Topic: Business and Organisational Structure

Within the same business organisation, some decision-making might be centralised, with decisions made by senior management. Other decisions might be decentralised, and taken by managers or employees involved in operations.

Okpoti LTD owns and operates five private hospitals. It has a head office and each hospital has its own management team and staff (including medical staff such as doctors and nurses).

Decisions are expected to be made on the following:

1. Decisions about the medical treatment or surgical treatment for individual patients.
2. Establishing policy on hygiene standards in the hospitals.
3. Scheduling operations in the operating theatres of each hospital.
4. Discharging patients from hospital.
5. Deciding the visiting times for patients in each hospital.
6. Prescribing drugs for the treatment of patients.
7. Hiring new staff, such as hospital porters and nurses.
8. Dealing with payments from insurance companies for the treatment of insured patients.

Required:
For each of the decisions above identify from the list below whom you would expect to make the decision and briefly explain why.
i) Head office management
ii) The management of each hospital
iii) Staff in each hospital