INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY MULTIMEDIA: HSC SECTION III RESPONSES

HSC 2010
Asmallfamilyownedcompanyisoperatingsuccessfullyinalocalmarket.Thecompanyis
assessingthefeasibilityofrelocatingtoalargerfacilityinordertoexpandproduction.

a.Outlineenvironmentalconsiderationsthatmayaffecttheexpansionofthe
company(3Marks)

Thereareanumberofenvironmentalconsidersthatmayaffecttheexpansionofthe
company.Forinstance,theexpansionofproductionsmayrequireanupdateinequipment,
meaningthatthecompanywouldneedtodisposeofitsoldequipmentinanappropriate
manner.Withthis,thecompanymaybeabletoimplementreusingpractices,likedistributing
theiroldequipmenttooutsidefacilitieslikeschoolsthatcanputthemtoeffectiveuse.Inthe
caseofrecycling,thecompanyshouldassessthelocationitistoexpandtowhether
recyclingandwastetreatmentplantsareeasilyaccessibleinthenewlocation.

Expansionwillalsoleadtoincreasedproductionandassuch,thecompanyshouldconsider
possibleenergyresources.Withtheincreaseinproductionduetoexpansion,thecompany
willputstrainonthesupplyofcoalshouldtheyrelysolelyuponnonrenewablesourceslike
fossilfuels.Theincreasedproductionwouldalsoharmtheenvironmentwithincreased
emissions.Thus,thecompanyshouldinvestintoalternateandrenewableresourceslike
Solarpowerwhichallowproductiontobecarriedoutwithoutcompromisingtheenvironment.
However,theserenewableenergysourcesareexpensivetoinstall,situationalasthey
dependonweather,andthereforemaynotbeabletoprovidethesufficientenergyneeded
forproduction.

Ifthecompanyshouldexpandintoanewlocation,theyalsoneedtoconsidertheimpactof
theirproductionsonthenewenvironment.Withthatsaid,thecompanycouldconductan
EnvironmentalImpactStudyinordertoevaluatetheeffectoftheirproductionandwhetherit
abideswiththelegislationinthenewlocation,whichmayimposerestrictionsonpollution
andwasteproduction.

b.Analysethestructural,technicalandpersonnelissuestobeconsideredpriorto
relocatingandexpanding.(12marks)

Thereareanumberofstructural,technicalandpersonnelissuesthatthecompanyneedsto
considerpriortoitsrelocationandexpansions.

Inrelationtostructuralfactors,thecompanyshouldassesstheirorganisationstructureand
possiblereviseittosuittheexpansion.Withthatsaid,thecompanycouldeitherutilisea
hierarchicalstructure,whichhasmorelevelsofmanagementbutslowercommunication,ora
flattenedstructurewherethereislessmanagement,divisionsaregenerallyequaland
communicationisfaster.Bothofthesestructureshavetheirbenefits,withthehierarchical
structuresuitingworkplaceswithmoreemployeesbecauseofitsmanagementwhilethe
flattenedstructureallowsworkerstobecomemultiskilledastheyarefreetointeractmore

withotheremployees.However,thestructurethecompanychoosesalsodependsonthe
natureoftheirbusinessandindustry.Generally,thehierarchicalstructuresuitsofficebased
workplaceswhileflattenedismoreeffectiveforcreativeindustrieslikeanimation.

Alongsidethestructureoftheirbusiness,thecompanyshouldalsoconsiderthetypeof
workerstheyshouldhiredfortheirexpandedoperations.Withthis,thecompanycould
considerinvestingingeneralists,whohavebasicknowledgeinmostskillsbutproficiencyin
none,orspecialistswhopossessexpertiseinoneskill.Withthespecialistsbeingmore
expensivetohire,thecompanyshouldinvestmoreingeneralistsastheyaremoreversatiles
intheworkplace.Iftheneedforspecialisationshouldarise,workerscouldbeprovided
trainingopportunitieslikeworkshopsorinitiativesoverseas.Thiswouldallowthemto
becomeskilledintherequiredareasandincreasethequalityofproductionforthecompany
astheyalsosharetheirnewfoundskillstootherworkers.Moreover,thecompanyshould
consideritsoutsourcingoptionsintheirnewlocation,withtheuseofworkersfromother
workplacesaddingexperiencetothenewfacilityandopeningthecompanytocollaboration
withpotentialcompetition.Thecompanycouldalsoconsiderrelocatingworkersfromtheir
oldfacilitiesintotheirnewfacilities.However,theworkerneedstobewillingtomoveand
costsfromtravelandaccommodationalsoneedtobeaddressed.

