AppliedBusiness–SchemeofWork

Certificate/ExtendedCertificate

Unit2:BusinessdynamicsUnittype:internallyassessed

Guidancenotes

ThisSchemeofWork(SoW)illustrateshowtheunitcontentcouldbedeliveredover60GLH.TheBusinessDynamicsunitshouldbedeliveredeitherbefore,afteroratthesametimeastheUnit1FinancialPlanningandAnalysisunit,andbeforetheUnit3Entrepreneurialopportunitiesunit,whichistheunitwheretheskillsandknowledgedevelopedthroughunits1and2aresynopticallybroughttogether.

ThisSchemeofWorkshouldbeusedinconjunctionwiththequalificationDeliveryGuidancedocument.YoushouldalsonotethatitfollowstheGLHBreakdownsectionoftheunitspecificationinrelationtotheapportionmentofteachingtimetounitcontent

Chooseoption

Numberofhours / Specificationreference / Keylearningobjectives
Considerinclusionanddifferentiation(asappropriateandrelevant)EqualityandDiversityinBLUE(tobeenhancedbyunitteacherasappropriateforlearnergroup) / Learningactivitiesandresources
Whatwillbelearnerled?WhatwillbeTutorled?Topicsforplenary?Homework?
Classroombasedoroff-site?Employerengagement?
StretchandchallengeinRED(tobeenhancedbyunitteacherasappropriateforlearnergroup) / Plenary
Howwilllearnerprogressbechecked?
Evidencerequirements? / Embeddingorcontextualising
(opportunitiesforskillsdevelopment)
MathsinPURPLEEnglishinGREEN
TransferableSkillopportunitiesinORANGE
3 / PO1–businessmarkets,visionandaims(all) / •Understandthemeaningofbusinessmarkets,visionandaims
•Beabletooutlinemarketopportunitiesforbusinessesandthebenefitsofusingvisionstatementsandaims / Tutortooutlinebroadcontentandpurposeoftheunitiethewaysinwhichbusinesses,profitandnot-for-profit,exploitmarketopportunitiesandhandlecompetition.LinkstotheFinancialPlanningandAnalysisunitshouldbemadeiethemeaningofaimsforprofitandnot-for-profitbusinesses.
Tutortousetwocasestudiesofmediumtolargescalebusinessesillustratingtheideasofbusinessmarkets,visionandaimseg / •EvidencecollectionforP1(takingapproximately
½anhour) / •Researchskillswhengatheringevidencefortheconcisereport
Tutortooutlinemeaningofamarketopportunity,usinganexamplefromoneofthetwobusinesses,discussingthewaysinwhichthebusinessexploitedthisopportunityandhowbusinessvisionplayedaroleinthisprocess(egbyinitiatingtheneedtoexploitanopportunityorbyhelpingtoidentifysuitableopportunities).
Learners,workinginsmallgroups,toinvestigatethehistoryofoneofthebusinessesandtooutlinesomeofthemarketopportunitiesithasexploited.Groupstoconsiderthewaysinwhichvisionstatementsandaimscouldhavehelpedthebusiness.Eachgrouptofocusononeofthebusinesses,classtocoverbothbusinessesandgroupstofeedbackfindings.Tutortoreview/contrastfindings.
TutortoprovideAssignment1briefingsheetforportfoliobuilding,providingbroadbackgroundtothebusinessusedthroughouttheunitandforallportfolioevidence.Learners,forprivatestudy,tocollectandcollateevidenceforP1inrelationtothisbusiness.
Note:ifthecentrewishes,tutorscan
alloweachlearnertoselectabusinessofhis/herownchoosing.However,eachlearnermustbaseallportfolioevidenceonthissinglebusiness.Tutorsshouldinvestigatewhetherthebusinessiscapableofprovidingevidencetosupporttheunitbeforeallowinglearnerstochoosetheirownbusiness.
