APPENDIX A: ASSIGNMENT/ PROJECT COVER SHEET

ASSIGNMENT/ PROJECT COVER SHEET

MWALE
Surname
YAHYA
First Name/s
157876
Student Number
BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Subject
1
Assignment Number
-
Tutor’s Name

Examination Venue
PIETERMARITZBURG-ASCOTT INN CONFERENCE CENTRE
Date Submitted

Submission (√) First Submission Resubmission
P0 BOX 1157
ESTCOURT
Postal Address
KWA ZULU NATAL
3310

Yahyamwale0301@gmail.com
E-Mail
(Work) 063 288 2440
(Home) 036 352 5537
Contact Numbers
(Cell) 063 288 2440

HIGHER CERTIFICATE IN BUSSINESS MANAGEMENT

Course/Intake

Declaration: I hereby declare that the assignment submitted is an original piece of work produced by myself.

Signature: Y.MWALE Date: 12 MARCH 2021

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TABLE OF CONTENT
QUESTION ONE……………………………………………….. PG 3-4
QUESTION TWO………………………………………………...PG 5-7
QUESTION THREE……………………………………………....PG 8-10
QUESTION FOUR…………………………………………………………..PG11 – 12
BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………PG 13

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QUESTION ONE

1) A system is an orderly grouping of interdependent components linked together according

to a plan to achieve a specific objective. We can see from the diagram that a system has
being formed to achieve a specific goal which is to have the customer’s order delivered.

 A system must be designed to achieve a predetermined objective.

 Interrelationships and interdependence must exist among the components.
 The objectives of the organization as a whole have a higher priority than the
objectives of its subsystems.

Characteristics of a system:

1. Systems have a specific structure which is defined by its components (entities/subsystems)

and processes (interrelationships between its components). A system is a collection of
interrelated entities and/or subsystems which can be analysed. It is possible to understand
the specific structure of a system. However, in some systems complete knowledge may not
be available but in most cases the fundamental entities and their interrelations are known.
2. Systems are a model of reality-a system is an abstraction of reality. It is created to
comprehend the nuances of a real-world condition and understand the interrelationships
of subsystems in such real-world conditions in greater clarity.
3. A system has a purpose-a system performs a function. It has a reason for its existence.
The purpose in most cases is the output of the system and in a way the output defines the
purpose of the system.
4. Systems have inputs and outputs. Outputs are produced by processing the inputs-a
system (unless of theoretical interest and fully closed), interacts with the environment by
taking in input and then after processing the input produces the output.

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5. Systems have performance that can be measured in terms of its output-a system will have
measures of performance. In most cases, the performance of the system is a function of
its input and output.
6. A system serves a client-the system will have a utility and hence, a client for it. The client
can also be another system.
7. The components that make up a system have functional as well as structural
interrelationships with each other.
8. A system has an environment-a system cannot exist in isolation. It exists in an
environment. The environment reacts with it.
9. Each subsystem also has a purpose and a measure of purpose.

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QUESTION TWO

2) The control process of management ensures that every activity of a business is furthering
its goals. This process basically helps managers in evaluating their organization’s
performance. By using it effectively, they can decide whether to change their plans or
continue with them as they are. The sales reps will have to take the four steps of control
process in order to ensure that the purchase orders submitted are of high quality.

4 Steps of Control Process are;

 Establishing standards and methods for measuring performance.

 Measuring performance.
 Determining whether performance matches the standard.
 Taking corrective action.

1. Establishing goals and standards

In order for the sales rep to ensure that the purchase order submitted is of high quality they
should establish goals and standards. The task of fixing goals and standards takes place while
planning but it plays a big role in controlling also. This is because the main aim of controlling is
to direct a business’s actions towards its goals. If the members of an organization know their
goals clearly, they will invest their entire focus in achieving them.

It is very important for managers to communicate their organization’s goals, standards

and objectives as clearly as possible. There must never be ambiguities amongst employees in
this regard. If everybody works towards common goals, it becomes easier for an organization to
flourish.

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The goals that managers have to set and work towards may be either tangible/specific or
intangible/abstract. Tangible goals are those which are easy to quantify in numerical terms. On
the other hand, intangible goals are those which are not quantifiable numerically.

2. Measuring actual performance against goals and standards

Once the sales reps know what their goals are, they should next measure their actual
performance and compare. This step basically helps them in knowing whether their plans are
working as intended.

After implementing a plan, managers (sales rep) have to constantly monitor and evaluate them.
They must always be ready to take corrective measures if things are not working properly.
In order to do this, they should keep comparing their actual performance with their ultimate
goals.

Apart from taking corrective action, this step of process control also helps managers in
predicting future problems. This way they can take measures immediately and save their
business from losses.

In order to compare their actual performance, managers first have to measure it. They can do so
by measuring results in monetary terms, seeking customer feedback, appointing financial
experts, etc. This can often become difficult if managers want to measure intangible standards
like industrial relations, market reputation, etc.

3. Taking corrective action

In order for the sales rep to submit a high quality purchase order there are discrepancies between
actual performances and goals, managers need to take corrective actions immediately. Timely
corrective actions can reduce losses as well as prevent them from arising in the future again.

Sometimes, business organizations formulate default corrective actions in the form of policies.
This, however, can be difficult to do when it comes to complicated problems.

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In such cases, managers need to first quantify the defect and prepare a course of action to
remedy it. Sometimes, they may have to take extraordinary measures for unpredictable
problems.

4. Following up on corrective action

For the purchase order to be of high quality the sales rep should follow up on corrective actions.
Just taking corrective measures is not enough; managers must also take them to their logical
conclusion. Even this step requires thorough evaluations and comparisons.

