Reference no: EM132651363

Unit 01: Research and Academic Writing

LO 1 Understand the use of different sources of information and research formulation.

LO 2 Be able to conduct a basic literature review.

LO 3 Be able to evaluate research and data collection methods.

LO 4 Be able to produce academic work applying the Harvard Referencing system.

LO 5 Be able to use techniques for independent learning, self- study and evaluation of own academic work.

Task 1 - Literature Review

Instructions

Using different sources of information (e.g. journal articles, books, newspapers or website), review the literature around the topic of your choice.

When reviewing the literature, please ensure that you do proper citation and referencing to avoid plagiarism following the Harvard Referencing System. You should have a reference list at the end of your literature review.

Task 2 of 2 - Research Proposal Presentation

Instructions

After conducting your literature review, you are required to present a research proposal explaining the aim and objectives of your research as well as explaining which method is appropriate for your research, and why the other methods were not suitable.

You should also discuss the challenges you have/will face during your research, in particular focus on the importance of being self-motivated and learning on your own.

The presentation should include:
• An explanation of your subject area, aim, objectives and questions
• Your research methodology
• The challenges you are likely to face in your research
• Reflections on your learning techniques to complete the research project.

Unit 02: Business Environment

1 Understand business organisations, their purpose and stakeholders.

2 Understand the economic implications of operating businesses.

3 Understand business market environments.

4 Understand the effects of Global Markets and the need for organisations to operate globally.

Scenario
You landed a job as a Junior Analyst working for the UK Government. Having been recently recruited, your manager wants to gauge how much you know before creating a tailor-made training plan for you.

He has asked you to prepare a portfolio with the main concepts in economy.

Task 1 - Portfolio (All LOs)

Instructions

You should create a portfolio with the following details
a. A table differentiating the purpose of public and private sector organisations
b. A general mind map showing the main stakeholders of an organisation and their objectives, including government, regulatory bodies, competition, etc.
c. A table showing the impact of fiscal policies and monetary policies on businesses
d. A table showing how resources are allocated in a Capitalist, a Mixed and a Socialist economy
e. A diagram showing the impact of supply and demand on the market
f. A diagram explaining Michael Porter's forces
g. A table explaining the effect of market decision (Good/service, cost, distribution, promotion) on business policies
h. A table showing the impact of various element of culture on business
i. A graph showing the value of international market to UK business over the last 70 years
j. A diagram showing the global factors on UK business
k. A diagram showing the impact of EU policies on UK business

Unit 03: Introduction to Business Communication

1 Understand the principles which govern communication in business situations.

2 Be able to compose common types of written communication.

3 Understand the principles of oral and non-verbal communication

4 Understand common barriers to communication and how they are overcome.

5 Understand the role of technology in business communication.

Scenario
You are working in the Human Resource Department of Wheelie, a small company producing wheelie bins. Due to some recent sales failures due to poor communication and data confidentiality being breached, the company director has asked you to educate the managers and staff about the importance of communication.

Task 1 - Email Newsletter

Instructions

Your first task is to send a Newsletter to all staff regarding the purpose of communication and what medium to adopt depending on the situation. Your newsletter should contain:
• An article explanation of the aims of communication, with 3 examples to illustrate different aims.
• A diagram showing the communication process with a legend describing the barriers to communication, being from the sender, the receiver or both.
• A diagram showing a simple communication model within an organisation. Comment on how the relationship between the managers and staff communication.

Task 2 - Email Newsletter

Instructions

Your 2nd issue of the newsletter should focus on the forms of communication and should include
• An article discussing the forms of communication - You should provide 3 examples of the different communication mediums for different situations within an organisation
• An article on face-to-face communication, focusing on how to communicate effectively and discussing the role of both physical appearance and body language
• An article focusing on written communication, differentiating between formal (report, letters to clients, etc.) and informal (emails, newsletters, etc.) with tips to make them more effectives

Task 3 - Email Newsletter

Instructions

Whilst the tone of the 2 newsletters should be made light, you are also asked to create a memo with a formal policy regarding the use of IT. The memo should contain both the policy and some tips about data security. The memo should be constructed as follow:
• A short introduction
• The policy itself - it should contain:
o An introduction discussing the components of computers and the uses of computers for communication (including emails, chat, video conference and VoIP)
o The requirements regarding data protection and confidentiality
• The tips to complement the policy should include possible threats (such as data theft, virus and hacking) and how to prevent them.

Unit 04: Introduction to Quantitative Methods

1 Understand the rules of numeracy.

2 Be able to make and apply calculations relevant to business.

3 Be able to use algebraic methods to solve business problems.

4 Be able to construct and use graphs, charts and diagrams in a business context.

5 Be able to apply statistical methods to provide business and management information

6 Be able to apply the laws of probability to find solutions to business problems.

Scenario
You are about to enter the workforce as a consultant for PRT Consulting. As part of the assessment and exercise, you were given problems to answer and then later submit your answer to your team leader.

Task 1 - Numeracy Assessment and Exerc ise (all LOs)

Instructions

The assessment aims to gauge your numeracy and analytical skills which can be vital in your work as a consultant. You need to answer all the questions. The result of the assessment or exercise can be the basis of the management on the type of training that you will undergo before you can start as a full pledge consultant at PRT Consulting.

Question 1
The following table shows the revenue and expenses of DYI Stores Ltd, a high street chain selling DYI goods.

a. Complete the above table
b. What is the likely profit for 2016? Express your results in standard form
c. Based on the above table, explain the law of probability and calculate is the likelihood of your actual profits being higher than the budgeted profits.

