Maim physical and technological resources
Equipment including ICT: These are the equipment needed by staffs to do their work. For example in ASDA staffs will need computer to be able to receive and send out mails Building and facilities: A building is where a business operates from or where it stores its production of goods and facilities are the equipment provided by an organisation in order to make staffs and customers feel comfortable. In ASDA they have toilets including disabled and baby changing rooms which could make customers not worried in case they need to use a toilet or change the pampers of their babies.
Planned maintenance and refurbishment: Maintenance is when a business needs to repair in order for the business to keep their machineries and equipment working in top condition while refurbishment means to be giving an organisation a new look. For example ASDA is changing a lot of things around once a while so that it will look good for customers. Insurance: These are required by law and can be divided into three categories which are building insurance to protect against damage to the building, its stock, the equipments that are inside it, and also against vandalism and theft, employers’ liability insurance this is also required by law to protect employees in case of injuries or diseases contracted while at work.
It also protect employees in case of accidental death that might occur at work, the families of the deceased will be paid compensation by the insurance company and public liability insurance this covers members of the public in case they any injury while visiting the business or injured due to damage to of the building.
Security: These are the security devices put in place by an organisation to protect against intruders. The primary ones to protect against shop lifting are manned security at exits, alarms and security cameras. While the secondary ones to protect against high profile robberies or intruders are CCTV link to the police station, device which alerts the police if intruders enter the building. Intellectual property: These are ideas or work such as designs, drawings, text, music and video that belongs to a person, the owner will be allowed by law to retain ownership and reserve the right to say how they want the ideas to be used.
Software Licences: This is a legal instrument which allows a business to use copyright protected software after paying appropriate fees. ASDA will have to take out licences before they can use Microsoft owned software like outlook, word, excel and so on. Protection via patents and copyright: Patents grant monopoly right for a limited period of time, it can always be renewed (by the state/national government). Copyrights protect original expressions, it protects original work against been copied without permission from the owner. (Reference: class notes, Wikipedia)
Managing human, physical and technological resources effectively can contribute to an improvement in performance of ASDA in different ways such as: The security can be the reason for the success or the failure in the business. CCTV that is linked to the police station can protect ASDA from been robbed or securities standing in at different parts in ASDA can prevent shop lifters from getting away with products that they have not paid for. CCTV can also serve as a form of evidence in the court against people who sue the organisation for what they did not do, CCTV evidence can be used to protect the organisation from paying fines or compensations which could be expensive. This will ensure that ASDA can maximise their profit.
For ASDA to get all the right software licenses is very important and it can help ensure for an effective performance. For example in ASDA, if the managers have to send letters to their staffs, it will take them more time if they have to write up letters one by one to about 100 employees. If they have excel and word licenses this will make it easier because they can just merge their mail to do this. This will safe them a lot of time so that they can do something else.
Managing the physical resources of ASDA effectively can lead to an improvement in performance of ASDA because if staffs know they have all the right equipment (incl. IT), plant, machineries and materials to do their jobs efficiently they will have no worries. For examples toilets, first aiders, computers. Because if they don’t have for example the right equipments that would mean lack of equipment = less efficient incorporate.
Managing ASDA’s physical resources is one of the reasons for their good performance and also they have a good parking space for customers, and they have toilets which customers can this will make customers comfortable so that they will not be in a rush. This will enable them to have enough time to check out all the products ASDA have. Managing all the required resources could improve ASDA reputation. ASDA’s staff members would encourage or recommend other people to try and work in the organisation.
