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Description of the Activity Essay The Heijs Group is a Dutch company which is comprised of three independent operating companies. These companies are solely concerned with the supply of poultry meat. At the companies sites at Leek and Haulerwijk, the chickens are slaughtered and processed for both the deep frozen and fresh chicken markets. The third site at Hoogeveen only produces chicken fillets this is also the company which I shall examine. Heijs Food Products BV Heijs Food products BV became a division of the Heijs Group in 1997. It is purely engaged in producing top grade chicken fillets. The breasts are supplied by other production companies in the group. Once on site, the breasts are boned which produces a better quality cut of fresh chicken fillet the fillets are specifically cut to size and weight graded. They are mainly supplied to the wholesale trade nationally and abroad. Customers include the manufacturers of ready meals, catering companies and supermarkets. Heijs Food Products BV is a company whose filets chicken and makes the chicken meat ready to sell. Heijs food Products BV main objectives are to stay in the highest market segment so that they only produce high quality food. To achieve this main objective HFP has a number of systems to make sure that the product had the highest possible quality. These systems are called HCCP, IKB, GHP, DRC, ISSO9002, ACP, and BRC will be further explained later in my report. Because a few of these systems Heijs food Products BV may also sell their products to England which is their largest trading country. (BRC, ACP) P2 an description of four functional areas, including human resources, explain how each contributes to the business activity and giving examples of job roles associated with each area Quality Control Research and development The use of new and better machinery contributes with making a high quality product. Quality control makes sure that everything is all right with the food safety and hygiene. The companys policy on quality control will be controlled by special trained employees who have had training in handling with the quality control. Twice a year there is an inspection by the NEN-ISO organisation. This inspection can make a big difference for the company, if the NEN-ISO organisation concludes errors in the working method of production the certificate be put on probation for a period of time to get the entire company on the NEN-ISO standards. They do this by the following seven systems: 1 NEN -EN- ISO 9002 This international standard specifies requirements with regard to quality management. The Heijs Group are accredited with NEN -EN- ISO 9002 The objectives of the standard are: * The Heijs Group is capable of consistently supplying products which fully meet client demands and to a standard which complies with relevant legislation * Improving client satisfaction by using the standard to review and improve processes The standards in general concerns quality systems and documentation, with specific emphasis on the management of responsibility, management of resources, product development, measurement, analysis and improvement. 2 HACCP HACCP is the abbreviation for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points. This signifies risk analysis and the management of critical points in the production process. The system has been developed as a preventative manner of work in relation to the general quality management exercised over the production of foodstuffs. The HACCP system assesses: a. biological contamination, ex. Pathogenic microbes, toxicants, microbes, yeasts, fungi, parasites b. chemical contamination such as pesticides, antibiotics, disinfection or cleansing agents, heavy metals, lubricants, additives c. Physical contamination: rust, wood chippings, metal splinters, glass, stones, plastic, hairs, construction etc. In order to prevent these dangers, there are strict measures and work agreements included in the HACCP quality system of Heijs Food Productions. 3 DLG Qualità ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ts Prà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½mierung Annually, for a number of years, Heijs Food Productions have been awarded a prize by DLG in Germany for their poultry products. The prize was in recognition for products which achieved a high organoleptic standard of products for consumers. The award considered product appearance, consistency, smell and taste. The judges were an independent panel of competent professionals who have extensive knowledge and experience of poultry products. 4 GHP-code The GHP code has two levels of standard an international standard but there is a second level which the Dutch meat processing industry has added to the standard and which has been adopted across the Country. The objective of the code is for meat processing companies to guarantee hygiene standards and to improve hygiene management. The Heijs Group believe this is a basic production requirement. The GHP code is a production requirement which has been incorporated into the IKB standard. 5 BRC Standard (Technical Standard for companies supplying retailer branded food products) The British Retail Consortium developed a technical standard for food manufacturers who supplied to the retail markets. The standard has now been adopted as a requirement of supply by many reputable internal customers and retail supermarkets. The standard includes, amongst other points: a. the application of a HACCP system b. a documented quality system c. the management of all aspects of production the product, processes and personnel to ensure food safety, quality and legality All Companies in the Heijs Group are approved to the BRC standard. The poultry processing units are approved to the Higher Level of the standard. 6 ACP (Assured Chicken Production Ltd. Poultry Standards) ACP is a full quality programme which is assessed by an independent organisation. The ACP scheme objective is to promote products that are produced to a recognised standard, which is recognised by the consumer to guarantee product safety, quality and in the case of poultry -welfare standards. The main points in the standard covers food safety, traceability, animal welfare, environmental care, and the well being and safety of animals in their rearing environment. The Heijs Group was the first company outside the UK which fully satisfied the ACP requirements. Only those Companies which satisfy the conditions laid out in the standard can apply the ACP logo on their products. ACP is a standard which has now a requirement of many supermarkets. 