the typical operations of a business. The two specific organizational facets that will be mentioned in this brief essay are marketing and finance in a hierarchal organization. These two very important topics will be linked to organizational theory along the way. Indeed, the linkages and pathways that link finance and marketing worth the organizational body of knowledge are significant and well-studied. With that, there should be a focus on more modern iterations and versions of the theory. While there are many other important parts of making the proper strategic decisions and keeping an organization in good standing, the importance of marketing and finance to a firm and its organizational strategy cannot be overstated. Analysis

True to what was referenced in the introduction to this report, the first of the two primary topics that will be covered would be marketing. It is commonly known within the scholarly body of knowledge that there are some very important aspects to marketing for many to most firms. Two of the more important concepts to take to heart would be differentiation and what gives a firm a competitive edge from a marketing standpoint. Indeed, there has to be the duality of what makes a firm different and how that difference gives the company an edge. That advantage can come from any number of sources or a combination of the same (Munteanu, 2015). Just a few examples would include elite materials, low price point or some sort of coolness appeal (Datta, Ailawadi & Van Heerde, 2017). A good example of the latter would be Apple and their range of products (Sundar, Tamul &...

In more modern marketing contexts, even things like sustainability and other facets of corporate social responsibility can be a selling point (Walsh & Dodds, 2017). Regardless of how it manifests, marketing is all about differentiation, showing why one’s own service is superior to that of another company’s and so forth (Munteanu, 2015).
The other primary item that links strongly to organizational efficacy and performance and that will be mentioned in this essay is finance. While not true of all firms or situations, it is necessary to have a firm and defined command line so that there is no confusion about who makes any final calls or decisions. This is especially true when it comes to the finances of a firm (Bozhiday, 2016). The ways in which finances are very important to an organization and its function are numerous. One example is the credit rating of a firm because this affects its ability to borrow and leverage debt to expand and invest (White, 2016). The strategic goals and plans vis-à-vis finance will vary from firm to firm or form organization to organization based on the priorities and strategic goals of any given group. What should not vary, however, is the presence of firm and regimented governance to ensure that funds are allocated and spent properly and ethically (Ayyagari, Demiguc & Maksimovic, 2011).

Not only is it important to look at the facets of an business or other organization as singular parts, it is also important to look at how they interact and how they truly matter when it comes to the broader paradigm of organizational theory. Indeed, departments like finance and marketing do not work and function in a vacuum. Instead,…