Introduction to Organisational Management: ASDA's Key Functions

This report provides an in-depth analysis of ASDA's organizational management, focusing on its key functions and organizational structure. The report begins by defining organizational management and highlighting the roles of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling resources. It then identifies and discusses the key functions within an organization, such as Finance, Human Resource Management, and Marketing, emphasizing their significance in achieving organizational goals. The report uses ASDA as a case study, examining its hierarchical structure and the roles of Human Resource Management and Marketing departments in detail. It explores the responsibilities of the Human Resource Department, including recruitment, selection, strategic management, onboarding, and training and development. Furthermore, it delves into the Marketing Department's role in building relationships, analyzing current trends, and managing events. The report concludes by discussing how an effective organizational structure positively contributes to the success of a company, specifically highlighting ASDA's hierarchical structure. The analysis emphasizes the importance of clear lines of authority and responsibility in achieving business objectives.

Introduction to Organisational
Management

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
PART A...........................................................................................................................................1
Discuss the key functions and their role in an organization...................................................1
Discuss how an effective structure can positively contribute to the success of an organisation.
................................................................................................................................................5
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION.
Organisational Management refers to process of planning, organising, leading and
controlling resources within a company with an aim of achieving its objectives. Managers are
responsible to get different people on a common platform and motivate them to achieve goals
and objectives of company. ASDA is a multinational store established in the year 1965 and
engaged in offering wide range of goods and services across different parts of Europe. The
company is the wholly owned subsidiary of Walmart. The report discusses about the
organisational functions and there key role in promoting better image of organisation.
PART A.
Discuss the key functions and their role in an organization.
Organisation refers to a group of people working together to achieve one or more
objectives. It refers to social unit of people that is structured and managed to meet a need or to
pursue collective goal. Every business entities has a structure that determines relationships
between the different members, activities and subdivides and assign roles, responsibilities ,
authority to carry out different task. Key functions of organisation refers to; Finance, Human
Resource Management, Marketing and customer services, etc. These organisation functions are
vital for growth and success of the firm and plays a key role in achieving the objectives and goals
of the organisation (Armstrong and et. al, 2012)
ASDA is a British multinational supermarket retailer established in the year 1965. ASDA
is a second-largest supermarket chain in Britain by market share and is currently third behind
Tesco and Sainsbury. Being a prominent market leader in supermarket chain ASDA offers
various services which includes, Mobile phones, financial services, Personal loans, ASDA eye
care, Travel Money and Pet Insurance, etc. It is a wholly owned subsidiaries of Walmart
company. Vision of ASDA is “Saving your money every day” and mission is to provide better
quality of products to ordinary people at extraordinary prices.
The organisational structure followed by ASDA is Hierarchical Structure in all of there
branches across the world. Company follows a hierarchical structure which helps business to
achieve its goal effectively and efficiently. They have different departments like; Human
Resource Management, Finance, Marketing and Customer Care department. Every functional
department plays a key role which s essential for the growth of ASDA and plays an important
1

role within an organisation. Human Resource Management and Marketing are vital for success of
every organisation and they have major impact on organisation:
Human Resource Department:
Human Resource Management is a term used to describe formal system devised for the
management of people within an organisation. HR. management includes; the process of
recruiting, hiring, selecting, training and marinating the workforce within company. It is the
process of effective utilisation of the available skilled workforce. The HR. professionals has key
role and responsibilities of selecting, inducting, provide orientation and appraising the
performance of their employees. It is rightly said the future and success of a company lies in the
hand of people who are being hired within organisation. Thus, role of Human resource
Management is vital for growth and success of every company. The aim of ASDA is to provide
goods and services that are cheap and affordable to public. Human resource department will help
in achieving the objective of the ASDA by training and engaging competent employees that can
increase the productivity and sell the products on time to the consumers (Bratton and Gold,
2017).
ASDA is a British multinational company which deals in selling home care products,
groceries, general merchandise. The company has Hierarchical structure where there are few
people at the top level of management to direct employees and staff member of ASDA. Thus,
the role of Human Resource personal is vital in the organisation.
The key role played by Human resource Department in creating a better image for ASDA
is as follows: Recruitment: The process of recruitment refers to analysing the requirement of jobs in
different departments of the organisation and attracting a qualified applicant to avail for
the job . Human Resource professionals manage and review the process from screening
scheduled interviews to processing new employees. ASDA is a multi branded company
which has large number of product lines and thus required huge number of employees to
manage and operate day to day functions of the company. Human Resource Management
of the company needs to look for right person for the right job. This will impact the
image of ASDA as HR. professionals will help in attracting skilled employees within
organisation that will served for improving the image of ASDA.
2

