Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Even some college professors and ex-high ranking government officials who have conducted studies or have useful connections are board members (Holbrook, 2004). The author further reports that "These people with intertwined relationships with corporate management often sit on multiple boards, causing an even greater conflict of interest (Holbrook, 2004-page 4)."
As was mentioned previously the sources of power for a corporation can differ slightly depending on whether or not the corporation is publicly or privately held. Publicly held organizations are often beholden to shareholders (each of whom owns a percentage of the company) (Winkler, 2004). Publicly held corporations must make financial information about the company available to shareholders (per government regulations).
Shareholders have a significant amount of power because they are a source of capital for the company. If the company is not profitable, the value of the stock decreases and a shareholder might decide to sell the stock and invest in another publicly held corporation. As a result of this power, the reactions and opinions of shareholders as it pertains to the strategies of the company are always taken into consideration.
In addition to shareholders, other stakeholders include customers and employees. Customers or consumers have a great deal of power particularly in certain industries. The power of the consumer is most often seen in the retail sector. Consumers can dictate the types of products that are sold and the price of the products. Corporations have to pay a great deal of attention to the taste and the trends that exist amongst consumers to ensure their products will sell once they enter the market.
Corporations that are privately held are quite often owned by a single family. In many cases it is the family of the original founder of the corporation. Privately held corporations have the same sources of power but the number of owners (or shareholders) in the company are more limited. For instance, a publicly held company may have thousands of shareholders and a privately held company may have fifteen. The owners of the privately held company still have a great deal of power (more power in some cases) but the dynamics are different.
Discussion and Conclusion
When the power sources of public schools and corporations are compared the differences are obvious but so are the similarities. It is apparent that the ultimate goals of the two types of organizations are different. The public school system wants to promote and realize academic achievement in American children, while the corporation wants to realize a profit. In both cases there is a hierarchy that exists as it pertains to the sources of power. Corporations and public schools are required to follow certain rules and regulations determined by the federal government.
Within the public school system superintendents and school boards have a great deal of power at the local level and within the corporate setting CEO's and the board of directors have a great deal of power. This aspect of the hierarchy is actually very similar because the CEOs and superintendents are responsible to formulating the strategies/curricula and the boards of each respective organization are responsible for determining...
The various levels of authority and power also serve the purpose of guaranteeing that the people at every level of the organization understand what is expected and their responsibilities. Another similarity between corporations and public school is that they both have stakeholders. As it pertains to corporations, stakeholders include shareholders, customers and employees. In the context of public schools stakeholders include students, parents and taxpayers. In both instances stakeholders have some power in influencing the strategies that are adapted.
Overall it is apparent that leadership and definitive sources of power are integral to developing organizations that are able to accomplish the goals that are set forth. Without leadership and the various levels of power or authority the goals of the organization cannot be realized.
References
Andero, a. (Winter 2000) the changing role of school superintendent with regard to curriculum policy and decision making, Education. Retreived October 18, 2007 from; http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3673/is_200001/ai_n8889262
Bigley, G.A., & Wiersema, M.F. (2002). New CEOs and Corporate Strategic Refocusing: How Experience as Heir Apparent Influences the Use of Power. Administrative Science Quarterly, 47(4), 707+.
Danaher, K., & Mark, J. (2003). Insurrection: Citizen Challenge to Corporate Power. New York: Routledge.
Gabbard, D.A. & Ross, E.W. (Eds.). (2004). Defending Public Schools (Vol. 1). Westport, CT: Praeger.
Hochschild, J.L., & Scovronick, N. (2003). The American Dream and the Public Schools. New York: Oxford University Press. Retrieved October 20, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103189405
Overview. United States Department of Education. Retreived October 18, 2007 from; http://www.ed.gov/about/landing.jhtml?src=gu
What We Do. Securities and Exchange Commission. Retreived October 18, 2007 from; http://www.sec.gov/about/whatwedo.shtml
Winkler, a. (2004). Corporate Law or the Law of Business: Stakeholders and Corporate Governance at the End of History. Law and Contemporary Problems, 67(4), 109+. Retrieved October 20, 2007, from Questia database: http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5008590542
Power and Organizations a Case Study Power and Organizations: A Case Study Who is in charge is a huge element that determines the organizational structure of a company. Part of understanding this notion is examining the bases of power and the delicate balance between dependency and power. The bases of power are important in understanding the organizational structure of a company and how its leadership delegates authority over the subordinates and other
Power and Weakness Robert Kagan's 2002 article entitled "Power and Weakness" which appeared in the journal Policy Review is a fine example of an argument that takes advantage of its assumptions without discussing them. The purpose of this essay is to critically analyze this source which represents a sustained reflection on the detractions, merit and implications of the author. This essay will first summarize the article by discussing the explicit and
Pluralism is a theory that states "…groups with shared interests influence public policy by pressing their concerns through organized effort." (Edwards, 2010, p.14) and the many linkage groups across America would seem to indicate that this theory is being carried out in practice as opposed to the hyper-pluralist theory in which pluralism runs wild and no one can agree with anyone else. Those institutions that can become organized in
However owners of this people were highly prohibited to mistreat them as it was against the customary law of the community to do so. The following is the list of the title given to different people in Lao community depending on their job and duty performed in the community. Huu muang (transl. "ear of the muang") - head of foreign affairs, diplomat Taa muang (transl. "eye of the muang") - scholar, wise
Power Elite Then and Now A half-century after it was written, C. Wright Mills's The Power Elite remains relevant to American society. Mills's analysis of the ways in which powerful people in different sectors of society share economic interests and so share concepts and access to power remains true of the United States now. We can see many of the same dynamics at work in this election year, for while some of
Power of Media in American Values Contemporary Discuss the power of the media in shaping contemporary American values. The online oxford dictionary defines media as "the main means of mass communication (television, radio, and newspapers) regarded collectively" (oxforddictionaries.com). This implies that the public globally are highly dependent on media to get information regarding what surrounds them, so is the American public (Edwards, 2001;9). In any case, the most efficient way of transmitting information