Managing Business Responsibly - Coursework Example

MANAGING BUSINESS RESPONSIBLY – Dis Analysis Introduction The analysis of issues that are related to business activities can be a challenging task mostly because of the following fact: when developing this analysis it is necessary to employ certain ideas which are considered as already verified, i.e. ideas that are taken for granted; these ideas are also known as discourses. The use of discourses in describing and explaining two important business themes, objectives and strategic control, is explained in this paper. Reference is made to part of the text of Finlay’s book (2000). The discourses included in the above text are presented and alternative ways in providing the relevant information are suggested. It seems that using alternatives for describing business-related issues is possible since business is a complex unit, incorporating a variety of frameworks and behaviours. Still, the employment of alternatives in such case may differentiate, even slightly, the point of view on which an argument is based (Bargiela-Chiappini et al. 2013). Focusing on the main idea of a text’s creator is a prerequisite for avoiding severe failures when using alternative means of expression in the context of discourse analysis (Gee and Handford 2013). 2. Strategic Management text – discourse analysis 2a. Main discourses in the text The text under examination is full of discourses. Among these discourses there are certain that have key role in supporting the arguments included in the text: a) The first discourse is that ‘objectives are measurable’ (Finlay 2000, p.439); b) Then, the author argues that an objective can be characterized as of high quality when it meets five criteria, described with the initials REMIT; these criteria are analyzed in page 441 of the text; c) In regard to the financial objectives it is argued that these objectives are not able to enhance motivation (Finlay 2000, p.442) d) Of particular importance is the view of Finlay in regard to the key difference between pro-active and reactive control; it is stated that the former is based on measures for changing the organizational environment before a failure appears while the latter refers to the actions taken since the failure occurs (Finlay 2000, p.442) e) In Climate Control, as one of the phases of Strategic Control, emphasis is given to the role of public relations; the term is explained by referring to its dimensions, which are the following two: Quality of relationships Means for supporting and enhancing relationships (Finlay 2000, p.445) 2b. Alternative ways that the information might have been presented i.e. alternative discourses The information provided above, as presented in previous section, could have been provided using alternative discourses. These discourses are described below and are justified by referring to the literature published in the particular field: a) Social constructionism, as explained in the study of Burr, is based on the view that language is not standardized, as of its content; rather, it tends to vary and change continuously (Burr 2003). In regard to business, when having to describe the attitudes of a business concept the terms used should be carefully chosen especially since their meaning could lead to false assumptions; this implication would be important in the particular sector at the level that theories related to businesses are often used by managers for developing the plans of their organization. In the particular case, the description of objectives as measurable is not accurate, limiting the scope and the use of objectives, as part of strategic planning. Indeed, there can be objectives that are non - measurable, as for example, the change of a firm’s logo so that its market image is improved. In regard to the above, objectives would not be characterized as measurable but rather as feasible. b) In businesses, the actual quality of objectives can be evaluated only after applying them in practice and monitoring their ability to be met in the context of the organizational environment. The description of objectives in the study of Finlay can be characterized as effective, if taking into consideration the challenges that managers tend usually to face when trying to meet business objectives; in other words, the description that Finlay made in regard to objectives can be characterized as realistic (Burr 2003). However, it should be followed by explanations for potential changes, depending on the conditions of the organizational environment. This means that the above description is not flexible, setting limits to the characteristics of objectives. Therefore, the description should be followed by the following clarification: REMIT shows the ideal status of objectives but it could be differentiated, as a framework, without losing its value (Finlay, p.441). For example, it could be noted that even if three out of five of the terms of REMIT are met, still an objective could remain of high quality, as it could be verified by the results of its use in practice. c) In most organizations the plans of managers for enhancing motivation are based on rewards; in other words, monetary benefits are regarded as a core part of a firm’s plan for securing employee motivation. Finlay seems to be opposed to the above idea. As explained in the study of Georgakopoulou and Goutsos (2004) the ideas expressed within organizations depend on the belief of the power that each individual has within his organization. For example, in a business meeting, with all head-managers to be present, a statement that financial objectives are irrelevant to motivation would be avoided especially if the latter is a supporter of financial incentives for promoting motivation (Georgakopoulou and Goutsos 2004). An alternative discourse would be preferred: it could be stated that when referring to HR plans financial measures should be combined with non-financial measures at the level that these plans do not refer solely to