Reference no: EM132660511

Unit 4 Applied commercial and quality principles in engineering - BTEC Level 3 Foundation diploma in engineering

1. Explain how key business activities influence an engineering organisation
2. Explain how trade considerations influence an engineering organisation
3. Analyse how key business activities and trade considerations influence an engineering organisation, which can create a competitive advantage
4. Evaluate, using language that is technically correct and of a high standard, how key business activities and trade considerations combine to influence an engineering organisation, which can create a competitive advantage

Background for Task 1

You are working as a final year apprentice in a small engineering company. Your supervisor is pleased with your work, your understanding of the way in which the company operates and the efficient way in which you carry out tasks.

As a result, your supervisor has asked you to investigate ways in which the company can become more competitive and respond to trade considerations more efficiently. She wants you to explore how similar sized companies are able to gain a competitive edge over other companies, and to evaluate methods which could be used to create a competitive advantage.

Your supervisor has asked you to explore the business activities and trade considerations which influence the decisions that engineering companies make. You are to report back on these, as these will influence the competitiveness of the company.

Task 1

You are going to evaluate the key business activities of an engineering organisation and the trade considerations which together combine to influence the competitiveness of an organisation.

To do this:
Your tutor will provide you with a case study for an engineering organisation that either manufactures engineering products or provides an engineering service. You need to:
• Research the key activities of the different business functions within the given engineering organisation, including manufacturing of products or delivering services, supply chain management, marketing and sales, customer relations, resource management, staff recruitment, staff management and finance.
You will also need to:
• Research how tendering and contracting impacts on trade considerations within the engineering organisation.
• Research methods employed by the engineering organisation to gain a competitive advantage.
• Research the role of intellectual property rights to increase competitiveness.
You then need to:
Produce a report that:
a) explores the key business activities of a given engineering organisation;
b) investigates the trade considerations that influence a given engineering organisation;
c) considers how the two then combine for the benefit of the given engineering organisation.

Your report should include:
- Information on the various business functions within your given engineering organisation. You should provide details of how each of the functions within the organisation contributes to and influences the competitiveness of the business.
- Information on trade considerations, including contracts and tendering and how these can influence the given engineering organisation. You should refer to terms, warranties and the consequences of non-performance along with the documentation that would accompany a contract or tender.
- Information relating to the methods that the given engineering organisation could adopt to gain a competitive advantage, and their benefits, including protecting intellectual property rights and outsourcing to manage costs.

Attachment:- Applied Commercial and Quality Principles in Engineering.rar