WJEC/Edexcel/CBAC Principal Learning in Business, Administration

WJEC/Edexcel/CBAC Principal Learning in Business, Administration & Finance (Wales) Level 3

PRINCIPAL LEARNING IN BUSINESS AND FINANCE LEVEL 3 PAGE 2

Contents Page 1. Introduction to Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification 3 1.1 Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification Core

Essential Skills Wales and Wider Key Skills ˆ Wales, Europe and the World, including the Language Module Personal and Social education, including Community Participation Individual Investigation Work related Education including work experience and an enterprise activity.

1.2 Welsh Baccalaureate Options

GCSE/A Level Vocational Qualifications Principal Learning & Project

2. Structure and Aims of Principal Learning in Business, Administration

and Finance (Wales) 5 3. Unit Format 6 4. Assessment and Grading of Principal Learning 8

Internal Assessment External Assessment Calculation of Principal Learning Grades

5. Programme Design and Delivery 11

Mode of Study Applied Learning Delivery of Applied Learning Resources

6. Essential Skills Wales and Wider Key Skills 14 7. Unit Specifications 15 8. Access & Recruitment 267 9. Further Information 268 Useful Publications 10. Professional Development and Training 269 11. List of Annexes 270


1 INTRODUCTION TO WELSH BACCALAUREATE QUALIFICATION

The Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification is an umbrella qualification that enables learners to access the breadth and depth of a flexible curriculum, which includes a core curriculum and a flexible Options menu. The qualification is offered at three levels: Foundation at Level 1, Intermediate at Level 2 and Advanced at Level 3. Learners will achieve the Welsh Baccalaureate Core Certificate at Foundation, Intermediate or Advanced levels providing that they satisfy the core curriculum requirements. Learners who achieve the Welsh Baccalaureate Core Certificate and Options requirements at the relevant levels, will be awarded the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced, Intermediate or Foundation Diplomas. The components of the Core are: • Essential Skills Wales (ESW) and Wider Key Skills (WKS). These skills are

embedded in each candidate’s programme, by design in the Core components and within specific Essential Skills Wales and Wider Key Skills programmes, and through careful signposting in the Options, leading to assessment opportunities.

• Wales, Europe and the World (WEW), in which the focus is on political, economic, social and cultural issues and sets them in the context of Wales, Europe (including the UK) and the world. This component includes a Language Module.

• Work-related Education (WRE), which enhances understanding of the world of work, the importance of enterprise and entrepreneurship and contributes to Careers Education and Guidance (CEG). There is a requirement that all candidates will work with an employer and contribute to a team enterprise activity.

• Personal and Social Education (PSE), which includes equal opportunities, social inclusion, and sustainable development and will promote active citizenship and good health. There is a community participation element for all candidates.

• The Individual Investigation provides an opportunity for candidates to investigate an area of interest in more detail. The issue investigated may relate to the WBQ Core or candidates’ Options. Through undertaking the investigation, candidates can develop their skills of enquiry, creative thinking, reasoning, information processing, presentation and evaluation.

The Option elements can be satisfied through a range of choices at the required level as demonstrated in the following:


THE WELSH BACCALAUREATE ADVANCED DIPLOMA

Core Certificate Options 1. Attain certification in three

Essential Skills Wales/Key Skills at level 3 one of which must be Communication, Application of Number or ICT, together with the other ESW/Key Skills at level 2.

2. Attain level 3 for an Individual Investigation arising from an aspect of the Core (20 hours).

Candidates choosing the Project qualification in the options will not be required to undertake the Individual Investigation, provided the Extended Project also meets WBQ requirements.

3. Show satisfactory completion of the curriculum requirements of the Core as detailed below. The hours are notional.

i) Wales, Europe and the

World (WEW) - 60 hours on four elements covering political, social, economic and cultural issues and a 20 hour Language Module.

ii) 30 hours of a 'Team

Enterprise Activity'. iii) Personal and Social

Education (PSE) - 30 hours and 30 hours of 'Community Participation'.

iv) Work-related Education

(WRE) - 30 hours of 'Working with an Employer'

A maximum of three qualifications at Level 3 which total:

• 720 GLH or

• 108 credits or

• 100% of the Level 3 threshold or

• Principal Learning (Level 3) 50% as a minimum must be applied learning. Principal learning: (a) is sector related, focusing on

developing and applying knowledge and skills relevant to the sector;

(b) will place an emphasis on

learning by doing and include 270GLH that is concerned with the application of knowledge and skills through relevant work and work-related tasks.

(c) will, as appropriate to line of

learning and level, provide opportunities to generate evidence to enable the required key skills in the core to be assessed.

and Extended Project Qualification (Level 3). Note: Extended Project Qualification Candidates choosing qualifications other than Principal Learning may also choose the project qualification.

As appropriate, elements of the core may be achieved through the Options.

Further information about the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification can be found on the Welsh Baccalaureate web site:

http://www.wbq.org.uk/home


2 STRUCTURE AND AIMS OF PRINCIPAL LEARNING IN BUSINESS, ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE (WALES)

This specification contains the WJEC/Edexcel Level 3 Principal Learning in Business, Administration and Finance (Wales). The WJEC/Edexcel Level 3 Principal Learning in Business, Administration and Finance (Wales) aims to: • allow learners to develop a range of skills that will be useful both in the workplace

and for future learning • provide learners with detailed business knowledge that will help to enter the

workplace • be practical and motivating, allowing learners to apply knowledge and skills in

relevant meaningful learning and assessment activities • provide learners with the skills and theoretical knowledge to progress into higher

education • promote the development of personal, learning and thinking skills.

WJEC/Edexcel Level 3 Principal Learning in Error! Reference source

not found. (Wales) All units are compulsory.

Unit number Title GLH Assessment

1 Business Enterprise (Wales) 90 Internal

2 Business Administration and Events (Wales) 60 Internal

3 Personal Finance and Financial Services (Wales) 60 External

4 Business Finance and Accounting (Wales) 60 External

5 Marketing and Sales in Business (Wales) 60 Internal

6 Customer Service in Business (Wales) 60 Internal

7 Teams and Communication in Business (Wales) 60 Internal

8 Responding to Change in Business (Wales) 30 External

9 Corporate Social Responsibility (Wales) 30 External

10 Careers and Employment in Business (Wales) 30 Internal


3 UNIT FORMAT

All units in WJEC/Edexcel Principal Learning qualifications have a standard format which is designed to provide clear guidance on the requirements of the qualification for learners, tutors, assessors and those responsible for monitoring national standards. Each unit is set out in the following way:

Unit title The unit title is accredited by QCA and this form of words will

appear on the learner’s Notification of Performance (NOP).

Level This is the level of study of the qualification as determined by the Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF).

Internal/external assessment

Further details of the mode of assessment are given later in the unit.

Guided learning hours (GLH)

In the Principal Learning qualifications each unit consists of 30, 60 or 90 guided learning hours depending on the level. Guided learning hours is ‘a notional measure of the substance of a unit’. It includes an estimate of time that might be allocated to direct teaching, instruction and assessment, together with other structured learning time such as directed assignments or supported individual study. It excludes learner-initiated private study. Centres are advised to consider this definition when planning the programme of study associated with this specification.

About this unit This section is designed to give the reader an appreciation of the value of the unit in the vocational setting of the qualification as well as highlighting the focus of the unit. It provides the reader with a snapshot of the aims of the unit and the key knowledge, skills and understanding developed while studying the unit. The unit abstract also emphasises links to the sector by describing what the unit offers the sector.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes state exactly what a learner should ‘know’, ‘understand’ or ‘be able to’ do as a result of completing the unit.

What you need to learn

This section identifies the depth and breadth of knowledge, skills and understanding needed to achieve each of the learning outcomes. This is illustrated by the range of subject material for the programme of learning and specifies the skills, knowledge and understanding required for achievement to the level required to comply with all mark bands. Each learning outcome is stated in full and then expanded with further detail on the right-hand side. Internally-assessed units may contain ‘e.g.s’ within this section. These are used to show indicative lists of content only.


Teaching this unit – Delivery guidance

This section is designed to give tutors additional guidance and amplification on the unit in order to provide a coherence of understanding and a consistency of delivery. This section includes guidance on, for example: • links to other units • explaining the relationship between the content and the

learning outcomes • guidance about possible approaches to delivery • possible approaches to employer engagement.

Unit summary

This unit summary will be presented on the National Database of Accredited Qualifications, NDAQ, which uses the format presented here. This section outlines the intermediary stage in generating the marking grid from the learning outcomes via assessment criteria.

Assessment information for learners – How you will be assessed

This section gives information about the assessment activities required for this unit.

Assessment information for assessors

This section provides assessors details in the following sub-headings: • Instructions and controls for setting assessment

assignments • Sector-relevant purpose • Evidence structure • Level of demand • Assessment duration • Instructions and controls for taking assessment

assignments • Guidance for assessment.

Marking grid(s)

Internally-assessed units have a marking grid(s) which contains a list of assessment foci, with statements ordered into three mark bands. When work is marked it is judged against these statements and an appropriate mark awarded. The marking grids are supported with further information under the following sub-headings: • Using the marking grid • Learner assistance • Level descriptors.

Specialist resources

This section includes information relating to specialist resources the centre will need to have access to in order to deliver the unit.

Reference material

This section includes information relating to reference material that will enhance the delivery of the unit and the learning experience. Note it is not intended to be comprehensive. Examples are given. In relation to websites, tutors and learners should use website links to extend their searches.


4 ASSESSMENT AND GRADING OF THE PRINCIPAL LEARNING

The purpose of assessment is to ensure that effective learning of each unit has taken place. Principal Learning units are assessed either internally by tutors or externally by WJEC/Edexcel. Each unit is labelled clearly as internally or externally assessed. It is essential that tutors familiarise themselves with and follow the guidelines set out in the document Internal Assessment of Principal Learning Units: Controls for Task Setting, Task Taking and Task Marking (see Annexe C) when developing assignments for internally-assessed units.

Internal assessment Internal assessment will be used to facilitate assessment of generic and practical skills. It will be quality assured through internal and external moderation. It will be supervised and completed under controlled conditions. Each unit is assessed through a single assignment which has an overall purpose that reflects the aim of the unit, and is described in the How you will be assessed section. An assignment may be broken down into a few separate tasks. Tasks may be further broken down into smaller activities. The Internal Assessment of Principal Learning Units: Controls for Task Setting, Task Taking and Task Marking document details the nature of the controls that need to be applied to each type of task/activity and its outcome. Where a unit is internally assessed, centres can use the sample assignments provided by WJEC/Edexcel, or can design and quality assure suitable assignments. When designing assignments, centres are required to be aware of the following design principles (see relevant Tutor Support Materials for further guidance). Assignments should be:

Fit for purpose

They should consist of tasks which are related to the subject matter and content of the unit. For example, where a unit is centred on IT, the assessment will use IT at the core of the task.

Manageable They should be designed to be manageable for both the learner and for the centre.

Secure They should be delivered under controlled conditions, where centres can guarantee the work produced is truly that of the individual learner.

Reliable They should produce judgements of a similar standard from occasion to occasion and between different assessors.

Valid They should assess what they are intended to assess in terms of the learning outcomes.

Transparent They should be expressed in ways that can be readily understood by learners, tutors and assessors.


Balanced They should fairly reflect the content and associated learning outcomes, avoiding confusing learning with assessment and not adversely affecting teaching and learning.

Flexible They should provide opportunities for learners to produce a variety of different forms of evidence.

Centres are encouraged to use a variety of assessment methods, which might include, for example, the use of case studies, work-based assessments, projects, performance observation and time-constrained assessments. Centres are encouraged to place emphasis on practical application, providing a realistic scenario for learners to adopt, and making maximum use of practical activities and work experience. The creation of assignments that are fit for purpose is vital to learners’ achievement and its importance cannot be over emphasised. When reading the marking grids and designing assignments, centres should note the following. • Each internally-assessed unit has either 60, 75 or 90 available marks in total. • In some units the marking grid has been split into two grids – A and B. Marking

grid A contains all of the marking criteria for the unit except those which assess a learner’s performance in practical activities which are recorded as a learner observation record (see the WJEC/Edexcel website for further information). These make up Marking grid B.

• Centres must ensure that learners undertake appropriate assessment tasks to

enable them to achieve the requirements of each unit’s marking grid(s). • The basic principle is that this is a ‘best fit’ grid – i.e. the assessor must match the

overall standard of work for an assessment focus to a band. It is NOT a hurdle approach, whereby the assessor cannot award marks from the next mark band if one item for an assessment focus from a lower mark band has been omitted, regardless of the quality of the rest of the work for that assessment focus.

• If a learner completes all they are asked to do in a band for an assessment focus,

they can be awarded the full marks for that mark band. • If a learner has clearly done more on one aspect of work for an assessment focus

required by a mark band, the assessor should consider whether the learner can be awarded marks from the bottom of the next mark band.

• If a learner has completed less than required in any aspect of work for an

assessment focus, or indeed omitted an aspect, then the mark moves down within the mark band.

• Marking is completely separate for each assessment focus – i.e. a learner can

get mark band 3 on one assessment focus, mark band 1 on another etc, then all marks are added together for the unit total. It may be possible, depending on weighting of an assessment focus for a learner to pass a unit even if 0 has been given in marks for one assessment focus in the unit. Relevant Tutor Support Materials may contain further information relating to marking.


• A 0 mark should be used only where a learner provides no valid evidence. Any work that starts to address the requirements of the grid should normally be awarded at least one mark.

• Evidence generated for Marking grid A will be moderated. This must be in the

form of hard evidence which a moderator can reassess, such as learner produced written documents (e.g. short question answers, multiple choice question answers, materials from presentations, research notes), videos (dated) of practical activities or artefacts.

• Marks gained from Marking grid A will be reported separately from those gained

from Marking grid B.

External assessment

There is a requirement that some units in the Principal Learning will be externally assessed. These external assessments will be made available by WJEC/Edexcel on agreed, published dates during the year. For the WJEC/Edexcel Level 3 Principal Learning in Business, Administration and Finance (Wales), the following units will be externally assessed: Level Unit number(s) Unit title(s)

Advanced Level 3

3 Personal Finance and Financial Services (Wales)

Advanced Level 3

4 Business Finance and Accounting (Wales)

Advanced Level 3

8 Responding to Change in Business (Wales)

Advanced Level 3

9 Corporate Social Responsibility (Wales)

Calculation of the Principal Learning grade

Performance in each unit of Principal Learning will be assessed against criteria given in the marking grid, giving rise to unit marks. Unit marks will be allocated according to marking criteria that do not bear a direct relationship to grading mark bands; that is, assessors will be clear that they are allocating marks and are not grading learners directly. There will be no pre-published unit grade boundaries. Once units have been completed by learners and marked, they will be graded by WJEC/Edexcel through a separate process involving professional judgement of performance and of technical and statistical data. This will produce unit grade boundaries and hence unit grades which will be reported. To permit the calculation of a Principal Learning qualification grade, Principal Learning unit marks will be converted to points. Points for all Principal Learning units will be added together to devise a Principal Learning score. Using published thresholds the Principal Learning score will be converted to a Principal Learning grade.


5 PROGRAMME DESIGN AND DELIVERY

These Principal Learning qualifications consist of units of assessment. Each unit is 30, 60, or 90 guided learning hours in length depending on the level. The definition of guided learning hours is ‘a notional measure of the substance of a qualification’. It includes an estimate of time that might be allocated to direct teaching, instruction and assessment, together with other structured learning time such as directed assignments or supported individual study. It excludes learner-initiated private study. Centres are advised to consider this definition when planning the programme of study associated with this specification.

Mode of study WJEC/Edexcel does not define the mode of study for the Principal Learning but there is an explicit requirement that for at least 50 per cent of the time learners will be engaged in applied learning.

Applied learning Acquiring and applying knowledge, skills and understanding through tasks set in sector contexts that have many of the characteristics of real work, or are set within the workplace. Most importantly, the purpose of the task in which learners apply their knowledge, skills and understanding must be relevant to real work in the sector. Reference: The Diploma (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, 2007)

Centres are free to offer the qualifications using any mode of delivery that meets the needs of their learners and the requirements of applied learning. For example this may be through a combination of traditional classroom teaching, open learning and distance learning. Whatever mode of delivery is used, centres must ensure that learners have appropriate access to the required resources (see individual units) and to the subject specialists delivering the units. Assignments based on the work environment should be encouraged. Those planning the programme should aim to enhance the vocational nature of the Principal Learning by: • liaising with employers to ensure a course relevant to the specific needs of the

learners • accessing and using non-confidential data and documents from workplaces • including sponsoring employers in the delivery of the programme and, where

appropriate, in the assessment • linking with company-based/workplace training programmes • making full use of the variety of experience of work and life that learners bring to

the programme.


Delivery of applied learning It is important that centres develop an approach to teaching and learning that supports the applied learning requirement of the Principal Learning. The Principal Learning specifications contain a balance of practical skill development and knowledge requirements, some of which can be theoretical in nature. Tutors and assessors need to ensure that appropriate links are made between theory and practice and that the knowledge base is applied to the sector. This will require the development of relevant and up-to-date teaching materials that allow learners to apply their learning to actual events and activity within the sector. Tutors are reminded that experiential learning techniques are required and that the opportunities for formative assessment where learners benefit from regular and structured feedback are a necessary requirement of a Principal Learning programme. Where learners are performing an activity by practically applying their knowledge and skills, they are essentially behaving in the required applied nature of the Principal Learning. By then reviewing that learning and considering how improvements can be made and implemented, experiential learning will take place (see Figure 1).

Figure 1: Experiential learning cycle

Resources One aim of Principal Learning is to prepare learners to progress to employment in specific sectors. Physical resources need to support the delivery of the programme and the proper assessment of the learning outcomes and therefore should normally be of industry standard. Staff delivering programmes and conducting the assessments should be fully familiar with current practice and standards in the sector concerned. Centres will need to meet any specialist resource requirements when they seek approval from DCELLS.

Do Review Experiential

learning Plan


Assessment and learning Summative assessment Summative assessment serves to inform an overall judgement of achievement, which may be needed for reporting and review, perhaps on transfer between years in a school or on transfer between schools, perhaps for providing certificates at the end of schooling.

Although learners are working to satisfy a summative assessment (the marking grids reflect a final overall judgement) the benefit of formative assessment should be strongly emphasised throughout the learning. Formative assessment Formative assessment is concerned with the short-term collection and use of evidence as guidance of learning, mainly in day-to-day classroom practice.

In order for formative assessment to occur, the learner must understand what they have learned, what they have yet to learn and what they need to do to learn it. The responsibility of helping learners through a process of planning and reviewing their learning lies with the tutor.


6 ESSENTIAL SKILLS WALES AND WIDER KEY SKILLS

Essential Skills Wales and Wider Key Skills have been mapped across all the units of the WJEC/Edexcel Level 3 Principal Learning in Business, Administration and Finance (Wales). Opportunities to develop Essential Skills Wales and Wider Key Skills are stated in the Suggested Context column of the mapping grids.


7 UNIT SPECIFICATIONS

Level 3 units

LEVEL 3 UNIT 1: BUSINESS ENTERPRISE (WALES) PAGE 16

Unit 1: Business Enterprise (Wales)

Principal Learning unit

Level 3

Guided Learning Hours: 90

Internally assessed

About this unit

All businesses aim to succeed, but the difference between business success and failure can be small. A single unforeseen event or economic conditions over which the business has no control can make all the difference. You will learn about these factors, which will make you better prepared when planning and running your own enterprise. You will learn about what makes a good idea for a business, and what makes an idea innovative. You will come up with your own idea for a business and prepare a business plan, drawing on skills and knowledge from other units to identify the resources you need, produce forecasts and plan how it will be marketed. You’ll present the idea to potential investors and then structure your business, identifying team members’ roles. Finally, you will set up, run and close down the company. At the end, you will need to reflect on what has happened, so that next time you run a business enterprise you are able to learn from your experiences.

Learning outcomes On completing this unit, a learner should: LO.1 Know the factors that impact on the chances of business success LO.2 Be able to develop a viable business idea LO.3 Be able to produce a business plan LO.4 Be able to present a business idea LO.5 Be able to structure a business LO.6 Be able to run and review a business.


What you need to learn LO.1 Know the factors

that impact on the chances of business success

You need to learn about some of the factors that can affect the success of a business enterprise: • poor planning and research • problems with product or service offered, e.g. flawed design,

production problems, distribution problems, uncompetitive pricing

• cash flow problems, e.g. spending or borrowing too much, poor forecasting, poor cost control, customers failing to pay what they owe

• failure to market the business successfully • poor risk management, e.g. over-dependency on small

number of customers • lack of adaptability, e.g. failure to react to changes in market,

technology. Businesses can be vulnerable to illegal activities, which can hurt both their reputation and profits. You need to learn about the sorts of illegal activities that businesses face, e.g.: • from customers and member of the public: shoplifting;

payment fraud; internet activities (hacking, viruses, identify theft fraud)

• from staff: theft of stock, money and supplies; expense claims and false accounting.

There are a number of security counter measures that can be taken, e.g.: • secure storage of stock, stock taking, security staff, CCTV • robust financial record keeping and accounting procedures • internet security features, e.g. passwords, firewalls, secure

payment systems • staff selection procedures and disciplinary procedures.


LO.2 Be able to develop a viable business idea

Before you can develop a business idea, you need to learn about the features of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs are people who are enterprising, that is they have ideas. They often possess some of the following qualities: • a willingness to make decisions and take risks • being motivated, self-reliant and dedicated • flexibility and ability to adapt • ability to communicate the idea to others • being a creative/lateral thinker • organisation and planning ability. You also need to consider the benefits of entrepreneurship for: • the entrepreneur: personal satisfaction; financial reward;

freedom to be your own boss • society and the economy: benefits for consumers; providing

competition to others; generating wealth and employment; inspiring others.

You need to learn about the process of developing a business idea: • generating ideas for a product/service:

o looking for opportunities o brainstorming techniques o assessing ideas in terms of innovation and creativity:

how they are new, different or better than alternatives, unique selling points

• comparing the ideas and deciding which ideas are viable: o time, money and resources available o your knowledge and skills o whether there seems to be a market for it o laws and regulations o any other obstacles you will need to overcome o sustainability over duration of the enterprise

• choosing the best idea and developing it: o what it is o who it is for o what makes the idea different/better than competition o how you could sell it


LO.3 Be able to produce a business plan

Planning for a business involves making a number of important decisions and pre-empting problems. You need to learn about the different forms of trading: • different forms of trading: sole traders; partnerships; limited

companies; charities • key considerations affecting choice: limited and unlimited

liability; risks and rewards; legal considerations, costs and bureaucracy.

Aims and objectives are designed to help an organisation achieve its purpose and they provide staff with a focus for what they do. Different types of organisation have different aims: • private sector, e.g. to provide goods or services, to survive,

to grow, to make a profit • public sector, e.g. to provide a service to the community, to

improve service provision • voluntary sector, e.g. to provide a service to a target group,

to promote a cause, to survive, to make a surplus. You need to learn about the common elements in a business plan: • what the business does and its objectives, including

essential facts about the product or service • who the target market is • how the product/service will be sold and marketed • physical resources, e.g. premises, equipment, materials • financial resources, e.g. start up costs, what money will be

spent on; sources of finance, e.g. shares, savings, loans • forecasts: profit and loss; cash flow. You need to learn about the risk management process, which is a key part of business planning: • identifying possible risks:

o financial, e.g. illegal activities, insufficient financing o market, e.g. pricing, demand, competition o operational, e.g. problems making the product

• assessing which are most serious • deciding which can be dealt with • suggesting preventative measures.


LO.4 Be able to present a business idea

You need to learn about how to prepare and make a presentation: • what information people will need to know • what order to put information in • how to be positive and identify benefits • anticipating questions you may be asked • use of supporting materials. • Communication skills: • use of voice, e.g. speed, clarity • body language, eye contact.

LO.5 Be able to structure a business

All businesses need to have some form of internal organisation. Work can be divided into different functional areas, e.g.: • production/operations • sales and marketing • information technology • finance • human resources • administration/facilities. The size of the business can affect how work is organised: • large organisations: functions distributed into separate

departments • small or new organisations, e.g. distributed to individuals,

shared, combined. Organisations also differ according to the way that they are structured: • hierarchical, e.g. directors departmental managers

supervisors/team leaders team members • flat, e.g. manager staff • matrix, e.g. using project teams. When recruiting people to fill these structures, many organisations use formal procedures to help them identify needs, and then attract and assess applicants. You will need to learn about the purpose and contents of: • a job description: duties and responsibilities • a person specification: qualities.


LO.6 Be able to run and review a business

You need to learn about the process of setting up and running a company: • putting plans into action, adapting where necessary • creating promotional methods and materials, e.g. leaflets,

adverts, notices, demonstrations, door-to-door sales • the need to make effective use of time and resources • production and the importance of monitoring: quantity,

quality, taking action to put problems right • how success can be measured, e.g. how far original aims

and objectives are met, financial and quantitative measures, feedback from users, lessons learned for the future, evidence of ability to work well as a team

• the processes involved in setting up and running a company: o creating company documents, e.g. memorandum of

association, articles of association, share certificates o record keeping, e.g. financial accounts, share ownership

records o meetings, e.g. board meetings

• relevant law and regulations: o business formation, financial records and taxes o consumer legislation, e.g. unfair trading, sale of goods,

weights and measures o other regulations, e.g. health and safety, planning, fire

• relevant environmental issues, e.g. waste and recycling energy saving.

• the process of closing down a company: o agreement to close down the business o closing down of trading activities o preparation of final accounts o distribution of money and resources.


Teaching this unit Delivery guidance This unit is 90 guided learning hours (GLH) in length. Centres should allocate this amount of time within the timetable for its delivery and assessment. Unless otherwise stated, all of the content included in the What you need to learn section needs to be taught. Sometimes an ‘e.g.’ or ‘for example’ is included in order to show content that is indicative: in these cases not all of the examples will need to be covered (for example, because some may not always apply in a particular situation), and tutors can introduce other examples of their own that are relevant to particular situations and to the needs of their learners. There are opportunities to link the delivery of this unit to others, particularly Unit 5: Marketing and Sales in Business (Wales), Unit 2: Business Administration and Events (Wales), Unit 7: Teams and Communication in Business (Wales) and Unit 4: Business Finance and Accounting (Wales), so that parts of those units are contextualised within the enterprise that the learners are working on in this unit: so, for example, the event that learners organise in Unit 2: Business Administration and Events (Wales) could be an event at which the learners will promote their enterprise; Unit 5: Marketing and Sales (Wales) could be linked to this unit at several stages: learners could carry out market research on the business idea from this unit; they could also use it to learn and then demonstrate their personal selling skills. Similarly, it would be beneficial to link the forecasting and financial planning that is required in LO.3 to Unit 4: Business Finance and Accounting (Wales). Finally, the planning and running of a business idea offer an ideal context for the meetings that learners are required to organise and support in Unit 2: Business Administration and Events (Wales). Delivery guidance for LO.1 Learners need to understand the various factors that can affect the chances of business success, as some may have a direct bearing on their own business enterprises. There are a mix of factors that are internal and could potentially be controlled, and wider economic factors about which organisations may have little control. Real examples of business failure should be easy to find, particularly those connected to technology, for example internet start-ups. There is no requirement to go into the finance/accounting issues in great depth: understanding cash flow will be dealt with more fully in Unit 4: Business Finance and Accounting(Wales). Illegal activities are an interesting topic, which should prove quite motivating for the learners. Learners should be encouraged to draw on their own experience as and possibly as employees: they will probably be aware of a number of the counter measures that are taken. It may be interesting for them to compare the approaches taken by different organisations, commenting on how effective they think these are. Visiting speakers from local businesses may also be able to illuminate this subject area.