Question 2

Part 1
John sells pushchairs on eBay. He buys the pushchair from China at a wholesale price of £350 and resells them for £450. He also needs to store them before they are buying dispatched so he rented a garage space for £800 a month
a. What is the equation to calculate the profit?
b. How many pushchairs does John need to sell to break even?
c. If John were to sell 23 pushchairs, what would be his profit/loss?

Part 2
Hector has a £1 shop. Everything he sells is sold for £1 and everything he buys cost £0.90. The rent for the store is £2000 a month.
d. What is the equation to calculate the profit?
e. How many items does hector need to sell to break even?
f. If Hector were to sell 15,000 items, what would be his profit/loss

Question 3

Part 1
Mary sells T-shirts in a stall at the shopping centre. When she charges £15 per T-shirt she does not sell anything, however she noticed that every time she reduces the selling prince by £1, sells 15 more t-shirts per hour. A T-shirt cost £4.50 to make and she is charged £130 a day for her stall. Mary opens her stall from 10am to 8pm
a. Write the equation to calculate the maximum profit
b. Using the equation write in a table the price and profit for price ranging from £15 to £3
c. Plot a graph and draw a diagram to represent the profit
d. What is the maximum possible profit? What should be the selling price to achieve it?

Part 2
Lisa sells cherries on the market. On her first day, she charges £4 per punnet and sold 20 punnets. On her second day, she charged £3 per punnets and sold 60. On her third day, she charged £2 and sold 100 and when she charged £1 she sold 140 punnets. She thinks there is a relationship between price and quantity sold and asked you for your help. She told you that she buys the cherries for £0.65 and the stall cost her £60 a day. She also said that she would not mind charging £1.50 or £2.50 but she would not charge £1.75 or £2.25 as it is not practical.
a. Use a table to show the relationship between price and profit/loss
b. Draw a diagram to represent price and profit/loss
c. What is the optimal selling price?

Unit 05: Introduction to Business Functions

1 Understand business objectives, accountability for them, and how they are resourced

2 Understand the structure and classification of businesses.

3 Understand factors that influence the production process.

4 Be able to articulate the elements of the marketing process including strategy, planning and research.

5 Understand accounting concepts and sources of finance for business.

6 Understand factors involved in workforce planning and the importance of motivation.

Scenario
You are a junior analyst for Analysation.

Task 1 - Word Portfolio

Instructions

Select an organisation for which you can find details and information easily and perform the following task:
1. Explain the various resources required by a business to function effectively.
2. Explain the different sectors of the economy, and state which sector your organisation falls under.
3. Summarise the main types of legal structure, and explain which one is used by your chosen organisation
4. Copy the Business Objectives of the organisation and underline key business terms You should then explain what those business terms mean
5. Create a table identifying the main stakeholders, their expectations and accountabilities
6. Create a mind map of the resources required by the organisation
7. An explanation of the concept of "Assets = Liabilities + Equity" and explain what a budget is
8. A table describing 3 ways to finance a business, including their advantages and disadvantages

Task 2 - Factors affecting Production and Workforce Planning

Instructions
1. Draw a diagram showing the concept of economy and diseconomy of scales
2. Explain various factors that influence the selection of location for a business.
3. Discuss how effective motivation and workforce planning helps businesses manage labour turnover.

Task 3 - Presentation

Instructions

You are required to make a presentation with the following:
1. An introduction providing an explanation of the key marketing term, including but not limited to: market segmentation, Product Life Cycle, marketing, mass market, niche market, Unique Selling points, etc.
2. A table explaining the type of market research
3. Draw and explain a flow chart showing the marketing strategy to follow depending on objectives, resources and market possibilities

Unit 06: Introduction to Finance

1 Understand sources of finance available to a business.

2 Understand finance as a resource within a business.

3 Be able to make financial decisions based on financial information.

4 Be able to assess the financial performance of a business.

Task 1

Scenario

A friend of yours is eager to start his business (a Florist). Your friend has saved £10,000 but knows that a minimum of £30,000 is needed to start the business.

Instructions

You are to give advice to your friend regarding possible financial sources to raise the remaining
£20,000.00 and explain what consequences will each option bring in terms of control and in terms of financial cost as well as the effect on the balance sheet, ultimately recommending one or 2 methods.

You should also explain to your friend that in order to obtain the necessary funds, the stakeholder (e.g. bank, investors, etc.) will need some information before releasing the fund, and explain to your friend what each stakeholder will need. Discuss also the importance of financial planning to ensure that the funds are properly utilise in the business.

You should make a table/notes for your friend to understand the options better.

Task 2
Instructions Scenario
Mr. Neil Down owner of WoodyTrain, a toy store specialising in handcraft wooden train toys. Mr Neil wants to raise £20,000 by getting a new partner. He has prepared an income statement put together with his last budget to your attention as you expressed interest in being Mr. Down's partner.

Instructions

1. What poor decision(s) did Mr Down take?
2. Which line(s) should be changed for the following budget?
3. Knowing that the selling price of 1 train set is £15, what was the unit cost per train set
4. Given that Melissa and Doug makes a gross profit of £12.40 and a net profit of £1.20 per unit sold, what do you make of Mr. Down's results?
5. Knowing that it was Mr. Down's second year in business and that he started with a capital of
£20,000 and made a Revenue of £212,460.00 and a loss of £5,870.45 on his first year, would you invest? Why/Why not?
6. What other financial statements would you need to see before making a decision? What would these documents tell you?

Attachment:- Assignment Briefs.rar