Business Organisation and Management Review Resource, Nature of Business Unit, NASA

Background

The NationalAeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) (2010) mission statement reads:

To reach for new heights and reveal theunknown so that what we do and learn will benefit all humankind. NASA (2010)

 JimGreen, the head of NASA’s planetary Science Division, Wall, (2012) and hissenior managers have developed a strategic plan for the next five years. MrGreen says he believes the success of the Curiosity mission will open up a newera of discovery that will compel the US administration to invest more in planetaryscience.

The strategic plan includes the followingobjectives.

• increase planetary science budget by 25%,an increase on the 21% lost in the recent budgetary cuts.

• reduce materials waste by 15% per year*

• increase productivity by 22% through theuse of new automation/technology*

In addition, Mr Green also announced therewould be a review of the current organisational structure to assess whether itis still appropriate.

Mr Green informed Jeri Buchholz, AssistantAdministrator for Human Capital Management that the following strategies mustbe put into action.

• The firm will adopt enterprise bargainingagreements

• Current staff will need to be retrainedto use the latest technology

• Training of staff will now be outsourced

 Question 1- Define Productivity

Question 2- Define Outsourcing.

 Question 3- Define the term stakeholders.

 Question 4 -Name at least three of the MARSexploration stakeholders and explain their importance to the organisation.

Question 5-Explain the relationship betweena mission statement and a strategic plan.

 Question 6- Describe how one of the objectivesin the strategic plan will assist NASA to become a more socially responsibleorganisation.

 Question 7- Identify and justify anappropriate organisational structure that will assist the organisation toachieve its strategic plan.

Question 8- Identify and explain twomanagement skills that could be used by Mr Green to implement the strategicplan.