2 / PO1–stakeholdersandownership(all) / •Understandthemeaningofstakeholdersandtheirinterests
•Understandfactorsdeterminingthechoiceofbusinessownership
•Beabletodescribebusinessownershipandtheinterestsofstakeholders
•Beabletoexplainthefactorsaffectingthechoiceofbusinessownership / Tutortoreview/introducemeaningofstakeholdersandbusinessownership(definedintheFinancialPlanningandAnalysisunit).Theseconceptscouldbeillustratedusingthebusinessesintroducedin‘PO1–businessmarkets,visionandaims(all)’.Learnerstodescribestakeholders’interestsinthebusinesses.Tutortoreviewunderstanding.
Learnersprovidedwitha‘guidesheet’outliningthefactorsdeterminingthechoiceofbusinessownershipegatabledetailingeachfactor(rows)andlinkingthesetodifferentformsofownership(columns).Learners,workingingroups,
toapplythistothebusinessesintroduced
in‘PO1–businessmarkets,visionandaims(all)’.Tutortoreviewunderstandingthroughwholeclassdiscussion. / •EvidencecollectionforP2andM1(takingapproximately1hour) / •Researchskillswhengatheringevidencefortheconcisereport
Learners,forprivatestudy,tocollectandcollateevidenceforP2andM1inrelationtotheportfoliobusiness.Learnersinstructedtofocusonthehistoryofthebusinessandgatheringevidenceinrelationtohow/whytheformof
ownershiphaschanged/evolved.
2 / PO1–businessorganisation(functionalactivitiesandorganisationalstructure) / •Understandthemeaningofbusinessfunctionalactivities
•Understandthewaysinwhichorganisationalstructurescanbedescribed
•Beabletooutlinetheorganisationoffunctionalactivitiesofbusinesses / Tutortoaddoneortwocasestudiestothoseintroducedin‘PO1–businessmarkets,visionandaims(all)’,withthepurposeofprovidingsufficientscope/contrastforunderstandingthemeaningoforganisationalstructureandfunctionalactivities.Theprimaryimportanceofpeopleinbusinessshouldbestressed.
Learners,workinginsmallgroups,tofocusononeofthesebusinesses(allbusinessestobecollectivelycoveredbythegroups).Learnerstoinvestigatethemeaningandorganisationoffunctionalareaswithintheirbusiness,usingtheterminologyofthebusinessandrelatingtheseto‘textbook’definitions.Tutortousefindingsforwholeclassdiscussiontoconfirmunderstandingandcontrastorganisationalstructures.
Learners,forprivatestudy,tocollectandcollateevidenceforP3inrelationtothe / •EvidencecollectionforP3(takingapproximately
½anhour) / •Researchskillswhengatheringevidencefortheconcisereport
portfoliobusiness.
2 / PO1–businessorganisation(organisingfunctionalactivities) / •Understandthefactorsaffectingtheorganisationoffunctionalactivities
•Beabletoexplainhowthefactorshaveaffectedtheorganisationofbusinessesfunctionalactivities / Tutortouseoneofthebusinessesfrom
‘PO1–businessorganisation(functionalactivitiesandorganisationalstructure)’tooutlinethefactorsaffectingtheorganisationoffunctionalactivities.Thiswouldfocusononeortwokeymomentswhenthebusinesshasundergonereorganisationand/orrestructuringconsideringoneormoreof:decisionmaking,markets,operations,staffinglevels/rolesandskills.
Learners,workinginsmallgroups,toinvestigateoneoftheremainingbusinesses(allbusinessestobecollectivelycoveredbythegroups)andtoanalysefactorsthathaveaffectedthe
organisationoffunctionalactivities.Eachgrouptobeprovidedwithawordtabletostructuretheiranalysisegorganisedbyfactorsascolumnsand‘keymomentsofchange’asrows.Tutortoreviewoutcomesandconfirm/developlearnerunderstanding.
IndividuallearnerstoapplyunderstandingtotheirownportfoliobusinessandtogatherevidenceforcriteriaM2. / •Completionofconcisereportonfactorsaffectingabusiness’sform
ofownershipandorganisationoffunctionalactivities(targetingall
PO1criteria,takingapproximately1hour) / •Writtencommunicationskillswhencompletingtheconcisereport
Researchskillswheninterpretingevidencefortheconcisereport
Learners,forprivatestudy,tocompleteaconcisereport,fortheirportfolio
business,usingevidencecollectedto
dateandaddressingallPO1criteria.Tutorscouldprovideawordtemplatetofacilitatethisieensuringthatallcriteriaareaddressedandthatevidenceiskeptasconciseaspossible.
