Business activity is focused on the achievement of appropriate business objectives as shown below.
Objectives for
Production for a company like Coca-Cola will focus on quality and meeting particular targets and standards.
Marketing for a company like Kellogg’s or Kraft will focus on identifying and meeting the needs of consumers.
Customer service for organisations like the Inland Revenue or Argos will focus on delighting customers.
Business and functional objectives make it possible to set targets. These targets then create a direction for activities.
Ends to be achieved
Targets (translation into easy to communicate goals)
Plans (means to achieve targets)
Activity (day-to-day operations designed to deliver plans)
The overarching objectives of an organisation can be translated into specific activity objectives. For example, a section head in a supermarket may have the objective at the end of each working day to make sure that there are enough employees scheduled to carry out the required work activities on the following day. Individual employees will have their own work and schedules – e.g. to make sure that a particular section of shelves is filled by a given time.
Objectives, therefore, provide a clear structure for all of the various activities that an organisation carries out.
Within an organisation, they are established at a number of levels from top level corporate, down to the team and individual that create a framework for operational activities.