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Candidate Name:

Candidate #

Stevan Davis
100032______

Centre:

Ewarton High School

Centre #

100032

Teacher:
Territory:
Year Submitted:

Mrs Russell Morrison


Jamaica
2016

Table Of Content
CONTENT

PAGE

Acknowledgement

Introduction

Title

Aims & Objectives

Research Questions

Methodology

Literature Review

8-9

Presentation And Analysis Of Data

14

Findings / Interpretation Of Results

18

Conclusions

21

Recommendations

22

Bibliography

23

APPENDICE

24

Questionnaire

Acknowledgement
The successful completion of this Management of Business Internal Assessment would not have
been available without God who assisted me throughout the course with the necessary resources
which were needed. I would also like to thank my hardworking and dedicated teacher Mrs. A.
Russell Morrison who guided me with the relevant principles which were fundamental and last
but no means least my family members who granted me with the necessary finance to complete
this assessment.

Introduction
The aim of this Management of Business Internal assessment will be primarily centered on the
success of the productivity levels of Grace Kennedy. This research will provide an accurate
understanding of business principles in that it will expand the knowledge of Grace Kennedy and
the factors which impact on the productivity levels of the organization including (technology,
training, and market demand competition quality of the labour supply and levels of pricing).
Grace Kennedy Limited is one of the Caribbean's largest conglomerates, with several diversified
companies in the Caribbean, Europe and North America. Grace Kennedy is one of the most
dynamic corporate entities in the Caribbean. The company started in Jamaica in 1922 as a small
trading establishment and wharf operators. It has expanded and diversified over the years,
changing from a privately-owned enterprise to a public company listed on the stock exchanges of
Jamaica, and Trinidad & Tobago. Over the years the products produced by Grace Kennedy
Limited has been of high quality and good standard due to the technology employed.
(www.Gracekennnedy.com retrieved on 17 October, 2015)
The research aims to supply the researcher with information pertaining to the factors which
impact on the success of productivity at Grace Kennedy in that information will be provided on
how productivity has been measured at the company and how does it contributes to maintaining
quality at the firm .Information will also be provided on the efficiency and effectiveness of Grace
Kennedy limited by examining the firms market demand and how consumers accept pricing
levels. Emphasis will also be placed on the labour being employed and the quality of the
products. Technological implementations will also be assessed to provide an accurate knowledge
of the efficiency of the firms production.

Title
An investigation into the factors that impact on the success of the productivity
levels of Grace Kennedy.

Aims And Objectives


To discuss the factors that impact on productivity at Grace Kennedy.
To examine the impact of market demand on productivity at Grace Kennedy.
To discuss the effects of technology and similar factors on productivity at Grace
Kennedy.
To identify the impact of competition on productivity at Grace Kennedy.

Research Questions

1.
2.
3.
4.

What are the factors that impact on productivity at Grace Kennedy?


How does market demand impact on productivity at Grace Kennedy?
What are the effects of technology and similar factors on productivity at Grace Kennedy?
What impact does competition have on productivity at Grace Kennedy?

Methodology

In order to carry out this Management of Business Internal Assessment, primary and
secondary data collection methods were used. The primary data collection method used was
Questionnaires which is a number of preset questions that can contain open ended, fixed choice
or a combination of both type of questions, while the secondary data collection methods include:
textbooks, internet sites and newspaper business section. The quantitative approach will be
utilised as it is the use of sampling techniques to represent data numerically
On October 12, 2015 questionnaires were sent to members of the different department at
the Grace Kennedy Limited. A total of 15 questionnaires were issued to the marketing,
production and finance department which entailed the (4) departmental managers and 2 office
clerks , 3 supervisors and employees and a total of 12 were returned.
These questionnaires were analyzed in order to obtain the necessary information needed
for the completion of the assessment.
A total of four textbooks were used in conducting the research. These textbooks were
used to source definition of jargons in the business field, and for explanation of complex
business terms. The researcher also made use of sources from the internet to get information that
werent found in the text.

Literature Review

According to www.gracekennedy.com retrieved on the 17 of October 2015, Grace Kennedy


Limited is one of the Caribbeans largest conglomerates, with several diversified companies in
the Caribbean, Europe and North America. Grace Kennedy is one of the most dynamic corporate
entities in the Caribbean. The company started in Jamaica in 1922 as a small trading
establishment and wharf operators. It has expanded and diversified over the years, changing from
a privately-owned enterprise to a public company listed on the stock exchanges of Jamaica, and
Trinidad & Tobago. Over the years the products produced by Grace Kennedy Limited has been
of high quality and good standard due to the technology employed.
Grace Kennedy Limited offers a variety of products and as such the company is very
competitive. The company employs high quality machinery / technology in the production
process. This ensures that the product is of a high quality and a good standard desirable by
consumers. The company can be said to be versatile in that it has several product lines which
results in product mixes. The company employs highly skilled and qualified personnel in the
production process in order to produce excellent quality goods. The firm being studied places
emphasis on its produce; it ensures that the quality of the good is acceptable by consumers.

