Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Re-submissionDate DateReceived2ndsubmission
Student declaration
I certify that the assignment submission is entirely my own work and I fully understand the consequences of plagiarism. I understand
that making a false declaration is a form of malpractice.
Student’s signature
Grading grid
P1 P2 P3 M1 M2 D1
Summative Feedback:ResubmissionFeedback:
Signature&Date:
Assignment Brief 1 (RQF)
Unit Number and Title: Unit 1: Business and Business Environment (485)
Unit Assessor:
Issue Date:
Date:
Submission Format:
Format:
Submission
● Students are compulsory to submit the assignment in due date and in a way requested by the
Tutor.
● The form of submission will be a soft copy posted on http://cms.greenwich.edu.vn/.
● Remember to convert the word file into PDF file before the submission on CMS.
Note:
● The individual Assignment must be your own work, and not copied by or from another student.
● If you use ideas, quotes or data (such as diagrams) from books, journals or other sources, you
must reference your sources, using the Harvard style.
● Make sure that you understand and follow the guidelines to avoid plagiarism. Failure to comply
this requirement will result in a failed assignment.
LO2 Demonstrate the interrelationship of the various functions within an organisation and how they
link to organisational structure
* This assignment guidance can be customized by the tutor to meet specific needs
Assignment scenario
You are working as a business analyst at Wells Fargo, a US multinational financial services company.
Your direct supervisor asks you to find some models and company scope and sizes in a chosen country
for the research to invest in 2020-2025.
Refer to the chosen country’s websites for differences of company models allowed to be established
there. In addition, you need to research some common organizational types within the country to
report to your superior how local companies operate.
1. Introduction about the purposes and structure of the report from the perspective specified in the
scenario.
Purpose of the chosen company, you must identify the vision, mission, corporate values and
objectives; and identify some specific activities of the company to prove the company is following
its set purposes.
For the size of the chosen company, you must demonstrate the capital with number of total
assets, owner equity and the total liabilities and the number of employees with the latest
information.
For the scope of the chosen company, you must present the geographic locations/ markets and
the target customers.
In addition to identifying the size and scope of the chosen company, you should analyse whether
the size and the scope are compatible with the matter of achieving the set objectives and
products or services of the chosen company.
4. An explanation of the functions of the chosen company (using the chosen company’s structure
chart) to show the relationship between these functions and how these functions link to the
chosen company’s structure and objectives.
To be detailed:
- Firstly, you will present the organizational structure chart of the chosen company.
- Secondly, you will explain the main functions of various key departments in this chart and the
relationships between these departments as well.
- Lastly, you will demonstrate the structure (functional structure; divisional structure; matrix
structure or project-based structure, and multinational or transnational structure) and
explain whether the structure serves for achieving the set objectives.
Additionally, you should analyse the advantages and disadvantages of the chosen company’s
specific structure. This analysis should be accompanied by credible evidences.
Furthermore, with the chosen company, student should find out: which department in the
structure works effectively and explains the reasons; and which department in the structure
works badly and explains the reasons.
5. A conclusion to summarize all the key findings and analysis must be presented. Plus, it should
address whether the chosen company is a suitable investment choice.
Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria (Assignment 1):
Learning Outcome Pass Merit Distinction
LO1 Explain the P1 Explain different M1 Analyse how the LO1 & 2
different types, size types and purposes of structure, size and D1 Provide a critical
and scope of organisations; public, scope of different analysis of the
organisations private and voluntary organisations link to complexities of
sectors and legal the business different types of
structures. objectives and business structures
product and services and the
offered by the interrelationships of
P2 Explain the size organisation. the different
and scope of a range LO1 organisational
of different types of functions.
organisations.
d. Size ....................................................................................................................................... 11
e. Scope ................................................................................................................................... 13
g. Market ................................................................................................................................ 14
I. INTRODUCTION
The Well Fargo multinational financial services company is looking for a company to invest in the
next 5 years. As a task was given to me by my supervisors, I have chosen Manulife Financial
Corporation for our next investment, and we will go through every detail about Manulife also the
reason to invest in them. Canada is a wonderful country with chilling weather. Being one of the
most transparant in government and the most stable economic country in 2012, Canada is
assured to be a very promising country for business. Let’s take a look at its information.
