Simulated Workplace Project

 

ASSESSMENT TASK 2: SIMULATED WORKPLACE PROJECT

 

Task Summary: ·         You are to conduct research on the organisation of your work placement or for classroom students, an organisation agreed upon with your assessor. Answer questions assessing collaborative partnerships and networks. ·         You must answer all questions correctly. ·         Write your answers in the space provided.

What do I need in order to complete this assessment?

§  Access to your work placement service or agreed upon organisation.

§  Access to workplace resources.

§  Access to one key member of the workplace.

§  Access to workplace networks.

§  Access to a computer and the Internet (if you prefer to type your responses).

When do I do this task?

§  You will do this task during their work placement or in your own time.

§  Due date as per the Unit plan

what do I need to do if I get something wrong?

If your assessor marks any of your answers as incorrect, they will communicate with you regarding resubmission. You will need to do one of the following:

§  Answer the questions that were incorrect in writing

§  Answer the questions that were incorrect verbally.

Instructions:

§  Conduct research on your workplace using available information and resources.

§  Obtain permission to interview a key member of the workplace and document their response.

§  Contact relevant services to assess effectiveness of existing partnerships and networks.

§  Complete a SWOT analysis using available information and responses.

§  Develop collaboration strategies in line with the organisation’s strategic direction.

 

 

1.        Assess existing partnerships and networks

Interview a key member of the organisation who manages networks or partnerships and ask the following:

§  What is the name and role of the person?

Name: David Cooke Position: Business Development Management Role: to develop and manage networks and partnership, focusing on the company’s central goals and ensuring that all these networks are aligned to that goal.

§  What are the benefits of existing partnerships and networks? (to clients, the business and the workers).

The existing partnerships and networks are beneficial in a number of ways as: To the client – they make service delivery easier. As a manufacturing organization, partnership with logistics firms mean that the client can access our products at the right time and right price, helping them sustain their competitive edge in the market. To the business – it helps to sustain overall performance because by distributing the products to the market as at when needed, the company is able to make more sales and sustain its performance on both short- and long-term basis. To the workers – the main objectives of any worker is job security and improved pay. Through quality networks and partnership, his is protected because higher performance for the company (in terms of financial returns) would amount to better protection of job for the employees and improvement in their pay scheme.

§  Describe what changed as a result of these partnerships.

The main change brought about by the partnership is improved inventory management. Prior to the partnership, the company supplied its products to the middlemen and final consumers, and managing inventory was extremely challenging with orders either missed entirely, or oversupplied or oversupplied. However, with the partnership in distribution and logistics, the system has improved and it now hold a record of stock being held by each of the major distributors, constantly monitoring their sales and resupplying to sustain presence in the market as well as meet the demands of the customers. Essentially, the company has been able to curb losses coming from either excess supply or undersupply and there has been improved satisfaction for the middlemen, increasing overall sustainability of the company in the end.

§  What would have happened if these partnerships did not happen?

There are a number of possible outcomes in the event that the partnership did not happen. First, the company could have rebuilt its distribution network to address the challenges it faced (which was addressed through the partnership) and increase overall performance. Secondly, the company could have continued in its dwindling path, leading to more losses and overall threat on its potential sustainability, which would have had adverse effect on the performance of the company in both short- and long-term.

§  How does this organisation represent and improve awareness of community issues, policies and practices?

The annual meeting, between all stakeholders of the organization, features presentation on community issues, policies and practices. Thus, this is the time the company creates awareness for the issues, policies and practices the most. During the same meeting, the management seeks opinions from those present, about communities issue which it isn’t aware of or doesn’t proper report. Following the meeting, awareness about communities issues are created through social media platforms and its official website. This is because the company considers these medium the most cost-effective means of creating awareness. However, it also engage the public through press releases and sharing of posters about the issue in question.

§  How does this organisation represent itself in a positive way within the community?

Corporate social responsibility is part of its core business strategies. The company continually return to the community by helping them to address and resolve some of the issues and challenges it faces. Additionally, it considers the cultural values and norms of the communities in strategy development. Thus, the company is always conscious about how its business operations affect the community and always focused on ensuring that the effect if positive, which is why it is considered a “community friendly” brand by the stakeholders.

§  How are the collaborative partnerships maintained?

Every partnership has what sustains it, and in the case of the organization I work in, it is mainly sustained through loyalty packages. Depending on the number of years the partnership has existed and the potential effect of such partnership on the financial and non-financial performance of the company, there are certain loyalty packages designed to appreciate the distributors. For instance, they could be given an entire market to distribute, making them the sole distributor in that particular market, allowing them to leverage economies of large scale supply for their positive financial performance. Through that means, the company is able to create mutually beneficial system for all parties involved, where it enjoys sustained performance and higher sales, while the suppliers enjoy market monopoly and improved financial performance.

§  What are some opportunities for improvement?

Although the partnership can be considered successful, it is highly anchored on trust and understanding. That is to say, there are no clear targets set out for these distributors as to quantity of products they need to sale within a specified period of time. Therefore, it is important to improve on this because if the company is to sustain its performance, there should be certain level of certainty on sales that can be used to project and forecast future performance. This can be improved through contracts that enhances benefits for both parties, where the distributors will be expected to sale certain amount of product per week or month, at an added benefit. The importance of this is that it can help in better projection of future performance.

2.        Strengths and weaknesses – Complete a SWOT analysis

Select three of the organisation’s collaborations and contact each service to help you complete your analysis.
Strengths: ·         The partnership is based on trust and understanding, with no extreme pressure on the parties involved.  Thus, the business mood is relaxing for the distributors and it creates room for long-term partnership. ·         The partners have been able to meet set targets, although not clearly defined through a contract, and it helps the company to meet its set corporate goals. ·         The partnership has eliminated distribution and inventory issues faced by the company in the past.	Weaknesses: ·         There is no binding contract that defines what is expected of the partners, in terms of weekly, monthly or annual sales, and this imply that the company cannot hold them accountable for underperforming. ·         Secondly, the major distributors have too much monopoly over the market they distribute the products, and the absence of competitiveness can cause the company to miss potentials for growth through a more competitive market.
Opportunities: ·         There is an opportunity for the company to introduce more products through the existing partnership. ·         The company also has the opportunity of expanding its partnership programs in order to penetrate more markets.	Threats: ·         The major threat is always competitors. The threat of suppliers switching to competing brands is the main issue facing the company and it can affect their overall performance. ·         Secondly, there is the threat of the partners underperforming, and since there is no contract in relation to expected or promised sales, sustainable performance could be threatened on the long-run.

 

3.        Recommendations

Develop strategies for improving collaborative partnerships for each of the improvement areas identified.
Improvement	Strategy/Process	Benefit on partnerships
Negotiate and sign distribution contract.	The company should negotiate and sign contract with the distributor in relation to expected weekly, monthly or yearly sales.	This will help the company to better project its performance and hold the distributors liable in cases where they underperform of don’t meet expected results.
Result market monopoly	The company should reduce the control they give distributors over certain markets.	This will improve competitiveness as distributors would become more willing to input extra efforts and meet the demands of the company.

 

What do I need to hand in for this task?	Have I completed this?
Completed project	o Yes