Team+Bravo

Team Name: ** Team Bravo ** Team Members:
 * Cristina Tira **
 * Julia Schuster **
 * Pasquale Varone **

When managers group a company's activities, employees, and resourses into functions they create a Functional Structure.
 * Team Project 1: **
 * Functional Structure **

To successfully control the activities of her employees as her company grew, Heida Thurlow created a functional structure for Chantal Cookware, based in Huston, Texas. Thurlow, a German-born mechanical engineer, patented a device that keeps the handles of soucepans and other kinds of cookware cool to the touch. To take advantage of her invention, Thurlow grouped all employees who perform tasks related to assembling the cookware into the manufactoring function, and all employess who handle sales to Chantal's 2000 retail customers into the sales funtion. Engineers responsible for desingning Chantal's expanding range of cookware are grouped into the product development function, and employees responsible for obtaining the inputs (steel, plastic, and heat-proof paint) needed to make the products are grouped into materials-management function. This structure suited the needs of Thurlow's growing company, especially as it batled against other upscale cookware makers like Le Creuset and Calphalon. Although Chantal started as a small company, it now earns more than $12 million in revenues annually.*

**Structural dimensions** //Span of control// As the Chantal Cookware company has less than 50 workers, the span of control can’t be seen as a high one, nevertheless this assumption is a theoretical one as we were not provided with concrete information.

//Specialization// As companies group their activities by function to obtain the benefits from specialization and the division of labor, we can conclude that Chantal Cookware‘s specialization is high.

//Formalization and Centralization// Functional structures are often characterized by a large degree of formalization, making each function reliant on standardized ways of operating. Decision-making power is often centralized at the top of the hierarchy. [|[1]] Taking into consideration Chantal Cookware’s structure we just can take for granted that its formalization and centralization levels are high.

//Professionalization// Chantal has been a leading designer and manufacturer of gourmet products for over 30 years. They specialize in professional cookware and award winning teakettles.[|[2]] All this results could be obtained just with the help of the profesionalized staff.

//Employees indicators// All the information you have about your employees is very important, as long as Chantal Cookware company has few employees it is easier for the CEO to know more about her workers.

**Context dimensions** //Technology// As they produce a diverse amount of products and also eco-friendly ones, Chantal Cookware use new technology and also we should mention that Heida Thurlow is a mechanical engineer and she has since received 26 different design and utility patents from the US and Germany for teakettle and cookware design and innovation.[|[3]]

//Environment// Le Creuset and Calphalon are the main competitors. Also we should mention Chuck Williams, the founder of Williams-Sonoma, that ist he first large retailer to cary the Chantal Cookware collection. Today, Chantall products are sold in high end retailers nationwide.

//Size of the organization// Number of employees- 30-50[|[4]] Revenues (ttm)- 0,5[|[5]] It has manufacturing facilities in Germany; Japan; and Houston, Texas. [|[6]]

//Strategy// Over the years, Chantal has made a reputation for innovation by developing a long list of firsts for the kitchen; including the introduction of dramatic color to the table, adding tempered glass lids and stay-cool handles to cookware, and designing countless other intuitive features for cooking, serving and storing.[|[7]]

//Culture// „At Chantal, our definition of quality includes a mandate for making healthy products without compromising the state of our planet's ecosystem. We are passionate about encouraging waste reduction and energy conservation in an effort to reduce our carbon footprint every step of the way.“[|[8]]

[|[1]] [] [|[2]] [|http://twitter.com/#!/chantalcookware] [|[3]] [] [|[4]] [] [|[5]] [] [|[6]] [] [|[7]] [] [|[8]] []

**Divisional Structure** A divisional structure allows a company's different functional groups to each focus on a particular product line or on a particular type of customer. Companies can choose from three kinds of divisional structures: product, market and geographic.

When Dell Computer began to grow rapidly during the 1990s, it quickly discovered that it could sell more PCs if it customized them to the needs of different types of customers. Dell's problem was how to make and sell a wide range of PCs and yet still keep its operating costs low. Operating costs often rise sharply when a company has to assemble many different models of a product, each of which is customized to the requirements.* **Structural dimensions** //Span of control// Due to the size of the company “Dell” we can assume that the processes are highly standardized. Also considering the total number of employees working for “Dell”, which is more than 100.000, the company should have a high span of control compared to smaller companies. As we do not have concrete numbers, we can analyze this aspect only regarding the assumptions.

//Specialization// According to the high number of hierarchical levels that the organizational chart of the “Dell” company shows, we can conclude, that the specialization inside the company is high.

//Formalization// As there are many procedures, which have to follow certain standards, “Dell” has to have a high level of formalization. The size of the company makes it necessary to have written rules. Long communication ways hamper non-formalized processes.

//Centralization// As there are many hierarchical levels and in each level decisions are taken, “Dell” has a low level of centralization

//Professionalization// “Dell” is the second biggest computer producer worldwide.  Therefore it requires highly skilled and well educated staff. Accordingly the degree of professionalization is high.

//Employees indicators// Key performance indicators are the areas that employers use to gauge how well an employee is performing. These indicators are typically general and applicable to all employees in the company, although businesses may customize their own indicators based on the business activity. Key performance indicators standardize evaluations, giving managers a rubric they can use to analyze employees and create plans for improvement and problem solving. Dell managers use to index their employees by their ability to communicate, to manage their time and allocate resources effectively, their job skills, etc.