Withagreaterdemandinproductiontobeexpected,thecompanyshouldalsoconsiderhow
theywillmaintainefficientproductionpriortotheirexpansion.Indoingso.thecompany
couldinvestinnewtechnologytoassistinmanualtaskswithmechanisationandhavetasks
carriedoutautomaticallythroughautomation.Theseproductiontechniqueswillmake
productioneasierfortheworker,thereforeincreasingefficiencyintheworkplace.However,
theopportunitytousemechanisationandautomationtechniquesisgreatlydependentonthe
natureofthecompany.Forinstance,animationstudiosmakegreatuseofmechanisationby
replacingpenandpaperwithgraphicstabletswhileonlineshoppingbusinessesaresuitedto
automationwithautomatedpaymentsystemslikepaypal.Asmentionedbefore,training
opportunitiescanalsobegiventoworkerstolearnnewskillsthroughworkshopsinlocal
areasoroverseas.Thesenotonlyincreasequalityofworkasemployeesareupskilled,but
alsoefficiencyasworkersbecomemoreproficient.

Finally,expansionandrelocationwillrequirethecompanytopromoteitsproductinanew
location.Withthatsaid,promotingcancomeintheformofphysicalmateriallikeposters,
whichcanbeeasilyproducedwiththeuseofproductiontechniqueslikemassproduction.
However,thecompanyshouldmakeuseofemergingwebbasedtechnologiestopromote
theirexpansiontoawideraudience.Forexample,socialmedianetworkslikefacebookand
twitterallowthecompanytointeractwithconsumerstoimprovetheirproductandpromote
theirupdatetoaninternationalaudiencethroughtheinternet.Forpeopleinthenewarewho
needtobeinformedofthecompanysproduct,thecompanycouldalsodevelopawebsite
andmobileapplicationtoallowtheirproducttobeaccessibleoverawiderangeofdevices.
Toaddtothis,thewebsiteandapplicationshouldplaceemphasisonuserinterfacesothat
customersaregivenanintuitiveexperienceandthusa,goodimpressionoftheproductthat
wouldenticethemtosupportthecompany.

HSC 2011
Acompanyisexpandingitsoperationsbyestablishinganinterstatefacility

a.Describepersonnelissuesthecompanyneedstoconsiderwhenstaffingthenew
facility.(5marks)

Whenexpandingintotheinterstate,thecompanyneedstoconsideranumberofpersonnel
issueswhenstaffingthenewfacility.

Iftheyweretohirenewstafffortheirfacility,thecompanywouldneedtoconsiderthetypeof
workersitshouldhire.Withthatsaid,thecompanycaneitherchoosetohiregeneralists,
whohavebasicknowledgeinmostskillsbutproficiencyinnone,orspecialistswhohave
expertiseinoneparticularskill.Asspecialistsaregenerallymoreexpensive,thecompany
shouldinvestmoreintogeneralistswhoaremoreversatileduetotheirbroadrangeofskills.
Ifspecialisationisrequired,theseworkersworkerscouldbegiventrainingopportunitieslike
workshopsinbothlocalandoverseasopportunities.Ifoneworkerwastobegivenatraining
opportunity,theentireworkplacewouldalsobenefitastheupskilledworkerwouldbeableto
sharehisskills.Inrelationtothenewstaff,thecompanyshouldalsolooktodevelopa
positiveworkplaceinordertoenticepotentialemployees.ThiscanbedonewithEqual
EmploymentOpportunity,whichlookstoeliminatediscriminationintheworkplaceand
thereforeopenupemploymentoptionsasamorediverseworkplaceisencouraged.

Alongsidenewstaff,thecompanyshouldconsiderrelocatingitsold,moreexperiencedstaff
staff.Withthis,thecompanywillbeabletointroducesomeexperienceintothenewfacility,
thusmaintainingeffectiveproductionandassistancefornewerandmoreinexperienced
staff.However,theworkersalsoneedstowillingtomakethemove,andcostsfrom
accommodationaswellastravelneedtobeaddressed.Thecompanyalsoneedstobesure
tohireexperiencedstaffinordertomakethemoveworthwhile,butalsomaintainsome
balanceinexperiencebetweenoldandnewfacilitiessothatproductionisnothindered.To
addtothis,thecompanyshouldalsoconsideroutsourcingopportunitiesithasinthenew
locationofitsfacility.Byoutsourcingandhiringworkersfromneighbouringcompanies,the
companywillbenefitfrommoreexperiencedworkersandopenitselfforfuturecollaboration
betweenpotentialcompetition.

Ascanbeseen,thecompanyneedstoconsideranumberofissueswhenstaffingitsnew
facility,namelyinthehiringofnewstaffandtherelocatingofolderstaff.


b.Analysefactorsotherthanpersonnelissuesthatcouldaffecttheviabilityofthe
companyatthenewlocation.

Thereareanumberoffactorsoutsidepersonnelissuesthatwillaffecttheviabilityofthe
companyatthenewlocation.Theseincludeitsorganisationstructure,implementationof
newtechnology,useofalternativeenergyandmeansofpromotion.