Delivery guidance for LO.2 By looking at the qualities of entrepreneurs, learners can prepare themselves for the enterprise activity to come. It is important to emphasise that there are likely to be many counter examples, and different entrepreneurs will possess these qualities in different proportions: in some cases, say, their persistence and expert knowledge may have played the key role; with others it may be their adaptability and ability and creativity. It is important to recognise the role that innovation and creativity play in the success of new products and services. The topic may be more accessible and enjoyable for the learners if they can consider their own experience of using a particular product or service: what is it that makes it so desirable or useful to them? Or what sorts of innovation in the near future would they really like to see? What would help them solve daily issues/annoyances? One problem is that after an idea becomes successful, the idea then seems obvious to everyone; one reason for this is that great ideas often identify needs or desires that nobody even realised they had. This can make it difficult to think back to what life was like before the idea had been thought of. One way of addressing this is to take a particular sector, e.g. telecommunications or electronic entertainment, and trace innovative developments over a number of years, such as mobile phones, music storage media, games consoles, etc. It is also important to emphasise, however, that innovation is not just about ideas that have never been thought of before: much innovation is about small, incremental improvements, or applying existing ideas into new contexts. Learners also need to be introduced to the concept of unique selling points. Learners need to learn about the process of generating ideas. There are different ways of identifying opportunities, such as identifying an un-met need, or seeing what is already successful in one situation and considering whether it can be applied in a different context. Learners need to be taught about how to generate ideas in groups. Brainstorming is the most widely used method, and there are different types and classifications, but it is not necessary to go into variations. It is important that they learn that all ideas need to be recorded and that at the idea generation stage it is important not to pass judgements otherwise creativity could be stifled. Learners could practise using brainstorming techniques in groups to solve any type of problem. Before learners are able to develop their own ideas, they will need to have some understanding of what makes an idea realistic and viable: the time, money and physical resources will be critical, as will other issues such as any relevant laws, regulations and health and safety considerations. Tutors should try to steer learners towards ideas that will work in the context of their surroundings. It would be useful to look at examples of business ideas which looked at face value as if they would be successful, but which proved to be flawed, for example by being overambitious, unrealistic, failing to see the potential obstacles in the way. Delivery guidance for LO.3 Although the enterprise will be run as a company, learners will need to understand the different forms of trading so that they are aware of the various implications. When considering differing aims and objectives, a good place to start would be mission statements that are often available on company websites. Learners could be encouraged to comment on how successful they are at explaining what the organisation does.


Learners need to understand the information that needs to go into a business plan. There is no set format, and learners need not look at a variety of different formats: the most important thing is that they understand what sorts of information are required. Real examples (either blank or completed) might help and blank examples can often be obtained from high street bands, but some may contain much greater or more detailed information than is required for the purposes of this unit. It would be beneficial for learners to have already studied budgets in Unit 4: Business Finance and Accounting (Wales) and marketing in Unit 5: Marketing and Sales in Business (Wales) before they complete their business plan. However, if that is not possible so that this learning outcome is being delivered before that can happen, these topics could be dealt with in isolation so that learners know enough for the purposes of this unit; this knowledge can then be developed further once the other units are delivered. Delivery guidance for LO.4 Learners will need to be taught about the basic principles of making presentations to stimulate interest in a business idea: the importance of structure and clarity; how software and handouts can be used; why it is important to present an idea in a positive light; and what information potential investors will want to know. However, it is important for tutors to be realistic: learners at this level will not be expected to be able to provide the sort of detailed financial and practical information that would be expected in the real world. To prepare learners for creating a presentation, learners could practise presenting personal information to each other in small groups. Delivery guidance for LO.5 Learners will need to understand that there are common business functions that need to take place whether the business is run by a sole trader, carrying out all of the function themselves or as a large organisation with separate departments. It would also be useful to look at the structures of different organisations so that learners understand how much variety there can be in terms of how the functions are distributed and also lines of responsibility. Learners should be encouraged to consider the pros and cons of hierarchical, matrix and flat structures. Similarly, real examples of job descriptions and person specifications would be useful. One approach would be to remove key information from each and see if learners are able to match the correct job description to its person specification. Delivery guidance for LO.6 Learners need to be taught about the decisions and planning that are involved in implementing a business idea: there is a clear overlap here with LO.3 in that many of them need to be built into the planning but then executed during delivery. They need to know about the different promotional methods and materials they could use and why. They also need to know why it is important to monitor quality (particularly if they are producing anything tangible) and quantity (production/sales) while the enterprise is running so that they can take action if required: the actual monitoring methods are less important than the fact that some sort of monitoring needs to take place. As part of their learning activities, it would be worthwhile for learners to investigate how a variety of local businesses do this if information is available.


Learners need to be taught about the different ways in which success can be measured: quantitative (for example profits, sales targets) and also more subjective measures such as: customer opinions and goodwill created; identifying untapped demand that could be met in another way; lessons learned and skills developed which could be built upon in future. Learners should appreciate that a business enterprise might be judged successful under some criteria but a failure when other criteria are applied. This can be illustrated by looking at real business ventures that are conventionally judged to have been ‘failures’ and isolating ways in which it could be judged to have had aspects that were in actual fact successful. Moreover, the experience of running an unsuccessful business can be very valuable as long as lessons are learned; again there are many real examples of entrepreneurs who have eventually been successful only after failure that could be used to illustrate this point.


Unit summary

Learning outcome Assessment criteria Learning outcome number The learner should: The learner can:

LO.1 Know the factors that impact on the chances of business success

1.1 Identify problems that can affect the success of a business

1.2 Identify ways of dealing with problems LO.2 Be able to develop a viable

business idea 2.1 Develop an idea for a product or

service that is viable, creative and innovative


3.1 Plan a business venture 3.2 Assess and manage risks

LO.4 Be able to present a business idea

4.1 Communicate the plan for a business to an audience

4.2 Present a persuasive case for investing in a business idea

LO.5 Be able to structure a business 5.1 Plan the structure of a business enterprise

5.2 Assess the requirements of an identified job role

LO.6 Be able to run and review a business

6.1 Collaborate with others to work towards the goal of implementing a business enterprise, showing initiative, commitment and perseverance

6.2 Take decisions when setting up, running and closing down a business, adapting plans as required

6.3 Evaluate experiences of being involved in a business enterprise to inform future progress


Assessment information for learners How you will be assessed This unit will be assessed by an assignment connected to running a business enterprise. You will need to: • Decide on an idea for a product or service, develop it and use this to create a written

business plan, including a risk analysis [LO.2, LO.3] • Create and give a presentation, based on your business plan, to potential investors

[LO.4] • Develop a structure for your business: a diagram showing the organisational structure of

your business enterprise; a job description and person specification for your own job role [LO.5]

• Put the business idea into practice and then write up: what decisions were taken and any

changes made from the plan; how successful the business was, what you have learned from this (including about your own abilities) and what you would do differently next time [LO.6]; what problems you faced (or might face if the business were to continue), and what you did or would do about them [LO.1].


Assessment information for assessors Instructions and controls for setting assessment assignments This unit must be covered by a single assignment, which is described in the How you will be assessed section, and exemplified within the unit sample assessment material (SAM). Sector-relevant purpose By its nature, any business enterprise idea can be considered relevant to business, administration and finance as long as it is for a real product or service, not a simulation. The enterprise must have some sort a purpose: in other words it is not enough for it to be done in order solely to satisfy the assessment requirements; rather it must have some other purpose, such as a goal or target. Evidence structure

Learning outcome

Marking grid Activity/section Evidence

LO.2, LO.3 A Business plan Written evidence: business plan

LO.4 B Group presentation Learner observation record, supported by hard copies of any slides, notes, handouts, etc

LO.5 A

Developing a structure for the business

Written evidence: organisational structure, job description and person specification

LO.6(.2, 3) A Implementation and review of business idea

Written evidence: decisions taken, assessment of success of business.

LO.1 A Written evidence: problems and ways of dealing with them

LO.6(.1) B Learner observation record of learner’s contribution to the business.


Level of demand The level of demand is exemplified in the unit sample assessment material (SAM). It would be appropriate for the final ‘live’ stage of the business in LO.6 to be run over a fairly extended period of time (for example a few hours a week over two or three months). However, centres may wish to extend this enterprise activity over a longer period with more hours allowed. This may make particular sense if centres are contextualising the delivery or assessment of other units within the learners’ business enterprise; in this case the enterprise activity can also make use of hours allocated to those units. Assessment duration The suggested guided learning hours (GLH) needed to complete this assignment is 18 hours per learner. Centres can structure this time as they see fit. For LO.6, the suggested GLH only includes time spent writing up their individual accounts, not time spent running the business. Centres should note that the total class assessment time may need to be higher to allow time for separate group presentations for LO.2/3. Instructions and controls for taking assessment assignments Learners must be provided with full access to study all of the areas identified in the What you need to learn section of the specification. Controls relating to resources and supervision are contained within Annexe C. The enterprise should be run as a company, rather than a partnership. This does not mean that it will need to be formally registered with Companies House, but learners will be expected to set up, run and close down the company as if this were the case. They will need to work in groups of between five and eight people. The enterprise should also have duration so that the enterprise is operating and trying to generate revenue over a period of time. For example, it cannot be geared solely to putting on a one-off event, for example a single fund raising activity. On the other hand, a one-off event could form one part of the enterprise activities. For the first part of the assignment, (LO.2, LO.3), it will be necessary for groups to collaborate in creating the business plan. The group will jointly contribute to discussion of the business plan and risk analysis, but each person must write up a plan (see Guidance for assessment for guidance on how this can be managed). The plan must include information about all of the different categories listed in the What you need to learn section. For the second part of the assignment (LO.4) each learner must take responsibility for creating and presenting part of the presentation within the group. Learners must be awarded individual marks for their own part of the task. Tutors must award marks to the individual, not to the group. This means that is possible for one group member to score highly on their part of the presentation while another scores less well on their part. Peer feedback could be gathered and used as supporting evidence, but assessment decisions must be made by the tutor. Although work that leads up to the creation of the assessment evidence in the third part of the assignment (LO.5), will be done as part of a group, the learner must produce their own evidence for assessment for the organisation plan, and particularly the job description and person specification for their own job role in the enterprise.


For the final part of the assignment (LO.1, LO.6), marks are awarded not only for the written evidence submitted by the learners (marking grid A) but also for the contribution made to the running of the business, as observed by the tutor (marking grid B). Tutors will not need to be present at all stages, nor to observe every activity, but must take a holistic view based on what they see throughout the process rather than, say, at the beginning or end only. When assessing the contributions made, tutors must remember that even if the business has only limited success in meeting its objectives, it is possible for any (or even all) individual team members to make a significant and sustained contribution to the running of the business. Summary of unit controls

Setting Time Resources Supervision Collaboration Marking Limited Limited Limited Medium Limited Medium

See Annexe C for further information. Guidance for assessment It is recommended that assessment to take place in different stages: (business plan, group presentation, structuring of business, implementation) after the relevant learning has taken place. The assessment of LO.5 (structuring of the business and job role) could be done at the same time as that for LO.2/LO.3 (business plan). The centre may wish to consider participating in external business enterprise activities, for example Young Enterprise, Ride the Wave. Although LO.1 should be taught early on as an integral part of the theme of business enterprise, the assessment of this outcome comes towards the end of the unit, with the learners relating this to any problems encountered in their own business experience. For the first part of the assignment, learners should be encouraged to choose their business idea as a group, but these should be checked by the tutor before learners begin work and they may need to guide them to a suitable choice. The ideas they come up with need not be for brand new products or services; they could be improvements or adaptations of existing ideas or simply taking an existing idea used in one context or location to another. Each learner must contribute to the discussion. This does not mean that each person has to come up with an idea, but they should make some contribution to the discussion, for example helping to develop an idea that someone else thought of, pointing out why an idea is not practical, etc. Although learners can work together to pool ideas and agree a common approach for their business, they must write up the plan individually, calculate their own financial data, etc. It is important to emphasise the importance of setting a number of realistic and achievable objectives. For the business plan, the learners can be shown models from which to work, and pro formas could be created for them to use and be completed individually. Commercial pro formas can also be used (and adapted if necessary) as long as they cover all aspects of the assessment requirements. Each person must complete a plan. They can continue to discuss the plan while they are writing it up, using each other as a resource, but tutors must take care to ensure that they are not simply copying from each other.


For the presentation, the ‘potential investors’ should preferably involve people external to the centre, such as a local employer/bank manager. It is not envisaged that each learner would have to talk for more than about 5-7 minutes. The potential investors should have the opportunity to ask questions to each of the learners. The investors could also include centre staff and selected learners. All-learner panels should only be used as a last resort. It could be given added purpose by being set within a scenario such as BBC’s Dragons’ Den; if so, it would help if the panel are provided with money (real or imaginary) to invest. For assessment of the third part of the assignment, learners must indicate the structure and roles that they have allocated and draw up a person specification and job description. This should be for their own job/role. The person specification should relate to the qualities of the ideal job holder, and so it may go beyond their own qualities in some ways. The person specification should be consistent with the structure (as well as with the business plan created for LO.3), with each learner having a clearly defined role in the running of the business. When it comes to implementing their business idea, each learner should have a distinct role, and they should attempt to follow the plan created. However, it is quite likely that plans will have to be altered as soon as learners are faced with practicalities. If circumstances change or unforeseen problems arise, the original plan may need to be abandoned and a new one put into action; this does not mean that learners will have to complete another implementation plan. Credit will be given in assessment for their ability to show why they had to make changes rather than sticking rigidly to a plan that is not working. The evidence for their decisions taken should be in writing but it could be in any appropriate format. When it comes to judging success, at this level, learners should go further than merely holistic judgements about the overall success or otherwise, and should aim to comment on how well they did at different stages and in different ways, both individually and as a group. They should be encouraged to consider quantitative and qualitative measures. The issue of ‘problems’ could focus either on actual problems faced or what they predict might happen were the enterprise to continue over a longer period: there is no need for learners to do both.


Marking grid A

Assessment focus Mark Band 1 Mark Band 2 Mark Band 3 Maximum marks

available LO.1 Know the factors that impact on the chances of business success

The learner identifies and provides brief explanation of the problems. There is limited information about how problems were or could be dealt with.

The learner identifies and provides a clear explanation of problems. There are reasonable ideas about how problems were or could be dealt with.

The learner identifies and provides a clear and convincing explanation of problems. There are convincing ideas about how problems were or could be dealt with.

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6) 6

LO.2 Be able to develop a viable business idea

The plan includes limited evidence that shows how the business idea is creative, innovative and viable.

The plan provides some evidence that shows how the business idea is creative, innovative and viable.

The plan shows convincingly that how the business idea is creative, innovative and viable.

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6) 6


Parts of the plan may lack clarity. The plan contains brief and limited information, which indicates the learner has a limited idea of what will be required. A few obvious risks are identified, with limited ideas for how to manage them.

The plan is generally clear. Some parts of the plan are detailed, which indicates the learner has a reasonable idea of what will be required. A range of risks are identified and there are reasonable ideas for how to manage them.

The plan is clear. The plan is detailed and convincing throughout, which indicates the learner has a good idea of what will be required. A wide range of risks are identified and there are convincing ideas for how to manage them.

(0–6) (7–9) (10–12) 12



available LO.5 Be able to structure a business

The organisational structure is reasonably appropriate for the business. A limited job description and person specification for their own role is provided, identifying some of the responsibilities and required attributes.

The structure is appropriate for the business. A generally clear job description and person specification for their own role is provided, identifying the responsibilities and required attributes.

The structure is appropriate and clear for the business. A clear, well-structured and well-presented job description and person specification for their own role is provided, which clearly links the relevant responsibilities and required attributes.

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6) 6

The learner produces a limited account of the activities undertaken to implement their business idea. There is information about decisions taken when implementing the business, but limited reference to how the original plan was followed or adapted.

The learner produces a reasonably clear account of the activities they undertook to implement their business idea. There is information about decisions taken when implementing the business, which shows how the original plan was followed or adapted.

The learner produces a clear and detailed account of the activities they undertook to implement their business idea. There is clear information about decisions taken, which shows how the original plan was followed, with reasons given where it was adapted.

LO.6(.2) Be able to run and review a business

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6)


There is a basic evaluation of their own contribution, their abilities and the success of the business. There are basic conclusions about what they have learned from their experiences and could do differently next time.

There is a well-balanced evaluation of their own contribution, their own abilities and the success of the business. There are reasonable conclusions about what they have learned from their experiences and could do differently next time, which are partially supported by evidence.

There is a well-balanced and justified evaluation of their own contribution, their own abilities and the success of the business. There are justified conclusions about what they have learned from their experiences and could do differently next time.

(0–4) (5–6) (7–8) 14

Total marks 44


Marking grid B


available LO.4 Be able to present a business idea

The learner shows basic communication skills in terms of structuring, audibility and supporting materials and the audience may find the learner’s presentation difficult to follow. Positive and relevant features of the enterprise are identified. They show limited confidence and fluency during the presentation and answer any questions faced with difficulty.

The learner shows reasonable communication skills in terms of structuring, audibility and supporting materials and overall, the audience can follow the learner’s presentation of information without much difficulty. Positive and relevant features of the enterprise are explained. They show some confidence and fluency during the presentation and provide reasonable answers to any questions faced.

The learner shows good communication skills in terms of structuring, audibility and supporting materials and overall, the audience can follow the learner’s presentation with little or no difficulty. Positive and relevant features of the enterprise are explained clearly. They show good confidence and fluency and provide convincing answers to any questions faced.

(0–4) (5–7) (8–10) 10


The learner makes a limited contribution to the successful running of the business. They show some ability to work with others and show limited initiative, commitment and perseverance.

The learner makes a reasonable contribution to the successful running of the business. They work well with others and show some initiative, commitment and perseverance.

The learner makes a leading and sustained contribution to the successful running of the business. They work well with others and show good initiative, commitment and perseverance.

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6) 6

Total marks 16


Assessment guidance Using the marking grid • Each internally-assessed unit has either 60, 75 or 90 available marks in total. • In some units the marking grid has been split into two grids – A and B. Marking grid A

contains all of the marking criteria for the unit except those which assess a learner’s performance in practical activities which are recorded as a learner observation record (see the WJEC/Edexcel website for further information). These make up grid B.

• Centres must ensure that learners undertake appropriate assessment tasks to enable

them to achieve the requirements of each unit’s marking grid(s). • The basic principle is that this is a ‘best fit’ grid – i.e. the assessor must match the overall

standard of work for an assessment focus to a band. It is NOT a hurdle approach, whereby the assessor cannot award marks from the next mark band if one item for an assessment focus from a lower mark band has been omitted, regardless of the quality of the rest of the work for that assessment focus.

• If a learner completes all they are asked to do in a band for an assessment focus, they

can be awarded the full marks for that mark band. • If a learner has clearly done more on one aspect of work for an assessment focus


• If a learner has completed less than required in any aspect of work for an assessment

focus, or indeed omitted an aspect, then the mark moves down within the mark band. • Marking is completely separate for each assessment focus – i.e. a learner can get mark

band 3 on one assessment focus, mark band 1 on another etc, then all marks are added together for the unit total. It may be possible, depending on weighting of an assessment focus for a learner to pass a unit even if 0 has been given in marks for one assessment focus in the unit. Relevant Tutor Support Materials may contain further information relating to marking.

• A 0 mark should be used only where a learner provides no valid evidence. Any work that

starts to address the requirements of the grid should normally be awarded at least one mark.

• Evidence generated for marking grid A will be moderated. This must be in the form of

hard evidence which a moderator can reassess, such as learner produced written documents (for example short question answers, multiple choice question answers, materials from presentations, research notes), videos (dated) of practical activities or artefacts.

• Marks gained from marking grid A will be reported separately from those gained from

marking grid B.


Level 3 descriptors

Descriptor Meaning Appropriate Suitable/relevant. Basic Limited to the fundamental features, elements or facts. Brief/briefly Short, lacking detail. Clear/clearly Well expressed, easy to understand or see. Convincing Believable, well argued. Detail/detailed Showing thoroughness. Difficult to follow A considerable effort is required to understand what is being said,

and some parts are not clear. Explain/explanation Provide reasons for a decision, feature, etc. Evaluate/evaluation Assess the value, quality or importance of something. A few One or two. Full/fully Complete/completely. Generally Mostly/or most of the time but not completely or consistently. Good/well To a high level or degree. Identify Mentions the key elements, facts, features, etc. Justify /justified Give good reasons for something. Lack clarity Not well expressed/not easy to understand. Limited Incomplete or having a narrow scope; shows only basic ability or

understanding. Objective Based on facts that can be independently verified. Obvious Easy to identify. Partially supported The evidence is not wholly convincing or only some parts are

supported by the evidence. A range Three or four. Reasonable Moderate or average Reasonably Somewhat, fairly. Relevant features Key features about the business idea which will affect its success. Some At least two; to a certain degree, partial. Subjective Based purely on opinion. Sustained Maintained over a period of time. Throughout All the way through; consistently. Well balanced Giving appropriate weight to most significant factors/both sides. A wide range Five or more. With little or no difficulty

The presentation is wholly or almost entirely clear and requires little effort from the audience to understand what is being said.

Without much difficulty

Either: a moderate effort is required to understand what is being said; or some parts are clear and other parts are less clear.


Guidance for Integrating Essential Skills Wales and Wider Key Skills Level 3 Skills in applied learning A unique and central feature of Principal Learning (PL) is the requirement that at least 50% must be completed in an applied or work-related context. This means that learners must actively engage with the curriculum they are studying, putting theory into practice and working cooperatively with other learners, with their teachers, and with people from outside the classroom. They should learn in a range of contexts and environments, carrying out investigations and active enquiries, learning through doing and relating their learning to job roles. The skills embodied in the three Essential Skills Wales (ESW) and the three wider key skills (WKS) are therefore integral to the delivery of Principal Learning (PL) at all levels and in all lines of learning. Principal Learning offers many opportunities to develop all six skills (ESW + WKS) that are required if a candidate is to achieve the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification (WBQ). To achieve the WBQ at Advanced level, learners must achieve three of the six skills at Level 3, one of which must be ESW Communication, Application of Number or ICT, together with the other three skills at Level 2 Developing skills The table below lists, in the first column, the skills that a learner must develop for the ESW or WKS in question. The second column suggests a PL context in which the skill would arise naturally and might be developed. It is important that, when developing an ESW skill, both the learner and the teacher pay close attention to the section in the standards headed ‘In order to show that you are competent’. Similarly for the WKS, teachers and learners must study Part A. The third column in the table identifies the ESW or WKS component. Portfolio evidence If a learner is aiming to generate portfolio evidence in the context of a learning activity or assignment in PL, it is important to ensure that the requirements of the assignment match the evidence requirements of the skill qualification (ESW or WKS) in question, in terms of content and of presentation. A portfolio of evidence will often require more than one example of the skill, so teachers will need to identify other contexts and opportunities from the many that exist in the context of the WBQ as a whole. The table below does not include details of these requirements. It is therefore essential that teachers are familiar with: • the standards for ESW and the associated documents ‘Amplification of Evidence

Requirements’ (which includes guidance), and ‘Mandatory Definitions’, which are available from http://old.accac.org.uk/eng/content.php?mID=752

• the standards for the wider key skills and the associated document ‘The key skills

qualifications and guidance: working with others, improving own learning and performance and problem solving – levels 1-4 2004’ (QCA 2004); order ref QCA/04/1294, downloadable from http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_6462.aspx .


It is important to emphasise that candidates may develop these skills and/or generate portfolio evidence from anywhere in their learning programme. It is therefore not necessary, nor expected, that any one unit of Principal Learning should offer development and/or evidence opportunities for all the components of each of the six skills. Where opportunities to develop these skills and to provide portfolio evidence arise naturally in learning contexts, they should be pursued; learning and assignments should not be distorted to include the skills where they do not arise naturally. Essential Skills Wales Communication The ESW standards aim to integrate the different aspects of communication (speaking and listening, reading and writing) and emphasise that communication should be purposeful. So, for example, the purpose of reading might be to inform discussion and/or writing, or a discussion might be part of a candidate’s preparation for a piece of writing, all in relation to the purpose of the Principal Learning unit. Application of Number The ESW standards emphasise that numbers must be applied and used for the purpose of tackling a problem or task. At Level 3, the standards are structured round the following process: • Understand and tackle a problem Collect and interpret data Carry out

calculations Check results Interpret results Present findings Reflect/review.

The problem should arise naturally in the context of the candidate’s work for the Principal Learning unit. For portfolio evidence at this level, the candidate must carry out at least one activity that shows their skills in the process as a whole, i.e. covering all three components of the unit. ICT As with Application of Number, the ESW standards emphasise the importance of using ICT in context and for a purpose. The ‘Amplification of evidence requirements’ specifically states that ‘You must demonstrate your ICT skills in the context of these activities; demonstrating your skills in isolation cannot be used as evidence’. Also similarly to Application of Number, the learner, while developing their ICT skills, is likely to focus on parts of the process and on specific skills, but they should always have the ‘big picture’ in mind and build towards seeing the process as a whole. For the portfolio, the ‘Amplification’ states that: ‘You must carry out at least two activities that, overall: • show that you can plan and carry through a number of different activities, one of which

must be a complex activity covering ICT3.1, ICT3.2 and ICT3.3’.


While much of the portfolio evidence may be presented electronically and/or as printouts, it is essential that it shows the processes the candidate used to confirm their understanding of their task, to select, enter and develop information, and to present their work. This will normally involve drafting, revising, correcting, redrafting or reformatting the work. This is therefore an important aspect of developing ESW ICT, and the evidence submitted for assessment must include at least one complete draft with notes, annotations, highlighting, alterations etc. The final printouts, presentations etc are not, on their own, sufficient as evidence, though they must be included in the portfolio. The wider key skills All three of the wider key skills require the candidate to learn and to demonstrate the process skills of: Planning Doing Reviewing Each component of this process can be learned and developed separately, though portfolio evidence must cover all three components of the qualification in a single activity. Working with Others at Level 3 requires that the example in the portfolio shows that the learner can work as part of a group or team made up of at least three people (i.e. the learner works with at least two other people). The learner must become conscious of and focus on their own skills and how they relate to others if they are to develop their ability to contribute effectively to a team project or activity. They must be able to review their work with others, identify factors that influenced the outcome and agree how to improve their teamworking skills for the future. The evidence in a candidate’s portfolio must show their individual contribution to the work of the group. Problem Solving is a skill that many younger learners do not at first recognise as a skill that, like other skills, involves learning and developing specialised techniques. The learner has to identify and analyse a problem (which must be individual to them, not a group activity), come up with different ways of tackling it and choose one, make a plan, follow it, and check whether the problem has been solved. They must then review their approach to problem solving. As with Working with Others, each phase can be focused on separately in the learning and development phase, but the portfolio requires two examples, each of which follows though all three components of the qualification. Improving Own Learning and Performance, like the other wider key skills, requires the learner to become consciously aware of how they learn and which ways of learning are most effective for them in different situations. Many learners will have used only one or two ways of learning hitherto and need to be introduced to other possibilities. They must take responsibility for improving their learning and performance, set targets for what they want to learn or do, make a plan with targets, follow the plan, reflect on and review their progress, establish what they have achieved, and agree ways to further improve their performance. Any of the learning outcomes in the Principal Learning unit could provide opportunities to develop IOLP skills, but SMART targets must be set that relate to the purpose of the unit. The portfolio of evidence must include at least one example that covers at least three targets. Overall, the evidence must show at least two different ways of learning.


Level 3 mapping grid Essential Skills Wales: Communication

Skill/s to be developed

Suggested context

Reference

Speaking and listening

C3.1

Understanding and responding to spoken language on a range of topics and in a range of contexts.

C3.1.1

Speaking to communicate • information • feelings • opinions • questions • complex instructions on a range of familiar and unfamiliar topics, using appropriate language and non-verbal communication, and in a range of contexts.

C3.1.2

a) Taking part in formal discussions with two or more other people

b) Giving a talk/presentation of at least

eight minutes.

