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TASK 2
Using Table 14.1 in the MGSG as a guide, think about the strategic orientation of
your organisation (as you understand it) and the implications for HR
management and answer the following questions:

a. Does the strategic orientation of your organisation correspond with the

way in which your own job description is written?

b. If it does not correspond well, why do you think that might be?

I would say that yes it does correspond with it and that although the job
description is written in more academic language that basically is does match
yes. There are some differences of course as id imagine every organisation to
have which include; the strategies been written in a more academic way then
actually how hard the task is.
In terms of it corresponding well I think that mostly it actually does, but of course
there are areas where it doesnt correspond as much though. I think this is
because the Organisations will wish to get the best possible value from their
expensive human resources by making sure that they select them carefully, train
them well, give them well-designed jobs and develop them to their maximum
potential. In that sort of organisational climate, you can see that there would be
a need for managers who understand and apply theories about how to do these
things well. You will also appreciate the importance of managers monitoring
performance to see whether the people are performing as expected. There can
be considerable difficulties in making reliable or valid judgements about peoples
behaviour and performance at work so this leads to a natural interest in theories
and models of performance appraisal to inform those judgements.
Ref; https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=704951&section=3/
6.2 Task 1
Reread the subsections Performance appraisal, Measuring performance and
360-degree feedback in Chapter 14 of the MGSG. Write a short evaluation of
performance appraisal in your organisation, using and referring to the theoretical
frameworks from Chapter 14, explaining what you think are the strengths and
weaknesses of your organisations approach. Ask a work colleague to carry out
the same exercise and compare your views.
The performance appraisal of AESSEAL is a very thorough process we have one
annually and it is layered out as such. Firstly, we are given a booklet to fill in
which is part completed by us and part completed by the manager, next we are
given a date for the appraisal in which we bring the booklet and the manager
goes through it with us and we address any issues and complements. Finally, the
booklet is kept for recording purposes and the new training plan is drafted up for
the following year which is actioned and recorded. It terms of strengths and
weaknesses I fell this is a very strong way to do it. There arent a blaring
weaknesses and this system has worked very well for 6 years now. However, one
weakness to mention is that these are the sole responsibility of each
departmental leader/manager. So if he was to choose not to give us an appraisal

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then other than staff complaining about not having one no one would challenge
the manger why is wasnt completed.

Task 2
In the light of your reading, document your thoughts on performance
management and appraisal in your organisation and how it affects you.
How valid and fair a system is it? What improvements would you suggest?
My thoughts on performance appraisal are that they are a very important
of staff and organisational development. They are necessary to iron out
issues and to give praise for good work. They are also useful to bring a
more personal aspect especially in much larger companies where you are
sometimes left to feel like an ant. In terms of how they affect me I feel
that they improve the whole work situation they are the best way I find to
bring out change and improvements. The system is very balanced and fair
it gives you chance to improve things which leads me onto the last sub
question; Improvements wise I would suggest that we bring more directors
in to monitor the managers and make sure they are actually completing
the appraisals in the first place.
6.3 task 1 watch video completed.
6.3 task 2 table 6.1

Different types of group

Primary
Secondary

Formal

Informal

Friends

Boss

Colleagues

Directors

Task 3
Now look at factors in the effectiveness of self-managing teams in Box 14.6 of
the MGSG. Think of a group you work with now or in the past that could be
described as a self-managing team; check the team for effectiveness by
matching it and your organisation against the factors.
Self-managing team Production control.
Team is given pay rises for good work

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Training is given prior to job start