 Selection: It is the strategically planned procedural approach developed by Human
resource department which includes careful selection or choosing of right candidate for
doing the required job. ASDA has the Tall organisational structure where there are less
people at top level management to direct lower level employees. This creates more
responsibility for HR. professionals t choose a competent and skilled labour force that
can easily take in charge of the companies function. Further, Human Resource
professionals hired according to the needs of ASDA workforce which helps the firm to
provide quality service to their clients and consumers which promotes their image within
their consumers (Grönroos and Gummerus, 2014). Strategic Management: The term Strategic management refers to continuous planning,
monitoring, analysis and assessments of all which is necessary for the organisation in
order to meet their objectives and goals. Strategic management is an essential part of
ASDA as it helps company in gaining competitive advantage over others and serving
their consumers better than competitors. HR. department plays an efficient role in doing
Strategic Management within firm. It improves companies bottom line with its
knowledge of human capital and how it affects ASDA success. Human resource expertise
participate in corporate decision making that shows current staffing assessments and
projections for future workforce (Brewster and Hegewisch, 2017). On-boarding: The term refers to mechanism through which new employees acquire the
required skills, knowledge and behaviours in order to become effective member within
company. The process of on-boarding helps in building a strong image of company in the
industry. Human Resource professionals are responsible for on-boarding employees that
helps in building an effective relationship with employees that will help in achieving
goals of ASDA. Further, it attracts and retain top talent which help in boosting business
growth and promote the better image of ASDA in retail industry (Grace, 2012). Training and Development: The term refers to program that helps employees learn
specific knowledge and skills to improve performance in their current roles. Train ned
employees help in achieving goals and objectives of the firm. Human Resource
professionals impart Training to employees on improving their existing skills and
knowledge in order to perform the given job more effectively. Further, it reduces down
the need of supervision employees can address tasks independently. This helps top level
3

management to focus on Key areas of business and take necessary decision. Further,
trained employees serves the customer in better way and help to organise all functions of
ASDA in proper manner which saves time and create better image of company. HR.
professionals help in promoting the image of ASDA by providing required training and
development to workforce of the company.
Marketing:
The term marketing refers to the activities of a company associated with buying and
selling a product or services. It refers to the process for creating, communicating, delivering and
exchanging offers that have value for customer, clients partners and society at large. The goal of
marketing is to match companies product and services to the people who need and want them to
ensure profitability. Marketing department are essential for the success of every organisation as it
helps company to act according to the needs and demands of consumers.
Marketing manager plays an essential role within an organisation as they evaluate the
needs and demands of consumer and current trends within market. They guide Company on how
to produce and promote the goods and services in order to meet the demands of consumers.
Marketing manager creates channel for distribution and promoting the product so that it reaches
to all consumers and clients of the company (Huang and et. al., 2014).
ASDA is engaged in selling vast range of products and services to different target groups
across the globe. The product and service lines of company includes; Home care products,
general merchandise, grocery stores, financial services, etc. To promote and make their vast
range of goods and services to all consumers ASDA needs strong marketing strategies and sound
policies which help in achieving this purpose. Marketing Department helps in building a brand
image of ASDA which provide a competitive advantage to company.
The role of marketing manager in promoting the image of the organisation is as follows: Build relationship: In today world consumers are the key assets for every organisation.
They are vital to success of the organisation and so it is essential to keep consumers
engaged in the business activities. Marketing department plays essential role in building a
strong relationship with consumers of ASDA. They create awareness of the business and
products or services offered by ASDA among the target market of consumers. Marketing
manager builds channel to engage consumer in business decision and served according to
4

the needs and demands of consumers. This result in creating a better image of company
and build a brand loyalty within consumers. Analyse the Current trends: Consumers are ever demanding and affected by current
trends this creates pressure on company to develop product/ services according to
demands of customers. Marketing manager within ASDA analyse and evaluate each
trends or changes in the market carefully through their marketing tools. This result in
generating products according to the demands of customers and clients of ASDA which
help company to gain competitive advantage over others. Early reaction of ASDA over
the needs of consumers help company to improve their brand image in the market
(Huotari and Hamari, 2012).
 Managing Events : It is within the scope of responsibility of marketing department to
manage and conduct events for not only promoting goods and services of the ASDA but
to delivered the values and positive mindset of firm. Marketing Manager organise various
social events for the ASDA to effectively deliver there corporate social responsibilities to
the community. This help in building a positive image of company within the industry
and enhance their relationship with the communities they work in.
Discuss how an effective structure can positively contribute to the success of an organisation.
Organisational Structure refers to a framework that guides on how to perform certain
activities and provide guidance in order to achieve goals and objectives of businesses. Structure
of management depends upon the business strategy and objectives. There are different forms of
organisational structure which are as follows; Centralised, Decentralised, Functional, Matrix,
Flat and Divisional Organisational structure. These structure are different in the functions and
responsibilities performed by them; for instance in a centralised structure the power of making
decision and controlling remains with the top level of management and employees are asked to
obey the command (Ones, D. S., and et. al.,2017) .
ASDA follows a hierarchical structure which implies that there will be few people at the
top level of management to guide subordinates at the bottom level of management. This helps
business to achieve better control and easily assign the role s and responsibility to each
department. ASDA structure composed of seven layers which are interlinked to each other and
company follows a line of command. The managing director has power to take decision
regarding top issues of the firm and implement them in the firm. The hierarchical structure helps
5