7 IKB The IKB chicken programme is a method for quality management in poultry production. For example in order to reduce the level of microbiological contamination of all species of salmonella there is total control through out the production chain from breeding to processing. This prevents cross contamination within the Company itself and also between other external sites. The IKB standard has specific standards to be complied with for building construction, company hygiene policies and procedures and processing techniques. Provisions are also made which have led to an improvement in the slaughter of birds which has resulted in an improvement in meat quality. The IKB standard has long been recognised by the Heijs Group as an unconditional requirement for quality chicken production. Production Within Heijs Food Productions the main department is the production part. First they get chicken breast and then the breasts are boned for a better quality cut of fresh chicken fillet, than they cut the fillets specifically to size and weight. The use of new machinery and better production methods also contribute to a better and hygiene of the product. Heijs Food Production must also keep food safety in caution because the customer demands a safe and high quality product. This is ensured by the regulations and the food safety systems which Heijs Food Productions has (Please see P1). The chicken fillets are mainly supplied to customers abroad there two main export countries are Germany and Great-Britain. Exporting there product is a main source of income. The percentage of Export and National sales are as follow: * Export 95% * National Sale 5% The delivery time on Export products are divided into two different areass as you will see below: * Fresh: 10 days (after slaughter) * Frozen: 6 months (after slaughter) Most regular customers are in the following sectors: * Manufacturers of ready meals * Catering companies * Supermarkets. Heijs Food Productions has a minimum standard of 18000 kilos production a day this is 65% of their total production capacity. This means that they are capable of producing a theoretical figure of 27692 kilos daily (depending on demand of the customer and supply by supplier). The function of the production is: * Produce high quality chicken fillets * Bone the chicken breast * Cut the Fillets specifically to size and weight After the production the product is packed either in bags or in boxes The production department contributes to the business in a way of making a high quality product. Without the production department the company would not be able to exist! This department is a crucial part of the Heijs Food Group. Marketing and Sales Within the company of Heijs there has been a separation between marketing and sales. They dont market their product a lot because good chicken fillets promote them self, they promote the company by: trucks with advertisement on it and with the package of the chicken fillets (there is also advertisement on it) Marketing activities: * Showing we have a good product (by showing certificates like ISO * Developing new packaging * Driving with trucks with our message on them On sales there are two persons active: One does all the customer contacts and one makes all the contracts and other documentation Customer contact is extremely important if you trade with other customers for example you must know what is appropriate in the country which you are trading with. The most important tasks of sales are: * Customer Contact * Orders enquiries * Making Special offers * Setting up Customer Contracts The sales department within the Heijs Company is a part which is crucial for the existence of the company. As you will know each department within a company are equally important to the business. They contribute to the existence of the company by doing there part of the business activity. Without the Sales department Heijs Food Products they would not be able to handle customers or wouldnt have customers at all. Administration The task of the administration with Heijs Food Productions is to keep a record of all the personnel like for example: sickness and absence. Also is the administration in charge of the pay wages of the personnel. The administration is set in the front of the building so that they can do the reception as well. The administration is done by one employee this person is hired to do all the administration within Heijs Food Production. Another task of the employee is taking care of all the necessary work at Reception. main activities of the Administration and Reception administration reception Keep record of personnel welcoming the visitors in charge of wages answer telephone calls write emails to customers give through messages Customer registration Financial work The reception connects telephone calls through, and gives through messages. They also reply to customer enquiries and orders. Incoming post is divided by the personal of the Administration. Welcoming visitors and guide them to the meeting or contact the person which is requested. The Administration/reception is an important task it contributes to the business in a way of doing all the administrational work if that is not done the company would not know where it would stand, and if the reception would not answer the telephone calls, and welcome the visitors the company would not make a good impression with potential customers. Human Resources With Heijs Food Production the do not have a big Human resource department. The work that the employees on the human recourse department do with Heijs Food Productions are: * Hire people (application form) * Dismiss people * Keep record of absence * Training Employees Hiring People Most of the employees which work with Heijs Food Productions are hired from a Vacancy office. Almost everybody can work with Heijs food