Business Administration Assignment

This assignment covers essential aspects of business administration, drawing from various sources such as 'International Business' by David Ball et al., and 'Educating Change Agents for Sustainability' by C. Hesselbarth and S. Schaltegger. Students are required to analyze and discuss concepts related to management theories, international business strategies, and sustainability practices within the context of business administration.

Business Administration
1

Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................5
UNIT 10...........................................................................................................................................5
1.1 ...............................................................................................................................................5
1.2 ...............................................................................................................................................5
1.3 ...............................................................................................................................................5
1.4 ...............................................................................................................................................6
2.1 ...............................................................................................................................................6
UNIT 11...........................................................................................................................................6
1.1 ...............................................................................................................................................6
1.2 ...............................................................................................................................................7
1.3 ...............................................................................................................................................7
1.4 ...............................................................................................................................................7
1.5 ...............................................................................................................................................7
UNIT 19...........................................................................................................................................8
1.1 ...............................................................................................................................................8
1.2 ...............................................................................................................................................8
1.3 ...............................................................................................................................................8
1.4 ...............................................................................................................................................8
1.5................................................................................................................................................8
1.6................................................................................................................................................8
3.2 ...............................................................................................................................................9
UNIT 21...........................................................................................................................................9
1.1 ...............................................................................................................................................9
1.2 ...............................................................................................................................................9
1.3 ...............................................................................................................................................9
1.4 .............................................................................................................................................10
1.5 .............................................................................................................................................10
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1.6 .............................................................................................................................................10
1.7 .............................................................................................................................................10
1.8 .............................................................................................................................................11
UNIT 49.........................................................................................................................................11
1.1 .............................................................................................................................................11
2.1 .............................................................................................................................................11
3.1 .............................................................................................................................................12
UNIT 52.........................................................................................................................................12
1.2 .............................................................................................................................................12
1.4 .............................................................................................................................................13
2.4..............................................................................................................................................13
2.7 .............................................................................................................................................13
UNIT 73.........................................................................................................................................14
1.1 .............................................................................................................................................14
1.2 .............................................................................................................................................14
1.3 .............................................................................................................................................14
1.4 .............................................................................................................................................14
1.5 .............................................................................................................................................15
1.6 .............................................................................................................................................15
2......................................................................................................................................................15
2.1 .............................................................................................................................................15
2.2 .............................................................................................................................................15
2.3 .............................................................................................................................................15
3......................................................................................................................................................16
3.1 .............................................................................................................................................16
3.2 .............................................................................................................................................16
3.3 .............................................................................................................................................16
3.4 .............................................................................................................................................16
3.5 .............................................................................................................................................16
3.6 .............................................................................................................................................17
4......................................................................................................................................................17
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4.2 .............................................................................................................................................17
4.3 .............................................................................................................................................17
4.4 .............................................................................................................................................17
4.5 .............................................................................................................................................18
4.6 .............................................................................................................................................18
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................18
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................19
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INTRODUCTION
Business administration is a process through which work in organisation is carried out
smoothly. H&M is a retail store which has its branches in different parts of the world (Escobar-
Rodriguez and Monge-Lozano, 2012). In order to manage its operations various factors are
maintained which are discussed in detail in the following report.
UNIT 10
1.1
Here are two best practices to create a powerful and reusable presentation:
Content - Two words: reuse & shorten. If your website is current, effectively designed and
includes targeted content throughout, use this as your source material, and then convert it into
slides for optimal reuse.
Script - Everyone in your company has a different way of describing the same diagram or
mission statement, so a script is key to making sure all the presenters deliver the same message
consistently and coherently.
1.2
There are a few people who need to be consulted on the development of a presentation to
ensure your presentation will actually take place. Firstly, consult your audience. These people
will need to know when and where the presentation will be taking place so sending out some sort
of invitation would be good idea. You should find out from your audiences if any resources or
support needs are required and you should supply these requests at the presentation (Ball and
et.al., 2012).
1.3
The first factor that you should take into account when developing a presentation is
preparation. This would involve you considering what the reason for the presentation is. You
should set objectives, have a think about what you would like to achieve by the end of your
presentation. You should also prepare the venue with plenty of time and send out invites so you
know the number of people who will be attending.
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1.4
There are different types of communication like verbal communication which is usually the
preferred communication channel. Apart from this one can then use nonverbal gestures, facial
expressions and personal charisma to enhance the message. Another form of communication
would be written. In terms of a presentation, this would be PowerPoint slides, hand-outs; images
such as charts, graphs or any audio clips.