3 / PO2–recruitment(all) / •Understandthemeaningofrecruitmentplanningandmethodsofrecruitment
•Beabletooutlinethemethodsofrecruitmentusedbybusinesses
•Understandhowbusinesscanmeasuretheeffectivenessofrecruitment
•Beabletoanalysetheeffectivenessofbusinesses’recruitments / Tutortoreviewprevioussessions.Inparticular,theimportanceofpeoplewithinbusinessandtheneedtomakethemostofhumanresources.Tutortooutlinethenature/purposeofPO2iethewaysinwhichabusinesscangainadvantagesoveritscompetitors(includingnot-for-profitbusinesses).
Tutortointroduceideaofrecruitmentplanning,linkingthisbacktotheissuesinvestigatedinPO1,andillustratingtheneedtoplanthroughtheexperiencesofoneofthebusinessescoveredinPO1.Thiscouldbefurtherillustratedbyusing cruitment-and-selection/workforce- planning.html.
Learners,workinginsmallgroups,toinvestigatemethodsofrecruitment,fromalistofmethodsprovidedbythetutor / •Completionofaconcisereportanalysingtheeffectivenessofthebusiness’s(choseninPO1)recruitmentmethods(targetingcriteriaP4andM3,taking
approximately1
hour) / •Writtencommunicationskillswhencompletingthebriefreport
(includingexamplesoftraditionalmethodsandlinkstoexamplesofonlinemethods).Focusoftheinvestigationshouldbeon:meaningofthemethodandadvantagesanddisadvantagesinrelationtorecruitingsuitablepersonnel.Tutortoconfirm/developunderstandingthroughwholeclassdiscussionoffindings.
Tutortoprovidelearnerswithrelevantqualitativeandquantitativeinformationinrespectoftheeffectivenessofabusiness’srecruitment.ThisinformationcouldbegatheredfromPLCannualreportsieKPIs.Wholeclassdiscussion
ofmeaningandrelevanceofinformation.
Tutortoconfirmlearnerunderstandingbyprovidingtwoorthreedatainterpretationexercises,tobecompletedindividually
bylearners.
Individuallearnerstoinvestigateeffectivenessoftheirportfoliobusiness’srecruitmentinadditiontothemethodsofrecruitmentusedforonemanagerialandonesupervisoryposition.
Learners,forprivatestudy,tocompleteaconcisereport,fortheirportfolio
business,outliningthemethodsand
analysingtheeffectivenessofthe
recruitmentmethods.Tutorscouldprovideawordtemplatetofacilitatethisieensuringthatallcriteriaareaddressedandthatevidenceiskeptasconciseaspossible.
2 / PO2–organisationaltypes(Mintzberg’sorganisationaltypes) / •UnderstandthedifferentorganisationaltypesoutlinedbyMintzberg
•Beabletodescribetheorganisationaltypeofbusinesses / Tutorstointroducetheconceptofanorganisationaltype.Twocontrastingcasestudiesshouldbeusedtofocusonthreedifferentorganisationaltypesegconsideringabusinesswithinthecreativeindustryasopposedtoasupermarketchain.The‘shape’ofan
organisationcouldthenbeillustratedwith
referencetothestrategicapex,middlelinemanagement,operationalcore,supportstaffandtechnostructureegusing
Learners,workinginsmallgroups,topractiseidentifyinginformationrelevanttotheorganisationaltypeofbusinesses
egbygatheringinformationondegreeof
standardisation,numberofdivisions,wheredecisionsaremadeetc.Eachgroupgivenadifferentbusinesstoinvestigatewiththerangeofbusinessescoveringdifferentorganisationaltypes.Groupstopresentconclusionsaboutorganisationaltype.Tutortoreview. / •EvidencecollectionforP5(takingapproximately
½anhour) / •Researchskillswhengatheringevidencefororganisationaltype
Learners,forprivatestudy,toinvestigatethepossibleorganisationaltypeoftheirportfoliobusinessbygatheringinformationrelevanttoitsorganisationalshape.
