| Course | BUS-1010 Introduction to Business |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Written assignment 3: business management and empowering employees |
| Length | About 866 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Bachelor of Science in Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUS 1010 Module 3
Passaic Fire Sauce Company: Managing a Growing Workforce, Restructuring Around Teams and Building Quality Into Production
Student Name
Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Thomas Edison State University
BUS-1010: Introduction to Business
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Passaic Fire Sauce Company: Managing a Growing Workforce, Restructuring Around Teams and Building Quality Into Production
The third set of answers returns to Passaic Fire Sauce Company, the composite Paterson hot sauce maker followed through these BUS-1010 samples. A contract with a regional grocery chain will triple production next year, and the workforce is expected to grow from nine to about twenty. The answers below consider how the owners should manage, how the company should be organized as it grows, and how production can expand without losing the quality that built the brand.
Question 1: How Do the Owners Practice the Functions of Management?
Managers plan, organize, lead and control, and in a small company the same two people do all four. Planning for the grocery contract meant forecasting volume by month, deciding to add a second shift rather than a second kitchen and lining up chile supply a year ahead. Organizing meant deciding who does what: one cousin now runs production and purchasing while the other runs sales, marketing and finances, a split that ended the confusion of both making every decision. Leading is where the owners have changed most. When the company had four employees, the founders told people what to do; with twenty, they must explain why the grocery contract matters, set expectations for each role and coach the two new shift leads. Controlling means comparing results with plans: the company tracks batches produced per shift, the share of bottles rejected at inspection and on-time deliveries to the grocery chain each week, and the cousins review those numbers every Monday.
Nickels et al. (2016) note that managers at different levels need different skills, with technical skills most important for supervisors and conceptual skills most important for top managers. The cousins are strong technically because they created every recipe, but growth requires them to spend more time on conceptual work, such as planning supply and evaluating new markets, and to trust others with the technical work they once did themselves.
Question 2: How Should the Company Organize Around Empowered Employees?
Today everyone reports directly to one of the founders, a flat structure that works for nine people but would give each founder about ten direct reports at twenty. The company should add a layer of two shift leads, each responsible for a production team of six to seven people, while keeping the structure flat enough that a line worker can still raise an idea with an owner.
The bigger change is how decisions are made. Empowerment means giving employees the authority and resources to act, such as letting a shift team stop the bottling line when a label is misprinted or adjust a batch schedule when a delivery of chiles arrives late, without waiting for an owner. Evidence supports the approach. Seibert et al. (2011) combined results from many studies and found that psychological empowerment was associated with higher job satisfaction, commitment and performance and with lower strain and intentions to quit, while team empowerment was associated with better team performance. Empowerment requires preparation, though: training, clear limits on authority and information such as daily production targets shared with every shift.
The owners should also expect some discomfort. Shift leads promoted from the line may hesitate to correct former coworkers, and some employees will prefer to be told what to do. A short leadership course for the two new leads and a monthly meeting where teams report one improvement they made will help the new structure take hold.
Question 3: How Can Production Grow Without Losing Quality?
Tripling volume could easily mean rushed batches, inconsistent heat levels and spoiled inventory. Lean production offers a way to grow efficiently by removing waste, such as excess inventory, waiting time and rework, while building quality into each step rather than inspecting it at the end. Shah and Ward (2003) studied manufacturing plants and found that bundles of related lean practices, including just-in-time flow, total quality management, preventive maintenance and human resource practices, were associated with better operational performance, and that larger plants were more likely to adopt them.
For Passaic, lean thinking means producing in batch sizes matched to orders rather than filling the warehouse, maintaining the bottling line on a schedule so it does not fail during a grocery run, and training every worker to check pH and fill levels at their own station. Food safety adds a legal and ethical requirement. Acidified foods like hot sauce must be processed to safe acidity levels and records must be kept, so the company has written a food safety plan that identifies the critical points, such as cooking temperature and final pH, where a failure could make a product unsafe, and it tests every batch at those points. Quality is the brand's main advantage over cheaper sauces, so it has to be designed into the growth plan from the start.