They all work as a team to achieve the goals with a variety of skills and know
what the task is and how to compete it.
There is scope for individual machine selection. This coincides with decision
making.
All efforts are coordinated.
Self-managing teams are one of the best possible uses of the human resource,
especially when they are engaged in innovative or creative projects. It would be
very difficult to find a substitute for this input into the organisations
transformation processes particularly when the organisation operates in a
dynamic and complex environment. But self-managing teams with innovative
projects can also be seen as a great threat to the organisation since they
challenge its order and stability even though that very order and stability might
be formally recognised as being a cause of organisational stagnation and decline.
The problem for the organisation is how to maintain a sense of control over what
is going on inside it without impeding vital change and development.
Ref;https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?
id=704951&section=5#back_thumbnail_idp60496/
Task 4 Document a summary of your findings on team work. How effective is the
self-managing team you identified? What are some of the possible issues with
self-managing teams in your organisation?
Team work is very good from the team I have identified they are all well
organised and willing to work well together. Some possible issues with selfmanaging team is monitoring the workload of the team is left to the team to
compete. If the team are all likeminded lazy they will produce a lot less work.
Activity 6.4
Task 1
Read Chapter 12 of the MGSG and make notes on the key points.
from a systems perspective, we can describe the organisation as having a stock
of resources that give it its shape, and make it possible for it to carry out its
purpose. It also has a flow of resources that pass through it as inputs that are
turned into outputs for exchange in the marketplace.
The stock of resources takes the form of buildings, equipment and the organised
structure of people needed to carry out the organisations purpose. Funds are
needed to acquire these assets and then more funds over time to keep the
business successful. The funds for setting up a business or for acquisition are
taken from initial investments by people who have an interest in the
organisations purpose. As the business grows the funds need to be topped up
from the revenue that flows into the organisation from the customer in the
marketplace.
In the short term, the funds from customers have to be at least enough to pay for
the inputs and transformation processes needed to produce the goods and

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services. In the longer term, they need to be enough to maintain the

organisation structures. Ideally, on top of that, the organisation should attempt
to collect a surplus of funds that would act as a contingency against temporary
hardship and also give the business the freedom to try new things or change
direction if its environment should change.
A surplus or profit can happen as a result of an increase in funds from the
customers or a decrease in the funds used inside the organisation a reduction
in the spending on inputs or transformation processes or on the buildings, the
equipment and the people including the investors.
Ref: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=704951&section=6/
Task 2
Now reread Chapter 12 of the MGSG, up to Assets and liabilities. Figure 12.1
relates the discussion above to some key concepts used in finance. Make notes
on which aspects of finance you are most likely to see and use in your work.
Comment
Your own work will carry the implicit, if not explicit, responsibility to make sure
you try to minimise the use of resources inside the organisation as well as
perhaps help maximise the revenue from customers. So you will be keeping track
of how resources are used within your work area. In order to get an overall
picture for the whole organisation, the information from all the operational areas
will be collated. It will then be recorded in a way that will accommodate
information from many different activities in structured financial reports. This
standard way of recording what is going on inside the organisation also has to be
appropriate for publishing outside the organisation to regulatory bodies,
stakeholders and the public. By this time, of course, the vital information about
the contribution of your work area might not appear to bear much resemblance
to what you actually do.
Ref; https://learn2.open.ac.uk/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=704951&section=6/
Task 3
Look at Table 12.1 in the MGSG. Read the explanations of the principles and
document those concepts that you feel apply to the way you work. How far are
you influenced by accounting principles in your daily work even though you may
not be doing any formal accounting? To what extent do these concepts and
principles regulate your work even if you dont use them yourself? Post your
comments into the TGF and compare your posting with those of at least two
other students.
What applies to the way I work from table 12.1 is mainly the congruence. I can
have a direct effect on the balance scorecard because I contribute to the final
monthly costing for works order we complete. This in turn has an effect on the
yearly balance scorecard so that would be as far as I am involved in terms of
formal accounting as such. As for all the other concepts we are a very large
organisation so the other concepts maybe more applicable to other departments
then to me personally.