Asthecompanyexpandsandmovesintoanewlocation,itsorganisationstructureneedsto
beabletosuitnewlocationandincreaseinproduction.Withthis,thecompanymayeither
utiliseahierarchicalstructure,whichhasmorelevelsofmanagementbutslower
communication,oraflattenedstructurewhichhaslesslevelsofmanagement,divisionsthat
aremoreequalandfastercommunication.Bothofthesestructureshavetheirbenefits,with
thehierarchicalstructuresmultiplemanagementallowingtocatertomoreemployeeswhile
theflattenedstructureallowsworkerstobecomemultiskilledastheyareabletointeract
morewithothers.However,thestructurethatthecompanychoosestopursueisalso
dependentonthenatureoftheirindustry,withofficesettingssuitingthehierarchical
structurewhileflattenedstructuressuitmorecreativeindustrieslikeanimationthatrequire
greaterinteractionbetweenworkers.

Alongsidearevisionoforganisationstructure,updatedtechnologymayberequiredto
maintainefficientproductioninitsnewlocation.Withtheincreaseintheproduction,the
companymaychoosetoimplementnewtechnologytoassistinmanualtasksthrough
mechanisationandautomaticallycarryoutsimpletasksthroughautomation.These
productiontechniqueswillmakeworkeasierfortheemployees,therebyincreasingwork
efficiencyandtheviabilityofthecompanyinitsnewfacility.However,withtheintroductionof
newtechnology,thecompanywillneedtodisposeofitscurrenttechnologyinanappropriate
manner.Thus,themoveintoanewlocationmayprovidethecompanyanopportunityto
utilisereusingpracticesbydistributingoldequipmenttooutsidefacilitieslikeschoolsthat
canmakegooduseofit.Ifthecompanyweretoimplementrecyclingtoaddressold
equipment,thepresenceofrecyclingplantsinthenewlocationwillaffecttheirabilitytodo
so.

Theuseofalternativeresourcestopowerthecompanymayalsoaffectitsviabilityinthe
newlocation.Withtheexpansionleadingtoanincreaseinproduction,thecompanywillput
astrainonenergysuppliesshouldtheyrelyuponnonrenewableresourceslikefossilfuelto
powertheiroperations.Increasesinproductionanduseofsuchresourceswillalsoharmthe
newlocationasthecompanyemitsmorepollution.Thus,thecompanyshouldinvestinto
alternativeandrenewableresourceslikesolarpowertocarryoutproductionwithout
compromisingitsnewenvironment.However,theequipmentrequiredforrenewableenergy
likesolarpanelsisexpensivetoinstall,situationalasitdependsontheweather,andmay
thereforebeunabletoprovidetheenergyneededtopowerthefacility.Theavailabilityof
renewableenergyplantslikewindturbinesintheareamayalsoaffectthepossibilityofthe
companyusingrenewableenergy.Toaddtothis,thecompanysimpactontheenvironment
willalsoaffectitsviabilityinthenewlocation.Becauseofthis,thecompanyshouldconduct

anenvironmentalimpactstudywhichwillallowittogaugetheimpactofitsoperationsonthe
environmentandwhetheritsatisfieslegislationinthenewarea.

Furthermore,theviabilityofthecompanywillbeaffectedbyitsabilitytopromoteits
expansiontothenewlocation.Insayingthis,thecompanymaychoosetopromoteitselfwith
physicalmateriallikeposters,whichcanbeeasilyproducedthroughmassproduction.
Likewise,moretraditionalmethodsliketelevisionandradioadvertisementswillalsohelpthe
companyinformpeopleinthenewlocationoftheirexpansion.However,itwouldbegreatly
advisedforthecompanytopromoteitselfwithemergingwebbasedtechnologies,whichare
generallyinexpensiveandallowthecompanytopromoteitselftoaninternationalaudience
online.Forinstance,socialmedialikeFacebookandTwitterwillallowthecompanyto
updatesupportersonitsexpansionandinteractwithcustomerstogarnerfeedbackthatwill
helpimproveitsproductforthenewlocation.Advertisementsimilartothosethatwouldbe
broadcastedontelevisioncaninsteadbereleasedwithoutcostthroughvideostreaming
siteslikeYouTube.Forpeopleinthenewlocationwhoareunfamiliarwiththecompany,a
websiteandmobileapplicationshouldbedevelopedtoallowpotentialcustomerstobe
informedandaccessthecompany'sproductfromawiderangeofdevices.Alongside
accessibility,thecompanyshouldalsoputgreatemphasisonuserinterfacewiththeir
websitesandmobileapplications.Ifthecustomerisprovidedwithanintuitiveexperience,
theywillhaveagoodimpressionofthecompanythatwillenticethemtosupporttheproduct.

Asseenfromabove,thereareanumberoffactorsthatwillaffecttheviabilityofthe
company.Forone,itneedstohaveaorganisationstructuresuitedforexpandedproduction
andmaintainefficiencywiththeuseofnewtechnologies.Likewise,thecompanysabilityto
manageitsresourcesandpromoteitselfwillaffecttheirabilityinthenewlocation.