unit 3 management activities - organising

Question 1

what is organising ?

Answer 1

the process of combining human and physical resources to achieve a goal. bring people and resources together to achieve implement plans or policies. the arrangement of resources is called organising

Question 2

what is a functional organisational structure ?

Answer 2

it divides the business into its main functions and groups employees of similar skill sets together in departments

Question 3

benefits of a functional structure - specialisation

Answer 3

due to specialisation, where each department is concentrating on one function such as marketing, this builds up high levels of skill and expertise through reputation and practice this leads to efficiencies within the business

Question 4

benefits of a functional organisational structure - clear lines of authority

Answer 4

the chain of command and line of authority is clear, as such employees know who to report to. there is a person in charge of each department which improves co-ordination and motivation, as employees know what is expected of them and when

Question 5

benefits of a functional structure -clear communication channels

Answer 5

the structure helps create a clear communication line between the top and bottom of the business. instructions flow downward from top management along the chain of command and information is communicated upward, leading to quicker decision making

Question 6

benefits of a functional organisational structure- allows for a wide span of control

Answer 6

there are economies of scale as resources are used efficiently with no duplication of resources. The wide span of control releases top management from micromanaging operations, so they can focus on the overall strategy of the business

Question 7

challenges of a functional organisational structure- focus on department goals

Answer 7

employees may work towards department objectives, rather than the overall business goals. this can slow business growth

Question 8

challenges of a functional organisational structure - slow communication

Answer 8

communication can be slow between departments, this can mean the business is slow to react to change

Question 9

challenges of a functional organisational structure-lack of trust

Answer 9

lack of trust between employees working in cross departmental teams, this reduces the overall productivity of the firm

Question 10

what is a matrix organisational structure

Answer 10

a team based structure which allows for projects to be undertaken by a cross section of employees from several different departments

Question 11

benefits of matrix- new ideas

Answer 11

personnel from various different departments bring new ideas to the project (innovation)

Question 12

benefits of matrix - improved communication

Answer 12

improved relationships between the team

Question 13

benefits of matrix- co ordinated approach

Answer 13

solving problems can be achieved due to the existence of a team. team members have the support of a project leader who is responsible for co-ordinating team effort and task completion

Question 14

benefits of matrix- new skills

Answer 14

shared skills and experience. employees can learn new skills from each other. leads to professional development and improved motivation

Question 15

challenges of matrix - all talk no action

Answer 15

teams can be a talking shop. certain people in the project team may dominate the task and only one voice is heard

Question 16

challenges of matrix - slow decision making

Answer 16

as team departments goes through the stages of forming, storming , norming and preforming . decision making can be slowed as getting agreement at consultation stage could take time as all opinions are considered

Question 17

what is the span of control plus the factors it depends on

Answer 17

the number of people who directly report to one manager in a hierarchy. the span may be wide or narrow its size depends on a number of factors
- type difficulty of the work
- quality of both manager and staff
- service being provided, type of product being made. products which are easier to make or deliver will need less supervision and can have a wider span of control
- the more people that are under one manager the wider the span of control
-the lower number of staff means a narrower span off control. it is up to each individual manager to delegate work to their subordinates in the span

Question 18

problems with to wide a span of control - errors can be made

Answer 18

errors can be made due to lack of supervision. mistakes can occur as managers cannot adequately supervise staff. employees may make decisions that they aren’t trained to make

Question 19

problems with too wide a span of control - poor morale

Answer 19

less personal contact with employees/ may lack guidance and become frustrated

Question 20

problem with too wide a span of control - management burnout

Answer 20

managers may become overwhelmed due to work overload resulting in poor decision making

Question 21

problem with too wide a span of control - poor reporting structures

Answer 21

poor communication could result in problems not being reported on time resulting in serious difficulties

Question 22

what is the chain of command

Answer 22

the chain of command is the line/path of which orders and instructions and decisions are passed from the top to bottom of the hierarchy. it is also the channel for which feedback is communicated. it creates a communication line within a business

Question 23

product organisational structure

Answer 23

suits a business that has a handful of clear markets that it operates in, allowing each market to be targeted specifically by different sections of their business that act separately.

Question 24

what are the benefits of a product organisational structure?

Answer 24

1.competition by products- the different parts of the business can be compared against each other, motivating managers and their staff to work to be the best.

2.focus resources effectively - each department only has to worry about their product range, so they can tailor all of the resources(staffing, suppliers, machinery,..)to suit the needs of their market.

3.improves flexibility - as the departments are more expert so are more able to adapt to changing market needs or trends.

Question 25

what are the challenges of a product organisational structure?

Answer 25

1. duplication of resources - each product arm would have their own department for sales, marketing, finance, etc…
   this means an increase in the facilities, staffing and resources.
   2.lack of cohesion - there may be fear of helping other parts of the business as there is competition between different products profits, so they may see other parts of the business as rivals rather than part of the same company.

Question 26

geographical organisational structure

Answer 26

a business breaks up their organisational structure in to different parts based on the regions that they operate in. each region would have it’s own organisational structure with a regional manager overseeing it. it suits like MNC’s like Vodafone, Starbucks

Question 27

benefits of a geographical organisational structure

Answer 27

1. tailors needs to locals - different regions will have different consumer preferences, languages, cultures and ways of doing business , so this structure allows the firm to adjust.

2.improvements to logistics - if different departments aren’t located centrally, each location can manage their own staff, resources, distribution and finance

3.competition between regions - senior management can set targets for each region and compare results to help motivate each region to improve their own sales

Question 28

challenges of a geographical organisational structure

Answer 28

1.duplication of resources- each region arm would have their own departments for sales, marketing, finance, etc
this means an increase in the facilities, staffing and resources

2.lack of cohesion - there may be a fear of helping other parts of the business as there is competition between different regions profits, so they may see other arts of the business as rivals rather than the same company