(a) Formal face-to-face discussions with at least two other people about the factors that impact on the chances of business success.

(b) A talk/presentation about the learner’s business plan.

C3.1.3

Reading

C3.2

Reading, understanding and synthesising information from at least two documents about the same subject. Each document must be at least 1,000 words long. At least one must contain complex information or reasoning and at least one must contain an image

Reading at least two documents about business planning, in preparation for a talk/presentation.

C3.2.1

Writing

C3.3

Writing two documents of different types, each one giving different information to different audiences about complex subjects in appropriate formats and using language that is appropriate to purpose and audience. One document must be at least 1,000 words long.

Writing a viable business plan to an audience of potential investors.

C3.3.1


Essential Skills Wales: ICT


Suggested context

Reference

Using ICT systems

ICT3.1

Analysing and accurately describing how to approach at least one complex activity that involves the use of ICT.

ICT3.1.1

Using ICT independently to carry out the activity efficiently and effectively.

ICT3.1.2

Following safe, healthy and secure working practices at all times.

Using ICT to produce a business plan.

ICT3.1.3

Finding, selecting and exchanging information

ICT3.2

Planning how to find the ICT-based and non ICT-based information required.

ICT3.2.1

Searching for, evaluating, selecting and getting, from a range of sources, relevant ICT-based and non ICT-based information.

ICT3.1.2

Entering, saving, communicating and exchanging ICT-based information to suit the purpose.

Finding, selecting and exchanging ICT-based information relevant to producing a business plan.

ICT3.1.3

Developing and presenting information

ICT3.3

Organising, developing, formatting and combining ICT-based and non ICT-based information from different sources to suit content and purpose, in the form of: a) text b) tables c) images d) numbers e) records.

ICT3.3.1

Presenting the final output effectively, using a consistent style and formats and layouts that are appropriate to purpose and audience, using ICT, and reviewing the work.

Developing and presenting ICT-based information for the purpose of the task, in the form of text, tables, images and numbers, for an audience of potential investors.

ICT3.3.2


Essential Skills Wales: Application of Number


Suggested context

Reference

Understanding numerical data

N3.1

Identifying, analysing and accurately describing at least one practical problem or task that involves a range of numerical data and information.

N3.1.1

Planning how to tackle it.

N3.1.2

Collecting relevant numerical data and information from a range of sources to meet the purpose of the task. Sources must include at least two of a table, a chart, a graph or a diagram, of which at least one must be complex, and a large data set.

Identifying, analysing and describing the task related to undertaking financial planning within a business plan, planning how to tackle it and collecting relevant data from a range of sources.

N3.1.3

Carrying out calculations

N3.2

Choosing and using appropriate methods to get the results needed and justifying the methods used.

N3.2.1

Using the data and information obtained to carry out calculations relevant to the task to do with: a) amounts or sizes b) scales or proportion c) handling statistics d) using formulae

Choosing and using appropriate methods and carrying out calculations to get the results needed in the task of undertaking financial planning within a business plan.

N3.2.2

Interpreting results and presenting findings

N3.3

Selecting and justifying two different ways to present results, using charts or graphs, and tables or diagrams appropriate to audience.

N3.3.1

Presenting and explaining methods and findings and justifying how they meet the purpose of the task and are appropriate to the audience.

Presenting and explaining results about the task to an audience of potential investors in two different ways, explaining methods and how the findings meet the purpose of the task and are appropriate to the audience. Justifying ways of presenting, methods and findings.

N3.3.2


Wider Key Skills: Working with Others

Learners must develop the skills needed to work in a group or team situation, checking their progress as they work. The emphasis must be on the individual learner’s contribution to the work of the pair or group.


Suggested context

Reference

Planning work with others

WO3.1

Agreeing realistic objectives for working together and what needs to be done to achieve them

WO3.1.1

Sharing relevant information to help agree roles and responsibilities

WO3.1.2

Agreeing suitable working arrangements with those involved.

Working in a group or team to develop, produce and present a viable business plan. Plan working arrangements with others, identifying individual roles to develop, produce and present a viable business plan. Agree a common approach with the group to the research task.

WO3.1.3

Seeking to develop co-operation and checking progress towards agreed objectives

WO3.2

Organising and carrying out tasks efficiently to meet responsibilities

WO3.2.1

Seeking effective ways to develop cooperation including ways to resolve any conflict

WO3.2.2

Sharing accurate information on progress, agreeing changes where necessary to achieve objectives.

Carry out tasks and share information gathered that is relevant to identifying appropriate findings, develop co-operation with others and check progress towards objectives.

WO3.2.3

Reviewing work with others and agreeing ways of improving collaborative work in the future

WO3.3

Agreeing the extent to which work with others has been successful and the objectives have been met

WO3.3.1

Identifying factors, including own role, in influencing the outcome

WO3.3.2

Agreeing ways of improving own work with others in the future, including interpersonal skills.

Review the extent to which the working together has been successful, identify influential factors including own role, and identify and agree how collaborative work could be enhanced in the future.

WO3.3.3


Wider Key Skills: Improving Own Learning and Performance

Learners must develop at least two different ways of learning to improve their performance. Their plan should include at least three targets.


Suggested context

Reference

Setting targets using information from appropriate people and planning how these will be met

LP3.1

Seeking information on ways to achieve targets, and identifying factors that might affect plans

LP3.1.1

Using this information to set realistic targets and identify clear action points

LP3.1.2

Planning how to manage time, using support, reviewing progress and overcoming possible difficulties.

Set SMART targets for learning about business planning and plan how these learning targets will be met. Plan progress reviews and document sources of support and identify timelines.

LP3.1.3

Taking responsibility for own learning, using the plan to help meet targets and improve performance

LP3.2

Managing time effectively to meet deadlines, revising the plan as necessary

LP3.2.1

Choosing ways of learning to improve performance, working at times independently and adapting approaches to meet new demands

LP3.2.2

Reflecting on progress, seeking feedback and relevant support to help meet targets.

Use plans in order to produce work within the set time constraints of the activity. Use a range of learning methods and styles, reflect on progress, adapting plans and approaches as necessary and recording the stages of learning.

LP3.2.3

Reviewing progress and establishing evidence of achievements

LP3.3

Providing information on the ways learning has been used to meet new demands and on factors affecting the quality of the outcome

LP3.3.1

Identifying targets met and gathering evidence of achievements

LP3.3.2

Consulting appropriate people to agree ways to further improve performance.

Review progress with the tutor; evaluate finished work at close and reflect on the learning process in order to establish how learning and performance could be improved in future. Identifying how learning can be transferred to different situations.

LP3.3.3


Wider Key Skills: Problem Solving

Learners must explore at least three different ways of tackling a problem and implement at least one way.


Suggested context

Reference

Exploring a problem and identifying different ways of tackling it

PS3.1

Identifying, analysing and accurately describing the problem, and agreeing with others how to know it has been solved

PS3.1.1

Selecting and using a variety of methods to come up with different ways of tackling the problem

PS3.1.2

Comparing the main features and risks of each approach, and justifying the method to be used.

Tackling the problem of running and reviewing a business. Identify the elements of the problem and explore different methods for running and reviewing a business. Justify the selected method(s) or option(s) and plan the chosen option(s) and get the go-ahead.

PS3.1.3

Planning and implementing at least one way of solving the problem

PS3.2

Planning the chosen way of solving the problem and getting the go-ahead from an appropriate person

PS3.2.1

Putting the plan into action, effectively using support and feedback from others to help tackle the problem

PS3.2.2

Checking regularly progress towards solving the problem, revising the approach as necessary.

Carry out the plan, using feedback, checking progress and revising approaches when necessary.

PS3.2.3

Checking if the problem has been solved and reviewing own approach to problem solving

PS3.3

Applying systematically methods agreed with an appropriate person, to check if the problem has been solved

PS3.3.1

Describing fully the results and drawing conclusions on how successful the learner was in solving the problem

PS3.3.2

Reviewing own approach to problem solving, including whether other approaches might have proved more effective.

Evaluate and present the chosen solution to the teacher/tutor in order to confirm whether problem solving has been successful. Review and reflect on the problem solving process and decide whether other approaches may have proved more effective.

PS3.3.3


Specialist resources None. Reference material Books Bridge S – Understanding Enterprise, Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2nd edition (Palgrave Macmillan, 2003) ISBN 0333984659 Burke R – Entrepreneur’s Toolkit (Burke Publishing, 2006) ISBN 0958239442 Burke R – Small Business Entrepreneur (Burke Publishing, 2006) ISBN 0958239442 Parks S – Start your Business: week by week (Prentice Hall, 2004) ISBN 0273694472 Pinson L and Jinnett J – Steps to Small Business start up (Kaplan Business, 2006) ISBN 141953727 Websites www.businesslink.gov.uk Government site offering information and advice

on starting up and running a business

http://entrepreneurs.bankofscotland.co.uk/ challenge/entrepreneur_resources

Bank of Scotland’s Entrepreneur Challenge

www.hsbcsme.reedbusiness.co.uk

Service offering resources for small business

www.nfte.co.uk

Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship

www.scottberkun.com Essays on various topics, including innovation and creativity

www.twkg.net The Working Knowledge Group/Ride the Wave

www.young-enterprise.org.uk

Young Enterprise

LEVEL 3 UNIT 2: BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND EVENTS (WALES) PAGE 47

Unit 2: Business Administration and Events (Wales)


Level 3


Internally assessed

About this unit

Think about the thousands of people who attend an event such as a conference or exhibition. What would happen if the organiser didn’t know how many people were coming? Or if the equipment didn’t work? Or if there wasn’t enough food to go around? Arranging an event is a complex and demanding task, and requires good project management skills – something that you’ll learn more about in this unit. Just like event management, almost all businesses rely on effective and efficient administration to support their day-to-day activities as you’ll find out in this unit, and these skills are transferable to a range of different job roles – in the modern world, even at senior positions, administrative skills are required. An administrative task that is common across many organisations is organising and supporting meetings, which is something you’ll practise doing in this unit. Staying healthy and safe in the workplace is in everyone’s interests and is something that everyone shares responsibility for, so you’ll learn more about the risks and hazards and what to do about them.

Learning outcomes On completing this unit, a learner should: LO.1 Understand the importance of effective administration and information management LO.2 Be able to use project management skills to plan a business event LO.3 Be able to organise and support a meeting LO.4 Be able to assess risks to health and safety.


What you need to learn LO.1 Understand the

importance of effective administration and information management

Efficient administration is critical in business. Increasingly, good administration skills are seen as a core component for all roles in business from office junior to chief executive. Efficient administration skills are important for a number of reasons, ensuring that: • information is recorded and stored correctly • work is carried out in a consistent manner and according to

agreed procedures • departmental processes run smoothly • time is used efficiently • effective service is provided to internal and external

customers. There are a range of administrative processes that businesses need to undertake: • organising and supporting events and meetings • planning and running projects • dealing with visitors: receiving and welcoming visitors,

creating the right image, meeting their needs • managing manual and electronic information: checking,

recording, storing, retrieving and disposing of information with regard to confidentiality

• providing information to internal and external customers • organising business travel and accommodation • managing time: working to timescales; managing own and

other people’s diaries • managing routine financial transactions: processing orders,

invoices, expenses. Effective administration depends on the way organisations manage information. You need to learn about: • the types of information used in a business, e.g. customer

data, product information, financial records, staff records • types of information systems, e.g. office records, transaction

processing, management information • importance of maintaining and updating the systems • consequences of incomplete or inaccurate information • legislation and organisational requirements regarding data

protection.


LO.2 Be able to use project management skills to plan a business event

Organising and co-ordinating business events from arranging meetings to organising a full scale conference requires excellent administrative skills. You need to learn about different types of event in business, e.g. • product launches • seminars and workshops • networking • exhibitions and trade fairs • receptions • conferences. Events need to be planned and project management techniques are used to structure and control work. You need to learn about the basic principles of project management: • the project balance model: time, cost, quality • the stages of a project life cycle: initiation, planning,

execution, monitoring, closure • ways of dealing with risk: avoid, reduce, transfer, accept. You need to learn about how project management is used when initiating and planning a business event: • defining and agreeing project outcomes:

o type and purpose of event o when it is to take place o key features that the event will require and expectations

of attendees • planning tasks:

o what needs to be done o the order in which they need to be done o prioritising tasks according to importance and urgency

• planning time: o setting milestones and agreeing deadlines o estimating how long tasks will take and when they need

to happen o building extra time into schedule for contingencies o entering activities into a calendar

• planning resources that need to be organised: ○ physical resources, e.g. venue, catering, equipment,

documentation, publicity ○ human resources, e.g. numbers, roles ○ ensuring health and safety requirements are met

• contingency planning ○ identifying potential problems ○ being prepared for them.


LO.3 Be able to organise and support a meeting

Meetings are a key administrative process in organisations, and you will need to learn about what needs to happen in order for them to be a success. Meetings need to have a purpose, and you need to know how to set objectives for meetings: • what the meeting aims to achieve. The administrator plays a key role in the success of meetings, and you will need to learn about the different administrative activities required to organise and support a meeting: • meetings preparation:

o preparing an agenda o arranging a venue o inviting people to attend and confirming list of attendees o preparing information needed by attendees o arranging equipment and resources to support meeting.

• supporting meetings by: o checking room is set out properly and equipment is

working o ensuring all documentation is provided o taking an attendance list o dealing with any special requirements of attendees, e.g.

dietary, access, hearing/visual impairment o taking accurate records of meeting

• carrying out follow-up activities: o preparing an accurate record of the list of attendees,

apologies for absence, action points, date of next meeting

o completing any follow-up actions required o getting approval of the records and making any required

amendments o circulating a record of meeting within defined timescale.


LO.4 Be able to assess risks to health and safety

Safe working conditions contribute to the success of an organisation and it is important that measures are taken to prevent accidents in the workplace. You need to learn about: • the role and responsibilities of employers and employees in

maintaining a safe working environment • what constitutes a healthy, safe and secure working

environment including responsibilities to self, colleagues, organisation, customers and clients

• how to identify hazards and carry out a risk assessment. Health and safety is controlled largely by legislation and regulation and you need to learn about how this affects those working in a business environment: • Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) (HASWA) • Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 • Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences

Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) • Control of Substances Hazardous to Health 1994 (COSHH) • Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 • Display Screen Equipment Regulations • Manual Handling Operations Regulations.


Teaching this unit Delivery guidance This unit is 60 guided learning hours (GLH) in length. Centres should allocate this amount of time within the timetable for its delivery and assessment. Unless otherwise stated, all of the content included in the What you need to learn section needs to be taught. Sometimes an ‘e.g.’ or ‘for example’ is included in order to show content that is indicative: in these cases not all of the examples will need to be covered (for example, because some may not always apply in a particular situation), and tutors can introduce other examples of their own that are relevant to particular situations and to the needs of their learners. Delivery guidance for LO.1 When looking at different types of administrative roles it would be useful to use examples from local, national and global organisations to show how they differ in terms of tasks and responsibilities. For example, a large multi-national organisation may cover a range of different administrative roles to support specialist functions such as customer services, reception, diary management, or providing dedicated support for one or more managers, whereas a smaller local organisation may have just one secretarial function to cover all the administrative needs of the organisation. Learners can also research roles in business requiring administrative skills, and the types of job roles in different types of organisation. It would be beneficial for learners to investigate administrative pathways to provide an insight into career progression opportunities. Some learners may already have had some experience in administrative roles, perhaps in temporary jobs, and so it would be beneficial to use this as a starting point for discussions about the different responsibilities. Before assessment, some learning activities could be based on an organisation to which learners have access in order to gain a better understanding of the relevance of the administrative job role. There are advantages in selecting an organisation with a local presence as any investigations can be achieved through a visit or a visiting speaker. Learners need to understand the role administration plays in contributing to the effective operation of organisations, irrespective of the size of the organisation. This can be achieved by investigating the links between different administrative tasks carried out for functions, such as human resources, finance, production, customer service, etc. Learners could split into groups to investigate a different admin function in the centre, for example finance, human resources, customer services etc, and each group could feedback so that the whole picture emerges (this would also minimise disruption to the administrative staff). This could then lead into investigating the admin functions in a local organisation, and comparing these. Delivery guidance for LO.2 To introduce this topic, learners will need to understand the range of different types of business event. Group discussions could draw on learners’ own experiences of events they have attended in the last year, and they could rate how successful they were in terms of organisation, highlighting what could have been done better. This could lead to tutor input on the importance of using a structured approach to planning and organising a business event using project management skills. Although the focus is on business events, it would be helpful for learners to investigate the background to project management terminology using case studies of large scale engineering or IT projects which have famously had ‘project balance model’ problems such as Wembley Stadium or the NHS.


It would be useful to introduce the principles and techniques of planning and managing projects through use of micro ‘projects’ such as ‘baking a cake’ to help learners apply the concepts to simple situations before moving on to address the complexities of projects such as planning and running an event. Discussion groups can be used for learners to explore, and possibly share experiences, of the different types and purposes of event such as meetings, conferences, exhibitions, receptions, trade fair stands etc. Learners need to appreciate the importance of forward planning and keeping accurate records when organising an event. The range of tasks involved in planning an event are varied, for example selecting appropriate venues, identifying resources needed to support the event, budgetary responsibilities, arranging travel and accommodation for participants, producing an agenda, and all of these require interaction with relevant parties about progress, etc. Role-play scenarios and in-tray exercises would be useful to help reinforce learning, and tutors can provide examples of checklists. The use of guest speakers, such as an event organiser, and visits to different types of event as a guest, giving learners some insight about what needs to be arranged, are to be encouraged for learners to gain first hand experience of planning an event. It would be worthwhile the tutor providing a scenario for small groups to practise planning activities prior to assessment. Follow-on group discussions could allow learners to compare results. Delivery guidance for LO.3 Meetings are an important activity in the planning and running a business event as well as more generally in most businesses, and learners should be given plenty of opportunities to practise meeting skills. Role-play scenarios would give learners the opportunity to practise conducting meetings in class and also provide the opportunity for other learners to give feedback on the organisation of the meeting, and how successful it was in terms of meeting its objectives. At all times, learners should be encouraged to give constructive and positive feedback. It would be useful to show learners video/DVD clips of meetings’ protocol and then let learners practise recording information. The use of video clips would provide the opportunity for discussion. Discussion may include identifying the meeting’s objectives and planning considerations. Learners must have opportunities to practise taking minutes of meetings by recording the proceedings and then word processing the notes. Tutors can provide examples of different formats for presenting minutes. Delivery guidance for LO.4 This topic develops learners’ knowledge of the importance of the health and safety practices and legislation that affects the work environment; case studies could be used to give learners practice opportunities. Centres should be aware that the law is constantly being revised and need to ensure they are aware of any changes and up to date with developments.


Learners should have a broad understanding of the legislation and regulations that are relevant to the administrative function whilst understanding how they affect the organisation, and tutors should be aware of the depth of understanding needed at this level. Learners can work in groups to identify any health and safety hazards using case studies and actual work stations, for example in the centre’s admin area. In doing so, they should be aware of what constitutes good practice. Discussion groups can explore the causes of hazards and carry out a risk assessment making recommendations for reducing the risks and how these should be prioritised. The Health and Safety Executive website provides excellent leaflets and a template for the best practice 5-step approach to risk assessment – identify the hazards, decide who might be harmed and how, evaluate the risks and decide on precautions, record findings and implement them, review assessment and update if necessary. The use of videos or DVDs will help to reinforce good health and safety practice and highlight hazards which would be difficult to simulate in the classroom, such as dealing with a fire.


Unit summary


LO.1 Understand the importance of effective administration and information management

1.1 Explain the importance of effective administration and information management for meetings and events

LO.2 Be able to use project management skills to plan a business event

2.1 Plan time and resources for a business event

2.2 Manage information effectively


3.1 Organise a meeting 3.2 Provide support for a meeting 3.3 Carry out follow-up activities 3.4 Review success of a meeting

LO.4 Be able to assess risks to health and safety

4.1 Assess risks to health and safety relevant to a business event


Assessment information for learners How you will be assessed This unit will be assessed by an assignment based on planning a business event. You will need to: • Plan the event. This will involve:

o using project management skills to plan the event [LO.2] o organise and support a meeting connected to planning the event, including setting

meeting objectives and carrying out follow-up activities [LO.3(.1, .2, .3)] o carrying out a risk assessment prior to the event, making recommendations for

improvements [LO.4].

• Review the meeting and the event planning. This will cover: o how successful you were at organising and supporting the meeting, along with ideas

for improvements [LO.3(.4)]; o what constitutes effective administration and information management in an

organisation and why it is important both for the organisation’s overall effectiveness and when organising meetings and events [LO.1].


Assessment information for assessors Instructions and controls for setting assessment assignments This unit must be covered by a single assignment, which is described in the How you will be assessed section, and exemplified within the unit sample assessment material (SAM). Sector-relevant purpose The event that is being planned must have a purpose, for example to provide information, to raise funds, etc. to people outside of the class. The event could be related to the learners’ enterprise or it could be an event that is being planned for another organisation (such as a business or the centre). The purpose could be decided by the centre or agreed between the centre and learners. The meetings must be linked to the planning of the event. Although learners are not assessed on the planning (rather than the eventual success of the event), it is intended that the event chosen is one that is really planned to take place. Evidence structure

Learning outcome


LO.2 A Planning the event Written evidence: final event plan

LO.3(.1, .2, .3) B Organising and supporting a meeting

Learner observation record: organisation, support and follow up for a meeting (supported by copies of emails, documents produced, other records kept and objectives for the meeting)

LO.4 A Risk assessment Written evidence: risk assessment

LO.1, LO.3(.4)

A Review Written evidence: effective organisation and information management; review of meeting success and ideas for improvements

Level of demand The level of demand appropriate to the assessment of this unit is exemplified in the unit sample assessment material (SAM). To provide sufficient complexity for Level 3 learners, the event should be one that involves several different types of resources, some dependencies, some activities which can be carried out either consecutively or concurrently, and contingencies. Assessment duration The suggested guided learning hours (GLH) needed to complete this assignment is 12 hours per learner. Centres can structure this time as they see fit. Centres should note that the total class assessment time will need to be higher to allow time for each individual to take a turn at organising and supporting a meeting.


Instructions and controls for taking assessment assignments The learners must be provided with full access to study all of the areas identified in the What you need to learn section. Controls relating to resources and supervision are contained within Annexe C. Learners will need to work in groups, which will need to comprise the same people when planning the event as for the meetings. Learners should work individually to decide on the objectives and then to make the arrangements and to create the meeting documentation (agenda and minutes). Although they may work in groups, each learner must create their own assessment evidence of the event planning. It is important that the learner produces their own plan. The reviews must be completed individually. Summary of unit controls

Setting Time Resources Supervision Collaboration Marking Limited Limited Limited Medium Medium Medium

See Annexe C for further information. Guidance for assessment t is recommended that groups contain between 3 and 5 learners. A uniform number will make it easier to plan for assessment since sufficient time must be allowed for each learner to organise and support one meeting. The assessment of LO.2, LO.3 and LO.4 should happen concurrently, rather than sequentially: the meetings (LO.3) and risk assessment (LO.4) will inevitably feed into the planning (LO.2) which will take place over a more extended period of time. It is inevitable that the plans for the event will develop during this process. Evidence for learners’ ability to use project management skills to plan the business event (LO.2) comes from their up-front planning of the activities needed, e.g. lists of tasks, ordering and estimated time required). This evidence can be in any suitable format(s), but must be done in writing. The event does not need to be one that will take place, but it could be. The plan needs to consider each of main bullet points in the What you need to learn section of the unit. The final event plan can contain activities that will need to be done (i.e. planned activities that have not yet taken place), as well as things that have already been decided and should be written up individually after all of the meetings have finished. It would make most sense for the meetings to be spread over a period of weeks in order to make the assessment task of organising and supporting meetings more realistic, e.g. one or two meetings a week. If that is not feasible, then the organisation and arrangement-making (but not the meetings themselves) could be done simultaneously. The meetings should be connected to the event planning in LO.2.


Most of the marks for LO.3 are awarded based on the tutor’s observation of learners’ ability to organise and support the meetings, but supporting evidence for this will be provided by the documentation produced during the course of this activity (copies of emails, agendas, minutes, etc). Tutors will need to be present for most of the activities and must take a holistic view based on what they see throughout the process rather than, say, at the beginning or end only. Tutors will not need to be present for the duration of the meetings, but should see at least part of each meeting. If the tutor is unable to judge the completeness of the meeting records as they were not there, they can check with other meeting participants. The ‘agreed timescales’ referred to in the Marking grid B could be those that are set by the centre and/or those agreed amongst the groups. The risk assessment and the review can be presented in any appropriate written format. The risk assessment may be undertaken as a group activity but the findings must be written up individually. Part of the review concerns judging the success of the meeting. This should be interpreted as learners judging not only how well it went in terms of its objectives, but also how well they were able to organise and support it overall.


Marking grid A


available LO.1

Understand the importance of effective administration and information management

The learner states that effective administration and information management is important for an organisation, but shows limited understanding of why.

The learner explains why effective administration and information management is important for an organisation, showing some understanding of the consequences if this does not happen.

The learner explains convincingly why effective administration and information management for an organisation, showing a good understanding of the consequences if this does not happen.

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6) 6

LO.2

Be able to use project management skills to plan a business event

Overall, some aspects of the event may be under-planned. The plan includes a basic description of intended outcomes that shows a limited understanding of the features that the event will require.

Overall, the event is appropriately planned. The plan includes a description of intended outcomes that shows some understanding of the features the event will require.

Overall, the event is carefully and effectively planned. The plan includes a detailed description of intended outcomes that shows a good understanding of the features the event will require and the expectations of the participants.

(0–4) (5–7) (8–10)

Some of the key activities are included, with an attempt to estimate how long they will take. There is limited contingency planning.

Key activities are included in a sensible order, with a reasonable estimate of how long they will take. Contingency planning shows some awareness of problems that could occur and there are ideas for how to overcome them.

Key activities are included in a sensible order, with a good estimate of how long they will take and a good understanding of interdependencies. Contingency planning shows a good awareness of the problems that could occur and there are realistic and convincing ideas for how to overcome them.

(0–4) (5–7) (8–10) 20



available LO.3

Be able to organise and support a meeting

The learner provides a basic assessment of the success of the meeting and their own performance, with limited ideas for improvement.

The learner provides a reasonable assessment of the success of the meeting and their own performance, with some supporting evidence and making realistic suggestions for improvement.

The learner provides a perceptive assessment of the success of the meeting and their own performance, with convincing supporting evidence and making realistic and well justified suggestions for improvement.

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6) 6

LO.4

Be able to assess risks to health and safety

In the risk assessment, the learner shows limited ability to identify hazards and areas of good practice. Recommendations for improvements are made.

In the risk assessment, the learner identifies hazards and areas of good practice. There is some reference to health and safety legislation. Appropriate recommendations for improvements are made, with some justification and prioritisation.

In the risk assessment, the learner clearly identifies hazards and areas of good practice. There is accurate reference to appropriate health and safety legislation. Appropriate and clear recommendations for improvements are made, which are well justified and prioritised.

(0–5) (6–9) (10–12) 12

Total marks 44


Marking grid B

Assessment focus Mark Band 1 Mark Band 2 Mark Band 3

Maximum marks available

Overall, the learner shows limited organisational ability. The meeting is arranged, with some relevant preparations made and objectives set. Some of the necessary documentation before and after the meeting is produced and distributed.

Overall, the learner shows reasonable organisational ability. The meeting is arranged, with relevant preparations made and clear objectives set. The necessary documentation before and after the meeting showing some care and attention to detail is produced and distributed to the relevant people.

Overall, the learner shows good organisational ability. The meeting is arranged, with relevant and efficient preparations made and clear objectives set. The necessary documentation before and after the meeting showing good care and attention to detail is produced and distributed to the relevant people, within agreed timescales.