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Task 4
In the light of your work on this activity, document your thoughts on the chapter
on finance. How do these accounting principles affect your department or team?
Do you feel that you need to know more about finance and if so how would you
go about learning more?
My thoughts; Finance is a very important thing to understand in business and as
such this chapter gives a good insight into what it is all about. These accounting
principles are difficult to grasp at first but once you understand them and what
effect they have on your team they become useful tools.
They affect my team because they apply to it in ways that werent thought about
previously. I feel I would need to know more about accounting and I will have to
research this in much more detail online in order to grasp a more in depth
understanding.
Task 1
Find a balance sheet and a profit statement for your organisation or another one
that you find interesting. Using the information in Chapter 12 of the MGSG to
help you, try to extract what these financial reports mean for the health and
wealth of your chosen organisation. Then document your findings adding a note
tracing the relationship between what seems to be happening at the
organisational level and the impact that this has in your own work area if looking
at your organisation or the possible impact on staff if looking at another. Try to
find answers to the following questions:

a. What is the gross profit and then the final profit (after all operating costs
and other outgoings like tax have been subtracted)?

b. Which other key figures will help you to discover if the company is doing
well?

c. How clearly does the organisation communicate its financial status?

Firstly, I found online what the information was for AESSEAL

https://companycheck.co.uk/company/02101607/AESSEAL-PLC/financialaccounts/
Gross profit is unavailable but the pre-tax profit is; 6,565,000
And the final retained profit is 3,186,000 this is after all deductions
The other key figures that can tell if the company is doing well could be too look
at growth and also to look at if the company is still setting on new staff and
apprentices. There could be a look at the break even analysis as this gives the
best indication as snapshot into the company.
The company clearly states all its financial sates online and is open about all
profits losses and outgoings. From an internal perspective we find out monthly

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how well we are doing from a profit loss point of view and we often find out how
we are doing compared against the pre-set budget amounts.
Task 2
In the light of your work on Task 1, document your thoughts on the financial
status of your organisation and how this is communicated to the stakeholders of
your organisation. How do these reports affect you and your department or
team? How could the reporting systems be improved in your view?
The financial status of AESSEAL is rather strong with a constant growth we are
retaining the fourth largest producer currently. It is communicated to the
stakeholders with monthly end figures and meetings to discuss how the company
is doing and what challenges are faced. Our department have to produce month
end figures each month and that determines target budgets for the following
year. Our report systems are very efficient and were devised by multiple high
end accountants.

7 Managing budgets
Task 1
Look at Table 12.6 in the MGSG, which gives some examples of how budgets are
created. Consider the types of budget shown in the table and then answer the
following questions about your department or team giving reasons for your
answers. You may need to ask the finance department for a copy of your
department budget if you normally dont see it. You may also wish to ask other
people at work for their views.

a. What type of budget does your department or team have?

b. To what extent does it give the advantages claimed for it?

c. To what extent do you suffer the disadvantages it may produce?

We have a continuous budget with a monthly up to date turnaround time.

Whats is claimed that: The budget is always up to date. Future costs and
revenues can be forecast more accurately
And it is we rigidly stick to this and have regular reviews etc. of this we can
clearly see what is happening in terms of budgets and profits and we can
determine what is to come roughly for next years target.
The disadvantages to this are we have to be up to date even down to the day.
We often end up dedicating hours to keeping these things correct. There is a lot
of pressure surrounding it for us to get it done.
Task 2

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The budget needs to be a useful document and monitor plans for action in the
workplace. It must be capable of revision if circumstances change within the
relevant time period. This new information can be gained as a result of:

the organisations activities

the feedback loop from customers

information from suppliers

changes in the environment in general.

How could this new information affect the budgets?

Any changes would affect our budget in the form of an alteration to an individual
cost. Most recently a director decided to change our hourly costs to a new
amount. So this meant we found that it did increase our month end figures
massively for the first year but this year we have struggled to meet the increase
achieved by last year.
We are manufacturing so our activities dont massively change we have parts to
produce and a timescale to achieve it in with a predetermined route and budget.
The customer feedback could slightly affect things say for example a part was
incorrect. This could alter the design which starts a full alteration and may cost
more to machine or less which will affect budgets one way or another.