Marketing department is there to promote the products that Knauf manufacture in this particular case, plasterboards, plasters and various other accessories. The general marketing initiatives, recent advertisements and articles, and a list of the list of the literature that is currently available for stockists and users of their products are means of providing information to the customer. Samples of products can be issued to customers on request. It is up to the marketing department to keep up to date with competitors products, this may involve researching into future products designs to meet requirements and to compete with other manufacturers, costing of manufactured products plays a major part with regards to competition with other manufacturers, close liase with Research and Development team is necessary. Knauf has a Technical Handbook, which they issue to relevant customers i.e. builders merchants, architects and contractors, information in the book include product ranges and system design. A web site is available on the Internet and information can be down loaded from there. Close contact with the Business System Manager for Web support is crucial with respect to putting information on the Internet.
The four functional areas discussed above are always continually liasing and supporting each other. The Technical Support team are generally in contact with external customers giving advice and specifications, therefore there can give continuous feedback from job sites to the research development team to gauge the performance of the products at end use level. In other words if a contractor has a difficult design scenario building a wall, this can be dealt with the TSO team. The matter can be progressed even further with the R&D team to see if they can design and manufacture relevant products for this particular scenario.
The marketing department and R&D team are always discussing new and existing products and how each product design/manufacture can help meet customer needs. In the construction industry, requirements are always changing i.e. Building regulations. In order to meet requirements and compete with other equivalent manufactures, interaction between both departments is practically continuous. For example, if a company have designed a drylining wall using plasterboard and metal studding to give an excellent sound reduction (Db Rw) from one dwelling to another, it would be upto the marketing and R&D Development to devise an equivalent system to compete, the meeting that they would generally discuss the feasibility and economic aspects of redesigning certain products, this would involve testing for approval and marketing the product to the relevant customers using different type of advertising.
I have looked at additional business, the business is a small local general store shop. This type of business generally involves the owner of the shop, he or she would either run the place by themselves or hire staff. Therefore the interaction would be between the manager/manageress and the staff i.e. clerks. In comparison with Knaufdrywall, Knaufdrywall is a multi national business whereas general store is a small size business. This does not mean that the general store is disadvantage due to the scale of the size of the business. This is all to do with each business meeting the different customer needs, for example a general store would only need to compete with other small scaled businesses within the area for selling products i.e. sweets, papers etc. the main difference between Knaufdrywall and a general store shop, is that Knaufdrywall is a manufacturing company and a general store is a supplier. The general store would be in contact with the relevant manufacture of products that they are selling. The manufacturing company or distributor would then supply the products to the general store at the fixed price, which can then be sold to the outside market. The communication structure within the general store can just involve two tiers of members i.e. the manager and shopkeepers in comparison with Knaufdrywall they have many tiers due to the large scale of the business.
Through research I have been in contact with one of the member of Knaufdrywall, who has explained the basic structure of their business. In comparison I have researched in to a general store. Railway News store based on Chatham. The Railway News store is a family owned business and employs part time employees. With respect to employment procedure, the small-scale business can tend to be less formal then the larger scale business. In other words the general store can advertise on the shop window, whereas a larger scale business advertise via agencies and national newspapers.
Railway News Organisation structure.
When comparing both company structures they are contrasted in many ways. The main factor with influences structure of the company is the demand, Knauf is a multi national company covering all parts of the UK. In order to manage the company it is spit into job divisions covering all aspects in the manufacturing industry with their own management departments. Each department needs to work together in order for the company to succeed. For example sales director and market director decide on budget and introducing new products this generally involves communication and approval the works department and R&D department.
Incomparison the Railway News is a localised self employed business relying on the local area to provide profits. It is a joint ownership between husband and wife meaning communication and responsibility is spit in between. They have a part time worker who works. Communication is close with the employer, as there is only one member of staff, which helps. This is because there is close interaction. How ever there is one main disadvantage and this is staff shortage. I.e. when employee falls ill there may be no cover. Incomparison the manufacturing company can afford some time to have a members of staffs ill providing sufficient cover.
Supporting Data
I have sourced information in various ways in order to complete the business report. These are as follows;
Employer of Knauf Drywall Mandeep Bansal containing interview profile and general remarks
Company website information containing company profile
Annual report containing information on manufacturing plaster materials
Class text books and research off the internet.
Equal opportunities of employees are safeguarded in a number of ways, the main factors are as follows; The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and Race Relations Act 1976 make discrimination on grounds of sex or marriage, gender identity, colour, race, nationality, and ethnic or national origins unlawful in relation to employment, training and related matters, in education, and in the provision of goods, facilities and services. All aspects of the Recruitment and Selection process are therefore covered by the provision of the Acts, as are many other aspects of employment.
The Acts define two kinds of unlawful discrimination
Direct discrimination - treating a person less favourably than other on grounds of sex, marriage, colour, race, nationality and ethnic or national origin.