(0–4) (5–7) (8–10)


Records of the meeting may be limited in terms of completeness, with some key points recorded.

Records of the meeting are reasonably complete, with most key points recorded.

Records of the meeting are complete, with key points recorded.

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6) 16

Total marks 16


Assessment guidance Using the marking grid • Each internally assessed unit has either 60, 75 or 90 available marks in total. • In some units the marking grid has been split into two grids – A and B. Marking grid A










band 3 on one assessment focus, mark band 1 on another etc, then all marks are added together for the unit total. It may be possible, depending on weighting of an assessment focus for a learner to pass a unit even if 0 has been given in marks for one assessment focus in the unit. Relevant Tutor Support Materials may contain further information relating to marking






marking grid B.


Level 3 descriptors

Descriptor Meaning Accurate/accurately Correct, without errors.

Agreed timescales Timescales set by the centre and/or the group.

Appropriate Suitable/relevant and realistic.

Appropriately (planned) Showing that the requirements of the event have been considered. Decisions that are made are appropriate but it might be possible to improve upon some of them in order to better meet the needs and expectations of attendees.

Assess/assessment Judge the extent or degree of something.

Attempt to Tries, but has no or only limited success.

Basic Limited to the fundamental features, elements or facts.

Carefully and effectively (planned)

Showing that the requirements of the event have been considered thoroughly and decided in such a way that attendees’ needs and expectations will be met.

Coherence Logical, consistent and well ordered across the different parts.

Convincing/convincingly Believable, well argued, well chosen.

Describe/description Provide information that includes relevant features, facts, etc.

Detail/detailed Showing thoroughness.

Efficient/efficiently Done well and in a timely manner, without unnecessary effort.

Explain/explanation Provide reasons for a decision, feature, etc.

Good/well To a high level or degree.

Identify Mention the key elements, facts, features, etc.

Justify/justified/justification Give reasons for something.

Limited To a small and incomplete degree; showing basic or incomplete knowledge, evidence, ability etc.

Most/mostly The majority with one or two left out.

Perceptive Showing good insight and self awareness.

Prioritise (recommendations)

Put in order of likelihood and seriousness.

Reasonable Moderate or average.

Reasonably Somewhat, fairly.

Realistic Appropriate and practical.

Relevant people The attendees of the meeting and the tutor; not people who do not need to see the documents.

Some To a certain degree, partial.

State Assert, make a statement without evidence or explanation.

Under-planned Lacking in detail which shows that the requirements have not been fully thought through.
















Suggested context

Reference


C3.1


C3.1.1

Speaking to communicate a) information b) feelings c) opinions d) questions e) complex instructions on a range of familiar and unfamiliar topics, using appropriate language and non-verbal communication, and in a range of contexts.

C3.1.2


b) Giving a talk/presentation of at least

eight minutes.

(a) Formal face-to-face discussions

with at least two other people about the features and skills required in project management.

(b) A talk/presentation about

assessing health and safety risks relevant to a business event.

C3.1.3

Reading

C3.2


Reading at least two documents about health and safety, in preparation for a talk/presentation.

C3.2.1

Writing

C3.3


Writing a plan for a business event for the purpose of informing colleagues.

C3.3.1




Suggested context

Reference

Using ICT systems

ICT3.1


ICT3.1.1


ICT3.1.2


Using ICT to project manage and plan a business event.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.2


ICT3.2.1


ICT3.1.2


Finding, selecting and exchanging ICT-based information relevant to project managing and planning a business event.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.3


ICT3.3.1


Developing and presenting ICT-based information for the purpose of the task, in the form of text, tables, images, numbers and records for an audience of colleagues.

ICT3.3.2




Suggested context

Reference


N3.1


N3.1.1


N3.1.2


Identifying, analysing and describing the task related to planning, scheduling and project managing an event, planning how to tackle it and collecting relevant data from a range of sources.

N3.1.3


N3.2


N3.2.1


Choosing and using appropriate methods and carrying out calculations to get the results needed in the task of planning, scheduling and project managing an event.

N3.2.2


N3.3


N3.3.1


Presenting and explaining results about the task to an audience in two different ways, explaining methods and how the findings meet the purpose of the task and are appropriate to the audience. Justifying ways of presenting, methods and findings.

N3.3.2





Suggested context

Reference


WO3.1


WO3.1.1


WO3.1.2


Working in a group or team to project manage a business event. Plan working arrangements with others, identifying individual roles to undertake the task. Agree a common approach with the group to carry out the task. WO3.1.3


WO3.2


WO3.2.1


WO3.2.2


Carry out tasks and share information gathered that is relevant to working in a group or team to project manage a business event, identifying appropriate findings, develop co-operation with others and check progress towards objectives.

WO3.2.3


WO3.3


WO3.3.1


WO3.3.2



WO3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


LP3.1


LP3.1.1


LP3.1.2


Set SMART targets for learning about techniques to support meetings, including minute taking and plan how these learning targets will be met. Plan progress reviews and document sources of support and identify timelines.

LP3.1.3


LP3.2


LP3.2.1


LP3.2.2



LP3.2.3


LP3.3


LP3.3.1


LP3.3.2



LP3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


PS3.1


PS3.1.1


PS3.1.2


Tackling the problem of project managing a business event. Identify the elements of the problem and explore different methods for project managing a business event. Justify the selected method(s) or option(s) and plan the chosen option(s) and get the go-ahead. PS3.1.3


PS3.2


PS3.2.1


PS3.2.2


Carry out the plan, using feedback, checking progress in the task and revising approaches when necessary.

PS3.2.3


PS3.3


PS3.3.1


PS3.3.2



PS3.3.3


Work experience Work experience connected to this unit would useful, especially in relation to using office equipment and planning a business event. Specialist resources Centres need to have access to a range of office equipment and systems for learners to practise and develop their administrative skills, which may be in the form of a model office comprising a desk, computer, printer, telephone. However, centres do not need the more specialist types of equipment e.g. scanners, binders etc, which may well be available in the centre’s admin office or through a visit to a local business. Reference material Books Ashley V and Ashley S – Student Handbook Level 3 (Business and Administration Standards) (Council for Administration, 2006) ISBN 0955092053 Gutman J – Taking Minutes at Meetings (Kogan Page, 2004) ISBN 074943564 Health and Safety Executive — Successful Health and Safety Management, 2nd edition (HSE, 1997) ISBN 07117612767 Horine G – Absolute Beginners’ Guide to Project Management (Que Publishing, 2005) ISBN 0789731955 Websites www.cfa.uk.com The Council for Administration www.hse.gov Health and Safety Executive: information on health and safety practice

in the workplace

LEVEL 3 UNIT 3: PERSONAL FINANCE AND FINANCIAL SERVICES (WALES) PAGE 75

Unit 3: Personal Finance and Financial Services (Wales)


Level 3


Externally assessed

(58.5 hours learning time and 1.5 hours for assessment)

About this unit

‘Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons’ – Woody Allen. Financial matters affect us every day, both in our personal lives and when we are at work, and your financial needs today may be different from your needs in the future. It is important to manage your personal finances efficiently and to take responsibility for your finance, and this unit will show you how to do this. In this unit you will learn about the purpose, properties and sources of money, and the providers and types of banking, insurance and other financial products and services, including internet-based ones. You will consider the nature of personal financial decisions and the factors influencing them, such as the influence of the personal life cycle, and you will study and assess the suitability of the main sources of financial advice. The unit also considers how individual attitudes and different cultures and values influence personal financial planning. You will examine the importance of planning for expenditure to avoid getting into debt, study how to cope with debt, and learn about the main ways in which consumers of financial products are protected. The knowledge you gain will help you to make appropriate decisions about financial transactions, whether buying, earning, saving, borrowing or selling.

Learning outcomes On completing this unit, a learner should: LO.1 Understand how to make the most of personal financial transactions LO.2 Understand the key influences on personal finance and financial services LO.3 Understand the relevance and value of sources of financial information and advice LO.4 Be able to make appropriate personal financial decisions.


What you need to learn LO.1 Understand

how to make the most of personal financial transactions

The ability to handle money received, and to control money paid, is a fundamental requirement for personal and business success. This success relies on understanding what ‘money’ is. You will need to learn about the: • concept, purpose and properties of money: the official

currency issued by the government; a means of exchange, a measure of value, a store of value; portable but durable, transferable, hard to counterfeit

• sources of money: banks and other lenders; state benefits; personal sources (earned income, inheritance, selling, borrowing and using savings)

• use of money in everyday transactions: paying in advance, e.g. pre-pay cards; paying now, e.g. debit cards; paying later, e.g. credit cards; taxes and hidden charges on spending; selling methods (face-to-face, online and traditional auctions, pawnbrokers); selling costs, e.g. commission, fees.

Banks, building societies and other specialist businesses that offer a range of financial services are widely used nowadays. You need to learn about: • providers of financial products/services: banks, building

societies, mortgage specialists, insurance companies, retailers

• different financial products/services: current and savings accounts (features, costs); types of mortgages (repayment, interest only); types and benefits of insurance (life, income, mortgage protection, personal property); pros and cons of methods of spending/borrowing, e.g. credit cards, personal loans, in-store credit, overdrafts

• suitability of financial products and services: assessing the suitability of financial products against individual needs; the obligations associated with specific financial products; risk and reward for different types of savings (premium bonds, fixed/variable interest rates, non-interest) and investments based on values of stock market, property and ‘valuables’

• protection for consumers of financial products: regulation of the financial services industry/the FSA; personal cover available (redundancy, illness, death)

• foreign currency: major currencies (euro, other European, US dollar, Australian and Canadian dollar, yen, yuan, rupee); symbols, denominations and key phrases e.g. ‘cambio’ and ‘bureau de change’; variable exchange rates and their effects, e.g. cost of travel; calculating foreign currency transactions and related costs

• benefits and limitations of internet banking and purchase of financial products: advantages, e.g. convenience, range, cost savings; disadvantages, e.g. lack of professional advice, risks of making inappropriate choices.


LO.2 Understand the key influences on personal finance and financial services

Individual attitudes, different cultures and life stages, and external factors all influence personal finances. You will need to learn about: • personal and cultural attitudes: personal consumer

behaviour, e.g. necessities versus luxuries, ‘pay for the name’ or ‘value for money’; durability versus disposability; personal attitudes towards risk and reward and influence on borrowing, spending and saving; ethical beliefs, e.g. ethical investments, ethical banking; cultural factors, e.g. religious views on interest

• the personal life cycle: stages (childhood, adolescence, young adult, middle age, old age); key features (typical needs, wants and aspirations) of each stage and the resultant financial needs and implications at each stage, e.g. materialistic aspiration as young adult, family commitments, need for income in old age; how life events can vary the personal life cycle from individual to individual

• external influences/trends and the financial-related effects: social, e.g. more single-parent families; economic, e.g. changes in taxation/pensions; technological, e.g. new online financial services; environmental, e.g. new more environmentally-friendly fuel; political, e.g. switch from direct to indirect tax; effects they have on the personal life cycle stages.

LO.3 Understand the relevance and value of sources of financial information and advice

In order to make financial decisions, it is important to know the different sources of information and advice available: • Citizens Advice Bureau (free financial information and advice) • banks and building societies (advice on own products and

services) • independent financial advisors • debt counsellors and Individual Voluntary Arrangements

(advice and agreements on how large debts can be repaid) and bankruptcy

• Department for Work and Pensions (advice on benefits and entitlements)

• publications, telephone and internet sources: e.g. Which?, National Debtline, www.moneyfacts.co.uk, www.moneyexpert.com

• HM Revenue and Customs (advice on personal taxes) • Financial Services Authority (advice on helping retail

consumers achieve a fair deal through the ‘Money made clear’ website section)

• Financial Ombudsman Service (advice on settling disputes between businesses providing financial services and their customers).

People have to decide on the suitability and value of such advice. To do so, they need to consider factors, such as • advice published or online: reliability and impartiality of

source; advice provided in person: the status and independence of the advisor, the objectivity, quality and degree of detail of the advice.


LO.4 Be able to make appropriate personal financial decisions

People make personal financial decisions on a regular basis. Although the financial planning needs we have vary from individual to individual, there are a number of common principles and purposes of financial planning. You will need to learn about: • why to plan expenditure: to avoid getting into debt (to control

costs, avoid legal action and/or repossession, remain solvent, maintain a good credit rating); to manage money (fund purchases, generate income and/or savings, provide insurance against loss/illness, counter the effects of inflation)

• undertaking short-term to medium-term personal financial planning: setting financial goals/targets, e.g. to be free of debt in 15 years; planning to achieve (assessing existing financial resources, considering the influence of risk); individual factors that affect personal financial planning (age, employment status, personal responsibilities, existing and expected financial commitments, personal beliefs); taking action, e.g. choosing investment, calculating costs; review; the role of a financial adviser (establish relationship, gather client data, judge financial status, make recommendations, implement, monitor).


Teaching this unit Delivery guidance The purpose of this unit is to allow learners to develop a detailed knowledge and understanding of personal finance and financial services. Although all learners have experience of using money in their everyday lives, they will need to understand what ‘money’ is: money as a concept, its types or forms, its purpose and sources. Learners will also have experience of undertaking financial transactions, and will explore their existing understanding in contexts such as the main types and providers of financial products and services. The unit requires learners to make appropriate personal financial decisions. In order to do so, they will study financial planning and will use, and judge the suitability of, various sources of financial advice. Learners will explore how individual differences and beliefs influence personal financial planning, and will need to recognise that different needs and personal obligations arise from financial transactions. Delivery guidance for LO.1 Learners will have experience of money in their everyday lives, and some may even have existing major financial obligations. To achieve this learning outcome they will need to – accepting the inevitable constraints of confidentiality – assess their own and others’ experiences of earning, spending, saving and borrowing money, and to reflect on their present understanding of what money is and the characteristics that it has. Although the focus remains on personal finance, it is also likely to be beneficial to consider their experience of how actual organisations are affected by financial matters, such as selling goods, paying wages and salaries, and expansion through undertaking capital expenditure. There are potential links here to Unit 1: Business Enterprise (Wales), Unit 4: Business Finance and Accounting (Wales), Unit 5: Marketing and Sales in Business (Wales) and Unit 6: Customer Service in Business (Wales). The wider their research, the broader their understanding will be. Actual case studies of individuals, families and known organisations will enable learners to relate their learning to their everyday experiences, to discuss and make judgements on their findings, and to start appreciating the extent to which individual financial circumstances and needs differ (which will be developed in the other learning outcomes). Many learners will have experience of operating bank and/or building society accounts, but this experience will still need to be strengthened and broadened by reviewing existing levels of understanding, investigating these organisations and studying other providers of financial products and services (including insurance) and the financial products they offer. ICT, teamwork and communication skills can be developed further here, for example by discussing with others the suitability of specific financial products for their unique needs, and when researching into internet-based financial products and services. Learners may also have actual experience of foreign holidays, and therefore of using foreign currency. This experience can be used, together with appropriate case studies and/or for example websites dealing with overseas flight and hotels, to provide a meaningful personal experience focusing on how exchange rates affect individuals. The classification of financial transactions – buying/spending, earning (for example, existing experience of part-time retail employment), saving, borrowing, selling – can act as appropriate foci for role plays, case studies, and reviews of personal experiences.


Delivery guidance for LO.2 This learning outcome focuses on how individual differences and external factors inform financial planning and activities. Decisions on these matters are influenced by issues such as personal ethics and different cultures as well as by individual views on, for example, risk and reward. This learning outcome therefore develops naturally from the learning in LO.1 relating to specific financial needs, and will be further extended in LO.4 when students explore practical ways of financial planning. A discussion-based or case-study approach will be appropriate here to encourage personal views to be considered, discussed and shared, and to further develop communication skills. There is also a need to discuss how financial planning creates obligations and responsibilities, which can be explored effectively using personal experience, case studies and role plays. Delivery guidance for LO.3 Learners will need to be introduced to the different sources of information available such as banks, building societies, publications and web-based sources. Visits to, or guest speakers from, these financial organisations will allow learners to experience the realities of financial advice. Research using the internet and paper-based publications is also appropriate: see ‘Reference material’ at the end of this unit. There are substantial opportunities here for developing communication (in particular, listening and reading) and teamwork skills and for promoting the use of ICT, and developing the skills of reflection and analysis because the learners are asked to decide the suitability of information obtained. Delivery guidance for LO.4 A review of the learning from the areas in LO.1 and LO.2 that focus on how individual needs influence financial matters should provide a good foundation for this learning objective. Learners need to be able to undertake realistic personal financial planning for the short to medium term. To do so effectively, they need to consider not only how all personal financial planning often has a common foundation – for example, in terms of principles and procedures – but also how it is influenced by factors such as age and income. There are opportunities for case studies, workshops and discussion to consider factors and other aspects of personal financial planning, and to explore how such planning will vary from individual to individual.


Unit summary


LO.1 Understand how to make the most of personal financial transactions

1.1 Identify the concept, purpose and sources of money and its use in everyday financial transactions

1.2 Assess the types and providers of financial products and services in terms of their nature, risk, reward, and suitability for personal needs

1.3 Outline the protection that is available to consumers of financial services

1.4 Undertake foreign currency calculations, showing an understanding of how changes in foreign currency rates affect consumers

1.5 Assess the advantages and disadvantages of buying financial services and products on the internet


2.1 Explain how individual attitudes and cultural differences influence personal financial decisions

2.2 Analyse the effects of the personal life cycle and external influences on their own financial needs and decisions


3.1 Evaluate a range of sources of financial advice, judging their relevance and value in differing situations


4.1 Identify the risks and repercussions of getting into debt

4.2 Make financial plans that take into account appropriate individual and external factors


Assessment information for learners How you will be assessed This unit will be assessed by an examination lasting one and a half hours, containing a range of questions. The mark you achieve for this examination will be your mark for the unit. Learning outcomes — assessment weighting

Learning outcome Range of weighting (% age) LO.1 Understand how to make the most of

personal financial transactions 25–35%


20–30%


15–25%


20–30%


Guidance for Integrating Essential Skills Wales and Wider Key Skills Level 3 Skills in applied learning A unique and central feature of Principal Learning (PL) is the requirement that at least 50% must be completed in an applied or work-related context. This means that learners must actively engage with the curriculum they are studying, putting theory into practice and working cooperatively with other learners, with their teachers, and with people from outside the classroom. They should learn in a range of contexts and environments, carrying out investigations and active enquiries, learning through doing and relating their learning to job roles. The skills embodied in the three Essential Skills Wales (ESW) and the three wider key skills (WKS) are therefore integral to the delivery of Principal Learning (PL) at all levels and in all lines of learning. Principal Learning offers many opportunities to develop all six skills (ESW + WKS) that are required if a candidate is to achieve the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification (WBQ). To achieve the WBQ at Advanced level, learners must achieve three of the six skills at Level 3, one of which must be ESW Communication, Application of Number or ICT, together with the other three skills at Level 2. Developing skills The table below lists, in the first column, the skills that a learner must develop for the ESW or WKS in question. The second column suggests a PL context in which the skill would arise naturally and might be developed. It is important that, when developing an ESW skill, both the learner and the teacher pay close attention to the section in the standards headed ‘In order to show that you are competent’. Similarly for the WKS, teachers and learners must study Part A. The third column in the table identifies the ESW or WKS component. Portfolio evidence If a learner is aiming to generate portfolio evidence in the context of a learning activity or assignment in PL, it is important to ensure that the requirements of the assignment match the evidence requirements of the skill qualification (ESW or WKS) in question, in terms of content and of presentation. A portfolio of evidence will often require more than one example of the skill, so teachers will need to identify other contexts and opportunities from the many that exist in the context of the WBQ as a whole. The table below does not include details of these requirements. It is therefore essential that teachers are familiar with: • the standards for ESW and the associated documents ‘Amplification of Evidence














Suggested context

Reference


C3.1


C3.1.1


C3.1.2


b) Giving a talk/presentation of at

least eight minutes.


with at least two other people about making the most of personal financial transactions.

(b) A talk/presentation about the

sources and value of financial information and advice available.

C3.1.3

Reading

C3.2


Reading at least two documents about the value and sources of financial information and advice, in preparation for a talk/presentation.

C3.2.1

Writing

C3.3


Writing a report about the impact of personal lifestyle on personal finance for the purpose of informing an audience of peers.

C3.3.1




Suggested context

Reference

Using ICT systems

ICT3.1


ICT3.1.1


ICT3.1.2


Using ICT to produce an information booklet to inform appropriate personal financial decisions.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.2


ICT3.2.1


ICT3.1.2


Finding, selecting and exchanging ICT-based information relevant to producing an information booklet to inform appropriate personal financial decisions.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.3


ICT3.3.1


Developing and presenting ICT-based information for the purpose of the task, in the form of text, tables, images and numbers, for an audience of individuals who are interested in financial planning.

ICT3.3.2




Suggested context

Reference


N3.1


N3.1.1


N3.1.2


Identifying, analysing and describing the task related to personal financial planning, planning how to tackle it and collecting relevant data from a range of sources.

N3.1.3


N3.2


N3.2.1


Choosing and using appropriate methods and carrying out calculations to get the results needed in the task of personal financial planning. N3.2.2


N3.3


N3.3.1


Presenting and explaining results about the task to an audience of peers in two different ways, explaining methods and how the findings meet the purpose of the task and are appropriate to the audience. Justifying ways of presenting, methods and findings.

N3.3.2





Suggested context

Reference


WO3.1


WO3.1.1


WO3.1.2


Working in a group or team to research the value and sources of personal financial information and present findings. Plan working arrangements with others, identifying individual roles to research the value and sources of financial information and present findings. Agree a common approach with the group to the task.

WO3.1.3


WO3.2


WO3.2.1


WO3.2.2



WO3.2.3


WO3.3


WO3.3.1


WO3.3.2



WO3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


LP3.1


LP3.1.1


LP3.1.2


Set SMART targets for learning about providers and types of banking and plan how these learning targets will be met. Plan progress reviews and document sources of support and identify timelines.

LP3.1.3


LP3.2


LP3.2.1


LP3.2.2



LP3.2.3


LP3.3


LP3.3.1


LP3.3.2


Review progress with the tutor; evaluate finished work at close and reflect on the learning process in order to establish how learning and performance could be improved in future. Identifying how learning can be transferred to different situations. LP3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


PS3.1


PS3.1.1


PS3.1.2


Tackling the problem of producing a personal financial plan for a client. Identify the elements of the problem and explore different methods for producing a personal financial plan for a client. Justify the selected method(s) or option(s) and plan the chosen option(s) and get the go-ahead.

PS3.1.3


PS3.2


PS3.2.1


PS3.2.2



PS3.2.3


PS3.3


PS3.3.1


PS3.3.2


Evaluate and present the chosen solution the teacher/tutor in order to confirm whether problem solving has been successful. Review and reflect on the problem solving process and decide whether other approaches may have proved more effective.

PS3.3.3


Specialist resources None. Reference material Books Bajtelsmit V L and Rastelli L G – Personal Finance (Wiley Pathways, 2007) ISBN 0470111232 Beckett M I H – How the Stock Market Works, 2nd edition (Kogan Page, 2004) ISBN 0749441909 Faerber E E – The Personal Finance Calculator (McGraw-Hill, 2003) ISBN 0071393900 Fisher S Y and Shelly S – The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Personal Finance in Your 20s and 30s, 3rd Edition (Alpha Books, 2005) ISBN 1592573320 Gorham J – Mastering Personal Finance (Palgrave Study Guides, 2007) ISBN 023055301X Harrison D – Personal Financial Planning: Theory and Practice (Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2004) ISBN 027368101X Keown A – Turning Money into Wealth and Student Workbook (Pearson, 2006) ISBN 0131742817 Websites www.adviceonline.co.uk Advice Online: independent financial advice www.astute-investor.co.uk Astute Investor www.firsttrustbank.co.uk First Trust Bank (personal finance) www.fool.co.uk The Motley Fool: financial advice and information www.ft.com/yourmoney Financial Times www.getsafeonline.org Get Safe Online: government-sponsored site www.home.co.uk/finance Home.co.uk: information about financial products www.moneymadeclear.fsa.gov.uk Financial Services Authority www.moneysavingexpert.com Martin Lewis www.moneyfacts.co.uk Moneyfacts Group www.nationaldebtline.co.uk National Debtline www.pfeg.org Educational charity www.uk250.co.uk/Bank/index.html UK bank websites www.unbiased.co.uk Independent Financial Advice Promotion Ltd

LEVEL 3 UNIT 4: BUSINESS FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING (WALES) PAGE 93

Unit 4: Business Finance and Accounting (Wales)


Level 3


Externally assessed (58.5 hours learning time and 1.5 hours for assessment)

About this unit

Finance and accounting have been described as either the ‘language’ or the ‘lifeblood’ of business. All businesses must obtain and control their finances efficiently, or else they are likely to fail. People who can help businesses do this are valued highly and often rewarded well. In this unit you will learn about the nature and purpose of business finance and accounting, and you will see the differences that exist between finance in business and our personal finances. You will explore business finance and accounting roles, and discover the range of sources of finance that are available to business. This unit also considers how businesses use financial information to make appropriate financial decisions. Information and communications technology plays a major role in modern economies, and you will therefore learn how financial software is used to make the business finance and accounting functions more efficient. One of the key functions of accounting is to prepare, present and analyse financial information to assist business decision-making. You will be shown how to prepare and interpret financial documents and to construct and interpret the financial forecasting techniques of business budgeting and break-even analysis.

Learning outcomes On completing this unit, a learner should: LO.1. Know the nature and purpose of business finance and accounting LO.2 Know how financial information is used in business and the factors that influence this LO.3 Be able to prepare and interpret financial statements LO.4 Be able to construct and interpret forecasts.


What you need to learn LO.1 Know the nature

and purpose of business finance and accounting

Finance that is both adequate and available is necessary for businesses to survive and prosper. The business finance and the accounting functions play key roles in business. You need to learn about: • the purpose of accounting: to record financial information; to

analyse and interpret financial information; to communicate financial information; to assist in obtaining and managing business finance

• roles within accounting and business finance: job-based roles, e.g. financial director, cashier, finance clerk, financial accountant, management accountant, accounts clerk; function-based roles, e.g. recording, analysing, forecasting.

There are different sources of business finance. Business can raise finance either internally or externally. You need to learn about: • internal sources of business finance: trading income; profits;

sale of assets; share or other capital from the owner(s) • external sources of business finance: borrowing; trade

credit; debt factoring and invoice discounting; hire purchase and leasing; grants and subsidies; venture capital (private equity)

• the influence of business type (ownership, size) on the availability and source of finance

• the influence of factors such as cost, length of borrowing, and security, on the source chosen.


LO.2 Know how financial information is used in business and the factors that influence this

Accountants and other business people use financial information to make business decisions. You need to learn about: • the nature of financial information available to a business:

sources of financial information (trading documents, financial statements, documents created by forecasting techniques); the focus of financial information (profitability, liquidity or efficiency; past records or future forecasts)

• how businesses use financial information: for forecasting; for financial reporting; to interpret and improve profitability, liquidity and efficiency; to meet legal requirements; to save costs; for investment.

All businesses are affected by external factors, such as through the government setting business tax rates and requiring financial statements to be drawn up and audited. Because these external factors influence business finance and accounting, you need to learn about:

the influence of taxation and auditing on businesses: the range of taxes (corporation tax, income tax, VAT, national insurance, local authority business rates); the nature of external auditing (purpose of independent and objective checking, the main role of the Auditing Practices Board and auditing standards).

Many businesses use financial software in order to handle business finance and accounting information efficiently. You need to learn about: • functions of financial software: to increase efficiency, lower

costs, improve accuracy, create more timely reports, improve control

• how generic software in business can support finance and accounting: spreadsheets (cash flow, profit forecasting, budgeting, breakeven analysis); word processing (business financial documents); database software (financial records); examples of the range of specialist software (general ledger, accounts receivable and payable, purchase and sales order processing).