Previously published related studies


Tomlinson C. (2008). Article on How effective is productivity at Grace Kennedy Limited?
Retrieved November 20, 2008 from http://business research/2008/10/research.dep.org

The research provided the following findings:


1. The productivity of Grace Kennedy limited is capital intensive rather than labour
intensive. This implies that more automation / technology are being utilised in the firms
productivity. The implications that this have on the firms productivity is that it will aid in
mitigating mistakes made due to the fact of employing mare technology in the
production process and so as result efficiency is also maintained.
The productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited is solely determined by market
demand. Consumers demand is anticipated and forecasted by conducting
consumer surveys in order to determine the quantity of output to produce. This is
important as it reduces the exploitation of resources.
The productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited is influenced by competition. Due to
the high level of competition that the firm experiences, it forces the firm to reduce
its production cost at all means possible. To do this Grace Kennedy Limited
increases its total output in order for production cost per unit to decrease.
The production of Grace Kennedy Limited contains employees which are highly
trained and specialised at their tasked, this enables that the quality of the output
produced is of a high standard. The quality of labour supplied at any firm helps to
determine the quality of the output produced. This is why Grace Kennedy Limited
uses highly qualified and trained specialists in its production process.

Figure 1 shows the factors that affects the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited.

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows the factors affecting the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited. A majority of
50% of the respondents stated that market demand is the main factor affecting the productivity of
Grace Kennedy Limited. A total of 15% of the respondents stated that competition is the main
factor affecting the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited. Another 15% stated that technology
is the main factor affecting the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited. A minority of 10% of the
respondents stated that the quality of labour supply is the main factor affecting the productivity
of Grace Kennedy Limited.

Figure 2 shows the effects of market demand on the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited.

Figure 2
A majority of 40% of respondents stated that market demand increases the output of Grace
Kennedy Limited. A total of 25% of the respondents stated that market demand speeds up the
production process of Grace Kennedy Limited. Twenty percent of the respondents gave other
reasons which were not stated in the questionnaire as the main effect of market demand on the
productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited. A minority of 15% of the respondents stated that the
main effect of market demand on productivity is that it increases the efficiency of the workers.

Figure 3 shows the effects of technology on the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited.

Figure 3

Figure 3 shows the effects of technology on the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited. A
majority of 50% of the respondents stated that technology increases efficiency of workers. 30 %
of the respondents stated that technology increases the output of Grace Kennedy Limited. A total
of 15% stated that the technology at Grace Kennedy Limited resulted in standardized goods
being produced while a minority of 5% stated other reasons which were not stated in the
questionnaire.

Figure 4 shows the effects of quality of labour on the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited.

Figure 4.
Figure 4 shows the effects of quality of labour on the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited. A
majority of 45% of the respondents stated that the main effect of the quality of labour is that
excellent quality of goods is ensured. A total of 30% stated that the main effect of the quality of
labour on productivity is that it increases the total productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited. Five
percent stated that the main effect of quality of labour on the productivity of Grace Kennedy
Limited is that it slows down the firms production process while 15%stated that it reduced cost.

Figure 5
Figure five shows how efficient Productivity has benefited Grace Kennedy .A total of 40% of the
respondents stated that it was due to more reliable machinery. A total of 30% of respondents
stated that it was due to improved training. Twenty percent stated that it was improved
motivation while 10% stated that it was a result of more effective management

Figure 6
Figure 6 shows how consumers affect productivity at Grace Kennedy. A majority of 50% stated
that it was through effective feedback. A total of 20 % stated that it was due to increase sales
while 30 % stated that it was through suggestions.

Figure 7showing methods Utilised by Grace


Kennedy to Improve Productivity

Figure 7
A total of 40% of the respondents stated that it was through technological improvements. 30%
stated that it was through profit sharing schemes .15 %stated that it was by training while 10%
stated that it was engaging staff in decision making.

