Assignment Requirements

Instruction Please answer the following two questions below
While specific functional tactics provide guidance and initiate action implementing a business’s strategy, employees also need to be empowered to make decisions or fulfill customer needs. Policies provide this empowerment. They are directives designed to control decisions while defining allowable discretion within which operational personnel can execute business activities.
Business strategy is strategy formulation. It is based on a sound analysis of the business’s internal and external environment. However, currently they are still rather abstract (comparatively) notions of how the firm should compete. To make business strategy become a reality, the people in an organization that actually “do the work” of the business need guidance in exactly what needs to be done today and tomorrow to make those long-term strategies become reality. Thus, as the strategy moves from a business strategy to an operating strategy it becomes more specific and action oriented. Similarly, short-term objectives “operationalize” long-term objectives. They provide specific guidance for the immediate time frame that helps in achieving the long-term objectives
Functional tactics are the key, routine activities that must be undertaken in each functional area – marketing, finance, production/operations, R&D, and human resource management – to provide the business’s products and services. In a sense, functional tactics translate thought (grand strategy) into action designed to accomplish specific short-term objectives. Exhibit 10.6 in the textbook illustrates the differences between functional tactics and corporate and business strategy
Question # 1
Illustrate a policy, an objective, and a functional tactic in your personal career strategy.
One of the topics covered in the Text reading was using a “People Strategy”. I often equate people strategy with the culture of an organization. If an organization has a strong people strategy, it is reflected in the culture of the company. Organizations that are serious about building and maintaining a strong organizational culture through a people strategy usually have a formal, intensive orientation program for new employees. It is an effective way to ensure that common themes, goals and values are passed to the newcomers. Another situation where a formal orientation program is effective is when an organization acquires another organization. Having worked for a long time in the HMO industry, I experienced several takeovers by other organizations. In one case, the acquiring entity left us alone for the first 2 years and didn’t do much to “bring us into the fold”. As a result, we never felt like part of the parent organization and I don’t believe that we delivered the value we could have to it. In another case, the acquiring organization sent its senior management team out to each of our regions and explained why they acquired us, what their plans were for integrating the two operations and welcomed us into the organization. It was much more effective and helped the acquired employees quickly move into their new roles as members of the acquiring organization.
Question # 2
Have any of you ever been involved in a merger or acquisition? How did the organization(s) handle the integration of the cultures? Was it effective?

Reference
Pearce, J. A., II, Robinson, R. B. (2011). Strategic management: Planning For Domestic & Global Competition, (13th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.