4 / PO2–organisationaltypes(theeffectiveness
ofabusiness’s
organisationaltype) / •Understandhowtoconsidertheeffectivenessofbusinesses’organisationaltypes
•Beabletoexplainhowtheorganisationaltypeofbusinesseshelpsthemtoexploitmarketopportunities,operateefficiently,motivatestafftoachievetheirvisionandaims
•Beabletoevaluatethesuitabilityofbusinesses’organisationaltypes / Usingthelearners’school/collegeasacontext,tutortosetupa‘re-engineering’exercisewherelearnersareinitiallygiventhechallengeofconsideringwhattheyseeasthemostappropriateorganisationaltypeforstateeducation,givenanumberofoptionstochoose
from(iefrommachinetoadhocracy)and
justifyingtheirchoice.
Tutortoreviewoutcomesandconsiderthethreefactorsofmarketopportunities,efficientoperationandstaffmotivationinthecontextoftwoofthebusinessesintroducedinPO1.Tutortoillustratetheideaofanorganisational‘healthcheck’whereeachfactorisconsideredagainstthecurrentorganisationaltypeandwaysinwhichmodifyingthetypeis/isnotdesirable.
Learners,toreviewunderstandingbyconsideringoneadditionalbusinessfromthoseintroducedinPO1andcarryingoutahealthcheck.
Learners,forprivatestudy,tocompletea / •Completionof
‘healthcheck’report,evaluatingthesuitabilityofthebusiness’s(choseninPO1)organisationaltype(targetingcriteriaP5,M4andD1,takingapproximately1and½hours) / •Writtencommunicationskillswhencompletingthe
‘healthcheck’
Researchskillswhengatheringandinterpretingevidenceforthe
‘healthcheck’
‘healthcheck’reportfortheirportfoliobusiness,usingevidencecollectedtodateandaddressingcriteriaP5,M4and
D1.Tutorscouldprovideawordtemplate
tofacilitatethisieensuringthatallcriteriaareaddressedandthatevidenceiskeptasconciseaspossible.
2 / PO2–competitiveadvantage(productioncosts,consumerbenefitsandUSP) / •Understandthemeaningofacompetitiveadvantageandhowabusinesscangainthisthroughaconsiderationofproductioncosts,consumerbenefitsanduniquesellingproposition(USP)
•Beabletooutlinewaysinwhichbusinessescouldgainacompetitiveadvantage / UsingtwoofthebusinessesintroducedinPO1,tutortoillustratetheideaofacompetitiveadvantagebyconsideringoperationalandmarketingbenefitsintermsof:operationalefficiency(costs)andconsumerbenefits(extenttowhichproductofferingsmeetconsumerneeds).Theimportanceofeachfactorcouldbedemonstratedusingeditednewsreportsfocusingonissuesfacedbyeachbusinessegincreasingprofitsor
decliningmarketsalesandhowaspects
ofcompetitiveadvantage(orlackof)contributedtotheseissues.IdeaofaUSPintroducedasawayofillustratingthedifficultyofbalancingcostandconsumerbenefitadvantages.
Learnerstocarryoutadditionalonlineresearchtoidentifycurrentstoriesonhowbusinesseshavegainedacompetitiveadvantage.Learnerstofeedbacktoclassandtutortoconfirmunderstanding. / •EvidencecollectionforP6(takingapproximately
½anhour) / •Researchskillswhengatheringevidenceforcompetitiveadvantage
Learners,forprivatestudy,toresearchthenatureofanycompetitiveadvantageheldbytheirownportfoliobusiness.
1 / PO2–competitiveadvantage(useoftrademarksandpatents) / •Understandthemeaningoftrademarksandpatents
•Understandhowtrademarksandpatentscanbeusedtoprotectacompetitiveadvantage / Tutortodefineandillustratemeaningoftrademarksandpatents,usingarangeofbusinesscontextstoillustratethis(notnecessarilythoseintroducedinPO1).
Learnerstoindividuallyresearchthetrademarksandpatentsheldbytheirownportfoliobusinesses.
WholeclassdiscussiononhowtheabilitytocreateanddeliverawinningUSPthatcouldbeprotectedthroughtheuseoftrademarksandpatents.