business activities but also to employees. d) In the description of proactive and reactive control a similar problem, with that appeared in the previous sub-section, appears. More specifically, the words used for showing the role of each one of these types of control are not accurate (Schaffner 2002); for example, it is stated that pro-active control refers to the changes made on the organizational environment before the failure. Still, the pro-active control cannot be related only to change: it could also refer to the enhancement of existing practices, certain of which may not applied so far; such initiatives cannot be described as change, in the exact meaning of the word, but rather as realization of existing practices; this term, i.e. realization should be rather used for describing the role both of the proactive and the reactive control. e) The involvement of public relations in the Climate Control, as presented in the study of Finlay (p.445), gives the impression that in the context of business human relations are not fully based on public relations, a view that cannot be accepted. In fact, according to Bargiela-Chiappini (2009) when referring to the individuals participated in business activities, emotional discourses should be used; these discourses would aim to show the understanding of the author for the challenges that these individuals face, as part of their duties. Under these terms, relations developed across the organization, as part of business operations, should not be described using the term public relations, but an alternative term, such as Internal Relations or Inter-Organizational Relations. 2c. How might these alternatives change our understanding? The alternatives suggested above could lead us to develop a, slightly, different view in regard to the issue highlighted: a) Our understanding for the key role of objectives in businesses would be changed if a different word is used for describing objectives; using the word ‘feasible’ instead of ‘measurable’ leads to a different perception for objectives’ priority as part of businesses: objectives should not exceed a firm’s potentials but they should be aligned with the conditions in the organizational environment (Trosborg and Jorgensen 2005). b) By describing objectives using a different term, it could help us to realize the conditions under which objectives can be met: instead of measures, emphasis should be given to the allocation of resources. c) Promoting motivation cannot be achieved without using a two-dimensional approach: d1) non-financial measures could be used for addressing the self-esteem needs of employees while d2) financial measures could help employees to cover their basic needs, such as food and housing. In other words, the alternative discourse could help to realize the co-existence of two vital needs of employees: of the need to survive and of the need to secure personal development and recognition. d) Our view in regard to proactive and reactive control in organizations could be changed if different terms are used for describing these concepts. Change, as a term, is not decisive for developing proactive and reactive control. Otherwise, strategic control, parts of which are proactive and reactive control, would be followed by resistance by employees’ side; such reaction is not standardized every time a strategic control measure is initiated (Hyland and Paltridge 2011). Therefore, the use of alternative discourse in the specific case could help us to understand the actual meaning of strategic control. e) Employees and managers are humans; their behaviour in the workplace is not fully depended on organizational goals and culture but also on their personal characteristics and experiences. 3. Conclusion The language used for describing key business concepts should be chosen using specific criteria (Handford 2010). The employment of theories that are related to the specific field could help to identify grammatical schemes that are more appropriate for expressing the issues related to business activities. The social constructionism theory, as described by Burr, is a theoretical framework that would be valuable in improving the discourses used for describing business concepts and activities. At the same time, emphasis should be given to the following fact: a discourse cannot be fully irrelevant to the real world (Garzone and Ilie 2007). However, it should be aligned with the needs and the characteristics of the audience/ readers and the social environment involved. Only in this way, the targets set by the creator of a text should be achieved without the key meaning of the words and concepts used to be changed (Gee 2013). It is implied that discourses should not be used for introducing concepts and views that are fully opposed to existing social ethics. References Bargiela-Chiappini, F., 2009. The Handbook of Business Discourse. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Bargiela-Chiappini, F., Nickerson, C. and Planken, B., 2013. Business Discourse. Oxford: Palgrave Macmillan Burr, V., 2003. Social Constructionism. London: Routledge Garzone, G. and Ilie, C., 2007. The Use of English in Institutional and Business Settings: An Intercultural Perspective. New York: Peter Lang Gee, J., 2013. An Introduction to Discourse Analysis: Theory and Method. London: Routledge. Gee, J. and Handford, M., 2013. The Routledge Handbook of Discourse Analysis. London: Routledge Georgakopoulou, A. and Goutsos, D., 2004. Discourse Analysis: An Introduction. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press Handford, M., 2010. The Language of Business Meetings. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Hyland, K. and Paltridge, B., 2011. Bloomsbury Companion to Discourse Analysis. New York: Continuum Schaffner, C., 2002. The Role of Discourse Analysis for Translation and in Translator Training. Clevedon: Multilingual Matters Trosborg, A. and Jorgensen, P., 2005. Business Discourse: Texts and Contexts. New York: Peter Lang Read More