Fundamentals of Management 6th Edition by Ricky Griffin

Exercise 16

Exercise Overview
Conceptual skills require you to think in the abstract. In this exercise, you'll use your conceptual skills in analyzing organizational structure.
Exercise Background
Looking at its organization chart allows you to understand a company's structure, including its distribution of authority, its divisional breakdown, its levels of hierarchy, and its reporting relationships. The reverse is also true: When you understand the elements of a company's structure, you can draw up an organization chart to reflect it. In this exercise, that's just what you'll do: You'll use the Internet to research a firm's structure and then draw an appropriate organization chart.
Exercise Task
Alone or with a partner, go online to research a publicly traded U.S. firm in which you're interested. Focus on information that will help you understand the company's structure. If you research Ford Motor Company, for example, you should look for information about different types of vehicles, different regions in which Ford products are sold, and different functions that the company performs. (Hint: The firm's annual report is usually available online and typically contains a great deal of helpful information. In particular, take a look at the section containing an editorial message from the chairman or CEO and the section summarizing financial information. In many cases, "segment" data reveal a lot about divisional structure.)