Headquarters

Last updated
The headquarters of the United Nations in Midtown Manhattan, New York City UN Headquarters 2.jpg
The headquarters of the United Nations in Midtown Manhattan, New York City

Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility for managing all business activities. [1] In the United Kingdom, the term head office (or HO) is most commonly used for the headquarters of large corporations. The intended benefit of headquarters is to carry out purposeful regulatory capacity. [2] [3] [a] The term is also used regarding military organizations.

Contents

Corporate

Fortum headquarters building, Espoo, Finland Fortum HQ Keilaniemi 2017.jpg
Fortum headquarters building, Espoo, Finland
Volvo headquarters building, Gothenburg, Sweden Volvo Cars Headquarter.jpg
Volvo headquarters building, Gothenburg, Sweden

A headquarters is the entity at the top of a corporation that takes full responsibility for the overall success of the corporation, and ensures corporate governance. [1] The corporate headquarters is a key element of a corporate structure and covers different corporate functions including strategic planning, corporate communications, tax, legal operations, marketing, finance, human resources, information technology, and procurement. This entity includes the chief executive officer (CEO) as a key person and their support staff such as the CEO office and other CEO-related functions; the "corporate policy making" functions, including all corporate functions necessary to steer the firm by defining and establishing corporate policies; the corporate services encompassing activities that combine or consolidate certain enterprise-wide needed support services, provided based upon specialized knowledge, best practices, and technology to serve internal (and sometimes external) customers and business partners; and the bidirectional interface between corporate headquarters and business units.

Business unit

A headquarters normally includes the leader of a business unit and their staff, as well as all functions to manage the business unit and operational activities. The head of the business unit is responsible for overall result of the business unit.

Regional

A headquarters sometimes functions at the top of a regional unit, including all activities of the various business units, taking full responsibility for overall profitability and success of this regional unit.

Military

Staff officers discuss convoy movements in the Operations Room at the Western Approaches Command headquarters, Derby House, in Liverpool, England, during World War II, in September 1944 Staff officers discuss convoy movements in the Operations Room at HQ Western Approaches Command, Derby House, Liverpool, September 1944. A25742.jpg
Staff officers discuss convoy movements in the Operations Room at the Western Approaches Command headquarters, Derby House, in Liverpool, England, during World War II, in September 1944

Military headquarters take many forms, depending on the size and nature of the unit or formation they command. Typically, they are split into the forward, main and rear components, both within NATO nations, and those following the organization and doctrine of the former Soviet Union (see Isby, 1988).

The forward or tactical headquarters, known as "tac" for short, is a small group of staff and communicators. Usually very mobile, they exist to allow the commander to go forward in an operation, and command the key parts of it from a position where they can see the ground and influence their immediate subordinates.

The main HQs (known as 'main') is less mobile and is involved in both the planning and execution of operations. There are a number of staff assembled here from various staff branches to advise the commander, and to control the various aspects of planning and the conduct of discrete operations. A main HQ for a large formation will have a chief of staff (CoS) who coordinates the staff effort; in a smaller HQ this may be done by the second-in-command.

The rear or logistic headquarters is some distance from the battle or front line in conventional operations. Its function is to ensure the logistical support to front line troops, which it does by organizing the delivery of combat supplies, materiel and equipment to where they are needed, and by organizing services such as combat medicine, equipment recovery, and repair. [4]

Religious

St. Peter's Square with the Vatican obelisk and St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City 0 Place Saint-Pierre - Vatican (2).JPG
St. Peter's Square with the Vatican obelisk and St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City

The headquarters of the Catholic Church is Vatican City. The World Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses is relocated in Warwick, New York, from its former location, Brooklyn, New York. The headquarters of the Russian Orthodox Church is in Danilov Monastery, Moscow. The World Council of Churches, including Orthodox Churches, has its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The headquarters of Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is located in Istanbul, Turkey. The headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Anglican Communion Office is in London.

Martial arts

In Japanese budō martial arts such as karate, judo, aikido, kendo, etc., there is usually a headquarters for each organization or region. [5] The Japanese word honbu (本部) [6] is generally used for that, also outside Japan. Sometimes they refer to these headquarters as honbu dojo (本部道場) in which dojo (道場) is a facility provided for practicing discipline, the training ground. Sometimes honbu is written as hombu, the way it is pronounced, but the Hepburn transcription is honbu in which the 'n' is a syllabic n.[ citation needed ]

Notes

  1. In this context, the term regulatory capacity includes but is not limited to self-regulating activities.

Related Research Articles

Corporate titles or business titles are given to corporate officers to show what duties and responsibilities they have in the organization. Such titles are used by publicly and privately held for-profit corporations, cooperatives, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, partnerships, and sole proprietorships that also confer corporate titles.

<i>Dojo</i> Place for immersive learning, experiential learning or meditation

A dōjō is a hall or place for immersive learning, experiential learning, or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts. The term literally means "place of the Way" in Japanese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigade</span> Large military formation (3–6 battalions / 3–10 thousand troops)

A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Secretary of the Air Force</span> Statutory office and the head of the U.S. Department of the Air Force

The Secretary of the Air Force, sometimes referred to as the Secretary of the Department of the Air Force, is the head of the Department of the Air Force and the service secretary for the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. The secretary of the Air Force is a civilian appointed by the president, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. The secretary reports to the secretary of defense and/or the deputy secretary of defense, and is by statute responsible for and has the authority to conduct all the affairs of the Department of the Air Force.

