Computer Basics

The society in which we live is complex and sophisticated. As consumers we demand a variety of goods and services to enable us to maintain the quality of life we enjoy. In order to satisfy these demands, suppliers must produce the goods and services, which the consumer wants by combining factors of production such as land, labor and capital in the most efficient manner. To do this the hiring of workers, rent or purchase of the appropriate premises, and maybe, even investing in plant and machinery, as well as the raw materials needed to produce the final product. These are just some of the factors that have to be considered before the final product is produced at a profit. This is achieved under commercial organizations. In short, an organization is a group of people working together to achieve a goal of supplying a demand. In Britain, the economy is made up of the Public Sector and the Private Sector. The Public Sector Company provides goods and services through the state in much the same way as commercial organizations. This sector also employs staff, occupy premises and raise capital. The public sector seeks to fulfil a service such as education, hospitals, police, etc. These services are necessary to provide society with order, in which individuals are free to express their demands and producers are able to meet such wants.   The prime objective of the private sector is to make a profit. These organizations are made up of several different sectors. They are a mixture of large and small business. For example: – Banks, Railtrack, Imperial Chemical Industries, Solicitors, Accountants.   Sole traders are normally owners of small businesses such as the newsagent or the local cafe. The sole trader has unlimited liability and has a greater risk than a partnership. However, he has total control of his business and is alone in the making of all decisions relating to his business. The sole trader keeps all profits but in the majority of cases works very long hours, it is also very hard to find the time for things such as holidays. Partnerships has a minimum of two people and no more than twenty partners, who have made an agreement to work together and to provide capital for the benefit of the company. Their aim is to make a profit. These businesses are normally on a larger scale. Sleeping partners in the business i. e. profit share partners do not play an active role in the organization. A Deed of Partnership is normally drawn up when setting up a partnership. This sets out the terms and conditions such as the objectives, profits, transfer of ownership, individual salaries, decision-making, etc. THE PRIVATE LIMITED COMPANY (LTD) Private Limited Companies have certain legal binding restrictions before it can trade, these are: The Memorandum of Association This consists of the company relating to the outside world i. . : name and rules, address of the business, the names of the directors and the purpose of the organization. The Article of Association relates to the internal matters of the organization. When the Article of Association form in completed it is then registered and permits the company to trade. THE PUBLIC LIMITED COMPANY (PLC) A Public Limited Company has similar rules to limited companies with the ex ceptions: Shares can be openly bought and sold A vast amount of capital can be made available through the issue of extra shares. The minimum share capital required is ? 50,000. No limits to the amount of shares a shareholder can have. The functional areas of an organization such as a music venue can be vast. Therefore, the areas that will be dealt with will be limited. The marketing department is responsible for all publicity that the organization needs to make public awareness and the events available. They also can organize suppliers, as well as the delivery of these items. This department is in charge of all venue publicity and public awareness. The accounts department is responsible for the payment of all bills/invoices. When an invoice is presented for payment, the manager concerned first checks it against the appropriate delivery note. Only then, will this department approve payment automatic and regular payments such as, standing orders and direct debits are also done through this department. These systems of payments are required to pay bills like gas, electric and other suppliers used on a regular basis. The wages department is responsible for the wages and salaries of all personnel working for the venue. It includes wage payments for company directors, full and part-time staff to the artists and musicians working on an evening event. They also supply wage slips that supply information such as number of hours worked, overtime, bonus, holiday†s etc. The required tax deducted and payment is made through the BACS system directly into the employee†s bank account in most cases. The personnel department is responsible for the welfare of all employees within the organization. Personnel are responsible for recruitment, training and development of all staff. They also ensure that the venue and bar managers carry out the required company training. They hold all of the organizations staff records. To keep their files updated these departments regularly liaise with the wages department over staff sickness, holiday entitlements etc. IT Services All incoming areas i. e. bar and entrance fees are linked to a computerized system, therefore the IT services department even though small plays a vital role in this organization. This department is divided into two, the Operations and the Programming.