in having close supervision of employees and enhance employee engagement within the
organisation. Further, this structure provides a clear line and distinct layers with obvious lines of
responsibility and control (Tall Organisational Structures.2018).
The role of ASDA organisational structure in contributing to the success of company is
as follows: Better Communication: The flow of information is essential for an organisation success
as each member of the organisation is linked with hierarchical structure there is a better
flow of information within departments. As, the structure of ASDA is in form of
hierarchical each layer of management reports to next layer of management which
combines the data and communicate to the Board of Directors. The better communication
implies that company gets the necessary data regarding the needs and demands of
consumers and produce accordingly which leads to success for ASDA. Clear Reporting: the reporting relationships are cleared as the structure defines
employees on whom to report for their work. Each employee are headed with
departmental heads that create ease for employees to understand their responsibilities and
to whom they are accountable. As, reporting relationships are clear it makes easier for
managers to supervise and guide employees. This result in effective management which
contributes in growth and development of ASDA. Further, employees know there
responsibilities which help them to deliver better services to consumers which ultimately
leads to success for ASDA (Laudon and Laudon, 2015). Growth and Expansion: The growth and development of company depends upon their
employees. ASDA has expanded and grown their business only through proper utilisation
of their management talent. This objective was achieved through the organisation
structure followed by company. Hierarchical structure of ASDA helps in ensuring right
people for right job. Organisational Structure helps in suggesting the weak spots within
company and suggest methods to resolve those deficiencies. This result in expansion of
ASDA into successful multi branded company. Chances of Promotion: Employees are essential to growth and success of company.
Thus, it is essential to motivate and promote employees to higher position. Organisational
Structure followed within ASDA helps in promoting employees to management position
which creates a sense of belongingness within employees. This build loyalty within
6

employees and are encouraged to achieve the goal of company more effectively and
efficiently. Employees of ASDA sees a potential growth opportunities tend to work
harder as they strive for higher level of management. This brings more productivity from
employees and help in contributing to the success of the firm (Marchington and et. al.,
2016).
 Consideration to Key Areas: Organisational structure of company should allow manager
to focus on key areas of the business and formulate strategy related to these areas.
Organisational structure of ASDA helps the manager to have more focus over the key
issues of the business and make strategies for these areas. The structure of company
promote Employees progress and help them to acquire experience necessary to make big
decision for ASDA. The structure limits the span of control held at each level of
management and focuses over crucial areas of business .
CONCLUSION
The report concludes that Organisational functions are essential in promoting and
maintaining a better image of a Business entity. Human Resource management plays a key role
in promoting the image of company through proper selecting, recruiting and maintaining
workforce within company. Similarly, organisational structure contributes to the success of
company and builds a bran image within industry.
7

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Armstrong, C. S. and et. al, 2012. Corporate governance and the information environment:
Evidence from state antitakeover laws. Journal of Accounting and Economics. 53(1-2).
pp.185-204.
Bratton, J. and Gold, J., 2017. Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.
Brewster, C. and Hegewisch, A. eds., 2017. Policy and practice in European human resource
management: The Price Waterhouse Cranfield survey. Taylor & Francis.Chelladurai, P.
and Kerwin, S., 2017. Human resource management in sport and recreation. Human
Kinetics.Brewster, C., 2017. The integration of human resource management and
corporate strategy. In Policy and practice in European human resource management(pp.
22-35). Routledge.
Grace, R., 2012. Humanitarian Negotiation: Key Challenges and Lessons Learned in an
Emerging Field.
Grönroos, C. and Gummerus, J., 2014. The service revolution and its marketing implications:
service logic vs service-dominant logic. Managing service quality. 24(3). pp.206-229.
Huang, R. and et. al., 2014. How brand awareness relates to market outcome, brand equity, and
the marketing mix. In Fashion Branding and Consumer Behaviors (pp. 113-132).
Springer, New York, NY.
Huotari, K. and Hamari, J., 2012, October. Defining gamification: a service marketing
perspective. In Proceeding of the 16th international academic MindTrek conference (pp.
17-22). ACM.
Laudon, K. C. and Laudon, J. P., 2015. Management Information Systems: Managing the Digital
Firm Plus MyMISLab with Pearson eText--Access Card Package. Prentice Hall Press.
Marchington, M., and et. al., 2016. Human resource management at work. Kogan Page
Publishers.
Ones, D. S., and et. al., 2017. Realizing the full potential of psychometric meta-analysis for a
cumulative science and practice of human resource management. Human Resource
Management Review. 27(1). pp.201-215.
8

Online
Tall Organisational Structures.2018.[Online]. Available Through.
<http://www.learnmanagement2.com/tall%20structure.htm>
9