Indirect discrimination applying a requirement or condition which although applied equally to all persons, is such that a considerably smaller proportion of persons of one sex or the other, or who are married persons or of a particular racial group can comply with it, and the condition cannot be shown to be justified for the safe and effective performance of the job.
The Acts also define victimisation as unlawful discrimination - where a person is treated less favourably than other persons because that person has exercised his/her rights under the Acts.
There are some exceptions under the Sex Discrimination Act and the Race Relations Act where it is not unlawful for an employer to recruit, train, promote or transfer a person of a particular sex or racial group to a job, because it can be shown that being of a particular sex or race is a Genuine occupation Qualification (GOQ) for the specific job in question. The relevant criteria that the job must satisfy are:
The job requires the provision of special or personal care, supervision or attention and either a man or woman is required to preserve decency or privacy or the job is in a single sex establishment or single sex part of an establishment.
Where the job necessitates staff to live in at an establishment and it is impracticable for men and women to be provided with separate sleeping and toilet arrangements.
Where the job involves the provision of personal welfare services to a particular sex or racial group, which would be most effectively provided by persons of the same sex or racial group and the employer, cannot already meet those needs.
Another factor is the employment provisions of the disability discrimination act 1995. DDA came into effect on 2nd December 1996 and outlawed discrimination against disabled people by employers in:
Recruitment and retention of employees
Promotion and transfers or employees
Training and development
Dismissal of employees
The DDA 1995 defines unlawful discrimination as:
Treating a disabled person less favourably than someone else when the treatment is given for a reason relating to the person’s disability and that reason does not apply to the other person and this treatment cannot be justified
The Act also defines as unlawful victimisation of disabled people who exercise their rights under the DDA, or anyone who assists them in so doing.(information of the internet)
The DDA also introduces a duty for an employer to make reasonable adjustments to their recruitment and employment arrangements, or premises, if these substantially disadvantage a disabled employee or prospective employee, compared to a non-disabled person. In terms of a disabled applicant such adjustments could include, for example:
Provision of application forms in other formats e.g. large print, Braille, tape
Acceptance of application in different format e.g. typed, Braille, audio tape
At interview - e.g. accessible venue, Sign Language Interpreter, induction loop
Alteration to job description or person specification
Flexibility in working hours arrangements
Re-organisation/adaptation to work station or premises
Provision of appropriate equipment or employment aids
While the provisions of the DDA do not make any specific reference to positive action for disabled persons, such initiatives as the Positive about Disabled People Scheme, which offers an interview to all disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the post, continue to be lawful.
Although other discrimination legislation prevents positive discrimination, the DDA does not prevent employers treating disabled people more favourably because of their disability than those without a disability.
The DDA defines disability as a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. People who have a disability and people who have had a disability but no longer have one are covered by the Act.
The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974 provides that, with certain exceptions, an individual’s conviction may become spent i.e. treated as if it had never existed after a rehabilitation period free from further offences. Exceptions to this would include appointing to occupations which involve work with children or vulnerable adults. Certain offences will never be regarded as spent for employment in these occupations.
It is therefore unlawful under the ROA for an employer to:
Ask a candidate if he or she has spent convictions
To discriminate against an employee or prospective employee because of spent convictions
To dismiss an employee because of spent convictions
To disclose information relating to individuals spent convictions without an official reason for so doing
The equal opportunities commission the commission for racial equality and the disability rights commission have each issued code of:
Practice, which contain practical guidance on eliminating discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity in employment. While there is no legal requirement for an employer to observe these codes, an employment tribunal will take an employer’s compliance into account in determining a claim of unlawful discrimination. Additionally, there is now a DFEE Voluntary Code of Practice entitled "Age Diversity in Employment" which lays down guidelines to help employers ensure that they do not discriminate on the basis of age.
I have learnt that is order to run a successful company it is very important that each department of the organisation must always interact with each other. Within the manufacturing company I have investigated few of the departments are not within the manufacturing field, for example, the IT department are not specialised to know anything with regards to the manufacturing plasterboards and plasters. Their main job is there to support the company with regards to computing technology and communications, they have to interact consistently and efficiently with each department with regards computing support. In this particular company, although common in all business fields, if computers or telephone lines have had technical problems it is there job to provide support, if this is done successfully and quickly it will result in other department benefiting which in turn will help the company as a whole i.e. Time and money. Knauf use a number of different I.T. systems to suit the different parts of the business and the unique needs of each. There is a comprehensive call reporting system and customer database, dedicated systems for factory data, Service Management System records, finance, technical design documents, etc. (some of this information was taken of the internet and some of it was changed to my own words)
Within the technical department the office based team consisting of the Technical Support Team and the Field Based team consisting of the Project Specification Managers are continuously interacting with each other day in day out, in matter a fact this can every few working hours. The Project
Specification Managers have allocated regions, their main tasks is to provide specification support for support for projects. Generally speaking, contact with the architects is made in an attempt to specify the use of Knaufs products. The service they would offer encompasses professional and technical advice for any details within the project where Knauf products can be used.
