Market Intercourses Quarter

Enterprise Acquisitions Quarter (hereinafter, the Quarter) is the first of four lectures of Operations Quadrivium (hereinafter, the Quadrivium):

• The Quarter is designed to introduce its learners to enterprise discovery, or, in other words, to concepts related to obtaining data needed to administer the enterprise effort; and
• The Quadrivium examines concepts of administering various types of enterprises known as enterprise administration as a whole.

The Quadrivium is the first of seven modules of Septem Artes Administrativi, which is a course designed to introduce its learners to general concepts in business administration, management, and organizational behavior.

Outline

The predecessor lecture is Social Leadership Quarter.

Concepts

1. Enterprise acquisition.
   • Organizational resource. An organization's asset -- including financial, physical, human, intangible, and structural/cultural -- that is used to develop, manufacture, and deliver products to its customers.
2. Capital. Monetary assets currently available for use. Entrepreneurs raise capital to start a company and continue raising capital to grow the company.
   • Round. Startups raise capital from VC firms in individual rounds, depending on the stage of the company. The first round is usually a Seed round followed by Series A, B, and C rounds if necessary. In rare cases rounds can go as far as Series F, as was the case with Box.net.
   • Seed. The seed round is the first official round of financing for a startup. At this point a company is usually raising funds for proof of concept and/or to build out a prototype and is referred to as a "seed stage" company.
   • Series. Refers to the specific round of financing a company is raising. For example, company X is raising their Series A round.
   • Equity. “In finance, equity is ownership in any asset after all debts associated with that asset are paid off.” (Source: Investopedia) Equity = Assets minus Liabilities. In terms of startup, it is commonly used to describe a business giving up a percentage of ownership in exchange for cash. An equity investor is then entitled to share in any future profits and/or sale of business assets (after debts are paid off).
3. Company acquisition. When one company buys controlling stake in another company. Can be friendly (agreed upon) or hostile (no agreement).
4. Recruitment. Locating, identifying, and attracting capable applicants.
   • Global sourcing. Purchasing materials and labor from around the world wherever it is cheapest.
   • Job specification. A written statement of the minimum qualifications a person must possess to perform a given job successfully.
   • Job description. A written statement that describes a job.
   • Decruitment. Reducing an organization's workforce.
   • Downsizing. The planned elimination of jobs in an organization.
5. Selection. Screening job applicants to ensure that the most appropriate candidates are hired.
   • Situational judgment test. A substantive selection test that asks applicants how they would perform in a variety of job situations; the answers are then compared to the answers of high-performing employees.
   • Work sample test. A hands-on simulation of part or all of the work that applicants for routine jobs must perform.
   • Panel interview. A structured interview conducted with a candidate and a number of panel members in a joint meeting.
   • Assessment center. An off-site place where candidates are given a set of performance simulation tests designed to evaluate their managerial potential.
   • Critical incident. A way of evaluating the behaviors that are key in making the difference between executing a job effectively and executing it ineffectively.
   • Behaviorally anchored rating scale. A scale that combine major elements from the critical incident and graphic rating scale approaches. The appraiser rates the employees based on items along a continuum, but the points are examples of actual behavior on the given job rather than general descriptions or traits.
6. Socialization. A process that adapts employees to the organization's culture.
   • Socialization. The process that helps employees adapt to the organization's culture.
   • Prearrival stage. The period of learning in the socialization process that occurs before a new employee joins the organization.
   • Realistic job preview. A preview of a job that provides both positive and negative information about the job and the company.
   • Realistic job preview. A substantive selection test that is a job tryout to assess talent versus experience.
   • Encounter stage. The stage in the socialization process in which a new employee sees what the organization is really like and confronts the possibility that expectations and reality may diverge.
   • Metamorphosis stage. The stage in the socialization process in which a new employee changes and adjusts to the job, work group, and organization.
   • Orientation. Introducing a new employee to her or his job and the organization.
7. Work resource. A thing within an individual's control that can be used to solve work demands.
   • Work demand. A responsibility, pressure, obligation, and even uncertainty that individuals face in the workplace.
   • SaaS. Software as a service. A software product that is hosted remotely, usually over the internet (a.k.a. "in the cloud").
   • Intellectual property. Proprietary information that's critical to an organization's efficient and effective functioning and competitiveness.

Instruments

• Non-disclosure agreement (NDA). Non-disclosure agreement. An agreement between two parties to protect sensitive or confidential information, such as trade secrets, from being shared with outside parties.

Practices

The successor lecture is Stakeholder Engagement Quarter.