3
Any writing that is highlighted in purple is an exemplar for guidance purposes and must not be copied word for word.
Any writing highlighted in green is a question designed to prompt you to address the correct issue. Do NOT copy it!
Unit 3 assignment: Analysing the issues and proposing responses for key issues faced by ELAr Sports.
1.1 Introduction
In this assignment I have set out to respond to the following tasks:
- Analyse the information provided and identify key issues faced by ELAr Sports
- Propose how ELAr Sports should respond to change
I have made use of the data provided, my prior studies in class and my knowledge of Retail to create the following report.[GJ1]
Section 1: Analysis of ELAr Sports and identification of key issues faced by the business[GJ2]
In this section of the assignment I will be analysing different areas of the business, relating the position of ELAr Sports to theoretical models. I have broken this down into sections looking at specific parts of the business.[GJ3]
Section 1.1: Functional areas
When we refer to a functional area in Retail Business we mean how employees or processes are grouped into areas based on the task they perform in relation to accomplishing one or more business tasks. A business may refer to functional areas as department. E.g. someone working on promotional material for the business would be grouped in the marketing department. [GJ4]
I would expect a retail business, such as ELAr Sports to divide their employees and processes into the following functional areas:
A.Sales
B.Warehousing
C.Customer Service
D.Marketing
E.Administration
F.Finance
G.Human Resource
H.ICT and systems operations[GJ5]
Section 1.2: Role of functional areas[GJ6]
- Sales – The role of the sales department is to sell goods or services to customers. Staff working in this functional area will usually be given sales targets, identifying how many units they need to sell in order to meet the aims of the business.
In the case of ELAr Sports, the staff are selling products, however the selling in itself is a service. They will need to listen to the customers’ requirements, asking suitable questions, to ensure they guide customers to purchasing the most suitable items.
Given the specialist nature of the business, a high level of service will be required of sales staff as the business is likely to charge a high price than competitors. Customers will be willing to pay a higher price for the products so long as they receive high levels of customer service from well informed and knowledgeable sales staff. A good salesman will not just be looking to make one sale, but want a customers to come back and buy from them over and over again, i.e. customer retention.[GJ7]
B.Warehousing(Would ELAr Sports have a ware house? Who is responsible for ordering and looking after the stock room?)
C.Customer Service(Who is responsible for customer service at ELAr Sports?)
D.Marketing(Ela is responsible for marketing at ELAr Sports but are other employees involved too?)
E.Administration(What sort of admin would ELAr Sports generate and who is responsible for dealing with it?)
F.Finance(What financial work, documents etc., would ELAr Sports generate and who would undertake these tasks?)
G.Human Resource(What HR tasks would be required by ELAr Sports and who is currently responsible for undertaking them?)
H.ICT and systems operations[GJ8](What ICT and systems requirements would ELAr Sports have and who would be responsible for undertaking those tasks?)
Section 1.3: Employee rights
While at work all we are all protected by law, these are called statuary rights. Employees may also be protected further by their contract of employment. Together these legal protections are called ‘rights’ and are in place to ensure the wellbeing of every employee during the course of their working day.[GJ9]
A – Hours of work and holiday entitlement(how many hours can ELAr Sportsempolyees work before they are entitled to a break? What holiday should they get?
B – Health & Safety in the workplace(What are the key areas of H&S that concern ELAr Sports? What would you expect to find in the store to ensure they were meeting H&S requirements?)
C – Pay, wages and other benefits(What are the pay requirements for ELAr Sports? Consider the minimum wage)
D –Equality at work[GJ10](How can ELAr Sports be seen to ensure their practice is ethical? Male/female, disabilities, etc.
Section 1.4: Employee responsibilities
While at work employees have responsibilities to their employers, customers, colleagues and themselves. There are certain legal requirements, often cited as ‘implied terms’ in a contract that are required of the employee. They may have additional responsibilities set out in their contract of employment known as ‘express terms’.[GJ11]
A - Health & Safety
B – Equalities
C – Contracts and company policy
D – Implied terms[GJ12]
[GJ1]This is just a few sentences to say what the following report is about. You may want to leave completing this section until the end of the assignment
[GJ2]This section will address the first of the two assignment questions. The section will carry 50% of the marks for this assignment, i.e. 25% of the overall course grade.
[GJ3]Tell the examiner what they will be reading about in this section.
[GJ4]Your own definition and explanation of functional areas
[GJ5]List functional areas and relate to ELAr Sports
[GJ6]Explain the role of each functional area (theory) and then relate to ELAr Sports (application)
[GJ7]An example for Sales
[GJ8]You need to show the examiner you understand the role of each functional area and how they would relate to ELAr Sports.
Firstly write a definition for each (your own words), then link to ELAr Sports, I have made some notes by each which may help you.
[GJ9]Explain, in your own words, the meaning of employee rights.
[GJ10]For each of these headings explain what all employees of ELAr Sports are entitled to. I have made some notes by each to support your answer.
[GJ11]Explain in your own words the meaning of employee responsibility
[GJ12]For each heading, explain the responsibilities for employees at ELAr Sports.