Learners,forprivatestudy,tocompleteanannotatedmindmapfortheirportfoliobusiness,illustratingthreewaysinwhichthebusinesscouldholdacompetitiveadvantage(addressingcriterionP6). / •Completionofanannotatedmind-mapillustratingwaysinwhich
thebusiness(choseninPO1)couldholdacompetitiveadvantage(targetingcriterionP6,takingapproximately
½anhour) / •Researchskillswheninterpretingevidenceforthemind-map
3 / PO2–competitiveadvantage(extenttowhicha
businessholds
acompetitiveadvantage) / •Understandandbeabletoanalysethefactorsaffectingtheabilityofbusinessestoholdacompetitiveadvantage
•Beabletoevaluatetheextenttowhichbusinesses / Tutortodevelopcasestudiesonthecompetitiveadvantagesheldbythetwobusinessesconsideredin‘PO2–competitiveadvantage(productioncosts,consumerbenefitsandUSP)’.Eachbusinessshouldbeplacedinthecontextofconsumerexpectations,producttechnology,operationstechnologyandcompetitorofferings.Thisstageofthe / •Completionofaconcisereport,referencingthemindmapabove,evaluatingtheextenttowhichthebusiness / •Writtencommunicationskillswhencompletingtheconcisereport
holdacompetitive
advantage / unitdeliveryactsasabridgetoPO3andprovidestheframeworkforlearnerstoaddressM5andD2.Assuch,learnersshouldbegivensufficienttimetodeveloptheirabilitytoanalysethefactors
affectingtheabilityofbusinessestoholdaneffectivecompetitiveadvantage.
Learners,workinginsmallgroups,to
takeontheroleofbusinessanalystsandtoevaluatetheextenttowhicheachofthetwobusinessesholdacompetitiveadvantage.Tutortoprovideananalyticalframeworkforthisegadiamondnineexerciseforeachgrouptoconsidertheimportanceoftheinformationwithineachcasestudy.Groupstofeedbacktoclassandtutortomoderatediscussions.
Intimeremaining,learnerstoindividuallyresearchtheextenttowhichhis/herportfoliobusinessholdsacompetitiveadvantage.Tutortoconfirmindividuallearnerunderstandingoftheanalyticalprocess.
Learners,forprivatestudy,tocompleteaconcisereport,fortheirportfolio
business,evaluatingtheextenttowhichthebusinessholdsacompetitiveadvantage(addressingcriteriaM5andD2).Tutorscouldprovideaword / (choseninPO1)
holdsacompetitiveadvantage(targetingcriteriaM5andD2,takingapproximately1hour)
templatetofacilitatethisieensuringthatallcriteriaareaddressedandthatevidenceiskeptasconciseaspossible.
LearnershandinAssignment1formarking.
3 / PO3–competitiveposition(marketshare,marketmapsandPorter’scompetitivepositionanalysis) / •Understandthemeaningandmeasurementofmarketshare
•Understandthemeaninganduseofmarketmaps
•UnderstandthemeaninganduseofPorter’scompetitivepositionanalysis
•Beabletooutlinethecompetitivepositionofbusinesses / Thisperformanceoutcomeisintendedtointroducelearnerstothedynamicbusinessenvironmentietodeveloptheirunderstandingandawarenessofthefluidnatureofcompetition.Learners’focus
willbeonthecompetitivepositionheld
bybusinesseswithinanindustry.Thefactorsdeterminingthiscutacrossfunctionalactivitiesandrequireanunderstandingofthebusinessorganisationasawhole.TheconceptscoveredinPO1andPO2areessentialandtutorsshouldreviewthesepriortodeliveringPO3.
Tutortointroducedefinitionsofmarketshareandcompetitiveposition,illustratedthroughthreeindustryexamples(perhapscoveringthebusinessesintroducedinPO1).Marketmapscould
beusedtoillustratethestructureofthese
industriesandthechoiceofaxesvaluesdiscussedwithlearners.