2.1
It is important to identify different associated factors of presentation. A particular display
has many purposes like inform, enthuse, teach, support, guide etc.
Content:
• What are your key points?
• How will you support these key points?
• How will you make it easy to follow?
Style:
 Fast
 Slow
Timings
It is imperative that you identify the timing of a presentation as you only have a certain
time limit in which to deliver your message/information Audience (Hesselbarth and Schaltegger,
2014).
When delivering a presentation, you must consider your audience:
 The size of the audience
 Their knowledge
UNIT 11
1.1
Organisations typically invest a significant amount of time (and therefore money) in
performance management activities. it is identified that most of the resources of every
organisation are invested in the management process. Therefore, it’s essential that you know
what value your organisation is getting from your investment in performance management and
appraisals and understand whether that time is being effectively spent.
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1.2
There are different steps that need to be followed in order to manage the effectiveness of
work:
Step 1 - Do your research and benchmark best practice
Step 2 – Be clear on your organisation’s goals for performance management
Step 3 – Establish your success measures
Step 4 – Start evaluating
1.3
Facilities Management involves guiding and managing the operations and maintenance of
buildings, precincts and community infrastructure on behalf of property owners. The Facilities
Manager organises, controls and coordinates the strategic and operational management of
buildings and facilities in order to ensure the proper and efficient operation of all its physical
aspects, creating and sustaining safe and productive environments for residents.
1.4
To achieve objectives, it a series of tasks has to be performed at every step. It is the job of
the top management to get themselves involved, and to share the responsibility (Roth, 2012).
Factors that need to be considered in the same are:
 A separate department or section consisting of system analysis is created to develop a
system.
 If an office is very small, then the office manager is assigned the task of system analysis
and suggestions to be made for their institution.
1.5
Here are four ways how one can improve work environment and, in turn, employee
engagement.
1. Hire great team members (and don't be afraid to let bad ones go)
2. Improve the lighting
3. Make the office comfortable
4. Improve communication
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UNIT 19
1.1
Junk mail is often unwanted postal marketing such as flyers, competition entries and postal
campaigns. If you receive unwanted mail with a return address on the envelope you can write
‘unsolicited mail, please return to sender’ on the envelope and put it back in the post unstamped.
1.2
1.3
Below is a quick overview on how franking machines generally work;
 Weight. Mail item is placed on to the franking machines inbuilt weighing scale – you get
the exact weight so no risk of overpaying on postage (Allais and Hagen, 2013).
 Size and service. ...
 Business message. ...
 Postage costs. ...
 Print. ...
 Finish
1.4
After all the post, has been franked, it to be placed inside the appropriate posting bag,
based on its class, this is for easier distribution. Most outgoing packages are already pre-
packaged by the employees wanting to send them, for example electrical certificates are sealed in
the correct cover.
1.5
To ensure security of mail items, all post addressed to employees are organised and
delivered to their pigeon holes, to be opened by themselves. However, post with no name is
usually opened by me, if it states it is confidential or private, I will be hand it to the business
manager.
1.6
There are several ways to identify a suspicious item, some characteristics include misspelling of
name or address, no return address, stains, discolouration or a strange odour, or uneven
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/unnecessary packaging. The procedures in place state never to open a package believed to be
suspicious, and to isolate it from the rest of the mail, preferably sealing it in another package or
container.
3.2
Efficient handling of mail requires establishment of definite procedures involving step by
step handling of mail. The incoming mail should be received and distributed with speed and
accuracy. The exact method of handling inward mail differs from office to office. First look
through the mails for each department, and sort them out by size and class, and then find out the
best method to send them – either normal or recorded (Hendriks and et.all., 2012). Then look at
the weights and sizes and look for the costs. The weight can be looked up on the machine that is
used to weigh posts.
UNIT 21
1.1
A meeting is where a group of people come together to discuss issues, to improve
communication, to promote coordination or to deal with any matters that are put on the agenda
and to help get any jobs done. You have to be very clear on why you are calling a meeting and
only people associated with the agenda should be called.
1.2
The law defines a meeting as a gathering of more than three, or a majority, of the members
of a public body. In most cases, the minimum number of people that must be present to
constitute a meeting would be three (for a group with five or more members). However, it would
be two, when the committee, subcommittee, or other subordinate unit of a governmental body
consists of either two or three members.
