Seeing what best-practices in business look like on the floor adds a new dimension to your understanding of business functions. Your assignment this week is to spend some time with a business manager discussing the primary functions of their business, being sure to take notes on the purpose behind each of them. Be prepared to ask at least 2 open-ended questions such as:
- How do you track sales data?
- How do you manage production data?
Once you have completed your interview, spend time reflecting on the scope of understanding and broad awareness that is required by management. What skills make a business professional adept at maintaining an awareness of the processes and requirements of each of the primary business functions? Was there anything about the issues that surfaced during your interview that surprised you?
For your primary discussion, you need to conduct your interview and then report back to your group where you will discuss your findings. Based on those findings, put together a summary (150 words per group member) that gives an overall picture of how businesses operate according to the people you interviewed. Be sure to address how the relationship between each of the primary business functions identified impacts overall productivity and how you feel this information could impact your team's company. Compile the findings in one cohesive document and submit it to the main discussion for further analysis.