Tutortodeveloponeoftheindustrycontextstoillustratethemeaning, / •Completionofpage1ofthecompetitivepositionanalysistemplate(targetingcriterionP7,taking
approximately1
hour) / •Researchskillswhengatheringandinterpretingevidenceforthemind-map
purposeanduseofPorter’scompetitivepositionanalysis.Tutortoconsidertheimportanceofeachforceandhowtheyindividuallyaffecttheabilityofanybusinessintheindustrytoholdafavourablecompetitiveposition.
Learners,withintimeremaining,tobeginresearchingtheirportfoliobusiness’sindustrystructureusingafiveforcesframework.
LearnerstostartAssignment2and,forprivatestudy,tooutlinethecompetitivepositionoftheirportfoliobusinesswithinitsindustryusingthefiveforcesframework(addressingcriterionP7).
3 / PO3–competitiveposition(extenttowhicha
businesshasafavourablecompetitiveposition) / •Understandandbeabletoanalysethefactorsaffectingthecompetitivepositionofbusinesses
•Beabletoevaluatetheextenttowhichbusinessesholdfavourablecompetitivepositions / Tutortoreviewfiveforcesframeworkanddemonstratehowthiscanbeusedtoanalysetheoverallcompetitiveposition
ofabusiness–nowandinthefuture.
Tutortoprovideadditionalinformationononeotherindustryexampleandlearners,workinginsmallgroups,todeveloptheirabilitytousePorter’sframework.Learnerstoevaluatethecompetitivepositionsofindividualbusinesseswithintheindustry,usingthefiveforcesto
justifytheirviews.
Tutortoreviewoutcomesandassessthe / •Completionofpages2and3ofthecompetitivepositionanalysistemplate(targetingcriteriaM6andD3,takingapproximately1hour) / •ResearchskillswhengatheringandinterpretingevidenceforPorter’sfiveforces
•Writtencommunicationskillswhencompletingtheconcisereport
abilityoflearnerstoworkwiththefiveforcesframework.
Learners,intimeremaining,tocarryoutadditionalresearchfortheirportfoliobusiness,usingadiamondnineframework,toassessthesignificanceofeachPorterforceandhowthisrelatestotheirbusiness’scompetitiveposition.Tutortomonitorprogress,ensuringthatalllearnerscanaccessthecompetitiverivalryelementofthefiveforcesplustwootherelements.
Learners,forprivatestudy,tocompleteaconcisereportoftheextenttowhichtheirportfoliobusinesshasafavourablecompetitiveadvantage(addressingcriteriaM6andD3).
2 / PO3–managementpolicies(roleofmanagement
inimproving
competitiveposition) / •Understandtheroleofmanagementinimprovingthecompetitivepositionsofbusinesses
•Understandtherangeofmanagementpoliciesintendedtoimprovethecompetitivepositionofbusiness(usingaspectsofmarketing,operationsandhumanresources) / Usingbusinessesintroducepreviously,orbringinginnewcontextsifnecessary,tutortoillustratetheroleofmanagementinimprovingthecompetitivepositionoftheirbusinesses.Tutortooutlinethepurposeandnatureofthreetofourpoliciesandlearnerstoconsidertheirpotentialeffects.Thesepoliciesshouldcollectivelycoveraspectsofmarketing,operationsandhumanresources.
Tutortorevealactualoutcomesandlearnerstoconsiderfactorsthatmight / •EvidencecollectionforP8 / •Researchskillswhengatheringevidenceformanagementpolicies
haveaidedorhinderedtheeffectivenessofthepolicies.Tutortoconfirmunderstandingandreviewasnecessary
Learners,forprivatestudy,tocarryoutresearchintotheuseofmanagementpolicies,intendedtoimprovecompetitiveposition,withintheirportfoliobusiness.
4 / PO3–managementpolicies(managementpolicies) / •Beabletooutlinemanagementpoliciesintendedtoimprovethecompetitivepositionofbusinesses(usingaspectsofmarketing,operationsandhumanresources)
•Beabletoexplainhowmanagementpoliciescouldimprovethecompetitivepositionofbusinesses
•Beabletoevaluatetheextenttowhichmanagementpoliciesdidimprovethecompetitivepositionofbusinesses / Tutortoreviewprevioussession,confirmingeachlearner’sunderstandingandhis/heridentificationofmanagementpolicieswithintheportfoliobusiness.