Growth also changes purchasing. Buying chiles in larger lots lowers the price per pound but ties up cash and warehouse space, and dried chiles lose flavor over months. The company will therefore sign a twelve-month supply agreement with its cooperative that fixes the price but schedules deliveries every six weeks, a lean approach applied to the supply side.
References
Nickels, W. G., McHugh, J. M., & McHugh, S. M. (2016). Understanding business (11th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Seibert, S. E., Wang, G., & Courtright, S. H. (2011). Antecedents and consequences of psychological and team empowerment in organizations: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(5), 981-1003. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022676
Shah, R., & Ward, P. T. (2003). Lean manufacturing: Context, practice bundles, and performance. Journal of Operations Management, 21(2), 129-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-6963(02)00108-0
What the BUS 1010 Module 3 instructions ask for
Module 3 of BUS-1010 covers management, organizational structure and the production of goods and services, under the theme of empowering employees to satisfy customers. The third written assignment typically asks about the functions of management, how organizations are structured and how structure affects employees, and how operations management and quality control work. Keep each response within the syllabus range of 250 to 500 words, phrased in your own language, with support from the textbook and outside sources cited in each answer, as the syllabus specifies. The midterm exam also covers Modules 1 through 3, so this assignment doubles as preparation for it. Plan your three answers before writing so each stays focused.
How this BUS 1010 Module 3 example is built
The sample opens by describing a change at the company, a large grocery contract, that gives all three questions a reason to be asked now. The first answer gives each management function a concrete example from the owners' work and links them to the textbook's idea of managerial skills. The second proposes a specific structural change with team sizes and explains empowerment with practical examples and meta-analytic evidence, ending with what empowerment requires. The third applies lean practices to production decisions, supports them with a study of manufacturing plants and adds the food safety controls that make quality a legal duty as well as a strategy. Each answer closes on a decision or a requirement, not a summary.
BUS 1010 Module 3 rubric: what earns full marks
For written assignment 3, mentors check that each question is answered completely and accurately, that management and operations concepts are applied rather than defined, and that each answer uses and cites sources. Critical thinking shows in recommendations that respond to the business's situation, such as when to add a layer of management or how much authority to give a team. Answers between 250 and 500 words, clear organization and correct grammar complete the grade. Because written assignments make up 30% of the course grade, mentors expect each one to meet the same standard as the first two. Accuracy with textbook terms matters, since the same terms appear on the exam.
BUS 1010 Module 3 help: mistakes that cost marks
A frequent weakness in Module 3 answers is listing the four management functions with a sentence each and no example. Show each function in action. In structure answers, students sometimes recommend a tall hierarchy for a small company or claim empowerment means no supervision; explain the balance. In operations answers, avoid general praise of quality; name practices and controls. Keep each answer inside the word range and cite a source in every one. Since the midterm follows, connect your answers to the textbook's vocabulary. Our writers can prepare BUS 1010 Module 3 answers built on the questions your mentor posted and a business you know. Read each answer aloud once to catch missing words.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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BUS 1010 Module 3 questions, answered
Where can I find a free BUS 1010 Module 3 sample paper?
The full third written assignment is shown above: three essay answers on management functions, organizing around empowered teams and quality in production, with citations and margin notes.
What are the four functions of management?
Planning, organizing, leading and controlling. In small firms the same people often perform all four, which is why examples from a real business help.
What does employee empowerment mean?
Giving employees the authority, information and resources to make decisions in their own work, such as stopping a production line to fix a problem.
What is lean production?
An approach that removes waste such as excess inventory, waiting and rework, and builds quality into each step of the process.
What does the BUS-1010 midterm cover?
The syllabus says the proctored midterm covers all reading and assignments from Modules 1, 2 and 3 and has a two-hour time limit.