Headquarters (often referred to asHQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations,non-profits,military organizations, religious groups,sports leagues and so on. It usually implies a geographically dispersed organization with a clear hierarchical structure.
In the private sector, thecorporate headquarters is the entity at the top of acorporation that takes responsibility for managing all business activities.[1] Theintended benefit of headquarters is to carry out purposeful regulatory capacity and ensurecorporate governance.[2][3][a] Thecorporate headquarters is a key element of a corporate structure and covers different corporate functions includingstrategic planning,corporate communications,tax payments,legal operations,marketing,finance,human resources,information technology, andprocurement. This entity includes thechief executive officer (CEO) as a key person and their support staff such as the CEOoffice 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.
A headquarters normally includes the leader ofa 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.
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 headquarters take many forms, depending on the size and nature of the unit orformation they command. Typically, they are split into the forward, main and rear components, both withinNATO nations, and those following the organization and doctrine of the formerSoviet 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 achief of staff (CoS) who coordinates the staff effort; in a smaller HQ this may be done by thesecond-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]
Many religions have a hierarchal structure, with a central headquarters.
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The headquarters of theCatholic Church isVatican City. The World Headquarters ofJehovah's Witnesses is relocated inWarwick, New York, from its former location,Brooklyn, New York. The headquarters of theRussian Orthodox Church is inDanilov Monastery,Moscow. TheWorld Council of Churches, including Orthodox Churches, has its headquarters inGeneva,Switzerland. The headquarters ofEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is located inIstanbul,Turkey. The headquarters ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is located inSalt Lake City,Utah. TheAnglican Communion Office is inLondon.
Professional and some amateur sports teams typically compete inleagues, with a central body setting game rules and coordinating schedules. For example,FIFA, theFédération Internationale de Football Association[5] is the international self-regulatory governing body ofassociation football. Headquartered inZurich, Switzerland, its membership now comprises211 national associations, each of which typically has its own headquarters.
InJapanese martial arts such askarate,judo,aikido, andkendo, each organization or region typically has a headquarters.[6] TheJapanese wordhonbu (本部)[7] is generally used, both in Japan and other countries.Honbu are sometimes referred to ashonbu dōjō (本部道場).Honbu can also be written ashombu, the way it is pronounced, but theHepburn transcription is "honbu" in which the 'n' is asyllabic n.[citation needed]