Country Canada
name
Currency CAD (Canadian Dollar)
Population 37,742,154 people
GDP 1714 USD Trillion (2019)
Capital Ottawa
The country draws attention from many companies around the world, one of them is Manulife
Financial Corporation (MFC), which is an finance and insurance company that help people make
better life. MFC has been on the world for more than 100 years, so it is easily for everyone to trust
in their products and serivices. The pandamic is affecting people lives, so this is a good chance to
invest in the MFC in the next 5 years. Let’s take a look at their information.
There are many types for a company, which are profit or non-profit company, public or
unpublic company, private or state-owned company. Those types will define the
company, and it will help us know the structure or processes inside the company.
For profit companies, it is easy to understand that money is the most important thing in
this kind of company or organization. Money is made through these companies will help
run and maintain the organization, so profit companies only have their eyes on the result
at the end of a selling process.
The public companies is usually big companies or enterprises, which products or services
are known by a lot of people. These companies will public everything about their
organization for everyone, and this include their sales numbers, revenue, asset and
members, etc. Also, it is available for everyone to become the shareholder.
Private companies is owned by individuals or specific groups that join together to form a
business. Usually people are unable to purchase their stocks.
The company makes profit through their insurance products or savings plans for
individual or groups. The insurance products and insurance-based wealth accumulation
products are different from each region. The net income (2,104 CAD millions in 2017; 4,800
CAD millions in 2018; 5,602 millions in 2019) has showed numbers represent the earning
from the company’s products, and the growth of the company is also increase during 2017
to 2019. Also, in the Annual Report (2019), the core earning is also included (6,004 CAD
millions in 2019), showing that it has been increased through money investment.
The MFC is also a public company (the exchange code on stock market: MFC) because of
their nature in insurance and finance, they need to be transparent about everything inside
the company for The Ministry of Finance and the civilization to look into. For more
information, MFC gives people the opportunity to be its shareholders. Their market is
available online for everyone who is interested in stock exchange market.
The mission of MFC is “Decisions make easier. Lives made better”, which they aim for
helping people have a better lives without trouble related to money.
The value of MFC lies within the operation of the employee. To work together, think
outside the box, do the right thing and take care of customers are how MFC operate. It is
important to work as a team, and it is more necessary for people to spread the
responsibilities, the humanity to others.
The purpose of MFC is eliminating the problems in finance for people, prevent poverty
and ensure safe future for your children to go to school without loans or have a nice
retirement plan without bothering your children. MFC wants everyone to acknowledge
this thinking by joining at least 1 insurance plan per person. To work on its purpose, MFC
has been cooperating with many organizations, and it helps people to have more
knowledge about financial system. MFC also has Charity Foundations and scholarships for
children around the world.
For small business, it will take from 1 to 99 employees. This is usually start up
companies or coffee shop because they do not need much people at the start, also
the business would not make much progress or interest in the first phase, so less
people will maximine the income of everyone and the ability to survive.
MFC has over 35,000 employees (Manulife.com), and the asset is 1,189 CAD billions
(Annual Report 2019, page 1), and total liability is 594.83 US Dollar Billions
(ycharts.com). These information prove MFC is a large company with the controlling
of 35,000 employees, and the impressive asset, total liability ensure this is a
professional company. The asset is containing budget or revenue from a lot of
shareholders, who are investing in Manulife for a very long time and it keeps going
up. This means MFC is not just a large company but also a very successful and stable
for the investor like the us, The Wel Fargo US. Also the total liability in the last 5
years is going up, slow but steady, so the risk we are taking to invest is acually not
there. Also, being a large enterprise for a century will gain the trust of the public, so
personally, I think Manulife is walking a right way.
ii. Scope
1. Geographic locations:
MFC’s branches locate not just in Toronto, Canada but also in other region,
such as Asia and the North America. For more information, in Asia, Manulife
focuses on insurance products and wealth-saving plans for indivdual and groups.
But in other countries, MFC provides more options such as banking services in
Canada, in-force long term insurance for business and yearly payment
organization in the US, financial solutions for institutions globally, and other
activities.
2. Market:
The market is a place where customers buy the products from may sources. In
business, this where the demands show up and the suppliers provide it.
The demand is affected by 5 factors (the price of the goods, the prices of other
goods, disposable income, tatses, the number of buyers) and the supply is also
affected by 6 factors (the price of goods, the prices of other goods, the prices of
the resources used to produce the goods, technology, expectation, number of
suppliers). The connection between these two is the number of supply goes up
only when the number of demand goes up, and the price of the product is called
a equilibrium price, which is the perfect price for the buyers and the suppliers.
There are 4 types of market, which are Perfect Competition, Monopolistic
Competition, Oligopoly, Monopoly. The level of competition goes down from
the first one to the last one.
The Perfect Competition is only theory because it is impossible to meet its
requirements. With the prices are so perfect, and everyone has enough
knowledge about any products would lead to the Perfect Competition.
The Monopolistic Competition is more reasonable. Everything has almost same
prices for products (only small changes), but every supplier must have good
marketing or advertising team to push the product of themselves since the
prices are similar and the goods are not too different. The profit made from this
market will be little in a short run, but in long run will be very competitive.
The Oligopoly market is where product is different from each other, less
competitive in price, but the profit can be surprisingly high due to the small
suppliers and distinguised products.
The Monopoly market has only one supplier for the whole market. No need for
advertising, and the price is usually high and can be different sometimes.
The insurance market place is the Monopolistic Competition because the
product of those companies are not too different from other companies, the
prices do not have big gap between companies (not affected like the branding,
such as Starbuck Coffee). The reason for this is because of the Ministry of
Finance of each country will have the rules and laws for every insurance
company, so this makes the products have small changes than the other. The
only different from each insurance product is their complementary goods. The
life insurance usually have add-on or combination insurance or side product
which are optional for customers to choose whether adding those their plan for
more benefits or not. This alone will make the market more competitive, and in
long-term will bring much profit for the company.
Manulife’s add-on products aims to cover all the other risks that is not contain
in the main contract or increase the coverage money in hospitals. The products
tend to cover for customers in many hospital around the world, which is not very
often at other companies.
I strongly believe when it comes to market, the position of MFC is one of the
best insurance companies around Canada and the world.
According to http://analysisreport.morningstar.com/, Manulife accounts for
33% of market share in Canada insurance companies. A third of the market, but
remember that the size of insurance market is increasing day by day. In 2020, a
pandemic COVID-19 appeared, which increased the size of market, and Manulife
also get more benefits from this. The information related to this part is proved
inside the Annual Report 2019 of MFC, which shows the number of sales is
increasing each year in every region that Manulife is currently operating at.
(Asia: 1,453 CAD millions to 2,005 CAD millions from 2017-2019; Canada: 1,209
CAD millions to 1,201 CAD millions from 2017-2019; US: 1,609 CAD millons to
1,876 CAD millions 2017-2019)
Also, in the year 2020, Manulife has continued to expand it market in India
(Manulife.com, April 29,2020)
3. Targeted Customers:
Manulife targets on middle-class customers, who have enough experience,
money, purposes to purchase their products. One customers can have more
than one plans for their lives, so MFC build the product not just for healthcare
but also for financial problems, such as, retirement, investment, buying
houses, et cetra.
Although every people out there are the potential customers, Manulife focuses
on a person’s status and give different priority to each type of customers. The
highest priority is a married, over 30 years old with 1 kids, and the lowest would
be a very young person, over 18, but he/she has no stable job.
There are reason for this choosing customers. A man/woman over 30 years old
usually has a stable job which provide a stable income for each month. This
feature is important because the plan needs to be perfect with a acceptable
budget. Next is status married which play an important role to the decision.