Learners,workinginsmallgroups,todeveloptheirabilitytoevaluatetheextenttowhichmanagementpolicieshaveimprovedthecompetitiveposition
ofabusiness.Eachgrouppresentedwiththesamenewcontext,whichcontainscompetitiveposition,fiveforcesandmanagementpolicyinformation.Groupstoexplainhowthepolicycouldhaveimprovedcompetitiveposition.Groupsthenpresentedwithactualoutcomeandaskedtoevaluatetheextenttowhichthepolicyimprovedthecompetitiveposition
ofthebusiness,judgingfactorsthat
mighthaveinfluencedtheoutcomes(egusingadiamondnineframework).
Wholeclassdiscussionofoutcomeswithgroupsjustifyingtheirconclusionsand / •Completionofmanagementpoliciestemplate(targetingcriteriaP8,M7andD4,takingapproximately2hours) / •Writtencommunicationskillswhencompletingtheconcisereport
Researchskillswhengatheringandinterpretingevidencefortheconcisereport
tutorreviewingunderstandingofprocess.
IndividuallearnerstoreviewevidencegatheredtodateforP7,M6,D3andP8.Intimeremaining,individuallearnerstodecideonwhichtwomanagementpolicestheyintendtoinvestigatefortheirownportfoliobusinessandtocommenceresearchontheoutcomesofthesepolicies.
Learners,forprivatestudy,tocompleteaconcisereportevaluatingtheextenttowhichtwomanagementpoliciesimprovedthecompetitivepositionoftheir
portfoliobusiness(addressingcriteriaP8,
M7andD4).Tutorscouldprovideawordtemplatetofacilitatethisieensuringthatallcriteriaareaddressedandthatevidenceiskeptasconciseaspossible.
2 / PO4–internalbusinessstrengthsandweaknesses(ofabusiness’scompetitiveposition) / •Understandthemeaningofinternalbusinessstrengthsandweaknessesinrelationtocustomers,competitors,organisationaltype,operationalandfinancialresources
•Beabletodescribetheinternalstrengthsandweaknessesofbusinesses / TutortoreviewPO1,PO2andPO3priortocommencingPO4.Reviewtofocusonthedifferencebetweeninternalfactors(humanresources,operationalcapabilityandmarketingactivities)andexternalfactors(competitiveenvironmentandconsumertrends)affectingthefuturesuccessofanybusiness.
TutortointroducetheSWOTframework,usinganumberofexamples,stressingtheinternal/externalsplitandthewayin / •EvidencecollectionforP9 / •Researchskillswhengatheringandcollatingexistingevidencetocreatethestrengthsandweaknessestable
whichinternalstrengths/weaknessesfocusoncurrentcapabilitieswhilstexternalopportunities/threatsfocusonfuturepossibilities.
Learners,workinginsmallgroups,giventwoSWOTexercisesfocussingonestablishinginternalstrengthsandweaknesses.Eachgroupshouldbe
givenafullSWOTtabletemplateforboth
exercisesbutonlyaskedtocompletetheSWsections.Tutortoreviewoutcomesandensurethatlearnersunderstandtheinternalnatureofstrengthsandweaknesses.
Individuallearnerstoreviewalloftheirportfolioresearchandevidencetodateinordertoidentifypotentialinformationforthestrengthsandweaknessesoftheirportfoliobusiness.
2 / PO4–internalbusinessstrengthsandweaknesses(identifyingkeystrengthsandweaknessesaffectingbusinessperformance) / •Beabletoexplainhowinternalstrengthsandweaknessesaffectbusinessperformance
•Beabletoevaluatethesignificanceoftheinternalstrengthsandweaknessesforbusinessperformance / Tutortoconsidereachoftheinternalstrength/weaknessareas(customers,competitors,organisationaltypeandresources)inturn,outlininghowpositiveandnegativeaspectsaffectbusinessperformance.Ineachcase,thisshouldbeillustratedusingrealbusinessscenarios(egTesco,Apple,MS,TalkTalketc).
