Adrian is currently running Gunner Pass with no other employees. So he does not need to use ICT to communicate between departments

Adrian is currently running Gunner Pass with no other employees. So he does not need to use ICT to communicate between departments or with other employees. However, Adrian receives calls from customers enquiring about his prices and lessons. So communication through telephone will be his main use of communication. As now, he doesn’t have a website on the Internet, but he can be contacted through his email address. Adrian may need to access the Internet to research other driving school prices, for a guideline. Information such as tips or skills for new drivers may be of use to him. He uses ICT everyday he is working. He uses a computer to plan his timetable for the week ahead, update balance sheets. He also communicates through email and telephone with insurance companies, banks and the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency).

Explain how the functional areas help to achieve the aims of Gunner Pass

Adrian is a sole trader and has no functional areas. His aims are:

        • To advertise as much as possible.

 • To get the highest pass rate as possible.

 • To work 40+ hours a week.

 • To get as many people using his service as possible.

Advertising is the only way people will know about Gunner Pass. Most of his customers tend to be young adults who have recently turned 17. Because most of his customers are young he must advertise in the correct places. For example: he is unlikely to put up a leaflet in an OAP’s home. (But he puts leaflets at gyms, sporting venues, sports clubs and other areas where young adults go in there spare time.)

His second aim is to have as many people pass their test as possible. I really need to make sure my customers are passing their tests on the first attempt, this is important because otherwise I will not be successful. So he can achieve this he has adopted a style of teaching. Firstly he will introduce himself with his new customer and get to know them. This can be helpful, because the customer will feel more relaxed, and any nerves will go away so they will be 100% concentrating on driving. During the lesson he will stop and pick up on errors. He will not be harsh on his customers but he needs to make sure they know how to drive correctly and in a sensible manner.

Adrian has said he wants to work around 40 hours a week. To achieve this he must have enough customers to be dealing with, and customers who are satisfied and come back every week for another lesson. He will not want to spend 40 hours a week only on lessons, he will need time to calculate his finances, pay bills, and do research.

Adrian is always advertising to get as many people choosing to Gunner Pass as possible. Adrian must use effective advertising to make the public know he is operating. Another way to get as many customers as possible is for his current customers to spread the businesses name and recommend it to their friends, colleagues and relatives. He could give the customer a discount if they find another customer wishing to have lessons.

Explain how ICT helps Gunner Pass work together

Adrian has only been running for one year. He has no functional departments, so he doesn’t need to communicate within his business through ICT. But he needs to use ICT to communicate with his customers or banks etc. He uses ICT almost everyday he works. He rings customers confirming times and date, emails banks and companies about bills he owes etc. he often communicates through the Internet via email. Often Adrian requires information sheets from the Driving Standards Agency for his students who are about to take their theory test, or just general information for his customers. When Adrian needs to start a new advertising campaign, he must design new leaflets and makes notes or obtain information using his computer or telephone.

Analyse how effectively the functional areas work together to achieve the aims of Gunner Pass

• To advertise as much as possible.
• To get the highest pass rate as possible.

• To work 40+ hours a week.
• To get as many people using his service as possible.

One of Adrian’s aims was to advertise as much as possible. I have been distributing leaflets in the local area since I started up, and the majority of my customers have contacted me through the leaflets. This shows my advertising through leaflets has been successful for me. A better way of doing this is he could ask him sons to spread the word at school if any older brothers/sisters are interested in starting driving lessons. They could also help distribute leaflets for him.

Adrian’s customers have been 68% successful in their driving tests. I spoke to Adrian and he says he hopes to get 85% of his customers to pass their tests, by the end of 2004. To do this I may need to offer more lessons to drivers, or teach them new driving skills or types of driving (such as a night drive), which I have not taught before. He may also ask the driver what extra practice he/she needs on certain areas of driving leading up to their test, so his customers will be more confident with every aspect of driving.

Adrian has said he aims to work around 40 hours per week. He can calculate this by using his timetable, which he has set out for each week on his computer. He approximately teaches 35 lessons per week; he also has paper work that he needs to keep on top of. Recently he has been working around 40 hours per week. Paperwork is a must do for sole traders, but absolutely no money is being earned when doing it.