When a Project Specification Manager meets with an architect, specification are discussed and drawn up. Cad details would often be required for a project, so PSM would sketch the detail needed and submit it to the Technical support team. The TSO’s then draw the detail professional in CAD format and
issue either directly to the architects/Subcontractors or alternatively to the PSM. This is one interaction, which is vital and is great importance to provide high level of service to relevant customers. Due to the technical support team being office based and situated at the head office, they are at the focal point with regards to technical issues, a day at the office can involve the TSO speaking to an architect regarding a technical drylining design e.g partition design, the architect will take the advice on board, the TSO will try to find out whether the architect is dealing with a very large project, if so, the architect details can then be passed to the PSM who can then try to arrange a meeting with the architect to help specify systems and provide technical support on site. This lead can provide good commercial business if sufficient support is given at the beginning the architect will maybe happy to specify the company materials in future projects. Due to TSO constantly speaking to architects, Main contractors/Sub contractors it is important consistent technical advice is given, for example the architect may speak to a PSM for advice, he or she may then contact the technical department with the same query and try to catch the team out if a more different advise is given. Therefore it is important to interact with each team. In this particular case the TSO keep a record of major projects electronically based, using their instinct and experience they can identify certain projects by architect names and project titles, if this matches any of the PSM projects then contact is made with them explaining what they have done for the customer – this can be sent electronically or
Faxed them. By providing consistent advice to the customer will give them the extra assurance and confidence for keeping contact with ourselves, which in turn will lead to more projects commercially and provide extra marketing to the construction industry.
Interaction between the customer service department and technical department is constant. For example, the customer service team may be speaking to a registered builder merchants (who they supply materials to), if the builder merchants require help with regard to an competitors product, they can transfer the call to the TSO team who will give an equivalent knauf product, the call can then be transferred back to the customer service advisor who can then place an order for the builder merchant. Speed and efficient
Response is critical in the company performance, especially when supply and demand of building materials plays a major part in the success of a manufacturing company.
Through research using business journals and employment law books I have learnt that in Employment law is a broad area covering all areas of the employer/employee relationship.
Another factor is the Employment Discrimination law. The discrimination law is designed to seek to prevent discrimination based on race, sex, religion, national origin, physical disability, and age by employers. There is also a growing body of law preventing or occasionally justifying employment discrimination based on sexual orientation. There are Discriminatory practices, which include bias in hiring, promotion, job assignment, termination, compensation, and various types of harassment.
Unemployment insurance law provides workers, whose jobs have been terminated through no fault of their own, monetary payments for a given period of time or until they find a new job. Unemployment payments (compensation) are intended to provide an unemployed worker time to find a new job equivalent to the one lost without financial distress. Without
employment compensation many workers would be forced to take jobs for which they were overqualified or end up on welfare. Unemployment compensation is also justified in for sustaining consumer spending during periods of economic adjustment.
Upon retirement many workers continue to receive monetary compensation from their employer in the form of a pension. There are mainly two types of pensions. Under a defined benefit plan the benefit that an employee receives is normally based on the length of a workers employment and the wages that were received. Each employee does not have a separate account in these programs, as the money to support the pensions is generally administered through a trust established by the employer. In a defined contribution plan the employer makes regular deposits into an account established for each employee. The employee is not guaranteed to receive a given amount during retirement but only the amount in the account.
Workplace safety and health laws establish regulations designed to eliminate personal injuries and illnesses from occurring in the workplace
Workers Compensation laws are designed to ensure that employees who are injured or disabled on the job are provided with fixed monetary awards, eliminating the need for litigation. These laws also provide benefits for dependents of those workers who are killed because of work-related accidents or illnesses. Some laws also protect employers and fellow workers by limiting the amount an injured employee can recover from an employer and by eliminating the liability of co-workers in most accidents.
Especially in today’s market, technology is increasingly playing a major influence in the success of different businesses. Communication is the key.
Today we have access to emails, Internet, efaxs, telephone and answer phones.
For example documents can be sent via fax or email, which may be needed in a meeting later during the working day. Many years ago this was done by
post, therefore the meeting may not go ahead till the relevant document is received. This will result in loss of time, where time costs money.
Telephone calls can be made to practically anywhere on the planet, this communication is the most common and most productive, this can lead the eventual conversation discussed being passed electronically.
In the particular business I have researched, they use CAD packages for design work, many years ago designs where manually sketched out, again this would take time, not only that they would be sent to the client by post or other means. By using CAD packages the drawings can be sent in a electronic format and electronically sent by email or even faxed. This can be don within a few hours. Being realistic, it is possible for another country to receive information within a couple of minutes. By being proffesional and helping your client will only add progressiveness.
