The mission statement of a business contains the goals and guidelines that frame the day-to-day operations. The framework is created with the idea that employees will not only have faith in the mission, but that mission will guide them in accomplishing that mission. Each process, such as sales or marketing, within the business is independent, but still needs to align with the mission statement. To achieve this alignment, each department needs some standardization of processes and objectives. Consider these thoughts as you answer the following questions: A: With the business processes mentioned above, is it best to set all daily functions as standards without deviations, or should flexible measures be in place to allow for occurrences that are outside the norm of operations? B: A business management reporting process is guided by processing daily results and disseminating the information to management. Is the process best served by a centralized or decentralized management oversight process? Support your choice with examples. C: Each business process focus is that of managing information so the best possible decision can be made. However, a lack of control over the information can result in bad decision making. Should control mechanisms be dictated in the form of the data being tangible or intangible? Why or why not? D: Information is best utilized by having a complimentary set of networks that collect, filter, process, and distribute useful data. At a minimum, some companies might not have the expertise to carry out such a venture. What companies are currently working to ensure all business types are networked properly? Do you see any one company as a leader and why or why not?