Managers should stick to the problem until they solve it. If they refer it to a subordinate, they
must stay around and see to it that he completes the task. They may even mentor him personally
so that he may be able to solve such problems by himself later.

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QUESTION THREE

Controls at every level focus on inputs, processes and outputs. It is very important to have
effective controls at each of these three stages. Effective control systems tend to have certain
common characteristics. The importance of these characteristics varies with the situation.

3) Characteristics of an Effective Control Systems

1. Accuracy:
Effective controls generate accurate data and information. Accurate information is essential
for effective managerial decisions. Inaccurate controls would divert management efforts and
energies on problems that do not exist or have a low priority and would fail to alert managers
to serious problems that do require attention.

2. Timeliness:
There are many problems that require immediate attention. If information about such
problems does not reach management in a timely manner, then such information may become
useless and damage may occur. Accordingly controls must ensure that information reaches
the decision makers when they need it so that a meaningful response can follow.

3. Flexibility:
The business and economic environment is highly dynamic in nature. Technological changes
occur very fast. A rigid control system would not be suitable for a changing environment.
These changes highlight the need for flexibility in planning as well as in control.

Strategic planning must allow for adjustments for unanticipated threats and opportunities.
Similarly, managers must make modifications in controlling methods, techniques and systems
as they become necessary. An effective control system is one that can be updated quickly as
the need arises.

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4. Acceptability:
Controls should be such that all people who are affected by it are able to understand them
fully and accept them. A control system that is difficult to understand can cause unnecessary
mistakes and frustration and may be resented by workers.

Accordingly, employees must agree that such controls are necessary and appropriate and will
not have any negative effects on their efforts to achieve their personal as well as
organizational goals.

5. Integration:
When the controls are consistent with corporate values and culture, they work in harmony
with organizational policies and hence are easier to enforce. These controls become an
integrated part of the organizational environment and thus become effective.

6. Economic feasibility:
The cost of a control system must be balanced against its benefits. The system must be
economically feasible and reasonable to operate. For example, a high security system to
safeguard nuclear secrets may be justified but the same system to safeguard office supplies in
a store would not be economically justified. Accordingly the benefits received must outweigh
the cost of implementing a control system.

7. Strategic placement:
Effective controls should be placed and emphasized at such critical and strategic control
points where failures cannot be tolerated and where time and money costs of failures are
greatest.

The objective is to apply controls to the essential aspect of a business where a deviation from
the expected standards will do the greatest harm. These control areas include production,
sales, finance and customer service.

8. Corrective action:
An effective control system not only checks for and identifies deviation but also is
programmed to suggest solutions to correct such a deviation.

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9. Emphasis on exception:

A good system of control should work on the exception principle, so that only important
deviations are brought to the attention of management, In other words, management does not
have to bother with activities that are running smoothly. This will ensure that managerial
attention is directed towards error and not towards conformity. This would eliminate
unnecessary and uneconomic supervision, marginally beneficial reporting and a waste of
managerial time.

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QUESTION FOUR

4)

 Identifying need
 Alignment and Preparing Your Team for Change
 Implementation

Identify the Need to Change

The first step is identifying precisely what needs to change. Identify opportunities or threats
to the company, and evaluate if they are sizable enough to warrant a change in strategy. If
action is needed, start building a plan for change using a structured goal-setting methodology,
like SMART goals. SMART goals provide a template for what needs to be accomplished, and
by when. This is helpful when beginning to deploy a change management planning initiative.

Alignment/Preparing Your Team for Change

As we all know, the most important part of your business is people. Your people will be in
charge of implementing the changes your propose. The challenge is, if you force sudden
change on people, problems will inevitably arise. This is just human nature. It’s easy to
become comfortable with the status quo and perform routines because “we’ve always done it
this way.”
The focal point of any leader tasked with change must be to align their team with the vision.
Communication is a crucial component in ensuring every team member is on the same page.
After all, purpose is a huge motivating factor for employees. Everyone wants to feel like their
contributions impact the success of their organization. Leaders must communicate to each
employee how important their role is in instituting change. Once employees feel valued and
understand the changes, adopting the changes will be less challenging.

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Implementation
After you’ve identified what your organization needs to facilitate change management, it’s
time to implement. Execution and accountability are both strategic imperatives. To simplify
implementation, approach implementation of change management in phases. Breaking down
change into smaller, more actionable components makes this process simpler. A simpler
process makes it easier for employees to become trained experts in these new concepts. If you
bite off more than you can chew, there’s an increased chance of failure.
This is also where it’s time to implement a technology solution. Technology can help make
the tracking and reporting less time-consuming (and tedious) than trying to manage
everything in a barrage of spreadsheets. It can automate the process of collecting and
compiling status reports, and make it easier to see what on-track, off-track, and at-risk is.
Finally, it can help hold people accountable for their results.
Managing organizational change will be much easier if you’re able to follow these three
change management process steps. If you identify the needed change, communicate with your
team and efficiently implement your strategy, you’ll have a blueprint for change
management. These guidelines help stakeholders understand the current state of the business,
and what they need to do to facilitate change in the future.
After all, we design business and strategic plans to take us forward and improve our current
situation. By definition, any plan is a call for change.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY
 https://padakuu.com/article/2-system-definition-and-concepts-characteristics-and-types-of-
system
 https://www.iedunote.com/control-process-steps
 https://www.toppr.com/guides/business-management-and-entrepreneurship/controlling-
cs/control-process/
 https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/management/9-characteristics-of-an-effective-control-
systems-explained/3511
 https://www.achieveit.com/resources/blog/3-change-management-process-steps-cant-
ignore

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