Launching Chocoholics Plc

The production department turns the raw materials into finished goods. It is a vital department for any company producing any type of good. It controls the quality control ensuring that the standards that are expected are being maintained. Stock control is dealt with by the production department, making sure that the stock is bought in the right quantities, at the right price, correct level of quantity and also at the right place at the right time. The production department is also in charge of packaging, making sure that all the packaging is kept up to date and that they are actually producing what the consumers want, They are also involved with maintenance and they make sure that everything is running smoothly.

Personnel Department

The personnel department is also known as the human resources department. It is involved in hiring staff, which is also known as recruitment. It will keep staff records and deal with their wages. Health and safety and Staff training are also dealt with by the personnel department, this includes carrying out various methods of research into health and safety matters and providing all the relevant information and advice.

Finance and administration This department is also known as the Accounting department, This has the jobs and responsibilities of controlling, recording and analysing the company’s funds. Factors such as raising finance, paying wages; expenses and controlling costs are all jobs of the Finance and administration department. They also forecast the future cash flows and profits so they can be sure they will be able to pay of debts that they owe.

Marketing The marketing department is involved in market research, this is to provide the department with the relevant information about the type of consumer they are aiming the product at and they type of the actual product. This department is also responsible for packaging design, promotion (advertising) and distribution. It is the department, which is linked with the firm’s customers and consumers. Transport The transport department is responsible for the delivery of the finished product, they decide whether it is suitable to deliver them directly to the wholesalers or to regional distribution centres. This is an important department within a business, as consumers would not receive their goods if there was not available transport.

Objectives

Chocoholics Plc have objectives, these objectives are to make a profit and to provide a good quality service to the public. This means that they might have to find alternative produce that the public wants, as they do no longer buy there hand made chocolates.

Chocoholics have one important objective and that it to survive. For the company to do this they need to make sure that they make a profit by increasing market share and to make the company grow in size. To achieve this they need to find out what consumers are looking for when they buy chocolate, because what they are making doesn’t seem to be satisfying what the consumer wants. The company needs to be brought up to date and find out newer and more efficient ways of making chocolate but still up to a high standard, as their current ways do not meet the publics standards.

The production department can help with many of the company’s objectives. For example, they make sure that the product is good quality and try to make it better at all times. By keeping the packaging up to date it will appeal to the younger variety of consumers. They look at how much similar company’s charge their customers to make sure that they are not charging too much or not enough for their product. It would be a good idea for them to set targets to ensure that they work as hard as they can to improve the quality of their product.

The role of a Packer

There are currently 14 packers working at Chocoholics Plc. The minimum is 6 packers are needed at any one time, So this would mean working shifts, or maybe decreasing the number of packers that work at Chocoholics. When the labourers bring cases of lining trays onto a large conveyor belt, the packers stand each side and put chocolates from each line into the lining trays. Further along the line the packers put the filled lining trays into pre-prepared purple boxes and when the boxes are full they are moved onto another conveyor belt. The boxes are then taken to a wrapping machine, which covers them in shrink-wrap (clear cellophane) and adds a ribbon for presentation.

The packers then pack the completed boxes of chocolates into containers; the containers hold 50 boxes of chocolate each. They are then taken to the transportation department where they can then be transported to wholesalers or regional distribution centres. As the company has more workers than needed there are several solutions to overcome this for example: introducing a shift system as I have mentioned above, this could be day and night shifts. The workers could also alternate from day to night shifts. Also, the responsibility can be increased for some workers, this will ensure things get done on time. There could be an introduction of overtime or additional working days for workers who mat need extra money, and this will help the business produce more in a less amount of time.

There a many problems that the production department could be facing at the moment. For example, they might have a shortage of raw materials to process, this means that there is no product to sell. Another important problem that the department can face is shortage of staff, this would be because if there was not enough workers products would not be ready on time and deadlines would not be met. Also, the products may be not of a good standard, and so the item would not be sold. There is also a risk of Machinery breaking down that could be the most important problem the production department could face, as it would be time consuming to fix and this would be loosing the company money. As the machines would be broke this would stop the process of making the chocolates, it would then be difficult for the company to get back on its feet and make up for the time they have lost.