LO.3 Be able to prepare and interpret financial statements

Accountants and other business people use financial records and other information to prepare financial statements. Once prepared, these statements can be used as a basis for interpreting the financial performance of the business. This will involve: • preparing simple financial statements for small businesses:

income statements; balance sheets; cash-flow statements • interpreting financial statements of small businesses: simple

interpretation of financial performance in terms of profitability (gross and net profit margins, return on capital employed), liquidity (Current, Acid Test) and efficiency ratios (stock turnover, debtor and creditor payment periods)

• interpreting financial statements of limited companies: simple interpretation of financial performance (liquidity, profitability, efficiency and capital gearing)

• calculating VAT and corporation tax.


LO.4 Be able to construct and interpret forecasts

Accountants and other business people will use financial information in an attempt to forecast future financial progress and figures. Budgetary control, cost analysis and breakeven analysis are important planning and forecasting tools. This will involve: • budgeting and budgetary control: the concept and purposes

of budgeting (to plan, co-ordinate, control, motivate); the importance of budgeting; ways of planning and control

• budgetary statements for small businesses: types of budgets (sales, production, materials, labour, overheads); preparing simple budgets; variances and reasons for, e.g. overtime, absenteeism, wastage, price changes

• cost analysis: average and marginal costs; role in decision-making (deciding on the cost of a product or service using average and marginal costing)

• breakeven analysis: construction of charts, calculation of breakeven point, margin of safety, contribution; use and limitations in decision making.


Teaching this unit Delivery guidance The purpose of this unit is for learners to develop a detailed knowledge and understanding of business finance and accounting, and to make sound business financial decisions. Learners should therefore be able to apply financial knowledge effectively in both familiar and unfamiliar business finance and accounting situations. They should also be capable of researching, analysing and evaluating financial information and of presenting financial information effectively. Tutors can utilise learners’ experience and/or knowledge of business finance gained through work experience such as dealing with trading documents or assisting in a finance office, or as a result of studying a Level 2 business qualification. There will be opportunities to introduce learners to real financial information. Although much of this information remains confidential, there are sources: for instance, published financial statements (which sometimes appear in an abbreviated simplified form, or which can be simplified). Although learners will, of necessity, meet key accounting and financial terms, concepts and ideas in the unit, the purpose is not to train them as accountants and therefore the ‘language’ of accounting needs to be introduced with that in mind. Accounting and finance involve communication and administrative skills which allow links to be made to Unit 7: Teams and Communication in Business (Wales) and Unit 2: Business Administration and Events (Wales). There are also potential links to Unit 1: Business Enterprise (Wales), in which learners need to persuade potential investors of the merits of a business idea. Delivery guidance for LO.1 This outcome introduces learners to actual work roles in finance and accounting, and therefore the use of outside speakers – possibly from their own centre, such as a finance officer – is a suitable approach. Although the focus is on business finance, learners should review their own experience of how organisations are affected by financial matters such as selling goods, paying employees, and seeking to expand. The learners’ centre, in terms of its financial and economic environment, might act as one appropriate source for study. However, it will be important to consider how the differences that exist in organisational structures and environments help to create different financial needs and situations. Learners should be given the opportunity to study a range of businesses when exploring these issues. This range – for example, own centre (tertiary), large multinational (secondary), local council (tertiary), garden centre (primary/tertiary), local sole trader electrician or plumber (tertiary) – should be such as to allow full illustration of the key internal and external sources of finance and why these vary from business type to business type. It can be beneficial for learners to be set individual/small group research tasks into a business’s sources of finance and to present findings to the whole class, giving the opportunity to further develop communication and ICT skills.


Delivery guidance for LO.2 The focus of this outcome is on the relationship between financial information and business activity (internal and external). The first task could be to explore the range of financial information available in business, and how this information varies according to business type or feature such as size or resources. For example, if learners have reviewed key financial features of the range of businesses in the previous learning outcome, they will be able to appreciate key similarities and differences in the content and complexity of trading documents, financial statements and business forecasts, by for example comparing the sole trader with the large multinational. They can also review the extent to which each is able to use financial information for issues such as planning and forecasting. Discussion of these differences is likely to form a key learning approach. This learning outcome introduces ‘liquidity’, ‘profitability’ and ‘efficiency’. These are key features of any successful business, and link well with Unit 1: Business Enterprise (Wales). There is also a close link with Unit 5: Marketing and Sales in Business (Wales), for example when analysing the relationship between size of profit margin, price, market segment and advertising. It is important for learners to know the difference between cash and liquidity, and between profit and profitability. Actual or potential profit and cash situations of chosen businesses can be reviewed, and issues associated with low profitability or poor liquidity considered without undertaking profitability or liquidity calculations. Efficiency can be viewed in terms of output (i.e. productivity), as well as related liquidity issues such as speed of paying debts. Taxation and auditing are complex matters, and therefore this learning outcome seeks to provide only an overview of these. Learners can research into related external influences: for example, the role of government in setting tax rates (and the current rates) and the role of the Auditing Practices Board. Modern business relies on ICT. Again, learners can experience the varying influences of this technology if a suitable range of businesses is used. For example, it is likely that some learners will discover that a local sole trader has bought and used specialist software such as Sage Simply Accounting, whilst others will meet sole traders adapting generic software such as Excel for their accounting purposes. Contrast with large organisations will also be valuable. The learning outcome does not require learners to be proficient in this software, although seeing examples of accounting packages (for example Sage 50 Accounts 2008) and discussing how suppliers design software according to need (such as Sage BusinessWorks Accounting, Sage AccPac) help to increase understanding. Delivery guidance for LO.3 The focus of this learning outcome is preparing and interpreting the main financial statements (income; balance sheet; cash flow). Learners do not need to follow double-entry principles and construct ledger accounts and trial balances, but to appreciate the meaning of, and difference between, expenses, revenues, assets and liabilities. They also need to know that financial statements summarise past events, and therefore that there is a difference between a (past) cash flow statement and a (future) cash flow forecast.


Learning activities will include studying existing financial statements and applying knowledge of financial statement layout by constructing simple financial statements from given information, with real or simulated financial information from unincorporated business statements being contrasted with that from limited companies (simplified). The way in which financial statements are displayed and communicated forms a strong link with Unit 7: Teams and Communication in Business (Wales). It is expected that learners will be able to interpret the results of their calculations in the given business context: for example, why an acid test ‘textbook’ ratio of 1:1 is far higher than found in reality when many retailers’ financial statements are studied. Learners can categorise accounting ratios under the headings of liquidity, profitability and efficiency (plus capital gearing for limited companies). ICT, such as a spreadsheet, can be used when calculating and analysing ratios to demonstrate and test understanding, as well as to show the link between the two elements of preparation and interpretation. It is likely that these activities will lend themselves to group activities in which learners could develop teamworking skills. Interpreting the financial success of a business is fundamental to judgements concerning survival and progress, and therefore links closely to Unit 1: Business Enterprise(Wales). The amount of corporation tax due on profits can be treated as a simple calculation, and simple VAT calculations can be undertaken when, for example, cash flow statements are being constructed. Delivery guidance for LO.4 This outcome requires learners to be able to consider future events. It links closely with Unit 1: Business Enterprise (Wales) in terms of the need to anticipate the future. The links with Unit 7: Teams and Communication in Business (Wales) exist through the use of documents and layouts to display financial/numerical information. Learners are already familiar with personal budgeting through their own experiences and by studying Unit 3: Personal Finance and Financial Services (Wales), and this will be an appropriate starting point for many centres. Budgeting in business is a major topic, and so learners do not have to produce detailed master budgets. They will need to understand budgeting as a setting activity, and its planning, control, co-ordinating and motivational features (often taught as budgetary control). The experiences of different businesses can be used when considering how the type of business (such as size and economic sector) helps determine the nature of budgeting undertaken. Class discussion and/or group research tasks here will assist learning. Calculations of simple budgets – sales, production, materials, labour, overheads – are expected, though advanced techniques such as flexing the budget are not. Again, learners must be able to calculate and interpret, and so need to understand the term ‘variance’ in both positive and adverse contexts. Although knowledge of the sub-variances (materials price and quantity; labour rate and efficiency) is not required, learners should be able to give likely reasons for variances. Real business situations and case studies, and discussion of work placement experience, are likely to underpin much of this learning. Because forecasting involves analysing costs, learners need to know both average and marginal cost, and how ‘the margin’ underpins marginal costing (in this context, how an item’s marginal cost can be used to decide whether, for example, to stop manufacture). Learners therefore need to understand the concept of contribution, which they also meet when studying breakeven analysis. Here, they need to be able to calculate the breakeven point and display it graphically, to interpret given information on breakeven, and examine its use and practical limitations. Close links exist between these topics and Unit 5: Marketing and Sales in Business (Wales), and these enable the topics to be applied effectively to real business situations.


Unit summary


LO.1 Know the nature and purpose of business finance and accounting

1.1 Describe the key roles within business finance and accounting

1.2 Identify the different internal and external sources of capital and other forms of business finance

LO.2 Know how financial information is used in business and the factors that influence this

2.1 Describe the different sources and uses of financial information in business

2.2 Describe how business is influenced by corporate taxation and auditing

2.3 Identify uses of financial software in business

LO.3 Be able to prepare and interpret financial statements

3.1 Construct financial statements from given information

3.2 Interpret business financial performance using appropriate analytical tools

LO.4 Be able to construct and interpret forecasts

4.1 Outline the importance of budgetary control

4.2 Apply relevant budgeting techniques in the preparation of simple budgetary statements

4.3 Use breakeven analysis and cost classifications to assess given financial information


Assessment information for learners How you will be assessed This unit will be assessed by an examination lasting one and a half hours, containing a range of questions. The tasks will require you to use information relating to financial situations in business. The mark you achieve for this examination will be your mark for the unit. Learning outcomes — assessment weighting

Learning outcome Range of weighting (% age) LO.1 know the nature and purpose of

business finance and accounting 20–30%

LO.2 know how financial information is used in business and the factors that influence this

5–15%

LO.3 be able to prepare and interpret financial statements

35–45%

LO.4 be able to construct and interpret forecasts

20–30%


Guidance for Integrating Essential Skills Wales and Key Skills Level 3 Skills in applied learning A unique and central feature of Principal Learning (PL) is the requirement that at least 50% must be completed in an applied or work-related context. This means that learners must actively engage with the curriculum they are studying, putting theory into practice and working cooperatively with other learners, with their teachers, and with people from outside the classroom. They should learn in a range of contexts and environments, carrying out investigations and active enquiries, learning through doing and relating their learning to job roles. The skills embodied in the three Essential Skills Wales (ESW) and the three wider key skills (WKS) are therefore integral to the delivery of Principal Learning (PL) at all levels and in all lines of learning. Principal Learning offers many opportunities to develop all six skills (ESW + WKS) that are required if a candidate is to achieve the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification (WBQ). To achieve the WBQ at Advanced level, learners must achieve three of the six skills at Level 3, one of which must be ESW Communication, Application of Number or ICT, together with the other three skills at Level 2 Developing skills The table below lists, in the first column, the skills that a learner must develop for the ESW or WKS in question. The second column suggests a PL context in which the skill would arise naturally and might be developed. It is important that, when developing an ESW skill, both the learner and the teacher pay close attention to the section in the standards headed ‘In order to show that you are competent’. Similarly for the WKS, teachers and learners must study Part A. The third column in the table identifies the ESW or WKS component. Portfolio evidence If a learner is aiming to generate portfolio evidence in the context of a learning activity or assignment in PL, it is important to ensure that the requirements of the assignment match the evidence requirements of the skill qualification (ESW or WKS) in question, in terms of content and of presentation. A portfolio of evidence will often require more than one example of the skill, so teachers will need to identify other contexts and opportunities from the many that exist in the context of the WBQ as a whole. The table below does not include details of these requirements. It is therefore essential that teachers are familiar with: • the standards for ESW and the associated documents ‘Amplification of Evidence














Suggested context

Reference


C3.1


C3.1.1


C3.1.2


b) Giving a talk/presentation of at least eight minutes.


with at least two other people about the purpose of business finance and accounting.


internal and external sources of business finance.

C3.1.3

Reading

C3.2


Reading at least two documents about financial statements, in preparation for writing a short document.

C3.2.1

Writing

C3.3


Writing about how to construct and interpret financial forecasts for the purpose of informing an audience of peers.

C3.3.1




Suggested context

Reference

Using ICT systems

ICT3.1


ICT3.1.1


ICT3.1.2


Using ICT to prepare and interpret financial statements and forecasts.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.2


ICT3.2.1


ICT3.1.2


Finding, selecting and exchanging ICT-based information relevant to preparing and interpreting financial statements and forecasts.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.3


ICT3.3.1


Developing and presenting ICT-based information for the purpose of the task, in the form of text, tables and numbers for an audience of peers.

ICT3.3.2




Suggested context

Reference


N3.1


N3.1.1


N3.1.2


Identifying, analysing and describing the task related to preparing and interpreting financial statements and forecasts, planning how to tackle it and collecting relevant data from a range of sources.

N3.1.3


N3.2


N3.2.1


Choosing and using appropriate methods and carrying out calculations to get the results needed in the task related to preparing and interpreting financial statements and forecasts.

N3.2.2


N3.3


N3.3.1


Presenting and explaining results about the task to an audience of peers in two different ways, explaining methods and how the findings meet the purpose of the problem and are appropriate to the audience. Justifying ways of presenting, methods and findings.

N3.3.2





Suggested context

Reference


WO3.1


WO3.1.1


WO3.1.2


Limited opportunities.

WO3.1.3


WO3.2


WO3.2.1


WO3.2.2



WO3.2.3


WO3.3


WO3.3.1


WO3.3.2



WO3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


LP3.1


LP3.1.1


LP3.1.2


Set SMART targets for learning how to prepare financial statements and forecasts, and plan how these learning targets will be met. Plan progress reviews and document sources of support and identify timelines.

LP3.1.3


LP3.2


LP3.2.1


LP3.2.2



LP3.2.3


LP3.3


LP3.3.1


LP3.3.2



LP3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


PS3.1


PS3.1.1


PS3.1.2


Tackling the problem of selecting and investigating a company, analysing their accounts and making recommendations for a company. Identify the elements of the problem and explore different methods for undertaking the problem of constructing financial statements and forecasts. Justify the selected method(s) or option(s) and plan the chosen option(s) and get the go-ahead.

PS3.1.3


PS3.2


PS3.2.1


PS3.2.2



PS3.2.3


PS3.3


PS3.3.1


PS3.3.2


Evaluate and present the chosen solution the teacher/tutor in order to confirm whether problem solving has been successful. Review and reflect on the problem solving process and decide whether other approaches may have proved more effective.

PS3.3.3


Work experience There is no requirement for work experience to complete this unit, but learners would benefit from any experience gained in finance or accounting, for example to gain an insight into the roles that they play within an organisation, accounting methods, etc. Specialist resources Access to the following generic packages is required so that candidates can appreciate their role in displaying, calculating and interpreting finance in business: • word processing software • spreadsheet software • database software. Access to specialist accounting software is not required for this unit, although centres might consider providing access in order for learners to experience, at first hand, how such software supports business finance and accounting. Reference material Books – general Bragg SM and Burton J E – Accounting and Finance for Your Small Business, 2nd edition (John Wiley, 2006) ISBN 0471771562 Davies T and Boczko T – Business Accounting and Finance, 2nd edition (McGraw Hill, 2005) ISBN 0077108094 Day J et al – An Introduction to Accounting and Finance in Business (Open University, 2006) ISBN 0749213132 McLaney E – Business Finance: Theory and Practice, 7th edition (Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2006) ISBN 0273702629 Meckin D – Naked Finance: Business Finance Pure and Simple (Nicholas Breasley, 2007) ISBN 1857883942 Books – specialised accounting resources Fardon M – Computer Accounting for Sage: A Practical Guide for Sage Accounting Courses (Osborne Books, 2007) ISBN 1905777116 Yacht C and Crosson S – Computer Accounting with Microsoft Office Accounting (Irwin, McGraw Hill 2007) with CD ISBN 007333796X


Websites www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/business/ production/breakevenanalysisrev1.shtml

Introduction to break-even analysis

www.bized.co.uk Educational website including information about business finance and accounting, use of relevant software, break-even analysis

www.blandon.co.uk/finance/topic2/t2tut1.htm

Tutorial on accounting ratios

www.carol.co.uk/

Online company reports website

www.companieshouse.gov.uk

Companies House

www.lloydstsbbusiness.com/support/ businessguides/key_accounting_ratios.asp

Guide to business accounting ratios

www.osbornebooks.co.uk/pdf/ layouts_and_ ratios.pdf

Guide to accounting layouts and ratios

www.thetimes100.co.uk/theory/ theory--calculating-break-even-point--371.php

Guide to break-even calculations

LEVEL 3 UNIT 5: MARKETING AND SALES IN BUSINESS (WALES) PAGE 113

Unit 5: Marketing and Sales in Business (Wales)


Level 3


Internally assessed

About this unit

Marketing is about satisfying customers with the right product, at the right price, at the right time to meet customer needs – whilst at the same time making sure that the profitability of the business is maintained. It can be one of the most creative functions as marketing responsibilities often include developing and setting specifications for product design and for the promotion of the business, using advertising and other high-profile communication techniques. The marketing function would not be able to operate effectively without up-to-date market research. In this unit you will learn about different ways of collecting research data to help plan marketing activity. The sales function is all about helping customers through the buying process and is the lifeblood of any business. It’s a fast-paced and exciting environment in which to work in which the results of your efforts are immediately visible in terms of sales achieved. In this unit you will learn about common strategies, techniques and skills to sell a product or service and about some of the more advanced sales techniques that add value, such as up-selling and cross-selling.

Learning outcomes On completing this unit, a learner should: LO.1 Know the principles of marketing LO.2 Be able to plan the marketing of a product or service LO.3 Be able to carry out market research LO.4 Be able to market a business online LO.5 Be able to apply sales techniques and skills.


What you need to learn LO.1 Know the

principles of marketing

Successful marketing is based on having the right product, at the right price, in the right place, at the right time. This is the marketing mix. You need to learn how the main elements of the marketing mix are used to position products and develop marketing plans: • product:

o different product strategies: launching a new product; re-launch of an existing product

o decisions that need to be made about the product: what is it and what does it do; physical features and packaging; benefits for customers; company objectives relating to name and branding

• price: o different pricing strategies: skimming the market; market

penetration; price leadership; market based competitive pricing; customer expectation

o factors that affect pricing decisions: company financial objectives; competition; price sensitivity of market

• place: o different strategies relating to place: selling direct to

consumer; selling indirect through retailers, agents or distributors

o factors that affect decisions about place: company objectives for distribution; availability of distribution chain to reach target customers

• promotion: o different methods of promotion: advertising (print, audio,

moving image, ambient, new media); public relations (press releases, sponsorship, cause-related marketing); sales promotion (discounts, special offers, competitions, loyalty schemes, point-of-sale merchandising)

o factors influencing choice of method and media: budget; target audience; company strategy; appropriateness for product.

You need to learn how common marketing techniques are used by organisations to develop their business: • market segmentation: demographic, psychographic,

geographic, niche marketing, mass marketing • new product development: for existing market, for new

markets and diversification, to keep ahead of competition, to produce increased income and profit

• branding: to create an image, to increase recognition, to create loyalty, to broaden product range and markets; advantages and disadvantages of a strong brand name

• USPs: identifying unique selling points that make a product special and desirable.


LO.2 Be able to plan the marketing of a product or service

You need to learn about the form and content of marketing plans. Different organisations may have different ways of organising their marketing plans, but a basic marketing plan will usually include: • an outline of the product or service involved • an analysis of the current state of the market • an outline of the proposed marketing activity and its

objectives • justification for the proposed marketing activity, including any

supporting market research • costs, budget required and forecast return on budget • proposed timing • an outline of how the outcome of the marketing plan will be

measured • a downside analysis. You need to learn how to analyse the current state of the market: • using market research to identify its size and dynamics • identifying local, national and international factors • identifying target customers • using SWOT analysis to evaluate competition: • competitors’ strengths and weaknesses • opportunities and threats arising from this. You need to learn how analytical tools can be used when developing marketing plans: • the product life cycle • the Ansoff matrix • the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Matrix • PESTEL analysis.


LO.3 Be able to carry out market research

You need to learn about the why market research is carried out: • to gather facts about the business, e.g. image, what

customers think about it and its products • to gather facts about a market, e.g. size, dynamics • to identify target markets, e.g. likely customers, their

characteristics and habits • to identify and gather information on competitors, e.g. who

they are, their products and marketing activity • to gather feedback on proposed marketing plan before it is

launched. You need to learn about the use of primary and secondary research methods: • Primary research, producing new and original data:

○ direct questioning e.g. surveys, interviews, questionnaires

○ direct observation ○ focus groups ○ hall tests ○ consumer panels

• Secondary research, using data that has already been produced: ○ internal sources, e.g. sales figures, customer database ○ external sources, e.g. government published data,

commercial research reports, information on the internet You need to learn about the basic process for carrying out effective market research, which means deciding: • what you need to know, what issue needs to be solved, what

answers you require • whether the data needs to be quantitative – based on

numbers, or qualitative – based on opinion, feelings and attitude

• the most effective way to collect the data: the market research method to use

• the sampling plan: who to survey, how many people to survey, where to survey

• what to do with data collected: analysis, presentation and use of the findings in marketing plans.


LO.4 Be able to market a business online

The internet provides businesses with a powerful communication medium that can be used to market a business and its products in the online environment. You need to learn about the key considerations for marketing online: • why businesses market themselves online, e.g. to reach their

target market, to reach new markets, for competitive reasons • technical resource requirements for online marketing • the range of promotional opportunities in the online

environment • website content • website design • website management, maintenance and security • legislation relating to marketing a business online. You need to learn about the security that needs to be in place when marketing a business online: • to protect the business • to protect customers.


LO.5 Be able to apply sales techniques and skills

You need to learn about different ways in which personal selling can take place and be able to adapt your sales technique as appropriate: • face to face • telesales: dealing with existing customers, cold calling new

customers • making a sales presentation to a group of people. To develop your sales technique, you need to learn what is required when making a sale: • a positive attitude: approachable, motivated to sell • making the customer feel comfortable • ability to overcome objections and close a sale • verbal communication skills:

o listening skills o ability to give information, describing a product/service,

selling the benefits o appropriate tone of voice, pace and clarity o ability to adapt your delivery depending on the customer

• non-verbal communication skills o effective body language, e.g. open posture, use of eye

contact o ability to adapt your body language depending on the

customer.

Thorough preparation is one of the keys to successful selling. You need learn about what this involves and the steps involved in making a sale: • being familiar with the product:

o what it is, what it does, how customers and consumers use or experience the product

o its features and benefits o the pricing o the distribution method o after-sales support and services

• knowing who your customers are • identifying the needs of your customers • targeting the decision maker • overcoming common types of objections you may face:

o price o timing o features of the product itself o brand or manufacturer

• taking advantage of opportunities for up-selling and cross selling

• knowing the basic steps in making a sale: o the AIDA model o making initial contact with the customer o finding out what the customer wants o presenting them with a solution o overcoming objections o closing the sale

• keeping records as required.


Teaching this unit Delivery guidance This unit is 60 guided learning hours (GLH) in length. Centres should allocate this amount of time within the timetable for its delivery and assessment. Unless otherwise stated, all of the content included in the What you need to learn section needs to be taught. Sometimes an ‘e.g.’ or ‘for example’ is included in order to show content that is indicative: in these cases not all of the examples will need to be covered (for example, because some may not always apply in a particular situation), and tutors can introduce other examples of their own that are relevant to particular situations and to the needs of their learners. There are opportunities to link the delivery and assessment of all learning outcomes in this unit to the business that learners are involved in for Unit 1: Business Enterprise (Wales). Thus, for example, the plan in LO.1 could be for the product or service that their company is dedicated to selling. Delivery guidance for LO.1 One of the best ways of helping the learner understand how to use common marketing concepts, principles and techniques is to get them to look at as many examples of products and promotion as they can, and to analyse them in context – identifying marketing concepts, principles and techniques being used. This could include watching television advertising, reading magazines and newspapers, visiting shops and studying web-based campaigns – all with a view of analysing the marketing activity that is going on. Learners could be encouraged to apply their analysis to products with which they are familiar, and which they buy and consume. In this way the realities of marketing will be brought home to them directly. Understanding how they are affected by marketing could be a valuable way of learning marketing skills that they could apply themselves to real products or services in the future. Care must be taken to concentrate strictly on the marketing of products and services per se, rather than the marketing of a brand name or a business. Whilst these are equally interesting, the focus of this unit is on the marketing of products and services, and it would be a waste of valuable time if the learner got carried away on the marketing of something that is beyond the scope of this unit, and on which they will not be assessed. The key marketing principle covered in LO.1 is the use of the marketing mix for bringing a product to the market. Again, learners could use products which they themselves consume to deconstruct the marketing mix that has been used and results in the product as they buy or use. When creating a marketing mix for a service, some businesses find it helpful to use an ‘extended marketing mix’, incorporating Ps for People, Process and Physical evidence. These are not necessarily additional, but a development of the P for Product, emphasising elements that are particularly relevant to a service. Centres may choose to introduce this topic to learners, but it is not a requirement and learners will not get additional credit for using this when completing their assignment.


To help learners understand segmentation, they could analyse their own learning group based on the main criteria used by businesses to segment markets and identify target customers. The learning group could divide itself up based on demographic, psychographic and geographic lines and see how the groups change, see who moves from one segment to another depending on the criteria used. Doing this could help them to understand where they are positioned themselves within the markets for the products they buy and consume. They may even identify niche markets within the learning group, another potential area for discussion. New product development could be covered by posing the question ‘What is a ‘new’ product’? Learners may find that the answer is not as obvious as it first appears: for example, is bottled water a new product? Water is certainly not new, the way it is presented to consumers may be new for example in a plastic bottle with an integral drinking attachment, an existing brand of bottled water may change its labelling or change from clear glass to coloured glass bottles – but does that make it a new product? A soft drink producer may add bottled water to its range of drinks, so it will be new to them, etc. This kind of analysis could be very helpful in opening learners’ minds to the wider concepts of new products. Branding is likely to be a subject that resonates with learners. Again, discussion about what is a brand, what does it mean to the consumer, how a brand is used by a business, what can happen if brand recognition becomes is too powerful, the advantages and disadvantages of having a strong brand name. Learners could be asked to nominate their favourite brand names and then explain what they mean to them, why that particular brand is their favourite, and conversely how that brand is perceived by other learners within the group. Delivery guidance for LO.2 Learners need to become familiar with the basic form and content of marketing plans. In practice, different organisations may have different ways of organising their marketing plans which have been developed and tailored to suit their particular requirements. Strategic marketing plans will tend to be long and detailed, covering a number of activities across a period of time, to support medium or long-term objectives. Tactical marketing plans tend to be shorter and more to the point, with shorter timescales. However they are presented, a marketing plan will be designed to present a case for a particular marketing activity and its objectives. Marketing activities may include changes to products or packaging, new product launches or re-launches, price changes, sales or distribution initiatives, proposed advertising or promotional activity, etc. Marketing plans based on objectives may include plans for increasing the profitability of a product, sales volume increases, distribution objectives, targets for raising consumer awareness, etc. To help learners become familiar with the structure and use of marketing plans it is important that they get to see as many as possible, and to compare the objectives set out in the plans with what happened in reality. Copies of real marketing plans could be obtained from business that are working with the centre in supporting the Diploma, once they are no longer commercially sensitive – indeed old marketing plans will be very useful as the results against the plan can be compared. For learners to become more involved with the use of marketing plans they will need to work closely with real business organisations and see how the marketing plans are developed, produced and implemented.