1.3
When you organise a business meeting, you want to ensure maximum attendance and a
positive response. You could issue a survey at the end of an event that asks for feedback,
although this takes time to act upon. Therefore, here are four factors to consider when planning a
meeting, which will boost attendance rates and the success of the event. The location has to meet
the requirements of all attendees to assure satisfaction and returning guests.
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1.4
Health, safety and security are the most important factors to be considered while
conducting a meeting.
 Check to see if the venue is a safe structure for the kind of meeting taking place.
 Check that electrical wires are secured properly and not trailing on the floor (Eichfelder
and Schorn, 2012).
 Make sure that the equipment to be used, like laptops and OHPs, is good working order
and has passed ICT testing to avoid safety issues.
 Make sure that any confidential documents taken to the meeting are not left behind and
are brought back safely. Also, make sure that only authorised people are allowed access
to those documents.
1.5
In order to make all the resources available for meeting a checklist should be made in the
following manner:
 Identify the purpose of the meeting
 Make sure you really need a meeting
 Develop a preliminary agenda
 Select the right participants
 Assign roles to participants
 Identify, arrange for, and test any required equipment
 Finalize the agenda and distribute it to all participants
1.6
Chairing is a key role on any voluntary Management Committee. The Chairperson must
ensure that the Management Committee functions properly, that there is full participation during
meetings, that all relevant matters are discussed and that effective decisions are made and carried
out.
1.7
A formal meeting in a business environment is a pre-planned event with a formal notice
that most often is sent via email or an official company memo. An informal meeting can take
place almost anywhere, anytime, and there is seldom the structure and formality that you will see
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in a formal meeting. Casual is the exact inverse of formal. Something that is casual need not take
after principles or controls. It might likewise not be founded on any f the traditional systems.
Casual approach is an easy-going kind of approach. It is regularly connected with a well-
disposed way (Pham, Segers and Gijselaers2013).
1.8
Policy and procedures for meetings are a very important part of the formal meeting process
because they set out what can and cannot be decided in meetings, as well as ensuring that certain
conventions are adhered to at that meeting.
Legal Requirements – These are policies and procedures which are required from some
organisations by law. An agenda, a chairperson and formal minutes of the meeting are legal
requirements in many places, and consider good business practice in others.
UNIT 49
1.1
An intermediate user can select and use a wide range of intermediate spreadsheet software
tools and techniques to produce, present and check spreadsheets that are at times non-routine or
unfamiliar. Spreadsheet software tools and techniques will be defined as ‘intermediate’ because
the range of data entry, manipulation and outputting techniques will be at times non-routine or
unfamiliar, the tools, formulas and functions needed to analyse and interpret the data requires
knowledge and understanding (for example, mathematical, logical, statistical or financial); and
the user will take some responsibility for setting up or developing the structure and functionality
of the spreadsheet.
2.1
There are different ways through which data can be summarised, analyse and interpret
using spreadsheet. Some of them are as follows:
 Sort - The easiest way to summarize data is to start with a simple sort if all you need is a
quick glance at ordered data.
 Auto Sum - It is one of the quickest ways to summarize data. Select a cell to the right or
below a range of values and click Auto Sum.
 Filter - Filtering might not be on your summarizing radar, but don't dismiss it. Filtering
allows you to selectively review specific data (Foss and Knudsen, 2013).
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3.1
It is important that the spreadsheet information is presented in an effective manner so that
the requirements of the user can be accomplished. Given below are the ways to make it
effective:
 Give your worksheet a good title
 Wake people up with colour
 Let the format lead the eye
 Apply a theme
 Don't cram your charts
 Diagrams are helpful
 Take advantage of conditional formatting
 When in doubt, spell it out
 Frame it
 Invite feedback
UNIT 52
1.2
The smartest and most effective techniques for improving email deliverability are as
follows:
 Prime your IP for success.
 Register a subdomain and use it only for email activity.
 Implement a sender policy framework.
 Check your sender reputation.
 Check feedback loops.
 Stick to a consistent send schedule
1.4
There are a number of ways through which safety can be ensured while using mail:
 Change your password regularly and keep it in a safe place.
 Don’t share your password with anyone.
 Don’t open attachments from anyone you don’t know.
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 Log out or sign off from your account when you’ve finished looking at/sending your
email.
 Don’t reply to spam or forward chain emails (Minnaert and et.al., 2011).
