The President of Silicon Company Has Just Returned from a Week

question 140

Essay

The president of Silicon Company has just returned from a week of professional development courses and is very excited that she will not have to change the organization from a centralized structure to a decentralized structure just to have responsibility centers. However, she is somewhat confused about how responsibility centers relate to centralized organizations where a few managers have most of the authority.
Required:
Explain how a centralized organization might allow for responsibility centers.

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Definitions:

Long Run

A period of time in economics where all factors of production and costs are variable, allowing for complete adjustment to changes in market conditions.

Fixed Resource

An asset or input whose quantity cannot be altered in the short run for the production of goods and services.

Explicit Costs

Direct, out-of-pocket payments for inputs or resources used by a business, easily identifiable and recorded.

Entrepreneurial Talent

The unique set of skills, insight, and intuition possessed by individuals that enables them to identify and exploit new business opportunities.