The last two points in the list of elements of a basic marketing plan are most important. Learners should understand that it is good practice to measure the results of all marketing plans and to review what went well and what could be changed or improved next time. To do this successfully it is important to establish how the results of the plan will be measured, how success (or not) will be judged. The final point refers to ‘a downside analysis’. This is essentially a risk analysis that should be done on all marking plans – to identify what could happen if the plan goes wrong or fails to achieve its objectives. Learners should be taught that plans can and do go wrong, and businesses have to deal with the consequences of failing to achieve their objectives and the inevitable cost of failure. Case studies could prove most useful in this area. Learners should be taught that there are a number of ways to analyse the current state of a market, depending on how much information and detail are required to develop or support marketing plans. Getting learners to investigate how different businesses measure and analyse their markets would be a practical an applied way of doing this. In addition to market research sources, learners need to be introduced to some of the most common business tools used to analyse market information. These are best communicated though analysing examples of markets and products with which the learners are familiar, either from work experience or from their position as consumers. Using case studies from real businesses and using exemplar products will make these analytical tools come to life. The use of a SWOT analysis could be introduced to learners when analysing and evaluating competition, using products with which learners are familiar. Learners should be reminded that the essence of a SWOT analysis does not hinge on just knowing what the letters in the acronym stand for. A good SWOT analysis should produce actionable results that can be used in a marketing plan. It should be based on analysing a situation from a particular point of view. A SWOT based on a consumer’s attitude to or experience of a product is likely to be very different from that same product analysed from the point of view of its manufacturer. Delivery guidance for LO.3 Market research is a subject that could easily take up an entire course of study. It would not be realistic to expect that, as a result of their studies and investigations for this unit, learners will become professional market researchers. The objective of this learning outcome is to support LO.2. Learners should be capable of carrying out market research and using research findings to support the marketing plan that they are producing for the product or service that they have chosen. Learners need to know not only how to conduct market research but why it is being carried out in the first place. Learners should be made aware that primary research is not a game. It is usually carried out by professional researchers and interviewers with a serious job to do. When carrying out their research, learners must be made aware that market research should not be used as a guise for selling. This is very bad practice and it undermines the integrity of the industry and makes respondents less helpful and more reluctant to take part in research. Even inexperienced market researchers should follow professional standards for conducting research. All marketing research should be carried out within the professional and ethical standards and guidelines of the Market Research Society. Learners also need to learn how to collect and use secondary research. Whilst there is plenty of secondary research date available on websites, the internet is not the only source that should be considered. There are many very useful reports published and available in hard copy in libraries, in trade magazines and in newspapers. Consideration should be given to when it was published, for example is it current or is it likely to be out of date? Whatever the source for the secondary research learners should always consider the quality of the data by investigating the source, for example who has produced and published the data and why?


Delivery guidance for LO.4 There is no better way of learning about how businesses market themselves in an online environment than looking at real businesses that do just that. Learners could spend time looking online, but they should also investigate how businesses market their websites using other, more traditional media, to attract consumers to their online presence. Learners also need to consider the security requirements of an online presence – from the point of view of customers as well as the business itself. Again, real websites will reveal a lot about the security features that a business has built-in for protection. Delivery guidance for LO.5 Good preparation is the key to success in this part of the unit. Learners need to understand and practise the basic steps involved in making a sale. A simple sales process that works in most situations and that learners need to learn about is based on the acronym AIDA: A = attention, produced by creating awareness I = interest, stimulated by demonstrating or describing the benefits of the product D = desire to buy, created by convincing the customer that your product will satisfy their

needs A = action to be taken, be able to close the sale by getting a positive decision from the

buyer It may be helpful to learners to have a sales script from which to work, something that they can learn and rehearse before being placed in front of real customers. This will give them confidence. They could work in pairs to practise and then review how well they have done, drawing lessons from this to apply the next time they practise, as part of the experiential learning cycle. During the delivery of this part of the unit, the learner could work from a given script that works and is known to be appropriate. For their assessment it is important that learners use a sales script that they have developed themselves that applies to the product that they have chosen for their sales demonstrations. But what are they going to sell? Some learners may already be working in a sales situation by virtue of part-time jobs or family businesses. It may be possible to link the assessment activity to the enterprise activity that they are carrying in Unit 1: Business Enterprise (Wales). An alternative would be to sell the facilities, services or courses offered by the centre itself. Whatever is being sold, the learner will need to be familiar with and understand its features, benefits and pricing structure, to the point that they are confident that they can overcome objections from potential customers. Presentation skills, which learners will need in order to make sales presentations, are not taught explicitly in this unit. It is assumed that learners will already have studied these in Unit 1: Business Enterprise(Wales). It would, however, be useful to recap the sorts of preparation and skills that are involved in making a successful presentation.


Unit summary


LO.1 Know the principles of marketing 1.1 Apply marketing principles to market a product


2.1 Develop a plan for marketing a product or service

2.2 Analyse a current market using relevant techniques

LO.3 Be able to carry out market research

3.1 Select an appropriate market research method

3.2 Collect market research data 3.3 Interpret market research data


4.1 Plan how to market a business online

LO.5 Be able to apply sales techniques and skills

5.1 Prepare for the sales process 5.2 Communicate effectively with

customers in a sales situation 5.3 Use selling skills to influence others by

dealing with objections 5.4 Evaluate effectiveness of a sales

transaction


Assessment information for learners How you will be assessed This unit will be assessed by an assignment based on the marketing and sale of a product or service. You will need to: • Produce a marketing plan, which includes:

o an outline of what the product/service is o an analysis of the current market which the product/service must enter o proposed marketing mix covering each of the 4 Ps and marketing objectives, with a

justification for each recommendation [LO.1, LO.2]

• Provide market research findings which support the marketing plan: choice of methods and why; sampling plan for primary research; how research was carried out; results, analysis and conclusions [LO.3]

• Produce recommendations for how to market the product/service or business online

[LO.4] • Demonstrate your sales skills and preparation in the following situations: face-to-face,

telesales, to a group of people; then assess your own performance using the AIDA model [LO.5].


Assessment information for assessors Instructions and controls for setting assessment assignments This unit must be covered by a single assignment, which is described in the How you will be assessed section, and exemplified within the unit sample assessment material (SAM). Sector-relevant purpose The marketing and sales activities in this unit must be based on a product or service. It could be based on one that learners are studying or on the learners’ own business enterprise. The marketing activities must be linked together so that the marketing plan, market research and online marketing relate to the same product/service. Ideally these will also be linked to what they are selling in LO.5, but this is not a requirement. Evidence structure

Learning outcome


LO.1, LO.2 A Marketing plan Written evidence: marketing plan (product outline, marketing mix, market analysis)

LO.3 A

Market research Written evidence: choice of method, sampling plan, what was done, data and analysis

LO.4 A Online marketing Written evidence: recommendations for how to market the product/service or business online

LO.5(.1, .2, .3)

B Sales interactions Learner observation record: preparation* and sales skills

LO.5(.4) A Written evidence: assessment of own performance

* Preparation will be assessed indirectly during the interactions Level of demand The level of demand appropriate to the assessment of this unit is exemplified in the unit sample assessment material (SAM). Assessment duration The suggested guided learning hours (GLH) needed to complete this assignment is 16 hours per learner. Centres can structure assessment time as they see fit. This does not include time spent collecting market research data in LO.3. Centres should note that the total class assessment time may need to be higher to allow time for separate observations of individuals in LO.5.


Instructions and controls for taking assessment assignments The learners must be provided with full access to study all of the areas identified in the What you need to learn section of the specification. Controls relating to resources and supervision are contained within Annexe C. The marketing plan must cover: an outline of the product or service involved; an analysis of the current state of the market; an outline of the proposed marketing mix; the marketing objectives; and a justification for the proposed marketing plan. Although it would result in a more comprehensive marketing plan, the learners’ marketing plan does not need to include the other aspects of marketing plans taught in What you need to learn (costs/budgets, timing, outcome measurement, and downside analysis). The analysis of the current state of the market within the marketing plan must contain, as a minimum, details of which market is being targeted, how the market is segmented, plus a SWOT analysis of the competition. Other analytical tools may be used – see Guidance for assessment overleaf. Both primary and secondary research data must be collected. This can be used to find out or confirm information that will go into any part of the marketing plan. Learners may work in groups to decide on the product or service and to agree on the market research to be carried out. They can also work in groups for the primary and secondary market research activity but each learner must collect some of the group’s data and write it up individually and draw their own individual conclusions. Care must be taken over the choice of product or service to make sure that learners can access sufficient information about the product or service to conduct worthwhile market research and to produce a realistic marketing plan. For the recommendations for online marketing, learners may work in groups to agree on the overall management of the website and to identify legal requirements. Each learner must write their recommendations individually for: • content • design • security features • maintenance. Learners can work together when interacting with customers (i.e. as ‘colleagues’), but evidence must be based on individual learners’ interactions. The review stage must be completed individually. The customer interactions must take place at least once in each of the three situations listed: face to face, on the telephone and group presentation. To provide sufficient evidence for assessment, at least one of the interactions must involve the learners overcoming objections. Learners must review their own sales performance against each part of the AIDA model.


Summary of unit controls


See Annexe C for further information. Guidance for assessment It is recommended that assessment takes place in three separate stages: firstly the assessment for LO.1, LO.2 and LO.3; then LO.4; finally LO.5). These could be done at the end of the unit or during delivery after the relevant learning has taken place. It would make most sense for assessment to take place in three different stages after the relevant learning has taken place: one for LO.1, LO.2 and LO.3; one for LO.4; and one for LO.5. Alternatively all of the assessment could take place at the end of the unit. Whichever approach is taken, the three stages should be assessed in the same order. Care must be taken over the choice of the new product/service or the product/service chosen for re-launch. Whilst there is an obvious attraction to focus on a well known, highly visible product or service such as Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Manchester United etc, there will be a limit to the useful information available to learners. This means that there will be a limit to the realism that can be applied to the assignment. It is suggested that learners are encouraged to choose a product or service where they can access sufficient information easily. Examples could include a product used as part of an enterprise activity, a product or service from the centre itself, a product from a local business that is working with the centre to support the delivery of the Diploma, a product from a business where learners have a personal contact such as a family business or where they have a part-time job. Any of these could be a useful source or product information that learners could use. Learners who are working on the marketing of a service may choose to use, or incorporate elements, from the extended marketing mix (see Delivery guidance), but this is not a requirement, and marks should be awarded only to the aspects of the marketing mix covered as required content in the What you need to learn section. As part of the market analysis, all learners will have to do a SWOT analysis of the competition, plus details of which market is being targeted and how it is segmented. They may also use other analytical tools but they should work out for themselves which ones are appropriate. The choice of analytical tool would depend upon whether the product/service in question was a new launch or a re-launch: if it is a new product/service, it could also include use of Ansoff matrix to determine marketing strategy; if it is for a re-launch, then it could include product lifecycle, or the use of Boston (BCG) Matrix to locate product currently and to identify how product should move across the matrix as a result of the re-launch. A PESTEL analysis could be used in either situation if learners find it a useful way to help identify the impact of the product launch, and to identify if their marketing plan needs to be changed or adapted accordingly. Even if the focus of learners’ marketing plans is for a product being launched into a local market, national and international factors may still have an impact on the marketing mix, eg: product – availability/delivery/imports and competition from abroad etc; price – local versus imported items, value of the pound/euro/dollar, etc; promotion – international names/branded competitors, advertising, online promotion etc; place – distribution aspiration/targets, decisions about territories/markets that will not be targeted etc. Conversely, learners could note than none of these factors will impact on their plan, for reasons they identify.


As mentioned previously in Assessment information for assessors, the learners’ marketing plan does not need to include all of the aspects typically covered in professional marketing plans (costs/budgets, timing, outcome measurement, and downside analysis). To go alongside their marketing plan, learners need to carry out market research. The ultimate test of a piece of market research is: does it meet the brief, and does it provide sufficient data or information that is accurate, reliable and actionable? In the context of this unit the market research must produce data and information that can be used to inform the development of a marketing plan. Learners should carry this out simultaneously with their work on the marketing plan: learners will need some idea of what is going to be researched (in other words some planning will already need to have taken place), but the final plan cannot be finished until the results of the market research are known. The market research does not need to support the plan in its entirety. Whilst one approach could be to test the final product/marketing mix prior to a launch to support an overall marketing plan, in practice it is more likely to focus on aspects of a plan where information is lacking or where support needs to be confirmed, for example for a new product it could show that there is a consumer demand as a result of interviewing consumers, or it could be used to identify what packaging should look like, what pricing would be acceptable to the market, which media the target market consumes, what the target market is, etc. For a re-launch the market research could confirm that there is still a market for the product, how existing customers respond to changes proposed as a result of the re-launch, how current non-purchasers respond to proposed re-launch etc. The primary market research methods used should be identified clearly. They should produce sufficient good quality data, which should be analysed to support the decisions surrounding the development of the marketing plan. The secondary research used should be from a range of sources, and it must be relevant and as current or up to date as possible or as available. The results of the market research should be analysed and interpreted. The main findings should be noted and explained with supporting information. The assessment for LO.4 involves making recommendations for marketing a product/service or a business online. This sounds very interesting and potentially exciting, and this view should be encouraged as it is likely to result in a better piece of work from learners. However, guidance may be necessary to avoid learners getting sidetracked and spending too long on the graphics for their planned website and losing time that should be devoted to planning the content. Learners should also consider the security issues associated with websites as failure to do so could have catastrophic and costly results. The emphasis here should be protect the business and protect the customers. The plan may be presented in text form, in drawn or graphic form, or a combination of all of these. While keen learners may wish to produce a working website, this is not a requirement. The final part of the assignment will involve learners demonstrating their sales techniques face to face, using telesales techniques, and in a sales presentation to a group of potential customers.


The preparation for selling should be relatively straightforward if the product/service to be sold is the one on which they have written their marketing plan. At this stage, they may, however, need to decide on additional information that was not included in the marketing plan or alter it in some way. Learners’ preparation will not be assessed directly, but rather during the interactions themselves: in other words, their performance should indicate how well prepared they are. If the product/service to be sold is not the same one as features in the marketing plan, then it should be one about which there is clear information available, and this information will need either to be provided to the learners or found by them. When it comes to the sales presentation, it is assumed that learners will already have learned and practised presentation skills as part of Unit 1: Business Enterprise (Wales). Nevertheless, it is probably worth reminding them about the sorts of preparation that is required. The sales situations should involve at least one customer who has some kind of objection that learners must overcome before they can close the sale successfully. Common types of objections that learners could have to deal with include: price (too high); timing (not available soon enough or when the customer wants it); features of the product itself (performance, colour, shape, size etc not as required by the customer); brand or manufacturer (customer has a preference for products with a particular brand or from a particular manufacturer and the learner must offer and explain alternatives). If overcoming objections does not occur naturally, then the tutor can take on the role of customer. It would be appropriate at this level for centres to design assessment instruments that allow learners to show their abilities to up-sell and cross-sell, but this is not a requirement. Evidence of the customer interactions could be collected over several different sessions. The context in which the sales interactions take place could be connected to the learners’ own business enterprise (possibly as an extension to this activity if it has already finished). Alternatively, a scenario could be developed by the centre and assessed through role plays based on either a real or imaginary business, in which case, the ‘customers’ should preferably not be learners in the same class. Centres could also use other real selling activities, including courses, qualifications, tuition services, membership to the library/sports clubs etc, food in the canteen, stationery, tickets for an event, extra curricular activities, support for fundraising activities, attendance at meetings, recordings of the choir, items produced by other courses, for example artwork, food, gifts, etc. It could also be done in a real workplace, for example through a part-time job or on work experience. The review can be presented in any appropriate format or formats, but must be in writing.


Marking grid A


available LO.1 Know the principles of marketing

There is an outline of the product/service. The analysis contains basic information about the market to be entered and the competition. Any other analytical tools chosen may not be suitable and results are presented with limited clarity.

There is a clear outline of the product/service. The analysis contains clear information about the market to be entered and the competition. Any other analytical tools chosen are suitable, and results are presented reasonably clearly.

There is a clear outline of the product/service. The analysis is thorough and contains clear and detailed information about the market to be entered and the competition. Any other analytical tools chosen are suitable, and results are presented clearly.

(0–3) (4–6) (7–8)


The marketing mix includes information on the 4 Ps. Marketing objectives may not be clear. There is limited justification of the proposed marketing activities, which may include reference to the market research.

The marketing mix includes clearly-presented information on the 4 Ps which in a well ordered. Marketing objectives are clear and the addressed to some extent in the plan. There is some justification of the proposed marketing activities, which includes reference to the market research.

The marketing mix includes clearly-presented information on the 4 Ps which is well ordered and coherent across the different elements. Marketing objectives are clear and realistic and addressed in the plan. There is clear and convincing justification of the proposed marketing activities, which includes reference to the market research.

(0–5) (6–9) (10–12) 20

The primary and secondary methods used are identified, with limited justification given for the choice. A basic sampling plan for the primary research is included.

The primary and secondary methods used are identified, with reasonable justification given for the choice. A sampling plan for the primary research is included, which appears generally realistic.

The primary and secondary methods used are identified, with convincing justification given for the choice. A sampling plan for the primary research is included, which appears realistic and well thought out.

LO.3(.1) Be able to carry out market research

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6)



available LO.3(.2, .3) Be able to carry out market research

Data is collected, although is likely to be limited in terms of quantity and quality. Results are presented with basic analysis and conclusions, which have some support in the data.

Data is collected which is sufficient in terms of quality and quantity. Results are presented with reasonably clarity, with reasonable analysis and conclusions, which are generally supported by the data.

Data is collected which is sufficient in terms of quantity and is of good quality. Results are presented clearly, with detailed analysis and conclusions, which are well supported by the data.

(0–3) (4–6) (7–8) 14


There are basic recommendations about content, design, security features and maintenance, with limited justification provided. Some recommendations are practical.

There are clear recommendations about content, design, security features and maintenance, with some justification provided. The recommendations are mainly practical.

There are clear and well thought out recommendations about content, design, security features and maintenance, with good justification provided. The recommendations are practical.

(0–3 (4–6) (7–8) 8

LO.5(.4) Be able to apply sales techniques and skills

The learner produces a basic assessment of their own performance, showing a basic understanding of how the AIDA model can be applied to their performance.

The learner produces a clear assessment of their own performance, showing a reasonable understanding of how the AIDA model can be applied to their performance.

The learner produces a clear and convincing assessment of their own performance, showing a good understanding of how the AIDA model can be applied to their performance.

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6) 6

Total marks 48


Marking grid B Assessment focus

Mark Band 1 Mark Band 2 Mark Band 3 Maximum marks available

From the way that the learner interacts with customers, it is clear that there has been basic preparation for the sale

From the way that the learner interacts with customers, it is clear that there has been reasonable preparation for the sale.

From the way that the learner interacts with customers, it is clear that there has been good preparation for the sale.

LO.5(.1) Be able to apply sales techniques and skills

(0–1) (2) (3)

LO.5(.2, .3) Be able to apply sales techniques and skills

All three selling situations will have been attempted. The learner displays a positive attitude. They demonstrate basic communication skills and can communicate the main features of the product/service. They find it difficult to overcome objections and have difficulty closing sales.

All three selling situations will have been attempted. The learner displays a positive attitude. They demonstrate reasonable communication skills and can communicate the main features and benefits of the product/service. They show reasonable ability to overcome objections and show reasonable confidence when trying to close sales.

All three selling situations will have been attempted. The learner displays a positive attitude. They demonstrate good communication skills and can communicate the features and the benefits of the product/service well. They are good at overcoming objections, and can close sales confidently and effectively.

(0–4) (5–7) (8–9) 12

Total marks 12


















marking grid B.


Level 3 descriptors

Descriptor Meaning Basic Limited to the fundamental features, elements or facts.

Clear/clearly Well expressed, easy to understand or see.

Coherence/coherent Logical, consistent and well ordered across the different parts.

Confidence/confidently Remaining positive and not showing doubts.



Difficult/difficulties Clearly has a problem doing something and may have only limited success.

Effectively (closing sales) Able to find a solution to any problems, in an efficient and professional manner.

Generally Mostly/or most of the time but not completely or consistently.


Identify Name or otherwise characterise, mention the key elements, facts, features, etc.

Limited Incomplete or having a narrow scope; shows only basic ability or understanding.

Main (features) The most important features.

Mainly Mostly but not exclusively.




Relevant features Key features about the business idea which will affect its success.

Relevant people The attendees of the meeting and the tutor; not people who do not need to see the documents.

Simple Basic, routine, straightforward.

Some To a certain degree, partial; not all.

Suitable/suitability Appropriate for the product and intended purpose.

Thorough Comprehensive, including all features, facts, etc.

Well thought out Showing good judgement, thoughtful.














Level 3 Mapping Grid Essential Skills Wales: Communication


Suggested context

Reference


C3.1


C3.1.1


C3.1.2

(a) Taking part in formal discussions with two or more other people (b) Giving a talk/presentation of at least eight minutes.


with at least two other people about the different methods of promotion available to businesses.

(b) A talk/presentation involving a

sales presentation to a group of people.

C3.1.3

Reading

C3.2


Reading at least two documents about making effective sales presentations, in preparation for a talk/presentation.

C3.2.1

Writing

C3.3


Writing a marketing plan for the purpose of gaining approval from the Board of Directors in a business.

C3.3.1




Suggested context

Reference

Using ICT systems

ICT3.1


ICT3.1.1


ICT3.1.2


Using ICT to design, carry out and report findings of market research.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.2


ICT3.2.1


ICT3.1.2


Finding, selecting and exchanging ICT-based information relevant to designing, carrying out and reporting findings of market research.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.3


ICT3.3.1


Developing and presenting ICT-based information for the purpose of the task, in the form of text, tables, images and numbers, for an audience of marketing personnel.

ICT3.3.2




Suggested context

Reference


N3.1


N3.1.1


N3.1.2



N3.1.3


N3.2


N3.2.1



N3.2.2


N3.3


N3.3.1



N3.3.2





Suggested context

Reference


WO3.1

Agreeing realistic objectives for working together and what needs to be done to achieve them.

WO3.1.1


WO3.1.2


Working in a group or team to plan, carry out and report findings of market research. Plan working arrangements with others, identifying individual roles to plan, carry out and report findings of market research. Agree a common approach with the group to the research task.

WO3.1.3


WO3.2


WO3.2.1


WO3.2.2



WO3.2.3


WO3.3


WO3.3.1


WO3.3.2



WO3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


LP3.1


LP3.1.1


LP3.1.2


Set SMART targets for learning about how to market a business online, and plan how these learning targets will be met. Plan progress reviews and document sources of support and identify timelines.

LP3.1.3


LP3.2


LP3.2.1


LP3.2.2



LP3.2.3


LP3.3


LP3.3.1


LP3.3.2



LP3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


PS3.1


PS3.1.1


PS3.1.2


Tackling the problem of carrying out market research. Identify the elements of the problem and explore different methods for applying effective sales techniques and skills. Justify the selected method(s) or option(s) and plan the chosen option(s) and get the go-ahead. PS3.1.3


PS3.2


PS3.2.1


PS3.2.2


Carry out plan, using feedback, checking progress in the task and revising approaches when necessary.

PS3.2.3


PS3.3


PS3.3.1


PS3.3.2



PS3.3.3


Work experience There is no requirement for work experience to complete this unit, but learners would benefit from any experience gained in a sales or marketing environment in terms of gaining practical experience. Sales experience could be used to generate evidence for LO.5. Specialist resources None. Reference material Books Evans-Pritchard J, Hancock M, Jones R, Mansfield A and Gray D – AS level Applied Business for Edexcel Double Award, (Causeway Press, 2005) ISBN 1405821159 Evans-Pritchard J, Hancock M, Jones R, Mansfield A and Gray D – A2 level Applied Business for Edexcel Single and Double Awards, (Causeway Press, 2006) ISBN 1405821167 Websites www.businesslink.gov.uk Business Link provides an easy to use support, advice

and information service for local businesses www.marketingteacher.com Marketing resources for tutors and learners www.mrs.org.uk The Market Research Society, professional body

supporting the market research industry www.skillsmartretail.com The Sector Skills Council for Retail www.tradingstandards.gov.uk Trading Standards Central — a one stop shop for

consumer protection information in the UK. The site is supported and maintained by the Trading Standards Institute

LEVEL 3 UNIT 6: CUSTOMER SERVICE IN BUSINESS (WALES) PAGE 145

Unit 6: Customer Service in Business (Wales)


Level 3


Internally assessed

About this unit

‘There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.’ Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart. Wherever you end up working, you will find that all jobs include an element of customer service, whether dealing with internal, external customers or both. Whenever you are dealing with people – you are dealing with customers. In this unit you will learn how to understand customers and their behaviour, and how organisations provide customer services to meet the needs of their customers and maintain their standards. You will be introduced to the challenges faced by organisations when providing customer services online. Customer service has become one of the most important functions in any business or organisation. It is how you are judged and evaluated by your customers. The better the customer service the better the organisation will fare in the competitive marketplace. But dealing with customers isn’t always easy – certain transactions and can customers present quite a challenge. This unit will give you the chance to learn how to do this.

Learning outcomes On completing this unit, a learner should: LO.1 Understand the benefits of customer satisfaction LO.2 Know the factors that impact on the customer experience LO.3 Understand how customer service standards are maintained LO.4 Know the challenges of providing customer service online LO.5 Be able to handle challenging customer service transactions.



benefits of customer satisfaction

Customers can come from inside an organisation as well as from outside an organisation: • internal customers, e.g. team members, employees in other

departments • external customers: people or organisations outside the

business who buy your products or services. Customer satisfaction results when customers receive a service that meets or exceeds their needs and expectations. Satisfying external customers brings a number of benefits to the organisation and staff: • promoting customer loyalty and repeat business • increasing sales • attracting new customers • reducing complaints and negative publicity • gaining competitive advantage • contributing to the overall success of the organisation • job satisfaction for staff. Satisfying the needs of internal customers also brings benefits: • better work environment for staff • improved service to external customers • personal benefits for staff: demonstrating own value to

colleagues.


LO.2 Know the factors that impact on the customer experience

The customer experience of the service provided is affected by: • the accuracy of information provided • the speed of response, e.g. time taken to answer emails,

phone calls • how easy it is to get through to the right person • how knowledgeable the customer service representative is

about their organisation’s products/services • how responsive the service is and willingness to take

responsibility • how pleasant and friendly the service is • the standard of service that they expect. The customer’s experience is affected by their needs and expectations, which will vary according to: • the particular service they require: to obtain information or

advice; to place an order; to enquire about an order; to report a problem; to return or exchange goods; to complain

• the type and cost of the product or service • the reputation of the organisation • individual factors: previous experience of the organisation;

psychological factors, e.g. customer attitude, mood; social factors, e.g. cultural background, language, family; physical factors, e.g. mobility, hearing, sight; economic factors, e.g. income level, employment status.

Globalisation and economic factors have influenced some organisations to outsource their customer service functions, often to call centres in other parts of the UK or abroad. This can bring advantages and disadvantages for the business and for the customer: • lower cost • large pool of qualified and experienced staff • customer perception • remoteness of customer services centre from customer and

organisation.


LO.3 Understand how customer service standards are maintained

You need to learn about what organisations can do to ensure that they provide a high level of service: • having trained staff that understand the importance of

customer service • ensuring that staff understand and follow their legal

obligations to customers, e.g.: • for goods to be of satisfactory quality and offer a refund if

this is not the case • not to mislead customers: describing goods, services and

prices accurately • to keep records safe and secure • having well-established customer service policies and

procedures, covering: ○ pre-transaction services, e.g. providing information,

directions ○ transaction services, e.g. selling, payment, credit, etc ○ after sales services, e.g. packing, deliveries, repairs,

replacement ○ standards of service, e.g. method, speed and manner of

response ○ complaints procedures

• having a system to make sure that correct policies and procedures are followed

• having a system to monitor the effectiveness of customer services.