 Keep your personal information personal – don’t share bank or credit card information by
email.
 Your bank will not discuss your private financial situation by email. If you receive any
correspondence that claims to come from your bank, telephone your branch to verify it
and discuss the matter over the telephone instead.
 Make sure that you have antivirus software installed and keep it up to date
2.4
An email archiving solution is designed to store emails in their original state for the
purpose of easy retrieval during daily business operations. Additionally, email archives are used
to protect your company in the event of litigation and to keep you in line with industry
compliance standards. Many Government agencies and regulatory organisations have mandatory
requirements for data retention, accessibility, and security. To comply with these, organisations
must retain their data – including email – and ensure that any requested material can be retrieved
and presented in a timely manner. This is normally achieved by archiving, journaling, or both.
2.7
Different methods to minimise the issues of mails are;
1. Address the email only when it is ready to send
2. Attach any files before composing your note
3. Tell the other person which email you used when sending
4. Reply to a new person from the same address that received that person's note
5. If you want the other person to use a different address for you, say so first
6. Send a test message first
7. Be careful with addressee auto-complete
UNIT 73
1.1
In order to reach at effective decision, it is required to define objective scope and success
criteria of the decisions to be taken. Importance of each is given below:
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Objectives - Objectives are vital for business goal setting in corporate management. We
know that tasks form the building blocks of all the objectives in a given goal plan (Bean, 2015).
Scope - Scope Management techniques enable project managers and supervisors to allocate
just the right amount of work necessary to successfully complete a project.
Success – It helps in reducing the gap between actual and desired results.
1.2
Properly analyse the information. It is important to properly analyse the information you
are basing your decision on as poor analysis can lead to wrong decisions. Consult with, listen to
and involve the right people. Making decisions in isolation is not advisable.
1.3
The data and information used as a basis for decision-making is in serious danger of
becoming outdated and distorted. New data is being generated all the time, but tapping to the
latest expert information is a challenge. Constant monitoring of the business industry and data
analysis ensure that the information is valid and real-time.
1.4
By providing everyone at your company with the same vision of success, automated
performance management solutions that include goal alignment help your organization achieve
its corporate goals quicker. Understand how their individual goals match up with your company's
business objectives.
1.5
You can validate the leadership and decision-making skills of your current staff through
observation, surveys and customer input. These skills allow your workforce to communicate
clearly, adapt to changing business conditions and respond to opportunities in a timely manner.
1.6
If issue is found on continual basis than it need to be addressed before an individual
problem becomes widespread. Following step can be followed:
 Identify the source of the problem. Problems represent a flaw
 Schedule a meeting. Discuss performance issues during regular review periods
 Lay out clear problem (Pratt and Gibbons, 2012).
 Allow possible chance to improve
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 Document all meetings and communications. Keep detailed notes of each meeting
2
2.1
The main difference between leaders and managers is that leaders have people follow them
while managers have people who work for them. A successful business owner needs to be both a
strong leader and manager to get their team on board to follow them towards their vision of
success.
2.2
There are different types of leadership which has their impact on situations such as:
 Autocratic: The autocratic model sees one single decision maker who directs the others
in their actions.
 Democratic – It is that leadership model also has a single leader making decisions, but
this leader takes on a guidance role and receives group input
2.3
Motivational theories attempt to explain what motivates people to behave the way they do. In
the work place it can be applied in the following manner.
 Use traditional and innovative compensation strategies
 Tie compensation incentives directly into specific performance objectives to push your
employees
 Institute employee development programs, employee recognition programs
3
3.1
Managers should think about the four functions as a process, where each step builds on the
others. Managers must first plan, then organize according to that plan, lead others to work
towards the plan, and finally evaluate the effectiveness of the plan.
3.2
Managers manage the performance of teams and individuals to achieve objectives. This
standard is about making the best use of your team and its members so that they can achieve your
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organisation's objectives. It covers allocating work, agreeing objectives, and setting out plans and
methods of working (Cova, Kozinets and Shankar, 2012).
3.3
Managers play a critical role in delivering performance. Effective performance
management enables employees and teams to understand the goals of the organisation and to
identify how individual and team outputs contribute to the achievement of organisational
objectives in line with organisational values.
3.4
Management theories are implemented to help increase organizational productivity and
service quality. some of the most used theories are as follows:
 Contingency Theory - This theory asserts that managers make decisions based on the
situation at hand rather than a "one size fits all" method.
