GCSE Apllied Business 3

University Degree Business and Administrative studies

GCSE Applied Business Studies: Unit 2

Task 3

Identify and explain the roles and working arrangements of three different employees in the same functional area

The production manager plays a vital role in the business. They have responsibility for an aspect of the business’s work (production department) under guidance of the director. The production manager plans activities, look after teams of employees, manage finances and attempt to meet targets set by directors of the business.

The production manager must have a professional qualification in an area such as production, accounting and finance. They need to be good communicators, able to use IT, use time effectively and control finances. Managers’ pay varies according to the seniority of the position, but it can be over £100,000 a year. Other benefits that are common are company cars and private health insurance.

The machinery supervisor is sometimes called the team leader. The machinery supervisor provides a link between the operatives and the production manager. They monitor the work of junior employees (Operatives). They ensure that production and quality targets set by the production managers are meet whenever possible. They also advise the production manager of problems or difficulties in the work of the business.

In some businesses, supervisors have been given responsibility for some of the roles previously carried out by managers. For instance, they may recruit new employees or lead training sessions. The pay of supervisors depends on how much authority they have, but they are normally paid more than operatives.

The most junior employees in the business are the operatives. Their role in the business is as follows. They are normally only responsible for their own work. They usually carry out routine checks, though some employers do provide more varied and interesting work. Many operatives are relatively unskilled.

Compare the different working arrangements for the three identified

employees

Responsibility and authority:

Production Manager: The production manager works under the guidance of the director and is in charge of his own department. The production manager has the authority to plan activates, look after teams of employees, manager finances and attempt to meet targets set by the directors of the business.
Machinery supervisor: The machinery supervisor has the responsibility to provide a link between the operative and the production manager.
Operative: The operative is normally only responsible for their own work. In a minority of businesses, they are allowed to ...

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employees

Responsibility and authority:

Production Manager: The production manager works under the guidance of the director and is in charge of his own department. The production manager has the authority to plan activates, look after teams of employees, manager finances and attempt to meet targets set by the directors of the business.
Machinery supervisor: The machinery supervisor has the responsibility to provide a link between the operative and the production manager.
Operative: The operative is normally only responsible for their own work. In a minority of businesses, they are allowed to take decisions such as stopping the production line to remove poor-quality product.

Job security:

Production Manager: The production manager’s has a secure job with a full-time contract.
Machinery Supervisor: The machinery supervisor has a secure job with a permanent full time contract.
Operative: The operative’s often have little job security. Many are employed on temporary contracts, and when the contract runs out they may find them selves unemployed. Others may find they are no longer needed because their responsibilities have been replaced with machinery.

Making decisions:

Production Manager: Central to the manager’s job is making decisions for example, finding extra employees to work night shifts or even setting targets such as increasing production levels.
Machinery Supervisor: the machinery supervisor can also be called team leaders; they have to make decisions such as what problems need to be advised to the production manager in order to improve the performance of their specific department.
Operatives: The operatives are allowed to make decisions such as stopping the production line to remove poor-quality products.

Solving problems and duties/activates involved in work:

Production Manager: The production manager plans activates, look after teams of employees, manage finances and attempt to meet targets set by the directors of the business.
Machinery Supervisor: The machinery supervisor monitors the work of junior employees(operatives)
Operatives: Operatives usually carry out routine tasks, though some employers do provide more varied and interesting work. They usually only solve common sense problems.

Judge the effectiveness of the different working arrangements of the three identified employees.
Suggest and justify flexible working arrangements for them that the business might consider in the future

Productivity is the amount of goods and services produced by an employee over a time period such as 1 year.

Production Manager: Although his productivity is difficult to measure by him keeping accurate financial records he could prevent the business losing money which will contribute to the overall increase in productivity.

Machinery Supervisor: Although the machinery supervisor cannot directly increase the amount of productivity if they keep the production manager up to date with the performances of the operatives which will increase the amount of productivity being produced.

Operative: If the operative works appropriately and efficiently they can directly increase the amount of goods and services produced which will contribute to the overall productivity of the business.

Contribution to decision making and solving problems:

Production Manager: The production manager in a hierarchy structure is responsible mainly for decision making and problem solving. Communication is normally from top to bottom in the hierarchy therefore the production manager passes down instructions to the machinery supervisor and the operatives.

Machinery Supervisor: The machinery supervisor provides a link between operatives and the production manager, this is very important as it keeps the operatives working efficiently. The machinery supervisor is involved in lower decision making such as telling the operatives what to improve on if they are to help the business increase there productivity.

Operative: Operatives are the most junior employees in the business they make decisions that are routine and require common sense to perform there task or job properly.

How well the three employees work together: I believe the machinery supervisor is the main key in these three employees working well with each other as he is the employee in the middle who passes information between the operatives and the production manager. Co-operation and team work between these three employees lead to increased productivity and efficiently.

The production manager has a secure job and is offered a full-time contract as they have such an important role in the business. The machinery supervisor can be offered an annualised hour’s contract as the business can easily find someone to work shifts while he is not at work. The machinery supervisor can also be offered a full-time contract as they have a secure job. Operatives don’t have a secure job as they can easily be made redundant if the business chooses to use machinery to do there work that’s why they are only offered temporary, annualised hours and temporary contracts.

Using flexible workforces offers a number of benefits to the business. Flexible employees are cheaper. Coca Cola doesn’t have to pay many of the costs of a full-time employment, such as paying employees who are sick. Wages are also generally lower, which helps to keep costs down and to make the business more competitive.

If employees increase their output of goods and services each week or month, the business can benefit in several ways. Increased productivity lowers the cost of the business. The business will be able to sell its products at a lower price because they are cheaper to produce. This should mean Coca Cola wins more customers. They may also choose to leave there prices unchanged, because its products have been produced more cheaply, profits on each sell will be greater.

If Coca Cola is more competitive than others, it will be able to: