Provides an overview of the importance of understanding a business’s functional areas.

Functional Area Paper and Presentation

Objective:

This assignment aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the functional areas within a business organization and how they contribute to its success. Students are expected to analyze and discuss the roles and interdependencies of these functional areas in the context of a real or hypothetical business—any company of your choosing. Consider using a case from the back of the textbook.

Instructions

Introduction

• Provides an overview of the importance of understanding a business’s functional areas.
• Provide an overview of the company of your choosing. You can select from the cases at the back of your textbook.
• Clearly state the purpose and scope of your paper.

Functional Areas Overview:

• Identify and define the major functional areas of a business. Briefly describe the primary responsibilities and objectives of each functional area.
  • ManagementHuman ResourcesMarketingFinance/Accounting (Depending on the company, they may be separate)IT Systems/Technology
  • Sales – Sometimes combined with marketing

Note:  The usual number of functional areas is six or seven. Some organizations could have more. Large companies may merge areas into a single sector, such as finance, accounting, and sales and marketing. Others might have much more, like research and development (R&D), strategy,  and operations. Also, some companies may not use the same titles as those listed above. For example, human resources may be People Operations or Employee Experience. However, their function remains the same.

Interdependencies:

Discuss briefly how these functional areas are interdependent and how they collaborate to achieve the organization’s goals.

Case Study:

• Explain the nature of the business (more details not included in the introduction), industry, and size.
• Provide details on your case study, how they collaborate, and the interplay between different functional areas.
• Application of Functional Areas in your case study
• Discuss how each functional area is relevant to the chosen business and its specific challenges and opportunities.

Challenges and Solutions:

• Identify and discuss common challenges that your business faces in managing their functional areas.
• Propose potential solutions or strategies to address these challenges.

Conclusion:

• Summarize the key takeaways from your analysis.
• Emphasize the significance of understanding functional areas for effective business management.

References:

Cite all the sources and references used in your paper. Ensure proper citation and adhere to APA format

Requirements:

Your paper should be well-organized and clearly written.

Use academic and business-related sources to support your analysis.

The paper should be 5 pages long (excluding the title page and references).

Use 12-point Times New Roman, double-spaced, with 1-inch margins.

Include a title page with your name, course details, and submission date.

Assessment Criteria:

Your paper will be assessed based on the following criteria:

• Clarity of writing and organization
• The thoroughness of research and analysis
• Application of concepts to a real business
• Identification of challenges and proposed solutions
• Proper use of citations and references
• Adherence to formatting and length requirements