Computer as a Tool Against Crime

Centralization refers to the concentration of formal authority at the top levels of an organisation. In a centralized organisation, knowledge, information and ideas are concentrated at the top and decisions are cascaded down the organisation. It can also be defined as the systematic and consistent reservation of authority at a central point within the organisation. When problems arise or when there is a decision to be made, the employees will have to wait for the top management to make the final say. Centralization has the following advantages:

* There is an improvement in quality of work: this is enhanced because of a standardized procedure, better procedure and use of improved machinery.

* Better co-ordination: centralization facilitate better co-ordination among various operations. Direct control and supervision are facilitated which results in less likelihood of conflict of authority and duplication of work.

* Centralization encourages and permit personal leadership. The introduction of personal leadership facilitates quick action and attainment of stated objectives.

However centralization may have the following disadvantages:

* There might be poor decision making because of lack of consultancy and this would lead to failure of the organisation.

* There is no employee development since they do not have a say in the decisions of the organisation and this will lead to demotivation

b) Span of control

Refers to the number of subordinates who directly report to a given superior. Span of control is the number of subordinates a manager can efficiently and effectively direct. It also regulates the number of levels and managers an organisation has. This helps the organisation to make decisions effectively as everyone would know who to report to.

When a single manager or superior oversees a few number of subordinates it is known as a narrow span of control and it gives rise to a tall hierarchical structure and when a manager oversees a large number of subordinates it is known as a wider span of control and it results in a flat structure. Wide span of control is best suited when employees are not widely scattered geographically whereas narrow span of control is more expensive and involves greater communication problems between various levels of management. However with narrow span of control there are more opportunities for growth as number of levels are more.

There are also various factors which affect the span of control. Firstly, geographical dispersion which shows that span of control is affected by how the branches of the business. Another factor is the capability of workers, if workers are highly skilled then supervision is not needed as the rates of mistakes is low and in the department where they are not skilled supervision is needed most. For instance, McGregor theory Y type of people they have to be supervised less since they are naturally motivated to work hard, Capability of the manager or superior is also important, that is level of understanding of the tasks, good knowledge of the workers and good relations with the workers will be able to supervise more workers. Also the span of control can be narrow when the manager wants to add value to the subordinates by training and close monitoring.

Although it is spontaneously attractive to contend that large spans might lead to higher employee performance because they provide more distant supervision and more prospects for personal initiative, the research