at the production everybody gets a change: If a person is hired tell get a test period and if they pass this period they can otherwise their asked to find another job. For other leading jobs there is a whole other plan: these people must have HBO Diploma and a good Curriculum Vita. Welfare of the employees The welfare of the employees is very important; the human recourse department makes sure that the working conditions are safe and fun to work in. This is very important for the quality of the product because if the employees do not have any fun in their work, the will not do their work with care and the product is from a less quality. There are also a number of rights that all the employees have * To be paid at the agreed time * To me treated fairly * To be provided with a workspace that is healthy and save * To receive appropriate training * Not to be asked to do anything that is dangerous, unethical or illegal There are also a number of Responsibilities that all the employees have * Work conscientiously in accordance with the agreed term of their employment * Maintain standards of quality * Cooperate in trying to achieve the objectives of the business * Follow established procedures * Comply with health and safety regulations P3 A Description of how equal opportunities of employees are safeguarded by legislation How it is arranged with Heijs Food Productions? With Heijs Food Productions all the personnel equally threaten, if you work hard you can also get a promoted to a higher level on the hierarchy. An example of this is a Foreman (which is responsible for managing his area in the company), but if you do not work hard you cannot expect to get a promotion in the company. The company has a very clear policy on equal opportunities who works hard has more changes of promotion. Legislation All the employees with Heijs Food Productions have equal opportunities in the business. This legislation is arranged by law * The equal pay act 1970 (states that women performing comparable to men should me threaten equally including the same rates of payment) * The sex discrimination acts 1975 and 1986 (rule against discrimination on the basis of sex or marital status) * The race relations act 1976 (makes it illegal to discriminate against employees or potential employees on the grounds of race or ethnic grounds) * The disability discrimination act 1995 (Gives additional rights to disabled people and provides for a code of practise aimed at tending discrimination) * The employment rights act 1996 ( confirms the legal rights of employees and covers the contract of employment, payslips and other meteors Works council Act Businesses with more than 50 employees are obliged to found a work council. The work council can give advise on: * Investments * Shrinking, fusions takeovers, expansion * Hiring of advisers The work council can give approval in decisions about: * Rewarding systems Health and safety * Holiday arrangements Work deliberation * Labor arrangements P4 Communications in Business Communications in business are very important without proper communications you cannot work actively. You wouldnt know what your customers demands are and you are not well informed. This is why good communication within business is very important. With Heijs Food Productions there are a few communication types which they use: Intern communications: * Intern telephone (most often used by the management) * Intern E-mail (most often used by the management) * Intercom (used for announcements) * Oral communications (used for communication between employees) Every day there is a short briefing with the managing people, they will discuss what theyll have to do for the day and at what time they will be finished. than theyll give the orders to the employees to make the product the customer has order (for example chicken fillets of 200 gram) External Communications * Telephone ( for customer and suppliers contact) * E-mail (customer contact + suppliers) * Written Letters E-mail (customer contact + suppliers) * Fax E-mail (customer contact + suppliers) The communications with customers are very important the sales manager calls with the customer at least twice a week. They do this to make sure that the customers is satisfied about the product and for selling more chicken fillets. P5 A Comparison of the organisational structure of your chosen business with a contrasting structure Organisational Structure of Heijs Food Products BV Organisational structure of NSA I have chosen for 2 different kinds of organisational structures: * Line staff organisation (organisational chart) * flat organisational structure (hierarchical structure) Advantages and disadvantages of the hierarchical structure Advantage: * The advantage of a hierarchical structure is that the control of the organisation is kept in the hands of the person at top of the organisation. * Easy to maintain a particular identity or standard of service and quality in a large organisation. * Clear defined chain of commend, which instructions are flowing downward through all employees, and information about performance flowing upwards * Everyone in the organisations knows their role within the organisation. Disadvantage: * No limit to the number of management between the top decision maker and the shop floor or other support staff * Decision making can be slow or delayed as it takes a long time for information to flow upwards, for decisions to be taken at the top and communicated downwards again and implemented by support staff * At each level information and instructions may be interpreted differently so that information passed on, or action taken, may be biased by the attitudes of individual managers. Advantages and disadvantages of a flat structure Advantage: * The flow of information between upper and lower levels is fast this enables quick decision making and a faster response to problems. * With fewer levels of management many managers and operatives feel they have more responsibility for their own work this increases job motivation and satisfaction. Conclusion I could find any disadvantages about a flat structure so my conclusion is that a flat structure is the best one because there are no disadvantages about it (recording to the book)