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2016 Guide to the Higher Course Assignment Business Management Name

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Page 1: Business Management -   · PDF fileHigher Course Assignment Page 2 Business Management Assignment The assignment is worth 30 marks. The marks contribute 30% of the overall marks

2016

Guide to the

Higher Course

Assignment

Business Management

Name

Page 2: Business Management -   · PDF fileHigher Course Assignment Page 2 Business Management Assignment The assignment is worth 30 marks. The marks contribute 30% of the overall marks

Higher Course Assignment Page 2

Business Management Assignment The assignment is worth 30 marks. The marks contribute 30% of the overall marks for the Course assessment. The Course will be graded A-D. Marks for the completed assignment will be awarded as follows: Introduction 3 marks Research 4 marks Analysis and interpretation 12 marks Conclusions and recommendations 8 marks Collating and reporting findings 3 marks The assignment has 2 stages: Planning and gathering evidence – this should take 6.5 hours Producing the Report – this should take 1.5 hours The Report should be word processed in 1.5 line spacing. It should not exceed 10 pages – up to 6 pages for the report and 4 pages for appendices. While you are producing your report you are permitted to access any/all of your research evidence. You must make reference to the research evidence submitted as an appendix to your report. This will support the analysis/interpretation and conclusions/ recommendations section of your Report. Referencing your research evidence will give you a better opportunity to achieve the maximum marks available for these sections. The purpose of this assignment is to allow you to work independently to demonstrate your planning , research, use of sources, analysis and decision making. You will use these skills to produce your Report. The following pages will give you Step-by-Step details on how to proceed with your Report.

Page 3: Business Management -   · PDF fileHigher Course Assignment Page 2 Business Management Assignment The assignment is worth 30 marks. The marks contribute 30% of the overall marks

Higher Course Assignment Page 3

Choose a business/organisation and identify an issue/problem or area (such as the Marketing Mix) that you wish to base your investigation and conclusions or recommendations on. This is the crucial stage and your whole Assignment will rest on choosing an appropriate business. Choose from:

Private limited company

Public limited company

Charity

Social Enterprise

Local or National Government Organisation Decide on some aspect of the business to report on. At this point you should do some background research to see if there is data available that links your business with the topic. If not change the business, or the topic or both! Suggested topics:

Pricing strategies

Marketing Mix

Benefits of social responsibility

Quality measures to be adopted to ensure customer satisfaction

Sources of finance to support expansion

Developing product/service ranges

Mergers or takeovers

Examples of aspects to report on:

Introduction of new clothing line at Lidl

How can Marks & Spencer improve their profitability

How could Tesco deal with the effect of budget supermarkets such as Aldi and

Lidl

Improving the Corporate Social Responsibility of Primark

The effect of the slow introduction of on-line selling at Morrisons

Step 1

Step 2

Page 4: Business Management -   · PDF fileHigher Course Assignment Page 2 Business Management Assignment The assignment is worth 30 marks. The marks contribute 30% of the overall marks

Higher Course Assignment Page 4

Choose a business analytical tool that will be most suitable for your chosen issue. An analytical tool is a formal process used by business to gather data, draw conclusions and then make recommendations from. Examples of analytical tools are:

PESTEC

SWOT

Production processes

Ratio analysis

Workforce planning

Quality measures analysis

Product life cycle extensions strategies analysis

Product portfolio analysis Choose a business analytical technique that fits in with the purpose of your report. You will have to explain what the technique shows and how it fits in with the purpose of the issue chosen, so make sure you can do this. Your choice of analytical technique can also influence how many conclusions and recommendations you are able to make.

Decide on the sources of information you will need to use and how you will collect that information. Explain:

Why you selected the sources:

Why the information you found would be of use in terms of your report

The credibility of the source

Examples of issues/analytical techniques could include:

How effective is the product portfolio of xxxx?

A SWOT analysis of xxxx to assess its current position.

The product extension strategies used by xxx to maintain/increase its market

share of xxxx.( a product).

What quality measures should xxxx use to maintain/increase customer

satisfaction?

Step 3

Step 4

Page 5: Business Management -   · PDF fileHigher Course Assignment Page 2 Business Management Assignment The assignment is worth 30 marks. The marks contribute 30% of the overall marks

Higher Course Assignment Page 5

Sources:

Interviews Questionnaires

Websites Newspapers

Magazines Visiting Speakers

Social Media

This could be displayed in a table eg:

Research method

Purpose Value

Do not just use words like “reliable, relevant, up-to-date, objective, accurate, biased”. Link directly to your investigation and say WHY in this case it was eg relevant or accurate or up-to-date etc. Example: The first source I used was the business website (state website address). The reason I chose this source was that it was reliable because the information is provided by the organisation. I used the website to gather details of the range of products that Company X has for sale, to help me identify the extent of their product portfolio. The information was accurate as it is constantly updated by the company and it provided me with the latest prices. However, some information about the business may be biased such as the “price promise” in order to attract potential customers. I used was the BBC news site (state website address). I chose this website because it contained information about the economy and effects of the recession on businesses. I gathered statistics and graphs to show the number of businesses that went bankrupt during the last 5 years. This is relevant to my investigation on “recession”. The BBC news site is reliable, unbiased and updated regularly, the information is generated by journalists who are employed by the BBC to be impartial. You will need to analyse and interpret the research sources and the information gathered. You should report on your findings in relation to the issue you are investigating, and the analytical tool you are using. Your findings should be in-depth and comprehensive. It will add weight to your findings if different sources support the same conclusion. The examples below are not linked to the same topic/aspect - they provide you with a variety of examples: From my research source (business website) I found that the pricing strategies used varied from one season of the year to another according to customer demand for the product. For example, in the summer there is demand for cold drinks and ice-cream, therefore these products were not selected for promotional pricing strategies. From my research source (survey/questionnaire) I found that: 55% of the customers had complained in the last 3 months 30% of the customers had complained in the last 2 months 15% of the customers had complained in the last month