Interpretation of Results

From the information gathered it shows that the primary factor affecting productivity is market
demand as stated by fifty percent of the participants. Since market demand is the main factor
affecting productivity it should be closely observed in order to determine the quantity of output
that should be produced. According to Peter Simpson (2007) , product with a high demand
usually generates high levels of productivity, Hence in trying to meet this demand the firm will
seek to increase its productive capability . This implies that Grace Kennedy is utilising
production improving technologies which motivate employees to produce more with the given
resource as the manager would be aware that the more productive the firm is, the more likely it
will be able to meet its growing demand. As stated by a total of 40% of the respondents stated
that market demand will affect the productivity of Grace Kennedy by increasing output, due to
the total amount of persons demanding their products. Therefore market demand forces Grace
Kennedy Limited to increase their quantity of output.
From the information gathered from the questionnaire a total of 50% of the respondents stated
that the main effect of technology on the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited is that it
increased the efficiency of the workers. According to Stimpsons and Singh (2007), Management
of Business cape unit 2 this implies that the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited is faster
with the application of more technology. This shows that technology used in the production is a
plus for any company. Due to the fact that a lot of technology is employed in the production
process of Grace Kennedy Limited the production process is more speedy and efficient.

A total of 45% of the respondents responded to the questionnaire by saying that the effect of the
quality of labour of Grace Kennedy on productivity is that it resulted in excellent quality of

goods. With reference to Stimpsons (2007), the quantity and quality of staff available will always
have a great effect on the success of productivity. This implicate that workers are skilled in their
area of work. This ensures that the quality of the output produced is of a high standard.
The consumer demand theory can be linked to productivity of Grace Kennedy in that the
productivity of Grace Kennedy is mainly determined by market demand or consumer demand.
According to Stimpsons this is a theory relating to the relationship between consumer demand
for goods and services and their prices. Demand theory forms the basis for the demand curve,
which relates consumer desire to the amount of goods available. As more of a good or service is
available, demand drops and therefore so does the equilibrium price.
The supply theory is also linked to the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited in that as the
prices of their products increase the quantity of output produced is increased. This is an
economic theory which states that as prices increase producers are willing to produce more.
Previous research carried out by Christopher Tomlinson (2008), shows that that productivity of
Grace Kennedy Limited is capital intensive rather than labour intensive. This means that more
machinery/ technology is being used in the firms productivity. The implications that this have on
the firms productivity is that less mistakes are made due to the fact of employing mare
technology in the production process and efficiency is also obtained.
Consumers demand is anticipated and forecasted by conducting consumer surveys in order to
determine the quantity of output to produce. This is important as it reduces wastage of resources.
The productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited is influenced by competition. Due to the high level
of competition faced by Grace Kennedy Limited it forces the firm to reduce its production cost at
all means possible.

Conclusion

From the research conducted it can be concluded that the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited
is mainly determined by market demand. It can be said that the quantity of output produced by
Grace Kennedy Limited is influenced by the buying behaviour of consumers.
It can be concluded that market demand forces the company to increase its output. That is the
total demand of consumers cause a rise in production forcing the company to increase the total
quantity of output available for sale.
It can also be concluded from the research conducted that the labour force of Grace Kennedy
limited is of high quality and standard. This implies that the there are a lot of professional and
skilled persons employed in the production process. This impact on the productivity of Grace
Kennedy Limited in that the goods produced is of excellent quality.
Technology as a factor affecting productivity increases the efficiency of the workers at Grace
Kennedy Limited. Due to the multiplicity of technology employed and extensive production of
Grace Kennedy Limited workers are better able to operate efficiently and speedily. This results in
more output per worker being produced.

RECOMMENDATION

After analysing the findings from the research conducting the following were recommended:
The researcher recommends that Grace Kennedy Limited use market demand in order to
determine the total quantity of output to produce. As identified in the findings the
respondents stated that market demand is the main factor affecting the firms productivity
and therefore should be closely looked at. The researcher recommends that Grace
Kennedy Limited conduct consumer surveys in order to identify the total market demand
and the total quantity of output to produce.
Since market demand increases output the researcher recommends that Grace Kennedy
Limited anticipates market demand by putting the necessary resources in place to
complete the production process. This is employing adequate amount of labour,
technology, raw materials and managerial skills. Once these have been put in place the
company is better able to effectively supply consumers with amount demanded.
The researcher recommends that Grace Kennedy Limited increases the amount of
technology employed in the production process since technology increases the efficiency
of workers. Work will be done more effectively and efficiently. And the total output of the
company will increase due to the level of technology employed.
Since the quality of labour at Grace Kennedy Limited results in excellent quality of goods
being produced the researcher recommends that management employs highly qualified
and skilled personnel in the production process to ensure excellent quality of goods. This
results in less faulty products and undesirable quality.

Bibliography

Hall, D., Jones, R., Raffo, C., Chambers, I., & Gray, D. Business Studies. London:
Pearson Education. (2004).

Randall, H., Stephens-James, L., Lamorell, C., Francis, L., & Noel, D. Business for
CAPE. London: Cambridge University Press. (2007).
www.gracekennedy.com
Tomlinson C. (2008). Article on How effective is productivity at Grace Kennedy Limited?
Retrieved November 20, 2008 http://business research/2008/10/research.dep.org

Questionnaire

Instruction: Please place a tick in the box that corresponds with your answer.

