Discussion Questions Week 3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Discussion Questions Week 3 - Essay Example enter into the contract is important since it can help to protect either party in the case of a disagreement, as well as to ensure that the agreement is carried out as planned. The legal competence of each party is important so that the contract can be enforceable in a court of law if the need arises. According to J. Rank (2008, pg. 1), a bilateral contract is, â€Å"An agreement formed by an exchange of a promise in which the promise of one party is consideration supporting the promise of the other party. A bilateral contract is distinguishable from a unilateral contract, a promise made by one party in exchange for the performance of some act by the other party. The party to a unilateral contract whose performance is sought is not obligated to act, but if he or she does, the party that made the promise is bound to comply with the terms of the agreement. In a bilateral contract both parties are bound by their exchange of promises.† There are a number of examples that could constitute each type of contract. For instance, consider first the bilateral contract. An example of a bilateral contract that an individual could encounter would include a contract in which an individual purchasing a car agrees to purchase the vehicle if and only if the car dealership agrees to fix a dent in the car before it is delivered. If either party fails to keep up his or her end of the bargain, the contract is breached. An example of a unilateral contract could be a lease. In this case, the individual agrees to stay at a property for a certain length of time, but the property owners promise nothing. According to the Department of Justice (2008, pg. 1), â€Å"All contracts may be oral, except such as are specially required by statute to be in writing. Where a contract, which is required by law to be in writing, is prevented from being put in writing by the fraud of a party thereto, any other party is by such fraud led to believe that it is in writing, and acts upon such belief to

Structural Frame on Berlitz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Structural Frame on Berlitz - Essay Example 47). The structural frame perspective (how we view organizational structure options) was developed as a merging from two main theorists – Frederick W. Taylor’s scientific principles and Max Weber’s bureaucratic philosophy. Frederick Taylor’s work was called â€Å"scientific management† and was about introducing methods to gain individual worker efficiency rather than workers going by the rule of thumb (p. 48). Taylor measured the individual’s contribution with a stopwatch and pointed out how each worker could maximize their productivity. Max Weber, however, looked at the overall organization rather than the individual worker. He was the theorist behind the hierarchical model and use of the bureaucratic systems. At the time (after World War II), many countries were still using a Patriarch management model and it was time to replace it. To more evenly distribute the power, Weber introduced a â€Å"fixed division of labor† and â€Å"hier archy of offices† as examples of the new organizational perspective. These structural frame perspectives continue to exist today. Berlitz International, Inc. believes in the traditional hierarchy of offices and in the traditional chain of command. As discussed in McShane & Von Glinow (2005) coordination comes through formal hierarchy. As the organization grows, which Berlitz has, hierarchical assignments take place and power is passed to individuals. Berlitz reflects a structural perspective on their Internet site, Berlitz Japan, Inc. (2011). The organizational chart lesson (see Appendix A) states that employees will fall somewhere in the chain of command, whether on the top or somewhere â€Å"a little lower†. This information falls under the structural assumption that the organization’s current circumstances will dictate the design that fits best. The structural configuration of Berlitz Language Company as stated in Bolman & Deal (2008) started with a simple str ucture as depicted in most â€Å"mom-and-pop† or smaller organizations (p. 78). McShane & Von Glinow (2005) says that â€Å"most companies begin with a simple structure† (p. 438). Mintzberg’s Model (Bolman & Deal, 2008, p. 79) is a more accurate configuration of Berlitz International today because of the global magnitude of the organization. The Wall Street Journal published an article following a press release from Berlitz, that Hiromasa Yokoi, vice chairman, chief executive and president would retire and numerous management changes would take place as well as company- wide restructure (Bounds, 2000, March 21). A spokesperson added that the company would be split into two subsidiaries: Berlitz Language Services and ELS Language Centers. Berlitz is 70% owned by Benesse Corp, an educational publisher in Japan. The decision to split the company was a strategic decision and had been planned for â€Å"over one year† (Bounds, 2000, March 21, p. 1). Each center , however, will have an individual configuration designed to suit the center director and meet the overall organizational goals. The franchise locations were later given several templates