Step 5

Page 6: Business Management -   · PDF fileHigher Course Assignment Page 2 Business Management Assignment The assignment is worth 30 marks. The marks contribute 30% of the overall marks

Higher Course Assignment Page 6

55% 30%

15%

Customer Complaints

3 months

2 months

1 month

This is shown clearly in the pie chart and indicates that the business is not meeting their customer needs. The business must address the issues they are complaining about quickly in order to restore customer confidence in the business. From my research source (newspaper article) I found that the PESTEC factors on the decline in holidays taken in the UK were:

Political The Government had decreased the rate of income tax increasing disposable income

Economic Unemployment figures showed a decrease of x%

Social More people go on holiday abroad at least once a year

Technology Increase in use of on-line holiday bookings and reference to websites such as Trip Advisor to find deals

Environmental The last 2 summers have been the wettest on record in the UK, encouraging people to book foreign holidays

Competition There is a lot of choice in terms of tour companies and prices are very competitive

Suggestion of phrases which can be used to demonstrate that you have analysed and interpreted your findings: I noticed that the business … this therefore means that … It was clear from the table/graphic on the website that … From the feedback page on the website I found that customers said/stated … this means that … My survey results show that x% of respondents are unhappy … this means that the business will have to … The article in the newspaper proves that … Overall my evidence shows that … I am confident that these figures mean that … Identify conclusions and recommendations based on your evidence and the analysis you have undertaken. These should relate to the overall purpose of the report but also how they might meet the needs of the internal or external stakeholders.

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Page 7: Business Management -   · PDF fileHigher Course Assignment Page 2 Business Management Assignment The assignment is worth 30 marks. The marks contribute 30% of the overall marks

Higher Course Assignment Page 7

Examples of phrases you could use:

I have come to the conclusion that Business X should … I suggest that the business does … Summing up my evidence, the conclusions I can make are … I would recommend that the business does the following … The business should think about introducing … The course of action the business should now take is to … The business should offer … ***Important: Each conclusion or recommendation MUST be based on your evidence and have a justification or explanation of the effect it will have, for example: Based on the findings from the business website I suggest that the business conducts training for its employees on customer service. This should mean that the number of complaints are reduced and the customers will be happy to return and shop there again. The course of action that the business should now take is to expand their product range to appeal to a younger market segment. This will address the lack of sales to customer in this particular target market. I recommend that the business employs more staff in the production department to carry out quality assurance. An increase in quality assurance checks will mean that problems are identified before the products are passed on to the consumer and this will reduce the need to recall faulty products.

Your assignment should be arranged as follows: Title Page – containing the name of the organisation (picture/logo/slogan). Your name and centre Introduction Research Analysis and Interpretation Conclusions and Recommendations Appendix Include graphs, charts tables, statistics and images to enhance the quality and presentation of the report. There should be no more than 4 Appendices. They can include notes, pictures, tables, graphs, charts, questionnaires, lists of websites, books and articles. Make sure that you reference the appendices so that it is clear what research you are referring to.

Step 7

Page 8: Business Management -   · PDF fileHigher Course Assignment Page 2 Business Management Assignment The assignment is worth 30 marks. The marks contribute 30% of the overall marks

Higher Course Assignment Page 8

BEFORE HANDING IN YOUR REPORT

Have you covered the following? Introduction (3 marks) State the aim of the report. Provide details of the analytical technique used. Justify the use of the technique. Refer to the appendix containing the technique.

Research (4 marks) Provide at least 2 sources of information. Primary or secondary or both. The information must be relevant and valuable to gain marks. Remember to make the value of the information relevant to your situation.

Analysis and Interpretation (12 marks) Marks will be credited for each interpretation you make but it must be linked to the market research or the analytical technique used. You will be awarded marks even if you state your research was inconclusive, as long as it is justified.

Conclusions and Recommendations (8 marks) One mark will be given per conclusion and/or recommendation that is directly linked to the research undertaken. You must make the link clear.

Appendix 1 – Setting the Scene Provide a brief summary of the business Give a short description of the activities the organisation is engaged in, along with a statement of the business structure and type

Appendix 2 – Analytical Tool Include details of the analytical tool used. Eg SWOT, PESTEC etc

Appendix 3 – Research Include details of research gathered eg Questionnaire, Website, Interview

Appendix 4 – Optional You may wish to include a further appendix

Collating and Reporting (3 marks) One mark will be awarded for the use of appropriate headings One mark will be awarded for the use of business terminology correctly applied One mark will be awarded for a report of appropriate length

Checked it fits on 10 pages (including appendices)

Used business terminology

Spellchecked

Attached appendices

Included your name school (this can be included in a footer)