Functional areas are the main groups of work inside a business. This chapter has four lessons, a deeper cluster and a practice set, and belongs to SPM Business.
What does this chapter cover?
Start with explaining finance, marketing, operations and human resources. Then see how a process passes through them in connecting departments in a business process.
The third lesson, distinguishing roles from activities, stops a common wording error. The fourth is diagnosing a fictional coordination problem. For case-style reasoning, continue to how business functions depend on each other, and test yourself with the practice set.
One stall, four questions
Mak Jah runs a weekend stall selling nasi lemak. Each function answers a different question.
| Function | Question it answers | Example at the stall |
|---|---|---|
| Finance | Can we afford it? | Deciding how much cash to keep for rice and anchovies |
| Marketing | Who will buy it? | Posting the menu in a neighbourhood group |
| Operations | How is it made? | Cooking and packing 80 packets before 7 a.m. |
| Human resources | Who does the work? | Training a cousin to pack neatly |
If the post brings 120 orders but the stall can cook 80, the functions have collided. That is the kind of link a case question looks for.
Who should start where?
If you mix up the functions, begin with the first lesson. If you can define them but write separate paragraphs, start with the connecting lesson.
If your answers list correct terms without using the case, go to the diagnosis lesson and the case-answer planner. To work on this with a teacher, see online one-to-one Business tuition.