Individuallearnerstoreviewtheir / •Completionofstrengthsandweaknessestemplate(targetingcriteriaP9,M8andD5,takingapproximately1hour) / •Researchskillswhenanalysingexistingevidencetocompletethestrengthsandweaknessestable
completedSWsectionsfromtheirSWOTtablefortheirportfoliobusinessandtoconsiderthewaysinwhichtheseSWaffecttheperformanceoftheirbusiness,linkingtoevidencewithinprevioussectionsoftheirportfolio(iefromPO1,PO2andPO3)tosupportpossibleexplanationsandevaluationofsignificance.TutorcouldprovideawordtemplatetofacilitatethisprocessegStrength/Weaknessasfirstcolumn,briefnotesonhowthismightaffectperformanceassecondcolumnandreferencetopriorportfolioevidenceasthirdcolumn.
TutortoreviewindividuallearnerpositioninrelationtohavinggatheredsufficientevidencetosupportcompletionofcriteriaM8andD5.Learnertoidentifygapsandidentifynecessaryadditionalresearch.
Learners,forprivatestudy,tocompleteaconcisecommentaryonthestrengths
andweaknessesoftheirportfolio
business,evaluatingthesignificanceoftheSWsfortheperformanceofthebusiness(addressingcriteriaP9,M8andD5).
3 / PO4–externalbusinessopportunities / •Understandthemeaningofexternalbusiness / Tutortooutlinemeaningofexternalopportunitiesandthreats,explaininghowtheirimportanceispartlydeterminedby / •Completionofanexternal / •Datapresentationskillswhen
andthreats / opportunitiesandthreats
•Understandthemeaningofexternalenvironmentforces:economic,technological,socialandethical
•Beabletocollectandcollatedatarelevanttotheexternalenvironmentforcesofbusinesses / thenatureofabusiness’sinternalstrengthsandweaknesses.Tutortoprovidetwoorthreeexamplesofthis(egwhenanorganisationaltypehelpedtosupporttheexploitationofanopportunity).
Tutortooutlinethenatureofthebusinessexternalenvironment,
restrictingthistoeconomic,technological
andsocial/ethical.Inrespectofeconomicdata,tutorswillprobablyneedtorunaworkshopsessionontheirinterpretation.Ingeneral,tutorswillalsoneedtooutlinethewaysinwhicheconomictrendscanimpactonbusinessesbutthiscanberestrictedtokeyvariablessuchasemploymentandincomes.
Learners,workinginsmallgroups,topracticeinterpretationofexternalenvironmentdatausinganumberofsuccinctdataitems.Wholeclassdiscussionandtutortoreviewlearnerunderstanding.
Learners,forprivatestudy,tocreateanexternalenvironmentforcesfolder,analysingtheinformationtoidentifypossibleopportunitiesandthreatsfacedbytheirportfoliobusiness(targetingcriterionP10andM9(part)).Scopeof / environment
forcesfolder(targetingcriterionP10andM9(part),taking
approximately1
hour) / creatingthe
folder
•Researchskillswhengatheringdataforthefolder
foldertobedeterminedthroughstretchandchallenge.
2 / PO4–externalbusinessopportunitiesandthreats(businesspotential
basedona
considerationofitsopportunitiesandthreats) / •Beabletoanalyseexternalenvironmentdatatoidentifypossibleopportunitiesandthreatsfacedbybusinessesandevaluatebusinesspotentialconsideringthese / Learnerstoindividuallyreviewallexistingportfolioevidence,includingtheexternalenvironmentforcesfolder,priortoidentifyingopportunitiesandthreats.
LearnerstoanalyseexternalenvironmentdatatoidentifypossibleopportunitiesandthreatsfortheirportfoliobusinessandtocompleteSWOTtable.
Learnerstoensurethatevidenceiscrosstabulatedtopriorportfolioevidence.
Tutortomonitorintermsofprocessiethatlearnerhasattemptedtodothis.
Learner,forprivatestudy,tocompleteaconcisecommentaryevaluatingthepotentialoftheportfoliobusiness(addressingcriteriaM9andD6).
LearnerstohandinAssignment2formarking. / •Completionofbusinesspotentialtemplate
(targetingcriteria
M9(part)andD6,takingapproximately1anhour) / •Dataanalysisskillswhenusingthefoldertoidentifyopportunitiesandthreats