Final answer:
A business process often spans multiple business functions, as it typically involves several departments or areas within an organization to achieve a common goal. This approach helps ensure efficiency and effectiveness by leveraging the company's core competencies.
Step-by-step explanation:
A business process typically involves a series of steps or activities that are designed to achieve a specific organizational goal. The question at hand is whether a business process often spans or touches on multiple business functions. The answer to this is true.
Business processes are not confined to single departments or functions; instead, they often intersect with various parts of the organization. For example, the process of developing a new product might start in the research and development department, move to manufacturing, pass through marketing, and end up with sales and customer service. This interconnectedness ensures that each part of the business contributes to and is aware of the developments within the product's lifecycle.
These processes are critical to ensuring that the business operates efficiently and effectively, utilizing the strengths of its core competencies to succeed in the marketplace. A firm that strategically focuses on a few key areas often finds greater success than those attempting to diversify across too many products or services.