Competitive Strategy Report: Linear Programming, Holacracy and Zappos

This report examines the concepts of linear programming and holacracy, demonstrating their significance in business strategy and decision-making. The report begins with an executive summary followed by an analysis of linear programming, discussing rational decision-making, the challenges associated with linear programming, and its importance in maximizing profits and minimizing costs through mathematical optimization. The report then delves into holacracy, defining the system, contrasting it with bureaucracy, and exploring its application in organizational design, using the Zippo company as a case study. The discussion includes contingent factors like size, age, technology, and strategies, along with creative cultures and their role in fostering innovation and risk management. The conclusion synthesizes these elements, emphasizing the role of competitive strategy, shared language, and purpose-driven functions in driving constructive actions and improved decision-making, supported by references to relevant literature.

Report

Executive Summary
Here, the case is based on the competitive strategy which is important to work towards the
proper decision making. Here, we are discussing about the Linear Programming Activity with
the maximum profit with the requirements set for the optimization and handling the linear
equality.
Zappos which are for the check on how the decision making could help in improving the
standards with the check on the complexities. Here, holacracy is the best method for the people
to work towards the proper processes to run the meetings along with creating the clarity to easy
adaptation to the organization structure.

Contents
Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................1
Week 1: Activity 1: Linear Programming.......................................................................................3
Week 2: Activity 2: Holacracy........................................................................................................4
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................7

Week 1: Activity 1: Linear Programming
Q1: The rational decision making is considered one of the major step for the multi-step process
that has been set for the making of all the important decisions. Here, there are situations related
to the objectivity, analysis over the subjectivity and the insights. The approach is to set the
sequential path of the objectives where there is easy identification of the criteria to make the
decisions, and then identify the alternatives. Here, the rational model is based on maximizing the
benefits and minimizing the costs. The idea is about handling the judgements with the benefit for
the related objectives. (Dantzig, 2016). Here, there is a need to check on the perfect information
with the criteria that is based on how the data is collected.
Q2: Some of the issues with the linear programming are:
a. The specification of the objective functions which is based on the mathematical forms.
b. The objective functions need to be determined with the terms that are for the social,
institutional and the financial constraints.
c. The relevant values are set with the involvement of the LP as the major issue.
d. The objective functions and the constraints are not directed towards the specifications
with the linear equality equations.
e. The linear programming leaders to the issues with the increased production and the
processes that are related to the different inputs and how the increased fixed proportion
could be measured easily.
f. The challenge is about the production for the different goods and how the extent could be
matched to handle the production with the varying factors proportion.

g. The assumptions are based on the techniques where there are issues related to the LP
models and then present the trial and the error solutions which is difficult to find for the
optimal solutions for the different problems of business. (Zhang et al., 2016).
Q3: The linear programming is important for handling the best outcomes with the maximized
profits or the lowered costs. There are representations for the linear relationships with the
mathematical optimization. The techniques are for the objective functions which are set with the
linear inequality and to take hold of the details which specify about the objective functions. the
linear programming is based on the model which include the transport and the energy. The
solutions are set with the defined search limit along with searching the scenarios that are
applicable for the different problems. (Demirel et al., 2016). With this, the scenario is based on
handling the non-linear programming problems without any loss to the methods which are
defined under the simplex methods.
Week 2: Activity 2: Holacracy
Q1: Holacracy works on the system that is set for the business management where the system
creators are able to administer and work towards the business development. Here, there is a
removal of power with the formation of the hierarchical structure which is obtained by the
authority distribution. Hence, the model of the organization is based on working over the
expressions through the individual members who work on the organization benefit.
The difference between holacracy and the bureaucracy is based on the power decentralization.
For Weber, Bureaucracy is depending upon how the competencies could be involved with certain
rules and regulations. With this, holacracy is focusing on the business management to handle the
coercing of some specific restrictions. (Vioarsson, 2017). Here, the activities are defined for the

roles which allow the differentiation with personal interests and egos which comes from the
purpose driven functions. It allows the processing with the constructive actions.
Q2: The contingent factors are for the organizational designing for the size, age, technology and
the strategies. Zippo company is working on the business patterns where the management has
time to incorporate the organization with the proper know of the strength and the weakness. The
decision of Zippo is to focus on the ambiguities where the employees do not have any of the
adequate knowledge related to the business. (Suen, 2017). Hence, with this, there are size of the
organization with choice to handle the management to assess the business and avoid any of the
ineffective methods. Zippo works with 1500 employees and handle the operating environment
where there are raw materials for the shoe, handbag and the cloth production. The market is at
Las Vegas for the operations set with the latest technology. Here, the features are related to
handle the functioning of CEO to properly monitor the firm performance along with the rights
where the groups are able to handle the serenity of the environment. This will also help in
making the teams comfortable for the Zippo mode. The company is able to handle the different
groups under the organizational strategies. The company works on the distributed mandates for
the groups inorder to bring a formation for the organizational strategies.
Q3: The creative cultures are for the art, customer and the habits. There is characterization where
the community works towards the development of the nation. It also works towards the
innovation and handling the risks with any forms of the uncertainty. It reduces the risks with
innovative culture and the improvement of the firm by recruiting the management hiring. The
skilled and the qualified employees are able to set with the better performance to retrain the
employees and work on the conversant approach with the current innovations like the new
machines and the computer programs.

Conclusion
The standards are set to define about how the competitive strategy is able to overrule and work
towards the comparison of the business management plan in Zappos. The shared language
includes the rules and the fundamental structure to work together in the codified forms. The
differentiation of the personal interests and egos come with the purpose driven functions. this
works on processing the changes with the constructive actions.
Here, the linear programming check is on the innovations with the proper learning of the
programs. It helps in working towards the better development and the easy decision-making
process with rationalized linear programming.