The aim of getting as many people to use Gunner Pass has been achieved. Adrian has told me he has had more customers than expected using his service. This has been a possible thanks to him using the correct advertising aimed at the correct people. He has had an average of 15 new customers per month, which has been hard for Adrian to keep his customers having regular lessons. Old customers often come back after their test to thank him.

Adrian is getting the right amount of people suitable for his business. Before he opened, he calculated the approximate number of customers he would be able to deal with. He is currently working with enough customers to get enough profit to support himself and his family. If he has too many customers to deal with, he may have to employ another instructor and vehicle.

Suggest how and possible improvements or developments in ICT might help the functional areas work together more effectively

Any major developments in ICT would have to be a significant one for Adrian’s role to change. For example, in the future driving simulators could be used, and the job of driving instructors may not be along for much longer. This is unlikely to happen in the immediate future. So this not at all worries Adrian. But some developments may force Adrian to make changes to his business, if the government decide to change the rules for new drivers, such as new drivers must learn their lessons and take their test in their own car. This in many ways could be a disadvantage for Adrian, because he would have to adapt to his pupil’s car, and also he would have no control over it. In his current car he has a clutch and a brake pedal for safety measures when his customers are taking their lessons. Also he wouldn’t be able to advertise his business through his car, because he has a top box on his current car, which is a source of advertising for him. He also has various stickers on his car to help his advertising. An advantage of him having to teach in his customer’s cars would be that, he could choose any car he liked for his personal and family use. The insurance on his own car would not be as high as the insurance on his current vehicle. The insurance is high on his current vehicle, this is due to him teaching beginner drivers who are more likely to crash or cause damage to his car. Adrian could improve his ICT by purchasing new software for his computer. This could help him calculate his finances with more ease and far less time. Improvements in ICT would help Adrian to work more efficiently on all functions in Gunner Pass.

A laptop will definitely help me with the running of my business. With a laptop Adrian could do his finances, check his timetable for the day, write letters and check his balance account online. He could do all this while out in his car on a break. This would bring all the functions together and they would be running effectively. Adrian can access nearly all his documents with a laptop and access the Internet. He currently only has a PC at his home. A laptop would be more accessible and appropriate for his everyday schedule.

Cummins UK

Describe the type of work done in the functional areas of Cummins

A function in business is an area of activity in the business. The functional areas in Cummins must be run and organised properly to insure the business keeps succeeding. There must be good communication between all the departments to keep Cummins in business.

       Marketing and Sales, this is involves Market Research to find out what the customers need, how much they are prepared to pay for the product and to find out what age and sex people are going to buy the product. Marketing can be used to understand what the customers want and need, and how much of the product they will be willing to purchase. If the demand is not there for a product in the pipeline, then it’s unlikely the product will be produced. The price is also important research must be done into competing businesses prices. A customer is the person who buys a product. A consumer is the person who uses the product. Normally the consumer is the customer. The business must also meet demands for both sexes, because a male is unlikely to purchase a make-up kit. Field research is when you get a call from a business wondering if you would be interested in buying their product. Spam emails, surveys and junk mail are all field research. The sale is the part of selling the product and agreeing a price with another business by meetings, telephone or email. In Cummins the work done in areas is monitored by team leaders, there are regular meetings to assess how each department is doing. Targets are regularly set to improve the standards of the employees and to motivate all employees. In the marketing department at Cummins Daventry the type of marketing is only national. This is only necessary because all the other worldwide locations across the world will market Cummins for the country in which they are located. Each department is given an annual budget to work with. This can change every year according to how well the department carried out their work last year. The owner of any business will most likely consider the finance department to be the most important of all. Cummins consider Finance a very important part in the everyday running of their business. This is because it controls the money going out of the business and the money coming in. Cummins reported sales of $6.3 billion in 2003, so the finance department is one of the most important departments for Cummins and the running of it is imperative.