 Systems Theory - Managers who understand systems theory recognize how different
systems affect a worker and how a worker affects the systems around them (Minnaert
and et.al., 2011).
3.5
The management theories assist in increasing the service quality and organizational
productivity. All managers do not use the single concept or theory while implementing strategies
in the office. A combination of a number of concepts depending on the workforce, purpose and
workplace are used by the managers. The popular management theories used at the work are
chaos theory, contingency theory, and system theory.
3.6
There are different issues which are imposed by budgets in an organisation:
 Budgets are only as good as the data being used to create them. Inaccurate or
unreasonable assumptions can quickly make a budget unrealistic
 Budgets can lead to inflexibility in decision-making
 Budgets need to be changed as circumstances change
4
4.1 Explain the relationship between business objectives and performance measures
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An objective is very similar to a goal, as it represents a desired end to a specific state of
affairs. A performance monitoring plan further defines the relationship between goals, objectives
and performance measures.
4.2
A performance management system is a set of activities you can use in your company to
effectively achieve business goals and objectives. Performance management systems are
designed to identify, eliminate and improve performance problems.
4.3
Start with the industry benchmark if you are not at that level, then raise the target by a
reasonable increment. The employees should believe the new goal is achievable. Set a specific
date by which the necessary improvements must take place. You can set your KPI targets by
division or for the entire company.
4.4
There are a number of tools which are used in order to monitor the results of an
organisation. Some of them are:
 Competitiveness Indicators: A company’s relationship with the competition. Market
share can be used for this.
 Effectiveness Indicators: Effectiveness is the combination of efficacy with efficiency.
 Value Indicator: The relationship between the perceived value when you get something (a
product, for example) and the amount spent to obtain it (Pratt and Gibbons, 2012).
4.5
Management accounting is a profession that involves partnering in management decision
making, devising planning and performance management systems, and providing expertise in
financial reporting and control to assist management in the formulation of different plans.
4.6
Outputs tell the story of what you produced or your organization's activities. Output
measures do not address the value or impact of your services for your clients. On the other hand,
an outcome is the level of performance or achievement that occurred because of the activity or
services your organization provided.
17

CONCLUSION
From the above report this has been summarised that there are a number of ways through
which administration in business is maintained. If all the outlined laws are followed in the same
manner than it becomes easy to achieve the desired results.
18

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Escobar-Rodriguez, T. and Monge-Lozano, P., 2012. The acceptance of Moodle technology by
business administration students. Computers & Education.58(4). pp.1085-1093.
Ball, D. and et.al., 2012. International business. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Hesselbarth, C. and Schaltegger, S., 2014. Educating change agents for sustainability–learnings
from the first sustainability management master of business administration. Journal of
cleaner production.62. pp.24-36.
Roth, A.E., 2012. Axiomatic models of bargaining (Vol. 170). Springer Science & Business
Media.
Allais, M. and Hagen, G.M. Eds., 2013. Expected Utility Hypotheses and the Allais Paradox:
Contemporary Discussions of the Decisions Under Uncertainty with Allais' Rejoinder
(Vol. 21). Springer Science & Business Media.
Hendriks, M.E. and et.all., 2012. Hypertension in sub-Saharan Africa: cross-sectional surveys in
four rural and urban communities. PloS one. 7(3). p.e32638.
Eichfelder, S. and Schorn, M., 2012. Tax compliance costs: A business-administration
perspective. FinanzArchiv: Public Finance Analysis. 68(2). pp.191-230.
Pham, N.T., Segers, M.S. and Gijselaers, W.H., 2013. Effects of work environment on transfer of
training: empirical evidence from Master of Business Administration programs in
Vietnam. International Journal of Training and Development.17(1). pp.1-19.
Foss, N.J. and Knudsen, C. eds., 2013. Towards a competence theory of the firm (Vol. 2).
Routledge.
Minnaert, A. and et.al., 2011. Students’ experiences of autonomy, competence, social relatedness
and interest within a CSCL environment in vocational education: The case of commerce
and business administration. Vocations and Learning. 4(3). p.175.
Bean, J., 2015. Big Government and Affirmative Action: The Scandalous History of the Small
Business Administration. University Press of Kentucky.
Pratt, J.W. and Gibbons, J.D., 2012. Concepts of nonparametric theory. Springer Science &
Business Media.
Cova, B., Kozinets, R. and Shankar, A., 2012. Consumer tribes. Routledge.
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