Organisations often collect data to monitor the standards of customer service that they are providing. Data can be gathered using: • customer feedback: self-completion questionnaires,

interviews both face to face and over the telephone, focus groups

• staff feedback • sales figures • measuring the behaviour of customers, new and repeat • number and type of complaints recorded • mystery shoppers. By gathering data on customer satisfaction, organisations can assess the effectiveness of their customer services. The information they collect can be used to: • measure change over time • benchmark performance against industry standards • drive improvements, e.g. training, policies, procedures.


LO.4 Know the challenges of providing customer service online

You need to learn about the challenges faced by companies who deal with customers online in comparison with the high-street: • technical: usability; maintenance • security: payment; customer data; protection from criminal

intent • remoteness: cost and logistics of supplying goods and

services at a distance • loss of personal contact with customers: difficulty of building

relationships; difficulty of responding to enquiries and problems quickly enough.

There are a number of challenges for the customer: • access: having suitable ICT equipment; having ICT skills • technical: finding the right website; site navigation • security: perceptions of data insecurity • remoteness: delay in receiving goods; inability to try before

buying • lack of personal contact with company: difficulty in getting

additional information about product; difficulty in getting help when things go wrong.


LO.5 Be able to handle challenging customer service transactions

You need to learn about the factors that can make customer service situations challenging: • complicated types of transaction: problems; complaints • barriers to communication: language/comprehension, e.g.

disability, special needs, non-native speakers; emotions, e.g. angry, upset

• difficult customers, e.g. who feel let down, who bear a grudge; who want to make a point or a public scene; who have dishonest intentions.

Challenging customer service transactions can affect organisations in different ways, e.g.: • increasing workload by taking up time • negative effects on other customers • lowering staff morale. You need to learn about what is required to achieve a positive outcome when dealing with challenging customer service transactions. This involves: • up-to-date knowledge: of product/service and company

policies/procedures • organisational skills and record keeping • positive attitude: willingness to take responsibility; friendly

and helpful manner; tact; remaining calm and polite under pressure; avoiding passing the blame

• trying to understand customer’s attitude and behaviour with a view to providing a solution to their problem

• comprehension skills: listening/reading skills; making sure you understand the problem; checking facts

• communication skills: verbal, non-verbal, written • knowing when to seek assistance.


Teaching this unit Delivery guidance This unit is 60 guided learning hours (GLH) in length. Centres should allocate this amount of time within the timetable for its delivery and assessment. Unless otherwise stated, all of the content included in the What you need to learn section needs to be taught. Sometimes an ‘e.g.’ or ‘for example’ is included in order to show content that is indicative: in these cases not all of the examples will need to be covered (for example, because some may not always apply in a particular situation), and tutors can introduce other examples of their own that are relevant to particular situations and to the needs of their learners. Delivery guidance for LO.1 The focus of this learning outcome is on customer satisfaction. Learners need to understand that in many situations they are the customers and as such will have experienced a wide range of customer services. Their own experiences will have left them with thoughts and opinion as to how well, or not, they were dealt with, and consequently how satisfied they were as a result. This could draw on both face-to-face and telephone experiences of retail organisations, and it could also include non-retail organisations, such as schools, colleges or sport and leisure outlets. As external customers, learners will be able to bring a wide range of experience to the learning and understanding of the main point of this outcome. However, the concept of ‘internal customers’ may be more challenging. Again, learners themselves could be used as examples – presenting their friends, family or teachers as the customer, with the learner as the supplier within the environment of peer groups, families or the learner’s centre. Leading on from the concept of the learner as the customer, they need to consider why organisations bother to provide customer service, why bother to satisfy their customers. Again, the learners could analyse their own feelings and attitude towards organisations that develops as a result of being a customer and on the receiving end of good, bad or indifferent customer service. Focusing only on learners’ experiences could be limiting and it is worth encouraging learners to look at the range of customer services provided by exemplar organisations and then attempt to identify what they, the organisation, is aiming to get out of the customer service they provide. Some of the main reasons for providing good customer service and satisfying customers are listed in the What you need to learn section. Each could be used as a starting point to try to identify particular customer services in an organisation that result in the benefits listed. For example, taking ‘promoting customer loyalty’ as the starting point – different organisations tackle this in different ways, a food supermarket may have a customer loyalty scheme based on collecting points for each pound spent, the points being converted to discounts or prizes for loyal customers that build up a collection of points; in contrast, a local dental surgery may try to build up customer loyalty by opening at more convenient times, offering ‘family sessions’ where several members of a family can be checked at a single appointment, or they may offer discounts on hygiene treatments for customers who book a check-up.


Satisfying the needs of internal customers may not be as obvious. Thinking of themselves as suppliers to internal customers – friends, family or teachers – learners could consider what’s in it for them if they provide a good service to each of these groups. Extending this further, when they are engaged in work placement, part-time work or when on visits to employers, learners could investigate the benefits to individual employees in the workplace of providing good customer service. The last bullet point in What you need to learn emphasises that there is also a personal benefit for staff who provide good internal customer service in that they are more likely to prosper within the organisation, for example through getting positive appraisals and improved promotion prospects. Delivery guidance for LO.2 Role play could be used to help bridge the gap between the learner’s own experiences and their understanding of the needs and expectations of others in the wider community. The learner’s own needs and expectations will vary depending on the different circumstances of their interaction with customer services, but their own profile – a description of themselves, will remain relatively stable. The needs and expectations of other people as customers will have the added dimension that they will have their own particular social, economic and psychographic profile that will form their needs and expectations. To understand this, the learner will need to put themselves in different situations, or investigate case studies or reports of customer behaviour in different situations. Interviewing customers after they have been involved in a customer transaction or been on the receiving end of some customer service is one way of finding out directly what influenced or affected the customer’s experience. This is best achieved by working with or within real business organisations. Attempting to interview customers without the cooperation of the business concerned is certainly possible, but it runs the risk of upsetting the business, which could lead to a decline in cooperation or support for enthusiastic learners and education initiatives in general in the future. Another area that would benefit from input from real organisations is the study of how globalisation has affected and influenced the provision of customer services. The most high profile example of this, and a subject that has received much media attention, is the outsourcing of customer services, moving from the use of resources within an organisation to the use of resources provided by a third party. This third party may still be within the same area or even country, but by virtue of globalisation may be in another part of the world. There are many reasons why this has occurred, resource issues such as lack of skills and economic reasons, are just two examples. Most learners, or members of the learner’s family, will have experienced dealing with call centres in different parts of the world when they contact banks and mail order businesses, and as such, will have opinions that they can share with other learners. Delivery guidance for LO.3 The evaluation of the effectiveness of customer services provided by an organisation could be achieved to some degree thorough subjective opinion, based on experience as a customer. However, to be objective, and to come to some conclusions that will stand being tested or that could be used for the development of improvements to customer services, the results of customer services provided should be monitored and measured. There are many techniques for doing this – customer feedback, monitoring complaint levels, even asking ‘Is the meal OK?’ etc. Learners should be encouraged to note and collect examples of different ways this is being done through their own experiences as customers. But this will only provide half the story.


To get an inside view of how organisations monitor and measure customer services in a real-life situation, the learner will need information from organisations themselves. This could be achieved through research and investigation, but a visit to a real organisation, or a visit from a person responsible for monitoring customer service, will bring reality to their learning – it will cease to be an academic exercise and become a real project with commercial consequences. The obligations of organisations and employees towards customers may be dictated by industry standard, regulation or sometimes by an organisation’s mission statement, but it will be consumer protection legislation in all of its many forms that sets the ultimate standard. Learners are not expected to know the names and dates or have explicit knowledge of every piece of legislation designed to protect consumers – the objective should be that all learners understand that any organisation dealing with customers and consumers has obligations under the law. It would, however, be useful if learners had an awareness of the main pieces of consumer protection legislation, and the main obligations it places on businesses and organisations. For the purposes of this unit the main pieces of consumer protection legislation would include current versions of: the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (as amended by the Sale & Supply of Goods Act 1994 and the Sale and Supply of Goods to Consumers Regulations 2002); The Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982; the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations (2008) and the Consumer Credit Act 2006; the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 and the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) (Amendment) Regulations 2005, referred to as the ‘Distance Selling Regulations’; the Data Protection Act 1998. Legislation can change and you are advised to keep up-to-date with new or updated consumer protection legislation that may come into force during the life of this qualification. Legislation need not be a dry subject. The Trading Standards organisation produces a wide range of accessible material to put across the basics of consumer protection legislation, from the point of view of both business and the consumer. Delivery guidance for LO.4 Increasingly, organisations are setting up an online presence in addition to their traditional way of trading. Some organisations exist only as online web-based businesses. This change brings a need for customer services to be considered and delivered in different ways. Most learners will have had experience of buying from online websites – buying and downloading music or video files, products such as CDs or DVDs, books, tickets etc. They may also have used online services from organisation such as research or news providers, or social networking sites. As a customer the learner will have experienced the good, bad and indifferent customer services – this is valuable information to be shared. The next step is to compare the customer services they receive online with the customer services they have experienced face-to-face from organisations in the metaphorical high street. Having established that there are some major differences between customer services online and customer services in a high street situation the nest step is to consider the differences and the challenges from the point-of-view of the organisation itself. This would include technical issues, security, the fact that they are remote from the customer, that there is a loss of personal contact with customers which can lead to a difficulty in building relationships and a difficulty in responding to enquiries and problems quickly enough. Although presented here as ‘difficulties’ there are plenty of online organisations that have overcome these challenges and enjoy a high level of customer satisfaction. These should be investigated as well as the problem sites, to see just how high levels of customer satisfaction have been achieved. In preparation for assessment, it would be useful for learners to look at a range of well-developed websites to see the different approaches taken.


Delivery guidance for LO.5 Good preparation is the key to success in this part of the unit. Learners need to learn about how to handle ‘challenging’ customer service situations. This includes, but is not limited to, dealing with ‘difficult’ customers to their satisfaction and to the satisfaction of the organisation itself. Most learners who have part-time jobs, particularly those in the retail sector, will have experienced ‘difficult’ customers – they should be encouraged to tell of their experiences to other members of the group. The group can then attempt to analyse why the customer was considered to be ‘difficult’, what were the circumstances that created this ‘difficult’ customer? Tutors and other members of staff who are involved in recruitment events or fund raising events may also have anecdotes relating to ‘difficult’ customers, again these experiences could be explored. Understanding the customer’s attitude and behaviour is particularly important with challenging customer service situations. This is not merely about staff showing that they empathise, but also helps them predict the sorts of things that will be perceived as being helpful/unhelpful. Challenging customer service situations can also come in written form, such as letters of complaint, requests for explanation as to why something went wrong or did not happen as expected. Learners can practise this in a number of different ways, but perhaps the most useful and interesting could be to ask each learner in a group to write a brief letter of complaint about a consumer issue that has been bothering or troubling them. The letters of ‘complaint’ are then put in a hat, learners then draw out one letter each and have to respond to it in writing as if they are a customer service person within the organisation concerned/complained about. The original letter writer could then judge how well the customer service person has dealt with their letter and consequently how satisfied they are with the outcome. Learners will need to have practice in dealing with difficult or ‘challenging’ customer interactions face-to-face and over the telephone. Role play is a good way of doing this. They could work in pairs to practise and then review how well they have done, drawing lessons from this to apply the next time they practise, as part of the experiential learning cycle. Some learners may already be working in a customer service situation by virtue of part-time jobs or family businesses. This will have brought them into contact with challenging customer service situations and will be great preparation for their assessment. Although the emphasis should be on dealing with ‘real life’ situations, learners should not be put into a position where they either a) are likely to be endangered as a result of a confrontation with a customer, or b) likely to pose a risk to an organisation if they fail to resolve a situation satisfactorily.


Unit summary


LO.1 Understand the benefits of customer satisfaction

1.1 Explain the importance of providing effective customer service to internal and external customers


2.1 Identify features of good customer service

2.2 Describe how customers can vary 2.3 Identify advantages and

disadvantages of outsourced customer services

LO.3 Understand how customer service standards are maintained

3.1 Describe steps taken to maintain customer service standards

3.2 Assess effectiveness of customer service

3.3 Use reasoned arguments and evidence to recommend ways of improving customer service


4.1 Describe the challenges of providing customer service online from the perspective of customer and organisation

LO.5 Be able to handle challenging customer service transactions

5.1 Deal appropriately with customers in challenging customer service transactions


Assessment information for learners How you will be assessed This unit will be assessed by an assignment on customer service. You will need to: • Carry out an investigation into the service provided to customers by an organisation.

This will involve:

o understanding the organisation: identifying the factors that affect the customer experience, the ways in which its customers’ needs and expectations vary and how it would, or does already, benefit from outsourcing its customer services operations, as well as any potential disadvantages [LO.2]

o the benefits: explaining the benefits of providing effective customer service to its

internal and external customers [LO.1] o online customer service: describing the particular challenges that the organisation

would have, or has already, in providing customer service online [LO.4] o assessment and recommendations: describing what steps it takes to maintain

customer service standards; assessing the service provided to customers by this organisation; and recommending ways in which the organisation can improve the standard of service it provides [LO.3]

• Demonstrate how to handle challenging verbal and written customer service situations

[LO.5].


Assessment information for assessors Instructions and controls for setting assessment assignments This unit must be covered by a single assignment, which is described in the How you will be assessed section, and exemplified within the unit sample assessment material (SAM). Sector-relevant purpose Any real organisation will provide learners with a sector-relevant purpose for completing their assignment. The assignment must be contextualised in such a way as to give the learners a real purpose for carrying out the investigation (see also Guidance for assessment). Evidence structure

Learning outcome


LO.2 A Investigation: understanding the organisation

Written evidence: good customer service; varying needs and expectations of customers; benefits of outsourcing customer services

LO.1 A Investigation: the benefits Written evidence: benefits of providing effective customer service

LO.4 A Investigation: online customer service

Written evidence: challenges of online customer service

LO.3 A Investigation: assessment and recommendations

Written evidence: steps taken to maintain customer service standards; assessment of customer service provided; recommendations for improvements

LO.5 A Demonstrating customer service skills

Written evidence: written customer service transaction

LO.5 B Learner observation record: verbal customer service transaction

Level of demand The level of demand appropriate to the assessment of this unit is exemplified in the unit sample assessment material (SAM). Assessment duration The suggested guided learning hours (GLH) needed to complete this assignment is 10 hours per learner. Centres can structure assessment time as they see fit. This suggested GLH for assessment does not include time spent collecting information on a business/organisation in LO.1, LO.2 and LO.3. Centres should note that the total class assessment time may need to be higher to allow time for separate observations of individuals in LO.5.


Instructions and controls for taking assessment assignments The learners must be provided with full access to study all of the areas identified in the What you need to learn section of the specification. Controls relating to resources and supervision are contained within Annexe C. Learners do not need to each select a different organisation. Group work is permitted when investigating the organisation, but each learner must create their own evidence for assessment. The customer interactions must take place verbally (face-to-face, over the telephone) and in writing (letter, email etc). Learners must demonstrate their ability to deal with at least three different challenging customer service interactions in total. At least one of the verbal interactions must be done face-to-face. The interactions must be ‘challenging’ in at least one of the following ways as exemplified in the What you need to learn section: complicated transaction(s); barrier(s) to communication; difficult customer(s). The written interactions must be done individually in an appropriate format. Summary of unit controls


See Annexe C for further information. Guidance for assessment It is recommended that assessment takes place in two separate stages: firstly the assessment for LO.1, LO.2, LO.3 and LO.4, and then LO.5. These could be done at the end of the unit or during delivery after the relevant learning has taken place. It is recommended that tutors agree the chosen organisation for their investigation with learners (if necessary, these could be chosen by the tutors themselves). This will prevent learners choosing an organisation which is unsuitable and about which learners will not be able to access information. Centres can link the investigation (LO.1, LO.2, LO.3, LO.4) to the practical customer service skills LO.5) so that the organisation chosen is the same; this might make the customer interactions more purposeful for the learners. If they are linked, then it would be advisable to limit the number of organisations that are studied in any one class as this would make the customer interactions more manageable. The organisation could be one in which the learners are already working (such as a in a part time job or work experience). Depending on the organisation chosen by the learner the customer services provided will vary. When assessing the effectiveness of the customer service provision, learners should carry out their own research, which could include their experience as a customer, but they can also make use of other information published by both by the organisations themselves and by third parties.


If the organisation has already outsourced its customer services, then the learner should comment on the advantages that this has brought; if not, then the task should be hypothetical, requiring the learner to comment on what the benefits and drawbacks would be. This is also true for the task on online customer service; if the organisation already provides services in this way, then learners should assess the customer experience of using the organisation’s website. The investigation can be presented in any appropriate format(s). If a presentation is done for any part of this, for moderation purposes, it is important to note that the written evidence created (slides, notes) must by itself provide sufficient evidence of the learner’s knowledge and understanding; oral presentation skills are not assessed in this unit. If assessment of LO.5 is be based on the same organisation that learners have already investigated, this might make the task more accessible and simpler for the centres to prepare for as learners need a certain degree of knowledge about the organisation and its products or services. However, this is not a requirement. These interactions could be assessed through role play in the centre, and could be based upon real examples that are re-created under controlled assessment conditions via role play or documents, e.g. a letter of complaint. The ‘customers’ should ideally not be learners in the same class. Another approach would be for the interactions to be real examples done on work experience. Centres could also use other real situations where customer interactions take place, including enquiry desks, reception desks in the centre or associated facilities such as sports or leisure centres, the canteen, stationery or book sales areas, extra curricular activities, etc. Any ‘real’ situation presents an additional challenge for centres in that learners need to be assessed on interactions that are considered ‘challenging’ rather than merely routine. Any information which identifies real customers (name, personal details, other personal information) should be obscured or changed. These interactions might be contextualised by giving learners the task of showing the organisation how to deal with it so that organisation can learn from this, e.g. through product improvement, staff training or the development of a procedure to deal with such issues (although the learner will not need to recommend which approach should be taken or be involved in implementing this).


Marking grid A


available LO.1 Understand the benefits of customer satisfaction

The learner briefly outlines the benefits of providing effective customer service to internal and external customers.

The learner explains benefits of providing effective customer service to internal and external customers, giving examples to support this.

The learner explains in detail the benefits of providing effective customer service to internal and external customers, giving clear and well chosen examples to support this.

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6) 6


The learner identifies factors that affect the customer experience, which are generally relevant to the organisation with a basic description of typical customers, with their needs and expectations listed. Advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing are briefly identified. Answers may not highlight the most significant factors.

The learner identifies relevant factors that affect the customer experience, giving examples to support this with a description of typical customers, with a reasonable description of their needs and expectations. Advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing are identified. The learner shows reasonable ability to highlight the most significant factors.

The learner identifies relevant factors that affect the customer experience, giving clear and well chosen examples to support this with a detailed description of typical customers, linking this with a clear description of their needs and expectations. Advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing are identified clearly. The learner is well able to highlight the most significant factors.

(0–5) (6–9) (10–12) 12



available LO.3 Understand how customer service standards are maintained

There is a brief description of what the organisation does to ensure high standards of customer service. The assessment of service provided is rather brief. Limited evidence is provided for the judgement. The learner makes limited and generalised recommendations about steps that the organisation can take.

There is a description of what the organisation does to ensure high standards of customer service. The assessment of service provided is detailed. Reasonably clear evidence is provided for the judgement. The learner makes realistic recommendations about specific steps the organisation can take, linking this to evidence from the assessment.

There is a detailed description of what the organisation does to ensure high standards of customer service. The assessment of service provided is detailed and well argued. Clear and convincing evidence is provided for the judgement. The learner makes well argued and realistic recommendations about specific steps the organisation can take, linking this to well chosen evidence from the assessment.

(0–5) (6–9) (10–12) 12


The learner describes challenges briefly and in general terms, showing a limited understanding of them. Answers may focus mainly either on the point of view of the organisation or customer.

The learner describes challenges in some detail, and providing examples of what these are or would be. Answers are reasonably clear and deal with the perspective of both customer and organisation. There is some indication of which challenges are most serious.

The learner describes challenges in detail, providing clear and well chosen examples of what these are or would be. Answers are clear and well argued and deal with the perspective of both customer and organisation. The learner shows convincingly which challenges are most serious, dealing with the perspective of both customer and organisation.

(0–5) (6–9) (10–12) 12



available LO.5 Be able to handle challenging customer service transactions

The learner shows limited customer handling skills when dealing with challenging customer service transaction(s) in writing.

The learner shows reasonable customer handling skills when dealing with challenging customer service transaction(s) in writing.

The learner shows good customer handling skills when dealing with challenging customer service transaction(s) in writing.

(0–4) (5–7) (8–9) 9

Total marks 51


Marking grid B


available LO.5 Be able to handle challenging customer service transactions

The learner shows limited customer handling skills when dealing with challenging customer service transaction(s) verbally.

The learner shows reasonable customer handling skills when dealing with challenging verbal customer service transaction(s) verbally.

The learner shows good customer handling skills when dealing with challenging customer service transaction(s) verbally.

(0–4) (5–7) (8–9) 9

Total marks 9


















marking grid B.


Level 3 descriptors

Descriptor Meaning Basic Limited to the fundamental features, elements or facts.

Brief/briefly Short, lacking detail.


Convincing Believable, well argued, well chosen.


Explain/explanation Provide reasons for a decision, feature, etc.

General/generalised Vague, lacking specific information, details, etc.



Good customer handling skills The learner shows no evident weaknesses, or only minor weaknesses in one or two of the six categories listed in What you need to learn, namely: up-to-date knowledge; organisation skills/record keeping; positive attitude; comprehension skills; communication skills; knowing when to seek assistance. Minor weaknesses are those which would not affect the outcome of the interaction, and which would only be noticed by people who are experienced in delivering customer service.

Identify Name or otherwise characterise, mention the key elements, facts, features, etc.

Limited Incomplete or having a narrow scope; shows only basic ability or understanding; Showing basic or incomplete knowledge, evidence, ability etc.

Limited customer handling skills

The learner shows significant weaknesses in several of the six categories listed in What you need to learn, in which clear improvements could be made: up-to-date knowledge; organisation skills/record keeping; positive attitude; comprehension skills; communication skills; knowing when to seek assistance. Less significant weaknesses in other categories may also be evident. Significant weaknesses are those which would affect the customer’s general perception of how they have been dealt with, and may also affect the outcome of the interaction.

List/listed Provide the information in separate, individual points, rather than in continuous prose.

Mainly Mostly but not exclusively.

Outline Set out the main characteristics or give an overview of the main features.


Descriptor Meaning Reasonable Moderate or average.

Reasonable customer handling skills

The learner shows weaknesses in one or two of the six categories listed in What you need to learn, namely: up-to-date knowledge; organisation skills/record keeping; positive attitude; comprehension skills; communication skills; knowing when to seek assistance. The weaknesses are not significant. They would be noticed by people who delivery customer service, but are unlikely to affect the overall outcome of the interaction.



Relevant/relevance Applicable to the subject/organisation

Some To a certain degree, partial.

Specific Precise, exact, detailed.

Well argued Showing the ability to construct a convincing argument. Well balanced Giving appropriate weight to most significant factors/both

sides.

Well chosen (examples) Chosen in such a way that it provides support for the argument; a good example; appropriate for a particular situation of context.


Guidance for Integrating Essential Skills Wales and Wider Key Skills Level 3 Skills in applied learning A unique and central feature of Principal Learning (PL) is the requirement that at least 50% must be completed in an applied or work-related context. This means that learners must actively engage with the curriculum they are studying, putting theory into practice and working cooperatively with other learners, with their teachers, and with people from outside the classroom. They should learn in a range of contexts and environments, carrying out investigations and active enquiries, learning through doing and relating their learning to job roles. The skills embodied in the three Essential Skills Wales (ESW) and the three wider key skills (WKS) are therefore integral to the delivery of Principal Learning (PL) at all levels and in all lines of learning. Principal Learning offers many opportunities to develop all six skills (ESW + WKS) that are required if a candidate is to achieve the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification (WBQ). To achieve the WBQ at Advanced level, learners must achieve three of the six skills at Level 3, one of which must be ESW Communication, Application of Number or ICT, together with the other three skills at Level 2. Developing skills The table below lists, in the first column, the skills that a learner must develop for the ESW or WKS in question. The second column suggests a PL context in which the skill would arise naturally and might be developed. It is important that, when developing an ESW skill, both the learner and the teacher pay close attention to the section in the standards headed ‘In order to show that you are competent’. Similarly for the WKS, teachers and learners must study Part A. The third column in the table identifies the ESW or WKS component. Portfolio evidence If a learner is aiming to generate portfolio evidence in the context of a learning activity or assignment in PL, it is important to ensure that the requirements of the assignment match the evidence requirements of the skill qualification (ESW or WKS) in question, in terms of content and of presentation. A portfolio of evidence will often require more than one example of the skill, so teachers will need to identify other contexts and opportunities from the many that exist in the context of the WBQ as a whole. The table below does not include details of these requirements. It is therefore essential that teachers are familiar with: • the standards for ESW and the associated documents ‘Amplification of Evidence







The problem should arise naturally in the context of the candidate’s work for the Principal Learning unit. For portfolio evidence at this level, the candidate must carry out at least one activity that shows their skills in the process as a whole, ie covering all three components of the unit. ICT As with Application of Number, the ESW standards emphasise the importance of using ICT in context and for a purpose. The ‘Amplification of evidence requirements’ specifically states that ‘You must demonstrate your ICT skills in the context of these activities; demonstrating your skills in isolation cannot be used as evidence’. Also similarly to Application of Number, the learner, while developing their ICT skills, is likely to focus on parts of the process and on specific skills, but they should always have the ‘big picture’ in mind and build towards seeing the process as a whole. For the portfolio, the ‘Amplification’ states that: ‘You must carry out at least two activities that, overall: • show that you can plan and carry through a number of different activities, one of which







Suggested context

Reference


C3.1


C3.1.1


C3.1.2


(a) Formal face-to-face

discussions with at least two other people about the benefits of effective customer service.


techniques employed in businesses to maintain levels of customer service.

C3.1.3

Reading

C3.2


Reading at least two documents about handling customer service transactions, in preparation for writing a short document

C3.2.1

Writing

C3.3


Writing a guide about handling challenging customer service transactions for the purpose of informing an audience of new employees in a business.

C3.3.1




Suggested context

Reference

Using ICT systems

ICT3.1


ICT3.1.1


ICT3.1.2


Using ICT to produce a guide to providing customer service online.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.2


ICT3.2.1


ICT3.1.2


Finding, selecting and exchanging ICT-based information relevant to producing a guide to providing customer service online.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.3


ICT3.3.1


Developing and presenting ICT-based information for the purpose of the task, in the form of text, tables, images and numbers for an audience of new employees.