Describe how ICT is used within these functional areas of Cummins

ICT stands for Information Communication Technology, it helps support the running of the business. This includes email, telephone calls, fax and the postal service. Email is the most common form of communication by using a computer, because it is free and is the quickest way to communicate.  It all began in 1968 with a company called Bolt Beranek and Newman (BBN). The departments can communicate through oral, written and graphical. Oral is a telephone call or a meeting. Written includes letters, memos, documents and emails. Graphical is information like a graph or chart displaying information. Cummins have their own web page, so anyone in the world with Internet access can visit the site. Customers or businesses can send emails to Cummins through their web page. For example on the Cummins web page there is a Customer Service form to fill in. This will be sent from the Customer Services department to the Marketing and Sales department, through email or fax. The types of communication between Cummins’ departments can be internal (between departments), or external (dealing with customers, suppliers or banks). Cummins have a technological and mechanical department. These departments design and manufacture the final product (engines). Cummins uses ICT for nearly everything it does, from running machines that drill and bore metal on engine blocks, ordering material to build the engines, communication, sales of engines and engine parts, design of engines and components, testing of engines before in service, monitoring time of workforce, security of plants and documentation. ICT has over the years become lifeblood and plays a very important part in the daily running of Cummins.  As shown, ICT is used in many different forms and methods. All of these fall into each of the functional departments.

Explain how the functional areas help to achieve the aims of Cummins

All the areas of Cummins will be able to communicate through email, telephone and fax. They must all use these resources correctly so all the departments can gel and produce a successful business. The aims of Cummins are: to motivate people to act like owners working together. To do this Cummins’ employees must treat each other as equals. The employees must make decisions and refer them with other employees to be successful. Communication between the functional areas of Cummins is the most effective way for departments to work together. The most common use of communication in Cummins is by telephone, this is because you know the person you are talking to has received the message you are giving them. This is also the case as phone lines are linked up all around the plant for effective communication. When sending an email the message will be sent immediately to your colleague’s inbox, but the person may not read the message until the following morning or evening.

Every department has a budget to work with every year, this money must be spent in the correct ways in orders for the aims of the business to be met. Employees within each department must be able to work freely and alongside each other and discuss issues regarding the business to improve the chances of achieving the aims. A good example of this is during the lunch break. At Cummins Daventry, there is a two-hour period when the canteen is open for all employees to relax and take their lunch. Every employee is allowed an hour to have lunch. This is a chance for all department staff to mix and discuss the running of the business and the most effective way to achieve the aims and objectives for Cummins.

Explain how ICT helps Cummins work together

ICT is used everyday by almost every employee at Cummins. All necessary employees are issued with a mobile phone to communicate within the business, and all employees are given an email address for business use and a laptop where appropriate. All these are forms of ICT and are very important for Cummins’ employees to communicate effectively. When the Marketing department is told to start new ideas for advertising, they will do all the appropriate work. The Marketing department will calculate the costs of this. Then they will have to communicate with the finance department to see if their budget will be accepted. This happens in all functions of Cummins.

Analyse how effectively the functional areas work together to achieve the aims of Cummins

Cummins use graphs and data to work out which departments are working to their best and achieving the healthiest profits. At the end of each year Cummins’ Board of Directors discuss the year and find where they have succeeded and where they have worked poorly. If a department has over spent their budget for the year, then the head of department will have to explain this to the Board. This happens in all functions and for all aspects including finance, new or old employees and disciplinary records. At the end of the meeting the net profit for the year will be announced and published in a press release. The future plans and targets will also be announced. The heads of each department will be given their budgets and told their targets for the year. Meetings will also take place between each function.

Suggest how and possible improvements or developments in ICT might help the functional areas to work together more effectively

If the technological environment was to keep expanding, and new designs and more advanced computers were being built. Then maybe Cummins employees may work from home, because they will be able to communicate through email, mobiles, fax and videoconferencing. In the engineering industry, engines are being built almost without any human labour put into it. Robots construct almost all of Cummins’ engines and other appliances. The designs are put onto an advanced computer system that can construct the product. This saves on employing technicians and mechanics in doing the job which would be done on paper and take a considerable longer time. In the future there may only be a select number of humans behind a business as all the construction will be done in factories by robots, and the brains behind the business will have an office for running the business. Any developments such as a new environmental law, may force Cummins to react, and possibly change certain areas in which protecting the environment is concerned. Improvements in ICT to improve communication would help the functional areas to work together more effectively. At the moment communication between staff at the Daventry plant is limited. All the functional departments have an office with telephones to communicate with other departments. The departments can only communicate effectively when the employees are in the department office and can take any incoming calls. Improvements need to be made when the staff are in and around others areas of the plant. The use of pagers or more mobile phones would help the departments work together more effectively.

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