Physical & Technological resources BTEC Business Level 3 P3

Managing Physical Resources Physical resources are resources that the business needs to maintain in order to carry out its activities Management of these physical resources involves planning maintenence and refurbishment, also insurance and security Including Buildings Facilities Plant and machinery

Buildings and Facilities All businesses need to have premises to operate from, this can be a person’s home when its a small company just starting out. Many large businesses work from large tower blocks. These large buildings can become important for the image of a company. For example, Lloyds of London’s building is a tourist attraction.

Managing Buildings When customers enter a building it needs to be arranged to make the customers experience as good as possible. An example of this is banks, which have a main desk for enquiries, and private meeting rooms for customers to discuss mortgages, loans etc. On the other hand, online order companies such as amazon don’t have to make their buildings aesthetically pleasing or easy to use because customers will never visit the building.

Building location The location of buildings is important for connection to the company’s distribution network This means that businesses will look to locate in a location that is as easy as possible for customers to get to. This could be achieved, for example by businesses which trade throughout Europe, locating in central Europe. This would allow them to easily distribute its products.

Materials and waste Materials that a company will need very much depend on the type of business that it is. Car factories will need steel, paint, plastics etc to allow them to make cars. Organisations such as accountancy firms don’t need such resources, they need to provide pens, computers etc. Some businesses use materials that are renewable such as paper where others will use non-renewable resources such as oil.

Waste All businesses need to be careful about how much they use in order to reduce wastage. All of the waste that a company produces has to be disposed of, this costs the company money. It therefore makes sense for a company to reduce its wastage in order to reduce its costs.

Plant and Machinery Like buildings, each organisation will have its own unique needs for specialist machinery, ensuring that the workers have the correct plant and machinery when they need it is vital. Some companies will manage its machinery needs by buying all that it needs. Other companies, which maybe have changing machinery needs, may choose to lease machinery.

Equipment including IT Having the correct equipment available at the right time is important to the smooth running of an organisation.

Planned maintenance & refurbishment All buildings, plant and machinery require regular maintenance. This includes things like adjusting machinery to ensure that it is running efficiently. Obviously, without the proper maintenance machinery can break down and cause even greater cost in the future. From time to time organisations need to give their businesses a new look which they can achieve through refurbishment.

Coca-Cola For P3 you will be researching and writing about Coca-Cola This is an assignment that you will be doing only with me on Tuesdays. Your Wednesday lessons will be with Ms Begum working on P5,M3,D2 For the next two weeks you will be conducting research using in the lessons using the links provided.

Task Technological Resource Why should a business use it? Use the following website to complete the table – www.ipo.gov.uk/home.htm Technological Resource Why should a business use it? Three examples Patent Trademark Copyright

Question.. When buying a new laptop, you often have to pay extra to have Microsoft Office Installed. Do you agree that you have to pay extra for this?

Technological Resources.. Get into small groups, prepare a short presentation (using A3 paper, not a full scale PowerPoint) outlining the main technological resources that Acton High School needs to operate effectively Consider – inside the classroom, around the building in general. If you finish – what would be the impact to the school if they didn’t have these technological resources.

Quick quiz Copyright: …… Examples…. Intellectual Property.... Patents….

Marmite… In 1902 Marmite received a patent for the recipe for its spread. The main factory in the UK is in Burton-On-Trent, which is now regarded as the home of Marmite. In 2006 the firm embarked on a campaign to improve its water usage. As a result of upgrading its equipment, improving its systems and training staff, Marmite managed to improve efficiency by 40%. The management of the physical and technological resources are very important to Marmite.

Task Explain why investment in new machinery can help businesses improve efficiency and increase production In 1902 Marmite received a patent for its recipe. Explain why managing technological resources is important to a firm like Marmite The new equipment Marmite purchased helped it become more efficient. Evaluate how managing its resources in this way will help Marmite continue to improve its future.