ICT3.3.2




Suggested context

Reference


N3.1


N3.1.1


N3.1.2



N3.1.3


N3.2


N3.2.1



N3.2.2


N3.3


N3.3.1



N3.3.2





Suggested context

Reference


WO3.1


WO3.1.1


WO3.1.2



WO3.1.3


WO3.2


WO3.2.1


WO3.2.2



WO3.2.3


WO3.3


WO3.3.1


WO3.3.2



WO3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


LP3.1


LP3.1.1


LP3.1.2


Set SMART targets for learning about techniques to achieve a positive outcome when dealing with challenging customer service transactions, and plan how these learning targets will be met. Plan progress reviews and document sources of support and identify timelines. LP3.1.3


LP3.2


LP3.2.1


LP3.2.2



LP3.2.3


LP3.3


LP3.3.1


LP3.3.2



LP3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


PS3.1


PS3.1.1


PS3.1.2


Tackling the problem of carrying out an investigation into the service provided by an organization. Identify the elements of the problem and explore different methods for applying effective sales techniques and skills. Justify the selected method(s) or option(s) and plan the chosen option(s) and get the go-ahead

PS3.1.3


PS3.2


PS3.2.1


PS3.2.2



PS3.2.3


PS3.3


PS3.3.1


PS3.3.2


Evaluate and present the chosen solution to the teacher/tutor in order to confirm whether problem solving has been successful. Review and reflect on the problem solving process and decide whether other approaches may have proved more effective. PS3.3.3


Work experience There is no requirement for work experience to complete this unit, but learners would benefit from any experience gained in a customer service environment in terms of gaining practical experience. This experience could be used to generate evidence for LO.5. Specialist resources None. Reference material Books Evans-Pritchard J, Hancock M, Jones R, Mansfield A and Gray D — AS level Applied Business for Edexcel Double Award, (Causeway Press 2005) ISBN 1405821159 Evans-Pritchard J, Hancock M, Jones R, Mansfield A and Gray D — A2 level Applied Business for Edexcel Single and Double Awards, (Causeway Press 2006) ISBN 1405821167 Videos Video Arts Ltd have produced a range of entertaining and informative training films aimed at improving customer service by highlighting the wrong way to go about dealing with a customer service situation. www.videoarts.com Websites www.businesslink.gov.uk Business Link provides an easy to use support,

advice and information service for local businesses. www.instituteofcustomerservice.com The Institute of Customer Service. www.skillsmartretail.com The Sector Skills Council for Retail, aiming to be the

authority for retail skills development and promotion. www.tradingstandards.gov.uk Trading Standards Central – a one stop shop for

consumer protection information in the UK. The site is supported and maintained by the Trading Standards Institute

LEVEL 3 UNIT 7: TEAMS AND COMMUNICATION IN BUSINESS (WALES) PAGE 177

Unit 7: Teams and Communication in Business (Wales)


Level 3


Internally assessed

About this unit

It is sometimes said that ‘it’s not what you say, but the way that you say it’ that counts. When communicating in business, you often need to show sensitivity and diplomacy in order to build rapport, maintain relationships, and get things done. This applies whether you are communicating with team members, colleagues, customers, and/or trying to develop networking opportunities that will be useful to you. This unit will give you the opportunity to practise and improve your ability to communicate in a range of business situations. In today’s business world teams are very much a part of an organisation’s success, with collaboration as the key to doing the task better and more efficiently. Teams cannot be instantly effective – they need to develop through various stages to become fully collaborative and different people contribute to the team in different ways. Sometimes when people work in teams, they have their own types of communication behaviour which can affect others and be a cause of conflict or tension. This unit will help you learn about factors that make an effective team. You will practise working together in team situations both as a team member and as a team leader.

Learning outcomes On completing this unit, a learner should: LO.1 Understand the importance of effective business communication LO.2 Be able to communicate effectively using networking skills and different forms of

business communication LO.3 Understand the factors that contribute to successful team working LO.4 Be able to work effectively as a team leader and member.



importance of effective business communication

Communication is the process of creating, transmitting and interpreting ideas, facts, opinions and feelings. It is of vital importance in the business world as it involves all the internal and external people and organisations connected with the business such as customers, shareholders, employees, tax authorities. You need to learn about: • the transactional communication process which links the

sender to the receiver and the importance of feedback in the process

• different communication climates, e.g. open and closed, and how these affect the quality of communication

• the flow of communications in an organisation: lateral, upwards, downwards

• the selection of formal or informal channels: grapevine, networking, seminars, training, team meetings, staff intranet

• barriers to communication: • the message: lack of clarity, jargon, management speak • the receiver: perceptual and cultural differences, emotions,

distractions • the context: hierarchy, poor channels of communication • the importance of building good working relationships and

developing rapport with others • the consequences of poor or failed communication, e.g.

inefficiency, loss of business, damage to relationships. Many businesses and individuals use electronic methods to communicate internally and externally, particularly via email and the world wide web. There are advantages when using electronic communication: • speed, accuracy, convenience • cost, resourcing/environmental benefits. Electronic communication also has limitations: • information overload • privacy and security • technological issues: IT literacy of users; hidden costs. Having an online presence can have many benefits for businesses: • having a global presence with accessibility for customers • ability to analyse online competition • ability to keep information up to date.


LO.2 Be able to communicate effectively using networking skills and different forms of business communication

You need to learn about the different internal and external methods that businesses use to communicate with their staff and customers: • written communication: emails; presentations;

messages/notes; memos; business letters; agendas; minutes; reports

• oral communication, e.g. telephone conversations, face-to-face conversations and meetings.

• The choice of method can depend on different factors: • who you are communicating with, e.g. close colleague,

manager, customer • the purpose of the communication, e.g. to provide or request

information, to give instructions, to attract potential customers, to provide feedback

• whether the communication is formal or informal, e.g. whether information is required in a certain format.

Effective written communication involves: • choosing an appropriate method and style of communication • using an appropriate format and accepted conventions in a

way that creates a positive impression • knowing why you are communicating and what you want to

say • expressing the message clearly • making it clear what action, if any, you want the other person

to take • entering, editing, and formatting text to enhance the

document • checking for accuracy, grammar and spelling, and correcting

mistakes. Networking is an important part of business, in which effective communication is required. You need to learn about how to network successfully: • finding out who to approach and how • being prepared, e.g. knowing what you have to offer • knowing what you want, e.g. information, advice • making contact and creating a good impression • following up the initial contact.


LO.3 Understand the factors that contribute to successful team working

A successful team utilises the complementary skills of its members to help the organisation achieve its goals. You need to learn about: • different types of team: independent or inter-dependent;

temporary or permanent; directed or self-managed; real or virtual

• the characteristics of an effective team • Belbin team roles • stages of team development: forming, storming, norming,

performing • factors that motivate people to perform, and theories of

motivation: McGregor, Herzberg, Maslow • the link between teamwork and organisational effectiveness • ways to develop and strengthen team relationships, e.g.

training, team building activities, incentives. A key factor in a successful team is the leader. You need to learn about: • the role of the leader: creating a sense of common purpose;

taking personal responsibility for making things happen; encouraging and support others to take decisions autonomously; showing integrity, fairness and consistency in decision making; understanding people’s needs and motivations

• the differences between leadership and management • the leader’s role in satisfying the needs of the task, the team,

and the individual (Adair) • leadership styles and how they contribute to the overall

effectiveness of the team: autocratic, persuasive, consultative, participative

• power and authority: types of power, e.g. charismatic, legitimate, export, coercive, reward.

Increasingly, and with new technology, methods of working are evolving towards more home-based and teleworking. You need to understand the challenges and benefits of remote working and virtual teams for the team leader, the individual, and the organisation: • for the team leader: challenges, e.g. communication, co-

ordination of tasks; benefits, e.g. staff retention, team productivity

• for the individual: challenges, e.g. isolation, motivation; benefits, e.g. convenience, productivity

• for the organisation: challenges, e.g. technology; benefits, e.g. cost savings.


LO.4 Be able to work effectively as a team leader and member.

You need to learn about the skills and attributes that are needed when working in and leading a team: • showing a positive attitude: being committed to the team’s

success; being willing to take collective responsibility • being willing to participate: taking on a fair share of the work • supporting other team members: being polite co-operative;

letting others speak, showing respect • communicating effectively: listening and speaking skills; non-

verbal communication, e.g. body language, eye contact, gestures

• team leading skills: communicating, planning, team building, setting objectives, motivating, delegating, co-ordinating, supporting, monitoring, managing conflict

• adapting leadership style according to situation • problem-solving skills: understanding the problem/issue;

coming up with different ways of tackling it; deciding what action to take; taking action; assessing whether it has been successful

• recognising and dealing with any conflict that arises, using appropriate strategies, e.g.: o active listening o trying to understand the issues from the other person’s

point of view o focusing on the issues rather than the person o negotiating compromises and win-win solutions

• giving feedback to team members: o focusing on what is important o being constructive, supportive and tactful o focusing on actions/behaviour not personality

• receiving feedback: o being willing to accept advice o listening to the message o avoiding defensiveness o accepting praise.


Teaching this unit Delivery guidance This unit is 60 guided learning hours (GLH) in length. Centres should allocate this amount of time within the timetable for its delivery and assessment. Unless otherwise stated, all of the content included in the What you need to learn section needs to be taught. Sometimes an ‘e.g.’ or ‘for example’ is included in order to show content that is indicative: in these cases not all of the examples will need to be covered (for example, because some may not always apply in a particular situation), and tutors can introduce other examples of their own that are relevant to particular situations and to the needs of their learners. Delivery guidance for LO.1 The unit could start with a class discussion of different business communications and why businesses need to inform (for example telling employees about forthcoming meetings), confirm (for example making order confirmations), promote (for example using flyers to promote an event or new product), request (for example asking for an interview), and instruct (for example outlining terms of employment or giving directions). Learners could work in groups to categorise the purpose of different types of communication identifying the context for which it might be used and with whom, such as different audiences. Tutor input on channels of communication and communication flows can lead to learner research on the types of communication in an organisation, identifying which are formal and informal – this could be the centre or a local business. They could draw diagrams of the flow of information and give opinions of how suitable the channels are for effective business communications. It would be useful for a guest speaker from a national organisation to provide input on the communication process in their organisation, especially with regard to the benefits and limitations of electronic communication methods. Learners could then research the benefits for business of having an online presence. Learners could be introduced to communication barriers by identifying three or four occasions when they have experienced barriers to communication, what caused it and how they did/would handle it, and present their findings to the rest of the group for discussion, explaining how they would handle it differently next time. Delivery guidance for LO.2 It is not intended that this unit will be used to teach word processing, but learners need to develop skills to prepare complex business documents and are expected to be reasonably competent in word-processing skills. Tutor input will be required to explain the format of emails, letters, reports and other standard documents. Links can be made here with Unit 2: Business Administration and Events (Wales), which deals specifically with the documentation connected to meetings, such as agendas and minutes. Examples of standard documentation used in business should be shown. Learners can work in groups with each group collecting documentation for a different purpose, for example to give or ask for information/opinions, to ask someone to do something, to give instructions, to apologise, to complain. They could present their findings to the rest of the group and assess the effectiveness of each of the documents in terms of the suitability for message, recipient and type of communication. Learners should have opportunities to practise both their word processing skills using different styles and layouts, and their written skills of composing documents of suitable complexity. The importance of producing a well-presented and accurate business document suitable for the recipient to create a positive impression needs to be stressed, as this is the professional image of the organisation.


Learners need to understand the importance of networking as an informal external communications method and how it involves establishing business contacts and communication links, which can often be done by attending professional meetings and seminars, belonging to clubs, and socialising. Very often this informal communication involves interaction with like-minded people, and enables opportunities to be created for gathering information and building relationships through exchanging business cards or contact details. Learners could identify what opportunities they have to network, and consider how this would benefit them, by drawing their own personal contact network, showing direct and indirect (where the contact is through another person) connections. It is important to stress that networking only works when potential contacts are followed up, and learners could do this by preparing documentation using appropriate language, style structure and formats. This learning outcome lends itself well to applying the principles of experiential learning. With external communication, in particular, planning is important, even if this involves learners only having thought about what they want to say before they start writing. Learners should be encouraged to review written communication before it is sent. Learners can check their own and each other’s work for accuracy, grammar and spelling work, and should also be given the opportunity to improve their work through rewriting. This will help them develop group skills of communication and working with other people. Storing and retrieving documents for amending at a future date is important and learners must be encouraged to keep copies of the original documents. Delivery guidance for LO.3 There are different ways of delivering the content for this learning outcome, including team challenges with follow-up analysis and evaluation, video clips, simulation/role play, reflection on learners’ own experiences and analysis of case study material. Factors that contribute to effective teamworking could be introduced through learners undertaking one of the many team activities that are available for use in the classroom, particularly those which focus on completing a task individually and then completing it as a team – this will help learners identify the benefits of teamworking through the collaboration of resources. Learners should also explore the characteristics of different team members and identify their own qualities and skills or traits, using activities such as those devised by Meredith Belbin. Tutor input is needed on the concept of teams and stages of team development (forming, storming, norming, performing) to put this in the context of working relationships. Learners can work in small groups and list different types of teams they have been a member of, for example in college, outside activities, hobbies, etc and the purpose of the team. They can then identify factors that make them effective, and what stages of development they went through. Learners should also explore the characteristics and style of different team leaders, and this could be done through activities such as identifying the skills and traits of well-known leaders. It is important that the tutor stresses that an effective team needs to be a mix of capabilities and not just consist of those with leadership skills. Tutor input on John Adair’s Action Centred Leadership model and the key leadership functions could be followed by group work involving learners investigating how the team leader will need to wear a number of different hats, with each requiring a different role to be undertaken. In order to have a high-performance team, team leaders need to motivate and inspire commitment in their team members and tutor input on different definitions of motivation will enable learners to investigate what factors motivate them in various aspects of their lives, e.g. attending college, completing coursework, etc. They can then work in groups to research the work of relevant motivational theorists (for example Maslow, Herzberg, McGregor), prepare a chart making reference to at least one theorist, identifying two features of different leadership styles (autocratic etc) that may lead to motivation for the team.


Tutors should introduce learners to the well-known action-centred leadership approach of John Adair which can be represented as a three-circle model showing the responsibilities of the leader in ensuring the satisfaction of task, team and individual needs. Learners could carry out activities positioning the circles from case studies or from their own experiences. The use of feedback for maintaining and improving performance could be illustrated with a video which illustrates both constructive and destructive feedback. Learners can work in small groups and discuss the learning points of the video then research different kinds of feedback – positive, negative, constructive, destructive. They can make notes on the role of feedback for reviewing progress and evaluating learning and present this to the rest of the group. This can be followed by role-play scenarios for giving and receiving feedback whereby learners can practise giving and receiving feedback to individuals and a team from role plays provided by the tutor. Learners can then evaluate how well they provided feedback. Delivery guidance for LO.4 The delivery undertaken in LO.3 will provide the underpinning knowledge and skills for LO.4. When looking at teamwork activities, it is important for learners to have plenty of opportunities for working in teams and/or groups both as a team member and taking on a team leader role. Exercises can be given to highlight advantages and disadvantages of teamworking, including how to contribute, following instructions, and dealing with difficult people. Conflict within teams can be introduced through a group discussion on ‘What is conflict?’ with learners drawing on their own experiences. The tutor could highlight that not all conflict is negative, and provide examples of instances when it could have a positive effect. It would be useful for learners to be able to have a guest speaker to explain how they prevent and diffuse conflict situations within teams: this would be an opportunity for centres to engage with local employers. The guest speaker should be briefed to give examples of different sources of conflict (organisation based and team member based) and how they were resolved, also explaining the challenges facing team leaders posed by multicultural and virtual teams. In order to gather information, learners can prepare a checklist or questionnaire to enable them to participate in a question and answer session with the guest speaker. It is important that learners are able to identify situations where conflict may arise and give reasons why this has occurred. As well as case studies, learners can practise role-play exercises to develop their conflict-resolution skills. Tutors should introduce the key features of the main types of behaviours which contribute to conflict within a team, including aggressiveness, assertiveness, avoidance, submissiveness. Emphasis should be focused on body language, in particular what to look for in other people’s body language (gestures, facial expressions, posture, eye contact), discover how to use body language to respond to other people, and look at effective and ineffective use of body language in different situations. Videos can be used which show examples of different behaviours and the interpersonal skills used to diffuse conflict. They can then work in groups to research articles and case studies of inappropriate behaviour in the workplace, and discuss the cause of the conflict. Role-play scenarios could be used here and can be designed to make it more likely that some conflict is likely to occur and will need to be managed, for example by creating roles where they need to represent different interests and so influence the outcome of the task to suit themselves. This learning outcome provides good opportunities to apply experiential learning cycle before assessment takes place. At the end of one group activity, learners can be asked to review how they have performed. They can try to identify something that they would like to do differently next time.


Unit summary


LO.1 Understand the importance of effective business communication

1.1 Assess the effectiveness of communications

LO.2 Be able to communicate effectively using networking skills and different forms of business communication

2.1 Select appropriate formats for business communication

2.2 Communicate in writing using appropriate language

2.3 Use networking skills to communicate effectively for business purposes

LO.3 Understand the factors that contribute to successful team working

3.1 Compare teams and team leaders 3.2 Assess team effectiveness 3.3 Recommend improvements that

would make the teams more effective

LO.4 Be able to work effectively as a team leader and member

4.1 Work effectively as a team member and team leader [dealing with any conflict that arises]

4.2 Show consideration and fairness to other team members

4.3 Provide constructive support and feedback as a team leader

4.4 Respond positively to feedback provided by others


Assessment information for learners How you will be assessed This unit will be assessed by an assignment in two parts. You need to assess the communication within an organisation. This needs to cover: • The types of communication used by people in the organisation to communicate with you

and how effective the communication is in terms of: the amount of communication; the methods used; the quality of communication [LO.1]

You will also work as part of a team either to put on a one-off business event or to implement a business idea. You will need to: • Show your teamworking skills while working as a team member and team leader [LO.4]. • Show your networking skills and create written business communications connected to

the event or business idea [LO.2] • Assess the effectiveness of your team/team leaders in comparison with another team

and recommend improvements that would make your team more effective [LO.3].


Assessment information for assessors Instructions and controls for setting assessment assignments This unit must be covered by a single assignment, which is described in the How you will be assessed section, and exemplified within the unit sample assessment material (SAM). Sector-relevant purpose The teamworking activity must have a purpose. If the teamworking activity is assessed in the context of an event, this could be, for example, to provide information, to raise funds, etc to people outside of the class. The event could be related to the learners’ enterprise or it could be an event that is being planned for another organisation (such as a business or the centre itself). The purpose could be decided by the centre or agreed between the centre and learners. The event can be one of the events that is being planned in Unit 2: Business Administration and Events (Wales) or it could be a different one. If the teamworking activity is assessed in the context of an enterprise activity, then the purpose may be in the form of a goal or target. The enterprise activity could be the same one that is being run in Unit 1: Business Enterprise (Wales) or a different one. Evidence structure

Learning outcome


LO.1 A Assessing the communications within an organisation

Written evidence: types and effectiveness of communication

LO.2 A Teamworking and business communication activity

Written evidence: communication created for business or event, including networking communication

LO.4 B Learner observation record: teamworking skills; giving and receiving of feedback

LO.3 A Review of team activity Written evidence: teams and team leaders; effectiveness of own team; recommendations

Level of demand The level of demand appropriate to the assessment of this unit is exemplified in the unit sample assessment material (SAM). Assessment duration The suggested guided learning hours (GLH) needed to complete this assignment is 10 hours per learner. Centres can structure this time as they see fit, but to provide adequate scope for assessment and for learners to take a turn at leading a team, the teamworking activity must be one that takes more than one session to resolve. If assessment of the teamworking skills is integrated into assessment activities of another unit, the above time will only relate to the assessment of Unit 7; the activity itself can continue for the purposes of assessing the other unit(s).


Instructions and controls for taking assessment assignments The learners must be provided with full access to study all of the areas identified in the What you need to learn section of the specification. Controls relating to resources and supervision are contained within Annexe C. Whatever situation for the team activity is used, there must be sufficient scope for learners to demonstrate their team working and team leadership skills. For this to happen, it is likely to require learners to do more than merely contribute to discussions and ‘theoretical’ planning in meetings; there will need to some element of practical activity or activities, such as producing artefacts, making arrangements, contacting potential customers or suppliers, gathering and using information. Although learners will need to work in groups when creating the business documentation, there must be evidence of documents created by individual learners. This must include written evidence of networking, such as emails sent and received or notes written up of conversations which provide full details of who they spoke to, when, where, and a summary of what was said. For the purposes of this unit, the person(s) with whom the learner is networking must be someone previously unknown to the learner. Each learner must also produce at least one other piece of written business communication which is not directly related to the networking activity. Summary of unit controls


See Annexe C for further information. Guidance for assessment It is recommended that assessment takes place in two different stages: one for LO.1 the other for LO.2, LO.3 and LO.4. These could be done at the end of the unit or during delivery after the relevant learning has taken place. The order could be reversed so that LO.1 is assessed last. If the assessment activity for the teamworking activity is connected to the running of a business, then the assessment for this unit could be integrated into the delivery and assessment of Unit 1: Business Enterprise (Wales). Failing that, it could still be contextualised within the same enterprise on which the learners have been working, even if assessment and delivery of these two units does not take place at the same time, or a different enterprise activity. The same is true in relation to Unit 2: Business Administration and Events (Wales) if the assessment activity is linked to the planning of a business event. For the assessment of LO.1, it is important that learners focus on their own experiences in how an organisation communicates with them and other people, as well as the ways they can communicate back. They could identify their chosen organisation through their own work experience or they could use the centre itself; if using the centre, they should use examples to illustrate the different types of communication they receive, such as course information, progress updates, facilities etc as well as the different ways that staff communicate with them such as one-to-ones, tutorials, emails, noticeboards etc, and also examine what channels exist for them to communicate back.


For LO.2 learners need to show evidence of producing business documents using appropriate formats, tone and language. Learners should submit copies of original documents together with any replies they have received from their networking activities. These documents could be based on the enterprise activity that learners are implementing in Unit 1: Business Enterprise (Wales), especially when demonstrating networking activities, or could be linked to the event-planning activities carried out in Unit 2: Business Administration and Events (Wales). In the teamworking activity, each learner will need to take turns as the team leader. As a team member they will be expected to make a positive contribution, for example gathering information necessary for the completion of the group task. As a team leader they will be expected to show leadership qualities, for example monitoring performance through giving constructive feedback. During the teamworking activity marks are awarded based on the tutor’s observation of learners’ teamworking skills. Tutors will need to take a holistic view based on what they see throughout the teamworking task rather than, say, at the beginning or end only, although they will not need to observe every activity from start to finish. They should take care to observe discreetly and not get involved in the team activity. It is important to bear in mind that individual learners’ ability to work in, and communicate in a team is not necessarily linked to the achievement of the group as a whole. Learners are also assessed on their ability to deal with any conflict that arises. Conflict can be understood in its broadest sense as including low level tensions within the group. It may be that there was conflict, but it was unobserved by the tutor, in which case a post-task interview (group or individual) could be used to gather and record evidence. There is no need to artificially engineer conflict if the group is able to work harmoniously: if none occurs, the tutor can use a post-task interview to pose a hypothetical situation (for example involving a new and uncooperative team member) and asking how they would have dealt with it. The marks for the giving and receiving of feedback covers feedback from team leader to team members, even if it also naturally occurs between team members. Feedback between team members and team leader may arise naturally as the activity is happening, but it could be done immediately after the team activities have finished (as a full group or in sub-groups or pairs), and observed by the tutor; if there is an absence of evidence of feedback given and received during the activity, the tutor must ensure that it takes place after the event. In the review, one of the teams that learners compare should be their own team. The other one could be another team within the class or from a different class, or it could be another team, for example one that the learner can study through their work experience or which they are involved in outside the classroom. It is advisable for learners to agree with the tutor which team will be used for this comparison to ensure that learners have sufficient knowledge of the team in question. If learners choose to compare their team with another in the class, centres may wish for learners not to use their real names. In their comparison, they should refer to one, or more than one, of their own team leaders, which could be the learner themselves or someone else. They could assess the other team either as an outsider or from working within it (either currently or in the past). The review of the teamworking activity can be presented in any appropriate written format and must be done individually.


The review should incorporate the characteristics and roles within the teams, the leadership/management style of the team leaders, and Belbin team roles. This can be followed by how performance is monitored and an overall judgement of how well the team and team leaders perform. It is important for learners to compare the two teams for each of the factors, showing their similarities and differences. In their recommendations for improvement, learners should be making justified suggestions on overall team performance such as improvements to communication, performance monitoring, or the limitations of the team leader role to diffuse conflict in the team. When explaining how individuals and the team leader contribute to the team’s effectiveness, learners should give examples based on their chosen teams rather than just general statements about team leaders and individuals.


Marking grid A

Assessment focus Mark Band 1 Mark Band 2 Mark Band 3 Maximum

marks available LO.1 Understand the importance of effective business communication

There is a basic assessment of the effectiveness of the communications in an organisation, which shows limited understanding of different types and processes.

There is a reasonable assessment of the effectiveness of the communications in an organisation, which shows some understanding of different types and processes. There is reasonable justification provided for judgements.

There is a good assessment of the effectiveness of the communications in an organisation, which shows a good understanding of types and processes used. There is clear and well argued justification provided for judgements.

(0–5) (6–9) (10–12) 12 The types of document chosen are generally appropriate for their intended purpose. The style, content and layout of the documents conform, to some degree, to standard document conventions.

The types of document chosen are appropriate for their intended purpose. The style, content and layout of the documents generally conform to standard document conventions.

The types of document chosen are appropriate for their intended purpose. The style, content and layout of the documents conform to standard document conventions.

LO.2(.1) Be able to communicate effectively using networking skills and other forms of business communication (0–2) (3) (4)

LO.2(.2, .3) Be able to communicate effectively using networking skills and other forms of business communication

Across the communication as a whole, the message is clear in some places, although there may be some intrusive errors. The learner has some success in using language and tone that are suitable for the message, recipient or type of communication.

Across the communication as a whole, the message is generally clear with few intrusive errors. The learner is generally successful in using language and tone that are suitable for the message, recipient and type of the communication.

Across the communication as a whole, the message is consistently clear, without intrusive errors. The learner is consistently successful in using language and tone that are suitable for the message, recipient and type of communication, in such a way that it would create a positive impression on the reader.

(0–5) (6–9) (10–12) 16



available The learner provides a basic assessment of team effectiveness, commenting in general terms on the effectiveness of the teams and team leaders, providing examples to support their judgement.

The learner provides a reasonable assessment of team effectiveness, commenting on specific aspects of the effectiveness of the teams and team leaders, and providing clear examples to support their judgement.

The learner provides a convincing and well-argued assessment of team effectiveness, commenting in detail on specific aspects of the effectiveness of the teams and team leaders, and providing clear and well chosen examples to support their judgement.

LO.3(.1, .2) Understand the factors that contribute to successful team working

(0–4) (5–7) (8–10)

LO.3(.3) Understand the factors that contribute to successful team working

Ideas for improvements are suggested.

Realistic ideas for improvements are suggested, with some justification provided.

Realistic ideas for improvements are suggested, and justified convincingly.

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6) 16

Total marks 44


Marking grid B Assessment focus


As a team member, the learner makes some contribution to achieving team goals, showing basic teamworking and communication skills.

As a team member, the learner makes an effective contribution to achieving team goals, showing reasonable teamworking and communication skills.

As a team member, the learner makes an effective and continuous contribution to achieving team goals, showing good teamworking and communication skills.

(0–4) (5–7) (8–10) 10

LO.4 Be able to work effectively in, and lead, a team

They show limited ability to lead the team and deal with any conflict situations that arise, giving feedback to others.

They show some ability to lead the team and deal with any conflict situations that arise, giving constructive feedback to others.

They show good ability to lead a team and deal with any conflict situations that arise, giving constructive and perceptive feedback to others.

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6) 6

Total marks 16


Assessment guidance Using the marking grid Each internally-assessed unit has either 60, 75 or 90 available marks in total. • In some units the marking grid has been split into two grids – A and B. Marking grid A
















marking grid B.


Level 3 descriptors

Descriptor Meaning Appropriate Suitable/relevant and realistic.

Assess/assessment Judge the extent or degree of something.



Consistently Throughout.

Continuous Sustained throughout the task.


Constructive (feedback) Feedback which aims to help. This will often aim to focus on any positives and suggest improvements.


Effective (contribution) A useful and clear contribution to the team’s overall success.

Few Not many.

(in) general terms Characterised by general statements which lack depth and not related to specific uses/examples.



Intrusive (errors) Errors that stand out prominently and interrupt the flow of the reader.

Justify/justified/justification Give reasons for something.


Perceptive Showing good judgement and insight into abilities of self or others.




Some To a certain degree, partial; not all.

Specific Precise, exact, detailed.

Sufficient Enough for the purpose of answering the question.

Throughout All the way through; consistently.

Well argued Showing the ability to construct a convincing argument.

Well chosen (examples) