Module Tutor:
Question 1
There are various selection methods that can be used by McDonalds to ensure that they hire the most suitable crew members. The McDonald’s likes to hire happy recruits for the job who will remain happy and ensure that their customers are satisfied. Selection is an important process when looking to hire. Recruitment at McDonalds should be done at the specific branch levels. After the applicants have applied for the job it is important that McDonald proceeds on to screen the candidates in order to get rid of those candidates who are unsuitable for the positions advertised. Screening can be done through generalized criteria such as perusal of the applications by candidates against certain generalized guidelines. Screening can also be done after shortlisting in order to minimize the number of candidates who will be interviewed. Screening can be done against profiles built by the organization on guidelines such as education and experience which can be assessed by profiling exceptional crew members at McDonalds. After screening McDonald should proceed to shortlist the candidates. Shortlisting should be done against the job criteria, so as to come up with the most suitable candidates for the interview. The psychometric test is also an important selection method that should be adopted by McDonald. The purpose of this test is to test the candidates’ abilities, personality and aptitudes. The selection process at McDonald should involve a work type sample.
The work sample test is very effective for McDonalds since it will give the employer a strong prediction of the expected performance by the candidate . Work sample test is conducted by allowing the candidates to perform similar tasks to those they would be expected to perform if they are hired. McDonald should have a selection team ready to make the final decision as to which candidates have been selected for the position. Discrimination is likely during this stage of the recruitment process, and it is therefore important that the decision makers are made aware of this risk in the recruitment process. This can be avoided by coming up with the section criteria before the actuals work test sample. Tests and results for various recruitments should be stored for reference and assessment in the future.
Question 2
Crew members at McDonalds serve 3 purposes which include customer service, food production and cleanliness and hygiene. The following specification are meant to ensure that the crew members are suitable for the job description. .
McDonald offers training programs for all its crew members so secondary education level is sufficient for crew members.
–Experience
Experience in customer service and food preparation is desirable although not compulsory. Crew members trained on various processes carried out at the McDonald especially those that are considered important for hygiene and cleanliness such as cleaning products and cleaning utensils.
Intelligence/aptitudes
Crew members should be in a position to get customers’ orders right every time in order to offer efficient customer service. Equipment at McDonald are of a wide range and the crew member should be in a position to operate the equipment and prepare products that are of high standards. Crew members should be quick learners.
Interests
Creating meaningful relationships and connections with others in the society.
Personality
New crew members should adhere cleanliness and hygiene. Crew members are expected to have a happy personality. Individuals should be energetic and team players. Candidates need to be specific to detail and efficient.
Person specification
Question 3 marketing mix table
Question 4
Financial reporting is a common requirement for most companies especially those that have a wide number of stakeholders. Financial reports should be published on a regular basis but at least once every financial year. Some companies publish financial reports on a quarterly basis. There is key information that should be included in a company’s financial reports. This include statement of financial position, revenue, equity, cash flows, director’s declaration and reports from the directors and the auditor. Financial reports should be transparent and correspond with current economic status. The statement of financial position which is also referred to as balance sheet, enables one to define a company’s financial position at a certain point. These financial reports are specified up to a specific date. It includes what the company owns and what it owes other companies. Assets, liabilities and stakeholders equity is also vital information which should be included in the financial report. Assets present themselves in a number of ways such as cash, temporary investments, supplies, prepaid insurance and advertisement, land, building, goodwill, bonds and equipment among others. Liabilities are all the obligations of a company which include debts that a company owes lenders. These include wages, salaries, interests, taxes, customer deposits, lawsuits and unearned revenues among others. Stockholders revenue is the source a company’s assets. It is the balance between the assets of a company minus a company’s liabilities. This includes common stock, retained earnings, preferred stock and comprehensive stock among others.
This information is valuable to stakeholders such as financial institutions, current investors, potential investors, employees, company management, suppliers, customers and clients, government agencies, competitors and labor unions. Competition have interest in the financial reports of their competition so that they are in a position to rank themselves. Investors are interested in a company’s financial reports since they enable investors to make important decisions as to whether to invest in these organizations or if to withdraw. Financial institutions need to access this information to decide if they should get into lending agreements with these companies.
Question 5
Operations management involves managing processes which convert inputs such as labor, raw materials into materials such as goods and services . It involves integration of several systems to ensure that operations run simultaneously. The four V’s of operation management include volume, variety, visibility and variation. Operations management deals with the entire process through which businesses produce goods and services. Operations is one of the key functions in a business since it is responsible for the existence of the business. Repeatability and systemization of tasks is a key aspect in the realization of the volume requirements. This process is driven by standards and procedures. These combinations have an impact on the overall cost. For instance large volumes result in low prices, while small volumes translate into high unit costs. Variety deals with customer specifications. Businesses that offer a wide variety requires more flexibility and are associated with high cost models. A good example is the taxi business and the bus mode of transport. Both offer the same service, but the taxi business offers a wide variety and flexibility as compared to the business. Variation deals with the type of options which are available for the customer . While some products are designed for the customers, others leave the customers choices open. Open and customer specific modules are more expensive and take longer to realize, as compared to other models which are specified by the service or product provider. Visibility describe as to how much of the operation process the customer has access to. For instance, some couriers enable their customers to track the movements of their shipments online. The four V’s are constantly working against each other with volume working against the other V’s. When the volume is high, other V’s are low and vice versa. Others V’s have been added to the operations management which include value chain, vertical response to technology and value analysis. Value is a particular set of activities that is specific to a particular business or industry and that which is relevant to the completion of the business delivery of good and services. Vertical response to technology is the ability by a company to keep track of technological advancements in order to improve its operations . This is determined by other factors such as financial abilities of the business. Value analysis is a practice by most organizations which enable them to minimize production . This strategy enables companies to come up with cheaper ways to carry out production without compromising quality.
References
Bamford, D. R. & Forrester, P. L., 2010. Essential guide to operations management : concepts and case notes. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
Jones, P. & Robinson, P., 2012. Operations management. 1st ed. Oxford : Oxford University Press.
Mujtaba, B. G. & Patel, B., 2007. McDonalds Success Strategy And Global Expansion Through Customer And Brand Loyalty. Journal of Business case studies, 3(3).