When we live alone, we need to take care of ourselves, but you are married, you
have to take care for your family. This affect the chance of buying a product from
an insurance company, whether the customers question themselves a morale
situation. So the top priority is targeting on mature people, who has some
knowledge about insurance and enough budget to buy one.
An upper-class with those feature can also be very potential customer, but
these people usually have their own savings or investment, so it would take
more time to change their mind. Also, the value of MFC is sharing the humanity
to everyone, so they will focus on people who do not have anything protect
them or their family from the financial problems. This is stated in the Strategic
Highlights of the Annual Report (2019, page 19), which Manulife will focus on
middle-class people on their campaign rather than other classes.
4. Compatible
To respond to the mission and the core value, Manulife has been focused on
the main three investments to make an impact, which are Heart Health,
Financial Inclusion and Local Initiative.
With the Heart Health, Manulife is striking it with their own foundation
Manulife Heart & Stroke Ride for Heart, raising over 5 million for the campaign.
Other activities are also related to donation, charity and scholarship.
Last but not least, supporting the local communities. It is believed in Manulife
that their success has a strong connection to the communities success, and it is
a right thing to support the environment around. Proud to collaborate with
many non-profit organizations, Manulife has lifted up the living standard of
people around them.
To me, it seems that the company is doing it best to reach out to people, and
this is a right respond to their mission and vision. In other branches around the
world, there have been many meaningful events by Manulife, incresing their
reputation in spreading kindness.
d. Structure of company
Treasury&Capital
Mana
IR (Investor Relation)
HR HR
Employee
Experience
CIO CIO&Data
CFO, Wealth&Asset
Management
MA, Wealth&Asset
Management
CEO
Communication
Operations Technology
Actuary
Investment Risk
Risk Management
Oversight
Legal Governance
Asia NA Legacy
Canada
John Hancok
The functional structure is simple. Everything will be report back the CEO, and each one
will have a specific job to carry out. Each department will be under management of a high
officer or manager. There are some down side of this too, the managers of departments
will be overwhelmed, and it is hard for a whole company to co-operate without conflicts.
The divisional structure controlled by 2 groups, which is less stress than the first one, and
each department have their own specialist, so they can focus on the task given. Although
it is still a problem to cooperate in this structure because there is no link between these
teams.
Matrix structure links the company together, but it would take a very long time to response
to a situation because we will have to wait for the decision goes through everyone.
Project-based structure is to create a project team to work for a specific project only. The
task will be given by the BoD or CEO, and they will need to report everything back like an
individual. This team will be flexible, good to cooperate, easy to control the project, but
they are also easily to break up or out of control.
The multinational structure is a company owned by other company (often called the parent
company). The purpose of these companies is to infiltrate the market oversea with less risk
in asset.
The transitional structure is the same with matrix structure, but instead of focusing on
performance, this type will focus on 3 main points, which are knowledge sharing,
specialization and network management. Each department will take ideas from other
department and the local responsiveness to improve the product specialized for each
region. The branches will work and improve themselves independently. The mother/parent
company will take the role manage the brances, but it cannot invole in branche’s business
100%.
MFC is multinational structure with its branches and other offices outside the HQ, and
the inside will be functional structure with everything will be in touch with the CEO and
the BoD.
I think that the inside of Manulife should follow the matrix or project-based structure and
transitional structure, rather on functional structure and multinational structure. Because
Manulife performance as a whole company is not efficiency, and it is usually lack of
communication with its agents or miscommunication from the CEO to other branches.
We could take example from their new agent system and their R&D because the new agent
would not be cleared about a product, but R&D team has known nothing about it. This
changing in structure would benefit the system of the sale teams and boost the profit more.
In the organization chart, the key departments would be the CFO with his Plannning &
Analysis team, the HR and the Investment department. While the CFO is managing the
finance, giving out plan and budget to execute it, the HR will find the the right person to
take care of the task. Also, Manulife has been one of the best working environment in many
places, and it is their value to understand their employee and trust them completely to
carry out the plan. The investment will be the most important part of all. The business and
everything guarentee to the outside depend on this department. The customer’s money,
the asset under management & administration and other matters will be in the hand of
Manulife investment company, manulifeim.com, to make profit. The Risk Management
department is also an important part in the insurance company because they will give out
the decision to give out the guarenteed cash value or not.
