Organization Chart
At the top of the company, the Chairman of the Board [a] is responsible to the shareholders and the day-to-day running is the responsibility of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) [b], who also has a seat on the Board.
Five directors form the senior management committee of the company. Going from left to right on the organization chart, we start with the Director of Finance [c], who runs his division with his Deputy [d].
Then we have the Director of Operations [e], who is responsible for production and logistics. The Factory Manager [f] answers directly to him.
Next we have the Director of Marketing [g], who is also responsible for sales so the National Sales Manager [h] reports to him on the activities of the whole sales team, which is divided into two regions, north and south, each managed by a regional sales manager [i; j].
The Director of Human Resources [k] has a Training and Development Manager [l] and a Compensation and Benefits Manager [m], who look after the day-to-day running of her department.
Finally, the Director of Research and Development [n] runs a small but important division of the company. She too reports directly to the CEO.
Sometimes the structure of management in a company can depend on the country it operates in. Read about managers, executives and Directors in the uk and the usa.
With a partner note the differences between these structures.
M anagers and executives: uk
All the directors together are the Board. They meet in the boardroom.
Non-executive directors are not managers of the company; they are outsiders, often directors of other companies who have particular knowledge of the industry or of particular areas.
The marketing director is the head of marketing, the IT director is the head of IT, etc. These people head or head up their departments. Informally, the head of an activity, a department or an organization is its boss.
An executive or, informally, an exec, is usually a manager at quite a high level (for example, a senior executive). But ‘executive’ can be used in other contexts to suggest luxury, as in ‘executive coach’ and ‘executive home’, even for things that are not actually used by executives.
Managers and executives: us
In the US, the top position may be that of chairman, chairwoman or president. This job is often combined with the position of chief executive officer or CEO. Some companies have a chief operating officer to take care of the day-to-day running of the company. The finance director may be called the chief financial officer.
In the US, senior managers in charge of particular areas are often called vice presidents (VPs).
Job Titles
When we talk about levels of management in an organization it is important to understand the responsibilities of this or that manager. Match the job title with the best definition on the right and discuss as a class whether the same job titles are used in your country.
1. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) 2. Information Systems Director 3. Purchasing Director 4. Human Resources Director 5. Systems Analyst 6. Managing Director 7. Marketing Director 8. Production Director 9. Customer Service Manager 10. Staff Development Officer 11. Finance Director 12. Exports Manager |
a) Manager responsible for buying b) Person who designs computer networks. c) British English term for senior manager of a company. d) Manager responsible for the process of creating goods or services for sale to customers. e) American English term for the top manager of a company. f) Person responsible for setting up training opportunities for employees. g) Person responsible for computer operations in a company. h) Person responsible for managing product development, promotion, customer service, and selling. i) Person responsible for markets in other countries. j) Manager responsible for personnel issues. k) Person responsible for relationships with customers. l) Person responsible for presentation and control of profit and loss. |