Business_Studies

. Safeway Plc Introduction As a component part of my ASVCE course in Business Studies, I have to investigate various forms of business enterprise and write a detailed report on one medium-sized or large business. In assembling this report, I will be investigating, and analysing the following aspects of my chosen "case study", which is Safeway Plc, illustrating "Business at work"...> Objectives of the organisation.> The organisation and structure of the business.> The organisational culture of the business.> Communication channels used by the business.> Methods of monitoring quality assessment and control.> Value added by the business.> The impact of ICT upon the internal and external communications of the business. My coursework will involve developing a detailed study of each of the above criteria related to Safeway Plc. I initially contacted various companies of my choice, including: HMV, Virgin, WHSmith, Asda, Heinz, Safeway, Tesco, Burton's Mensware, Next, Boots, Vodafone, Bulmers, Cadburys, Shoulers and Son, Walkers, Aston Martin, Sony, Rolls-Royce, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren. I contacted all the above companies via my e-mail; I found this a very quick and easy method of contacting these companies and very productive in that I received many replies. I have chosen to investigate Safeway Plc, because I found that Safeway Plc was the clearest, most helpful, and the most resourceful. Most of the companies replied to me via post, as I stated that it would be more useful to me if they did this. This is because it gave me the chance to refer to particular parts of the company suitable for my research. What I need to investigate As mentioned above I need to examine Business objectives, Types of business, Organisational functions and structures, communication and Product quality & control. Business objectives These include:> Making a profit> Surviving> Increasing sales or market share> Providing services to the community> Producing high quality products or offering high quality services> Developing a skilled workforce> Fulfilling charitable or non-profit objectives such as caring for the environment Types of business: These include:> Sole trader> Partnership> Private Limited company> Public limited company> Co-operative> Not for profit or a charity> Franchise Organisational functions: These include:> Finance> Production> Human Resources> Marketing> Administration> Research and development Organisational structures: These include:> Tall, flat and matrix> Hierarchical, centralised and decentralised Communication This includes:> Internal and external> Formal and informal> Upward and downward> Open and restricted Production and quality This includes:> Combining inputs to create a physical change> Combining inputs to create a service> Meeting customer requirements Safeway Plc Safeway is one of the top four food retailers in the United Kingdom. This very competitive market includes Tesco, Sainsburys and Walmart/Asda. Food retailing has undergone many changes in the recent past with the advent of the supermarkets in the U.K. during the late 1950's, and the mobility of the population (increasing car ownership). This sector has prospered over time as shopping habits have changed. The arrival of a new Chief Operating Officer Carlos Criado-Perez some two years ago resulted in a change of strategy, and has transformed Safeway from a "follower" to a dynamic leader in grocery retailing. This statement will be analysed elsewhere in this report. The Safeway brand is an international one born in the USA with outlets in other parts of the Americas and Europe. This report deals especially with Safeway Plc here in the U.K. where the company trades as an autonomous unit. (Quoted on the London Stock Exchange, in the FTSE 100). As mentioned earlier I contacted via e-mail many companies in my search for suitable material. I decided to choose Safeway Plc because I believe it to be the basis for an interesting case study. E1 How can I classify Safeway in terms of its ownership' What are the advantages and disadvantages, benefits and constraints of this form of ownership' Safeway is a Public Limited Company (Plc). A Public Limited Company tends to be larger than a Private Limited Company. A Public Limited Company can be abbreviated as Plc. There are around 1.2 Million registered limited companies in the U.K., but only around 1 per cent of them are public limited companies. However, they contribute far more to national output and employ far more people than private limited companies. The shares of these companies can be bought and sold by the public on the stock exchange. To become a public limited company, a Memorandum of Association, Articles of Association and a Statutory Declaration must be provided. This is a document, which states that the requirements of all the Company Acts have been met. When the company has been issued with a Certification of Incorporation, it is common to publish a Prospectus. This is a document, which advertises the company to potential investors and invites them to buy shares before a Flotation. To become a Plc Safeway had to go through these legal formalities, which can be expensive. This is because:> The company needs lawyers to ensure that the prospectus is 'legally' correct> A large number of 'glossy' publications have to be made available> The company may use a financial institution (merchant bank) to process share applications> The share issue has to be underwritten and a fee is paid to an underwriter who must buy any unsold shares> The company will have advertising and administrative expenses The advantages of being a Plc In Public Limited Companies, all members have limited liability, the firm continues to trade if one of the owners dies and more power is enjoyed due to their larger size. Others are as follows:> Substantial amounts of money can be raised from the sale of shares to the public> Production costs may be lower as firms may gain economies of scale> Because of their size, plcs can often dominate the market> It becomes easier to raise finance, as financial intuitions are more willing to lend Plc's> Shareholders (owners) have limited liability> The shares in the company can be freely bought and sold The disadvantages of being a Plc> The setting up costs can be very expensive - running into millions of pounds in some cases>