The federal government of the United States is headed by the executive comprising of various components. The executive is under the powers of the president who heads the state and is also the commander in chief of the armed forces. The president has powers to implement and enforce laws which have been constituted by the congress.
He appoints individuals to head various agencies and also appoints members of the cabinet. The hierarchy of the leadership in United States starts with the president who is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. From the president, the person who is next to him is the vice president who deputizes him. The vice president is followed by the executive officer of the president then the cabinet[1].
Similarities between Federal Government and Fortune 500 Corporation
Just like a government has a hierarchy in its operations, most of the huge companies and corporations have a definite design structured to assist them in running their operations.
The structure of a fortune 500 corporation starts with the chief executive officer. The structure of the US federal government is similar to that of a large fortune 500 corporation in that both have the top most individual in the hierarchy who is responsible for most of the decisions. In the case of the federal government, the person is the president who makes most of the decisions and key appointments.
Similarly, a CEO in a 500 fortune corporation makes the most sensitive decisions affecting the running of the corporation. Another similarity is that both the federal government and 500 fortune company heads have their deputies or people who serve in their capacities in case they are absent. A president in the federal government has a vice president who is next to him. The same case applies to the 500 fortune companies since the CEO is also deputized by a vice president[2].
Organization of federal Government and Fortune 500 Corporation
The organization of the federal government is similar to that of a fortune 500 company in a number of ways. Just like the federal government has a cabinet which is divided into various departments headed by the cabinet ministers so is the fortune 500 corporation.
The federal government is divided into departments such as the department of agriculture, commerce, defense and education among other departments. Similarly, the fortune corporations are divided into different departments such as the finance department, sales department, human resource department and public relations department.
These departments are headed by departmental heads that are the equivalent of cabinet members in the federal government. Another similarity in the organization is that the cabinet members are the closet people with the president and he confides most things in them. Similarly, the heads of various departments in fortune 500 corporations are closest to the CEO who shares sensitive information about the company with them.
Differences of Federal Government and Fortune 500 Corporation
One of the differences between the federal government and a fortune 500 corporation is that the federal government has representatives all the way from the top to the grass roots. This is not the case with the fortune 500 corporations since they do not have representatives at the grass root level. In other words, the scope of operation of a federal government is diverse while that of a fortune 500 company is limited.
The other difference between a federal government and a fortune 500 corporation is that the head of a federal government has to be elected through a competitive process that involves all citizens. On the contrary, the CEO of a fortune 500 company is appointed and the appointment does not involve all the citizens[3].
Qualifications of a President and CEO
There some qualifications that both the CEO and the president of the federal government must possess in common. The first common qualification is that both must be people of high integrity who have demonstratable qualities of leadership. This is because they are at the helm of sensitive and challenging dockets. The second qualification is that both leaders must have sound academic backgrounds with specific qualifications in their areas of expertise.
Bibliography
Robbins, S, and DeCenzo,D. Fundamentals of management:Essential Concepts and Applications. New York: Pearson, Prentice Hall, 2008.
Eisenberg, M. The Structure of the Corporation: A Legal Analysis. Washngton: Beard Books, 1976.
Whitehouse. Our Government. n.d. Web.
Footnotes
- Whitehouse. “Our Government.” n.d. Para.3,
- Eisenberg, M. The Structure of the Corporation: A Legal Analysis. Washngton: Beard Books, 1976.p.50.
- Robbins, S, and D DeCenzo. Fundamentals of management:Essential Concepts and Applications. New York: Pearson, Prentice Hall, 2008. p.54,