Task 2

Instructions: The following task is to be submitted to your teacher in one of the two ways described below.

To return work by email

To return work by mail

To save and finish later

The Trials of Rebecca

Read the scenario, then complete the task. As you read , mentally identify the organisational  requirements and considerations involved (or that should have been!)

Hint: The glossary and Support Material will help you.

Scenario Rebecca is nervous about her new job in the Purchasing Department at Swaggies. She is keen to impress her supervisor, Mary Anderson, but she knows that her predecessor (ie Brad) was excellent at this job. So good, in fact, that he was promoted!

So here she is! Number 1 priority for her today is ordering the office supplies for all the Swaggies staff at Head Office- for the next 6 months! She has received some on-the-job training from Mary on procedures and is aware there is a policy & procedures manual around somewhere???? No one seems to know where! Instead, Rebecca grabs a scrap piece of paper from the re-cycling bin and jots down all the items she thinks the office needs. George, who just happened to be walking by her desk & notices what she is doing, reminds her that he needs special pens for his artwork. They must be Arkle Felt Razor pens in black and red. An office supplier, called Dodgy Data Supplies, is just down the road so she rings them up for a price list. This is faxed through with a purchase order form attached. Rebecca thinks this is great! It will save so much time if she uses Dodgy Data. The completed purchase order form is sent off to Dodgy Data Supplies the same day. They don’t have George’s special pens but have a cheaper substitute that nearly does the same job. Rebecca orders these. Rebecca is really pleased with herself. The job has been done quickly and now she can get onto more important tasks. She is confident the goods will arrive in 2 days time. But do they?

Needless to say the office supplies do not arrive and Rebecca is puzzled as to what has happened. She has tried to ring Dodgy Data a number of times but no one answers. Every time she drives by they looked closed.

When analysing the way in which Rebecca ordered the supplies it is hard to know where to start!

Question 1

Identify the errors in the way Rebecca ordered the office supplies.

 

Question 2

Describe the procedures she should have followed as a Swaggies staff member.

Question 3

There are some problems with the way the Purchasing Department is run. What are they?
 

Question 4

What impact will Rebecca’s actions have on the business internally and externally?

 

Internally


Externally

Question 5

Make a personal assessment of Rebecca’s suitability for the job and her prospects (NB: This is your opinion. Don’t forget the skills learnt in other units when you answer this. Be sure to give reasons for your answer)

 

return to Topic 2