Organizational Structures in Business free essay sample

There are different types of structures which can be used to structure an organisation, some of the ways include: * Functional- employees in the functional structured organisations are usually expected to perform a specialized set of tasks, for example the accounting department would only have accountants as their employees, and this means an increase in production but can also mean a lack of communication between different functional departments which would mean production in a business would be slow and inflexible. A functional structure is best suited to business whose target aim is sell large volumes of goods at low prices. Other departments in this structure include production, finance, marketing and many more. * Divisional- divisional structure is a structure where each organisational function is grouped into a division. All the required resources and functions are contained in each division in a divisional structure. Divisions can be structured into different types, there can be one made on a geographical basis; for example an EU division, or there could be division on a product/service basis; for example variety of products from different householders or companies. We will write a custom essay sample on Organizational Structures in Business or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Like a functional structure a divisional structure may also have different departments such as marketing, sales or finance. * Geographical structure- this is a structure used for businesses which have firms in different geographic regions. This type of structure allows a business’s offices to operate on its own whilst still following the company policies and values. A firm’s location in this type of structure can be local, national or international. Depending on the size of the business, each geographic location may report to an executive who controls several ifferent locations or it may report directly to the top executives who are located at the main office of the business. The reporting structure is based on the size of the organization and its industry. This type of structure is mainly used in industries such as retailing, hotel chains or other large national and international organisations. Manufacturing businesses with firm in different geographical location may c hoose to use this structure. The two businesses I will look at in this assignment and talk about their organisational structure are Tesco and Apple, both huge global businesses. Being such massive businesses it means that it is vital for Tesco and Apple to have an organisational structure within the company. Both the businesses use functional structure within the business and within the structure there are different functional areas, both the businesses also have similar functional areas. The main activities and responsibilities of functional areas within Tesco and Apple are; * Customer Service * Distribution * Finance * Human Resources * ICT * Marketing * Sales * Production * Research and Development The Customer Service function- Customer service employees at Tesco and Apple look after the customers who have questions or complaints regarding Tesco and for Apple regarding the products. Customer service employees need to make sure that all customers are satisfied and happy so, they are trained to handle enquiries and complaints positively and professionally, when customers enquire or complain with customer service they are expected to have a quick, polite an d well-informed reply from the employees. Tesco is a manufactured organisation so therefore they can hire customer service employees to handle all types of questions or complaints and also give detailed advice and information to customers. Apple is also a similar type of organisation and they also need to make sure that there employees are trained well to deal with customer enquiries or complaints to the customers satisfaction otherwise this could lead to customer loss or bad reputation. The Distribution function- The function of the distribution staff is to make sure that all goods are delivered to the right place on time and are in a good condition. The distribution function arranges goods which can be collected, work all the routes for many vehicles, checking that the vehicles are loaded quickly and are safe and secure to go. They also complete delivery forms, plan and schedule vehicle routes, lets employees know when they are meant to deliver goods so that the customers can be aware of it and deal with any problem that o ccurs e. g. eather problems or a breakdown of the vehicle. Tesco is a large international company so therefore they can afford to hire distribution employees who distribute goods to different places, similar to Apple as they are a large company like Tesco meaning they can also afford to hire distribution employees. * The Finance function- Finance staffs are responsible for the money that is spent and earned by Tesco and Apple. This is important because it can help senior mangers keep track of how much profit or loss is being made for each product and what changes to make if there are any losses. The function of a finance staff is very important in a large international business like Tesco and Apple. In Tesco and Apple some types of financial experts that are hired are- management accountants financial accountants Credit controllers. The function of a financial employee is to support the accounts by keeping records, track any late payments and pay for goods or items that the company purchases. * The Human Resources (HR) function- The function of Human Resource staff within Tesco and Apple is to be responsible for employees inside the company. They deal with the workforce, planning, recruitment, training and paying issues. The functions of human resources relate mainly to the employees within Tesco and Apple and can make the job become more successful. Human resources aim to make sure that businesses keep hold of good experienced employees and let go off poor employees. * The ICT function- The function of an ICT staff at Tesco and Apple is to make sure that all Tescos and Apple’s data is stored correctly and efficiently on their systems and make sure that their systems does not fail or fault, make sure that the staff computers are linked towards the customer’s and install any new software which can help the business become more useful to customers. They also purchase any computer supplies e. g. cables or printer cartridges which staff might need in the production department. The function of the ICT staff at Tesco and Apple is also to make sure they set up system security to make sure that no one goes on to the system to change any of the information. ICT staff also has to make sure that the businesses website is kept in order and can easily be accessible so customers have no difficulties with it. The Marketing function- The Marketing function is to identify consumers needs and wants and then supply them with the right products, in the right place at the right time; for example customers of Apple wanting better and newer high tech gadgets or customers in Tesco wanting price reductions. They would need to identify and meet the customers needs and make sure that production workers produces high- quality goods and respond to a customer enquiry promptly and accurately. The Sales function- The function of a sales staff is essential f or Tesco and Apple because their main role is to sell products and services to the customer in order for the business to keep on running. At Tesco and Apple, sales staffs are very important because without sales staffs the two global businesses would not be able to reach their aims and objectives like becoming the number one business in the world at what they do. They organise sale promotions, help customers with their enquiries and keep customers records up to date. The Production function- The production function at Tesco and Apple is to make sure that the goods of Tesco and Apple are produced on time and is in a high quality for the customers. The production staffs also make sure that any deliveries that are made are the right ones and if there are any problems they will have to contact the supplier. With Apple and Tesco having such a Top reputation it is essential that the production produce products which are up to the standards of the customers, mainly for Apple as customers o f Apple would have to pay a very high amount of money to purchase any of their products.