4 LO3 AC 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 The learner must produce a draft of a trade journal article in an appropriate format. The article should be aimed at business owners and managers. The article should focus on a review of the key issues for businesses operating internationally, i.e. globalization, the increase in multi-national corporations (MNCs), international trade policies and agreements, developments in ICT which change the nature of time and distance, and explain the impact of these issues on businesses (e.g. increased competition, consumer choice and the need for market innovation). The learner work must identify strategies to address the issues raised in the review.

3 LO4 AC 4.1, 4.2 In the work for the booklet, the learner must state the named country. The contents of the booklet will focus on a review and a possible tool which could be used is PESTLE. The review should consider a range of information and examples should be used to illustrate how the environment is impacting on different organisations, both favourably and unfavourably. The review must identify the issues which organisations are facing. The learner will then need to produce realistic strategies to address the identified issues and these should be fully explained.

2 LO2 AC 2.1, 2.2 The learner must provide a hand out in the style of a set of FAQs (frequently asked questions) to accompany the presentation, which underpins their understanding of the impact of external factors on organisations. The evidence provided by the learner should be comprehensive but also focus on the performance of an identified national economy and how this impacts on business organisations. The FAQs should examine key economic and political influences within the contemporary business climate that shape an organisation’s operations. An explanation of terminology (e.g. GNP, inflation rates, national debt, fiscal and monetary policy) should be part of the FAQs.

The presentation and notes should also assess the responsibilities that organisations have to a range of stakeholders, providing specific examples of stakeholder needs and possible conflicts between different stakeholders. Examples of organizational stakeholders and different needs should be drawn from an international perspective and learners must consider the ethical issues surrounding global business operations. The learner should also evaluate key functional strategies and how these strategies should take account of global differences. For example, how an organisation’s human resource policies may be shaped by global cultural, legal and ethical differences between nations.

Guideline for assessors The assignment submitted by learners must achieve the learning outcomes and meet the standards specified by the assessment criteria for the unit. The suggested evidence below is how learners can demonstrate that they have met the required standard. The learner must produce an informative presentation on Powerpoint or similar presentation software. This should be accompanied by a set of notes which demonstrates the learner’s understanding of key differences between global business operations. The presentation and notes should clearly analyse, using a wide range of examples of the sectors in which organisations function. In addition the analysis must also consider the key differences between a range of organisations in terms of nature, scale, structure and legal status. Examples of each of the different types of business operation should be drawn from local, national and international dimensions and the differences between organisations, in these contexts should be clearly highlighted.