Write a 3-4 page paper in which you explain functional areas where you would like to intern during your first year at a chosen company and the company’s respective responsibilities and purpose.
Introduction
The COVID-19 world pandemic impacted business in new and unusual ways. You may have noticed this in your own job and work environment. Companies are more likely now to organize business functions to serve the current and future needs of the company, employees, and the marketplace instead of solely maintaining what we may have thought of as the traditional organizational structure.
This assessment is your opportunity to explore these functional areas, what they look like in a contemporary company, and also where you see your skills fitting within them.
In today’s business environment, most successful leaders view organizational structures and functions as fluid. Frequent restructuring is viewed as a primary means to keep the company competitive and responsive to the ever-changing marketplace.
Human resources, accounting and finance, sales and marketing, production and operations, and information technology (IT) systems are some examples of traditional business functions commonly found in an organization. Functional areas vary within organizations depending on their focus and purpose. Each area contributes in different ways to make sure the organizations reach their objectives and achieve effectiveness and efficiency.
Scenario
Congratulations! You’ve been hired by a company that produces innovative products. The organization is known for investing in its employees by providing new employees with a well-rounded view of the company in their first year of employment. As a new employee, you’ll have the chance to select two functional areas within the company for which you would like to intern for three months each.
For this assessment, you will:
- Choose a company that interests you and research its website.
- Select two functional areas in which you would like to intern for in the company you chose. Also select an area that doesn’t align with your current skillset and would require you to grow your skills.
- Use the Assessment 1 Template [DOCX] to write a 3–4 page paper in which you explain the responsibilities and purposes of each of the three selected functional areas.
By increasing your understanding of a corporation’s basic functional areas and what they do to support their organization, you will establish a base knowledge on which to build future skills. This assessment also allows you to consider where your current strengths potentially fit into the needs of an organization. In a later assessment you’ll consider how those functional areas might interact to solve problems.
Instructions
Write a 3–4 page paper in which you explain the responsibilities and purposes of each of the two functional areas you have chosen.
1. In preparation for your paper, review your chosen company website to learn how these five traditional functional areas operate in that business. The interactive activity Organizational Structures and Goals can take you through the first few steps of exploring these areas and completing your assessment.
- Human resources.
- Sales and marketing.
- Information technology.
- Production and operations.
- Finance and accounting.
Note: You’ll use your chosen company and its website as a source of information for all your assessments. So make sure it’s big enough to have at least the following: detail about the company’s functional areas; a mission, vision and ethics statements; teams and teamwork; and activities related to corporate social responsibility (CSR).
2. Review the interactive activity QuickStart: Functional Areas of Business to learn the responsibilities of the different functions and trends in business. This activity is linked in the Assessment hub page and counts toward engagement. Gather any additional background you need on the topic including reading the resources in “First Steps.”
3. Choose two of the five functional areas above to intern for during your first year as a new employee. Research the two functional areas to find out about the purpose of each and how it helps the company accomplish its strategic goals. Cite at least three to five resources in your paper and list them on the reference page. Write a 3–4 page double-spaced paper that includes the following:
- Title.
- Introduction. (1 paragraph.)
- Describe your chosen company—use your imagination and explain your assumptions about this company.
- Describe at least two of this company’s organizational goals. For example: all products sold meet Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval; or utilization of innovative technology and new patents is a priority.
- Identify two functional areas where you would like to complete your internship sessions during your first year.
- Identify one additional functional area where you feel you would need to gain additional skills to have a successful internship
- Body.
- Describe the purpose of functional area 1 and how it supports the organizational goals. (1–2 paragraphs.)
- Describe the major responsibilities of the function and give examples of how it supports organizational goals.
- Utilize examples found from your selected company.
- Describe the purpose of functional area 2 and how it supports the organizational goals. (1–2 paragraphs.)
- Describe the major responsibilities of the function and give examples of how it supports organizational goals.
- Utilize examples found from your selected company.
- For the area that is your first choice for your internship, explain why it is your first choice. (1 paragraph.)
- Describe how the work in the functional area you selected aligns with your strengths as an employee and how you would be able to contribute to the success of the function and the company.
- Give examples of how your work in this functional area could contribute to the organization’s overall business goals.
- Identify and describe a functional area you feel does not align with your current skillset and explain why. (1 paragraph.)
- Describe the skills required for the functional area and why you feel you are not a good fit.
- Give examples of what skills you would need to gain in order to be better qualified.
- Describe the purpose of functional area 1 and how it supports the organizational goals. (1–2 paragraphs.)
- Conclusion.
- Explain how the two functional areas you described will support the continued success of your chosen company.
- Describe how you would be able to contribute to the success of the function that you selected to start your work.
- Describe the functional area you selected that does not align with your skillset and why.
The Capella University Library is a great tool for your research to find sources. See Business Research for Business Communication for a targeted introduction. Evidence and APA guides you in properly citing your sources.
Review your paper using Academic Writer, Grammarly, and Smarthinking.
Planning
The time it takes to complete an assessment can vary greatly, but it often takes longer than we think to explore the scope of a task, research it, write a draft, and then come back and revise it. Consider the following as rough guide posts for setting aside the time you need to do your work. You’ll want to adjust these as you learn more about your own pace and working style.
- Research and Reading: 4 hrs.
- Interactive activities: 30 mins.
- Writing: 6 hrs.
- Revising: 3 hrs.
Requirements
- Font: Times New Roman, no larger than 12-point font.
- Organization: Your paper should be well-organized and written in clear, succinct language.
- Template: Use the Assessment 1 Template [DOCX] provided to help you organize your paper.
- Grammar: Your paper should be free of grammar and punctuation errors that would distract the reader’s understanding of the content.
- Length: 3–4 pages, in addition to a reference page.
- Resources: Cite at least three resources in your paper and list them on your reference page.
- APA: Follow APA rules for citing sources. See Evidence and APA.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Explain the underlying principles of successful businesses.
- Describe a company and its organizational goals.
- Describe the purpose of functional areas and how they support the organizational goals.
- Describe how the work in the selected functional area aligns with one’s strengths as an employee.
- Competency 5: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with expectations for the field of business.
- Convey purpose, in an appropriate tone and style, incorporating supporting evidence and adhering to organizational, professional, and scholarly writing standards.
- Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.