1. How long has the business been in operation?


Less than a year
Less than 5 years
Between 5 to 10 years
Above 10 years

[]
[]
[]
[]

How has efficient productivity benefited Grace Kennedy?


Better quicker and more reliable machinery []
Improved motivation []
More effective management []
3. Which method of production does Grace Kennedy utilise to produce its products?
Job
[]
Batch
[]
Flow
[]
Cell
[]
4. Why does the company utilise this or these methods of production.
It increases productivity []
It reduces cost
[]
It improves the standards of the product []

5. What are the factors affecting the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited?
Market demand
[]
Competition
[]
Technology
[]
Quality of labour
[]

6. What are the effects of market demand on the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited?
It increases efficiency of workers [ ]
Increases output
[]
Speeds up the production process [ ]

7. How have competition levels enhanced the productivity of Grace Kenney?


Improve product standards []
Maximise sales []
Enables employees to produce more output []

8. What are the effects of technology on the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited?
Increases output
[]
Standardized goods are produced
[]
Increases efficiency of workers
[]

9. Describe the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited.


Labour Intensive [ ]
Capital Intensive [ ]

10. Describe the labour employed at Grace Kennedy Limited.


Professional
[]
Skilled
[]
Semi-skilled
[]
Unskilled
[]

11. What methods are being utilise by Grace Kennedy to improve its productivity
Profit sharing plans []
Technological improvements []
Training []
Engaging staff in decision making []

12. How does training affect the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited?

Increase output
[]
Improves product quality
[]
Reduce the likelihood of faulty products [ ]

13. Do consumers affect the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited?


Yes [ ]
No [ ]
14. In what specific way do consumers impact the productivity of Grace Kennedy?
Through effective consumer feedback []
Increase in demand []
Through suggestions []
15. What are some of the external factors impacting on the productivity of Grace Kennedy?
Pricing levels []
Regulations and Laws []
Competition []
Market demand []

Analysis

The research was carried out at Grace Kennedy Limited to explore the impact of productivity
levels on the success of productivity levels on the operations at Grace Kennedy Limited. As
illustrated in figure 1, A total of 50% of the respondents stated that market demand was the main
factor affecting the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited. A total of 15% of the respondents
stated that competition was the main factor affecting the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited.
While 15% stated that technology was the main factor affecting the productivity of Grace
Kennedy Limited, A minority of 10% of the respondents stated that the quality of labour supply
was the main factor affecting the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited.
According to figure 2 a majority of 40% of respondents stated that market demand increased the
output of Grace Kennedy Limited. A total of 25% of the respondents stated that market demand
speed up the production process of Grace Kennedy Limited. Twenty percent of the respondents
gave other reasons which were not stated in the questionnaire as the main effect of market
demand on the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited. A minority of 15% of the respondents
stated that the main effect of market demand on productivity was that it increased the efficiency
of the workers
Figure 3 showed the effects of technology on the productivity of Grace Kennedy Limited. A
majority of 50% of the respondents stated that technology increased efficiency of workers. Thirty
percent of the respondents stated that technology increased the output of Grace Kennedy
Limited. A total of 15% stated that the technology at Grace Kennedy Limited resulted in
standardized goods being produced while a minority of 5% stated other reasons which was not
stated in the questionnaire.

Figure 4 highlighted the effects of quality of labour on the productivity of Grace Kennedy
Limited. A total of 45% of the respondents stated that the main effect of the quality of labour was
that excellent quality of goods was ensured. Thirty percent stated that the main effect of the
quality of labour on productivity was that it increased the total productivity of Grace Kennedy
Limited. Five percent stated that the main effect of quality of labour on the productivity of Grace
Kennedy Limited was that it slows down the firms production process while 15% stated that it
reduced cost.
Figure five showed how efficient Productivity has benefited Grace Kennedy .A total of 40% of
the respondents stated that it was due to more reliable machinery. A total of 30% of respondents
stated that it was due to improved training. Twenty percent stated that it was improved
motivation while 10% stated that it resulted in more effective management.
Figure 6 highlighted how consumers affected the productivity at Grace Kennedy. A majority of
50% of the respondents stated that it was through effective feedback. A total of 20 % stated that it
was due to increased sales while 30 % stated that it was through suggestions.
Figure 7showed methods Utilised by Grace Kennedy to Improve Productivity. A total of 40% of
the respondents stated that it was through technological improvements. Thirty percent stated that
it was through profit sharing schemes .Fifteen percent stated that it was by training while 10%
stated that it was engaging staff in decision making.

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