An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer, or "XO", is the second-in-command, reporting to the commanding officer. The XO is typically responsible for the management of day-to-day activities, freeing the commander to concentrate on strategy and planning the unit's next move.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military district</span> Regional military unit size designation

Military districts are formations of a state's armed forces which are responsible for a certain area of territory. They are often more responsible for administrative than operational matters, and in countries with conscript forces, often handle parts of the conscription cycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belgian Land Component</span> Military unit

The Land Component, historically and commonly still referred to as the Belgian Army, is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Jean-Pol Baugnée.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Staff (military)</span> Management personnel of a military unit

A military staff or general staff is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military unit in their command and control role through planning, analysis, and information gathering, as well as by relaying, coordinating, and supervising the execution of their plans and orders, especially in case of multiple simultaneous and rapidly changing complex operations. They are organised into functional groups such as administration, logistics, operations, intelligence, training, etc. They provide multi-directional flow of information between a commanding officer, subordinate military units and other stakeholders. A centralised general staff results in tighter top-down control but requires larger staff at headquarters (HQ) and reduces accuracy of orientation of field operations, whereas a decentralised general staff results in enhanced situational focus, personal initiative, speed of localised action, OODA loop, and improved accuracy of orientation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Command center</span> Place used to provide centralized command

A command center is any place that is used to provide centralized command for some purpose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Theater Sustainment Command</span> Military unit

The 1st Theater Sustainment Command is a major subordinate unit of United States Army Central at Fort Knox, Kentucky, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Vietnam</span> U.S. Army forces during the Vietnam War

The United States Army, Vietnam (USARV) was a Corps-level support command of the United States Army during the Vietnam War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office</span> Agency charged with overseeing the Imperial Japanese Army

The Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office, also called the Army General Staff, was one of the two principal agencies charged with overseeing the Imperial Japanese Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Africa Command</span> Unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the African region

The United States Africa Command is one of the eleven unified combatant commands of the United States Department of Defense, headquartered at Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany. It is responsible for U.S. military operations, including fighting regional conflicts and maintaining military relations with 53 African nations. Its area of responsibility covers all of Africa except Egypt, which is within the area of responsibility of the United States Central Command. U.S. AFRICOM headquarters operating budget was $276 million in fiscal year 2012.

The structure of the United States Air Force refers to the unit designators and organizational hierarchy of the United States Air Force, which starts at the most senior commands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corporate headquarters</span> Part of a corporate structure that deals with important tasks

Corporate headquarters is the part of a corporate structure that deals with tasks such as strategic planning, corporate communications, taxes, law, books of record, marketing, finance, human resources, and information technology. Corporate headquarters takes responsibility for the overall success of the corporation and ensures corporate governance. It is sometimes referred to as the head office, which is the location where the executives of a business work and where many of the key business decisions are made. Generally, corporate headquarters acts as a core when the business is operating.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Army Group</span> Military unit

The Northern Army Group (NORTHAG) was a NATO military formation comprising four Western European Army Corps, during the Cold War as part of NATO's forward defence in western Germany.

Land Command was a military command and formation and part of the structure of the British Army from 1995 to 2008. Its headquarters was at Erskine Barracks, at Fugglestone St Peter, some four kilometres northwest of Salisbury in Wiltshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Army Europe and Africa</span> Army service component command (ASCC)/theater army of the United States

United States Army Europe and Africa (USAREUR-AF) is an Army Service Component Command (ASCC) /Theater Army responsible for directing United States Army operations throughout the U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) area of responsibility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of Scientology International</span> Corporation operated by the Church of Scientology

The Church of Scientology International (CSI) is a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Within the worldwide network of Scientology corporations and entities, CSI is officially referred to as the "mother church" of the Church of Scientology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion</span> Japanese government agency

The Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion is an extraordinary organ of the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. It was established in 1995, as a response to the damage caused by the Great Hanshin earthquake, to promote research on earthquakes in order to minimize their potential for destruction.

References

  1. 1 2 Marquis, Christopher; Tilcsik, András (2016-10-01). "Institutional Equivalence: How Industry and Community Peers Influence Corporate Philanthropy". Organization Science. 27 (5): 1325–1341. doi:10.1287/orsc.2016.1083. hdl: 1813/44734 . ISSN   1047-7039. Archived from the original on Nov 14, 2023.
  2. Aguilera-Caracuel, Javier; J. Alberto Aragon-Correa; Hurtado-Torres, Nuria Esther; Rugman, Alan M. (2012). "The Effects of Institutional Distance and Headquarters' Financial Performance on the Generation of Environmental Standards in Multinational Companies". Journal of Business Ethics. 105 (4). Springer Link: 461–474. doi:10.1007/s10551-011-0978-7. S2CID   254372254.
  3. "Making corporate self-regulation effective in developing countries". ScienceDirect.
  4. "HQDA agencies". army.mil. Archived from the original on 2011-01-29.
  5. "Honbu dojo definition | Tai Chi Dictionary/Yin". SportsDictionary.org. Archived from the original on 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2009-11-25.
  6. Tomislav Kuzmić. "HONBU". EUdict. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20.

Further reading