The risk management office has played an important part in his progess. With 3 line
defense model, the risk in investment is well covered and given the solution with the best
outcome. Also to carry out the mission and vision, protecting the culture of the company is
important. Set of value will help the BoD and other employees to strike to be better, aim
to potential customer with great services.
The department that work badly are the Legal Department, MKTG and Operations. In
2020, MFC has given out the a new insurance for COVID-19, which is banned directly from
the government of Vietnam. The insurance product can only be designed when all the
related statistic is clear. The COVID-19 is new and unexpected statistics are rising up
everyday, so the lack of knowledge of designing the product leads to be a banned product.
III. Conclusion
Manulife is one of the best insurance company on the world because of their Profitabiliy, Growth, Vision,
Mission and Value. The size and scope of it are suitable to carry out the targeted mission/plans, and the
structure inside is efficient although it can be improved.The asset is increasing, and the shareholders are
getting interest back from their investment. After all, I think it is a right choice to invest in Manulife
Financial Corporation in the next 5 years.
References:
1. Small, Medium-sized and Large Businesses in the Canadian Economy: Measuring Their
Contribution to Gross Domestic Product in 2005, viewed 3 October 2020, <
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11f0027m/2011069/part-partie1-eng.htm>.
2. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company, 2019, 2019 Year-end Report, Manulife, viewed .
Viewed 21 September 2020, <
https://www.manulife.com/content/dam/corporate/investors/MFC_SR_2019_Y1_EN.pdf>.
4. Lower Interest Rates Will Weigh on No-Moat Manulife's Financial Results 2020, viewed 3 October
2020, <http://analysisreport.morningstar.com/stock/research/c-
report?&t=XNYS:MFC®ion=usa&culture=zh-
CN&productcode=QS&cur=&urlCookie=8056723522&e=eyJhbGciOiJSU0EtT0FFUCIsImVuYyI6IkEx
MjhHQ00ifQ.jRbbMI400Bb9ZooVDzRwlWTjZLVQK8Wuoe4MTNuK_HRhEGWQC7iTj6RNX_QkUhRa
IakTpCwLhioYtggMawqPo_MQQU9oqP5dJxQh_4aQBR9MdISHGljBgRaItM-
6xRSIfSxa5GgnDmcwLALZe1tkPz0YI5rXlvXPDOflJOXHEuY.yO-n-
CczhDqdbPMI.MPLk1bS9rMP369DrL5Q-
RcyIIBeMhHp5svZmp0VIsOjaG0J9Sjk53Uq9PrFqk883utblUw2UqRXSn0ORFuXLSfQcS7fD1y1Y9a7Vl
ubYNWqVfoBlbRZNxjaGidgk62ToWSvSkVztsyLfwQMbaBp1_G3ITrQ-
Ud0GTNbK7oCzTZ7IMHwcvonZRt5gnVFRcSpe1EFT7Z3oZt3GtfwoNrI-mq8faPGpqForBnxtrDo.1-
3ri8thKyjDFOjF2CIn2Q#:~:text=The%20Big%20Three%20of%20the,Manulife's%20share%20at%20
about%2033%25>.
6. Manulife Ride for Heart 2019, viewed 2 Octorber 2020, < https://secure-
support.heartandstroke.ca/site/SPageServer/?pagename=rfh_home>.
8. Ian Worthington and Chris Britton, 2006, 485 GBS0815_NX TuyetTA Business and Business
Environment, PowerPoint slides, University of Greenwich Vietnam, viewed 21 September 2020.
9. Philip, K, Gary, A, 2012, 486 GBS0815_NX ThanhNTN9 Marketing Essential, PowerPoint slides,
University of Greenwich Vietnam, viewed 22 September 2020.