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Example research essay topic: Cost Benefit Analysis Conflict Resolution - 1,555 words

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Microeconomics In this report we are going to talk about Williamson Corporation, which made one great strategic decision based upon productivity, wages and benefits, and other fixed and variable costs. Williamson Corp. is a small accounting and audit company employing 40 people and located in downtown Detroit Michigan. The strategic decision that the organization made was their reconstruction that helped them to avoid conflicts that were present between the members upon management issues. Firstly we are going to talk about the former structure of the company and move on to how it has been changed.

Tasks were distributed on the basis of specialization: auditing, tax, government and consulting. Very few tasks were performed by routine; each day may include new procedures for each employee. Jobs in this accounting firm were created by the customers needs, and therefore vary greatly from client to client. Each employee did most of his work based on experience, not according to standard procedure. This individual-style process replaces clearly defined tasks in the firm. However, there was no job rotation between specialties.

After the companys reconstruction business went much better because of good communication between managers and staff and new and improved style of business. Information flows very informally and on a personal basis. While this may create problems that will be discussed later, there are many positive aspects to this arrangement; it contributes to the family-like atmosphere that is very evident to the casual observer. The lack of a formally defined flow of information is in part caused by the many client contacts within the firm, but there is imbalance in the quality and quantity of information that each employee receives. Formal information flow is undefined between the vaguely defined divisions of the firm in part due to the nature of the accounting industry.

Therefore, information flow is very vertical. Information is handed down to each department from the top (Phil, Brian and other partners), and from each professional to the shared administrative staff. Data from each individual professional division flowing back up to Phil and Brian goes through David. There are no general staff meetings at Williamson. The only formally coordinated data-sharing medium is the partner meetings.

The area of conflict resolution within the company is rather gray. As noted above, Phil and Brian are the two who directly manage the personnel at Williamson, but this is not always the case. According to staff interviews, it is very difficult to actually have either Phil or Brian resolve an issue. Phil is always out of the office and when he is in the office he does not have the time to deal with employee problems. Brian is always willing to take the time to listen to employee problems and he seems to sincerely want to help, but he prefers to wait until the issue blows over before addressing it. There is no set procedure for how a problem is solved once either Phil or Brian gets involved.

One partner is apt to give one possible solution to the problem only to have the other turn around and contradict what has been suggested. This sends mixed signals to the employees who are not sure which path of resolution to follow. In addition, conflicts are not resolved in the same manner for all employees. Some of the artifacts we identified at Williamson include its recruitment practices, its highly rigid job descriptions, and the physical office itself. The recruitment practices at Williamson are consistent with the informality of the company. Williamson usually does not advertise its job openings; instead, most of its new employees are hired through its clients.

For example, one employee had applied for a secretarial position with a client of Williamson. The client passed on her resume to Williamson. The company uses the same strategy for attracting new clients. It does not market its services conventionally; instead, existing clients tell business associates about the firm and its services. While there are no written job descriptions, the specific tasks that each employee must complete imply a rigid definition of their position at Williamson. The building itself is an artifact.

First, the building is very identifiable to the Jackson community. On our first visit to Williamson, we got lost and asked a gas station attendant if he knew how to get to Williamson. He not only knows where it was, he gave us an exact description of the building. While this is a different goal and context from the business decision-making process I am examining, his arguments are relevant in that they closely examine cost-benefit analysis from a moral / ethical point of view, and the conclusions should be applicable to the business case. He presents the prescription of cost-benefit analysis advocates as follows: If benefits do not outweigh costs, the activity in question should not be performed, and to weigh these fairly, all benefits and costs need to be expressed in a common scale (usually dollars), even if some of those costs or benefits are not usually expressed that way. Kelman opposes both of these points with the following positions.

First, it is likely that there are many decisions that are morally or ethically right where the costs outweigh the benefits. Second, Kelman argues that there are many good reason not to try to put dollar values on many costs or benefits. (Kelman, p. 90) Kelman identifies the position ascribed to his opponents as a utilitarian one, in which he claims that all kinds of consequences of each possible action would be though out, quantified and compared to each other in coming up with the action that benefited society the most. The question of Rights and Duties within a moral or ethical system is the basis for determining whether cost-benefit analysis is applicable. By this standard, the morally right act is the act that reflects a duty or respects a right. (Kelman, p. 92) If duties or rights conflict, as they will when a moral principle comes up against the outcome of a cost-benefit analysis, it is possible that the results of the cost-benefit analysis will be subsumed or become irrelevant to the wider analysis. (Kelman, p. 92) Additionally, Kelman argues that certain things, in order to demonstrate their special value should stand outside the cost-benefit analysis. Included in this are fresh water, clean air, and other environmental concerns. (Kelman, pp. 92 - 93) My analysis leads me to the conclusion that cost-benefit analysis, while not perfect as a tool, does have a legitimate place in decision-making, in that it provides information that would not otherwise be available. That this information is relevant and necessary to the decision to be made is supported by the very practical questions raised by Nisbet and DeLong.

I accept from Kelman's work the criticisms of cost-benefit analysis, but rather than discarding the tool as useless, I would prefer to see it refined, as well as applied in a reasonable fashion. Above all, this means that it must be recognized for what it is a tool with powerful applications and significant limitations. As such it should never be relied on as providing the greatest or only arguments for a decision. The most obvious underlying assumption is that employees should be loyal and self-motivated.

The company provides a good salary and benefits package but it provides little support in terms of the daily responsibilities of its employees. Instead, management believes that if it provides its employees with good pay and a comfortable working environment, employees will be productive. Another underlying assumption is that if you provide a good service, businesses will come to you, and the clients' concerns are always top priority. As stated above, Williamson does very little if any marketing of its services. It believes, instead, in the word-of-mouth philosophy that satisfied clients will recommend its services to others.

In the same way, the company opts to develop good relationships with the banks of Detroit, in order to benefits from their referrals. In short, analyzing Williamson from the cultural perspective reveals, among other things, the management philosophy of the partners and the impact that philosophy has on Williamson employees. Management places great value on individualism and expects its employees to perform their jobs with little support from management. However, there is a major inconsistency. Employees are currently being reviewed annually, but Williamson should standardize the criteria involved and perhaps perform the evaluations more regularly. This will eliminate suspicions that management has been playing favorites, as well as provide the partners with a better understanding of their employees progress and concerns.

Among the partners, conflicts seem few and far between, but a procedure to follow in the event of a difference in opinion should be developed. As new partners emerge, consistency of opinion may not be as prevalent, and a standard procedure for conflict resolution will minimize tension between the new partners. Lastly, we suggest that Williamson seek external consulting services. The implementation of many beneficial changes may require a long-term commitment and periodic input from an objective group. Bibliography: Will Find, Controversial Issues of the Reconstruction of Williamson Corporation, from Eastern Economist Magazine, issue April 2003. Yan Guzman, Managing Accounting Issues.

New York: Viking Press, 1998. Steven Kelman, Cost-benefit Analysis: an Ethical Critique. Oxford University Press, 2000. James V. DeLong and Robert A. Nisbet, Productivity and Cost of Reconstruction, from Wired Magazine, issue August 2001.


Free research essays on topics related to: decision making, job descriptions, p 92, cost benefit analysis, conflict resolution

Research essay sample on Cost Benefit Analysis Conflict Resolution

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