**Context dimensions** //Technology// Because Dell’s core business is focused on technological process, the company as a matter of course uses the newest technological media.

//Environment// The environment of Dell include __competitors__, which are mainly Hewlett Packard, Acer, and Lenovo, __suppliers__, that are amongst others Lexmark, Microsoft Corporation, Samsung Electronics, and Texas Instruments. For its shareholders, Dell provides financial news through reporting and arranges events .

//Size of the organization// Number of employees: 109.400 Sales in 2011: USD 62.257.000.000,-

//Strategy// Dell’s strategy is called “customer-driven innovation”. “Many innovations begin in-house, led by a global team of top engineers, product designers and technical experts. Others begin as a team effort with Dell's strategic partners. The mission is to deliver innovative and cost-effective solutions that meet today's real-life customer challenges and work seamlessly in existing environments and with other products.”

//Culture// “Dell believes in being direct in everything we do. Our ultimate success is based on maintaining direct relationships built on trust. Our relationships with diverse partners help us reach multicultural consumer groups across the world and recruit the best and brightest talent to achieve success in the marketplace." Dell's Winning Culture and comprehensive diversity initiatives create a corporate environment based on meritocracy, personal achievement and equal access to all available opportunities. We focus our internal efforts on cultivating and promoting best practices among our global workforce in the areas of policy development, training, recruitment, mentoring, development, advancement and culture change. Furthermore, our Work/Life Effectiveness and career management programs enhance our ability to retain and develop valuable team members and demonstrate our commitment to the Dell Team. __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">Networking Groups __ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">Dell sponsors a community of networking groups formed by employees with common interests in areas such as ethnicity, gender, nationality, lifestyle, and sexual orientation. These groups offer Dell employees the opportunity to network with other employees from around the company, while providing encouragement and an enhanced sense of belonging through informal mentoring, professional and community events and access to personal and professional development and growth. Additionally, networking groups help foster a more inclusive work environment, improve communication among employees and enhance understanding of all employees about the value of diversity. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">Networking Groups currently chartered: __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">Work/Life Effectiveness __ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">At Dell, our people are our most valuable asset and we are committed to fostering a culture that exhibits this value. Our goal is to enable employees to maximize their contribution to the company while also maintaining effectiveness between their work and personal lives. We advocate flexibility in the workplace to empower employees, teams and managers to hold discussions about both the needs of the business and each employee's individual Work/Life Effectiveness goals, and then to construct a plan for fulfilling both priorities. As individual circumstances vary, solutions that enable flexibility can be different, including informal and formal flexible work arrangements such as variable daily work times, work-from-home, and part-time work arrangements. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">Additionally, Dell offers corporate employee resources that enable employees to better manage their Work/Life situations, such as: __<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">Career Management Program __ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">Dell is committed to developing our workforce and helping employees achieve their personal and professional best. Through an intensive, six-month Career Management Program, we strive to develop, fully engage, and retain high-performing talent. Specifically, participants in the program spend 6-8 hours per month developing and strengthening network and mentoring relationships; engaging in new activities; and exploring new assignments or positions at Dell. Managers participate in a kickoff session and a mid-program discussion with the coach and participant, in addition to holding monthly career-related discussions with participants.”
 * * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">BRIDGE - Building Relationships in Diverse Group Environments (African-American Networking Group)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">W.I.S.E. - Women In Search of Excellence
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">aDellante - Hispanic Networking Group
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">PRIDE - Partnering for Respect of Individuality in the Dell Environment (A Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender & Straight Alliance)
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">A.I.M. - Asians in Motion ||
 * * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">Employee Assistance Program
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">Dependent Care Referral Resources
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">Mothers Rooms
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 101%;">Staying Well at Dell Initiatives like "Weight Watchers at Work" ||

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> Wikipedia <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> http://content.dell.com/us/en/gen/d/corp-comm/cr-ca-list-suppliers <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/about-dell-investor.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=corp&redirect=1&redirect=2 <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> http://www.corporateinformation.com/Company-SnapShot.aspx?cusip=24702R101&from=Manta <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/our-story-innovation-at-dell.aspx <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> http://content.dell.com/us/en/corp/d/corp-comm/cto-customer-driven-innovation.aspx <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;"> http://www.dell.com/content/topics/global.aspx/corp/diversity/en/culture?c=us&l=en
 * Introduction to Business, Gareth R. Jones, Texas A&M University


 * Team Project 2: **

Team Project 3 :
====The decision to create a Twitter account for the Master of Science in Global Economyand Business born from the need to give students the opportunity to exchange information among themselves concerning activities and university events in real time and to receiving news about the degree course.====

The strength of Twitter account is definitely the speed with which information is exchanged and easy to read it.
====As a point of weakness is possible to highlight the poor dissemination of social networks within the university context. To fix prevents this problem is being considereda marketing strategy based on the advertising of the same account of Gleb Twitter and on the home page of the University. Also planned is a meeting to explain why is useful and necessary to create an account and then log in to Gleb's Twitter.====

5. Marketing Strategy to promote and develop the account
Screenshot of Twitter Account



For Information on Twitter Click Here