Summary
As there were five positions for which research is required, these early findings focus on one of those positions, that of the Chief Executive Officer, and provides an example of the type of information that can be found to complete the analysis. Sources for this information are mainly online articles, reports and blogs and related studies available in the public.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
i) Brief Description
ii) Responsibilities — Main responsibilities include;
- Managing the operations and resources of a company
- Making major corporate decisions — In large corporations, CEOs typically deal only with very high-level strategic decisions and those that direct the company's overall growth. In smaller companies however, CEOs often take on a more 'hands on' roll, and become involved with day-to-day functions.
- Being the main liaison between the board of directors and the corporate operations - Communicating on behalf of the company with shareholders, government entities and the public.
- Creating and implementing the company or organization's vision and mission.
- Evaluating the work of other executive leaders within the company or organization, including directors, vice-presidents, and presidents.
- Risk assessment and evaluation.
- Being the public face of the company.
iii) Challenges and Obstacles
- Maintaining awareness of the competitive market landscape, opportunities for expansion and industry development.
- Ensuring social responsibility standards are maintained and kept to an optimum wherever the company operates.
- Risk management, and the monitoring and minimizing thereof.
- Setting of strategic, transparent, manageable and describable company goals.
- Talent Management — Includes investing in recruitment and employee development, reducing employee turnover, and the development of employee engagement initiatives which result in high levels of workforce motivation and job satisfaction.
- Customer and Consumer Engagement
- Alignment and Accountability — These form a huge part of a brands image, and poor performance in this area can result in negative public perceptions of a company or organization.
- Threats — Can include any threats which jeopardise the ongoing success of the business. Such examples include cyber threats, health concerns (such as global pandemics), competitors, consumer sentiment, economic conditions and more.
v) Goals
- Successfully develop and execute both short and long-term strategies.
- High Performance Culture.
- Growth — In terms of revenue, brand recognition and audience reach.
- Increase shareholder value.
- Increased long-term value.
- Strong and sustainable performance relative to competitors.
- Having strong relationships with all stakeholders, ranging from customers, employees, suppliers, communities, board members, and shareholders.
- Ability to demonstrate strong leadership, especially during bad times, periods of underperformance, or negativity.
vii) Famous CEO Examples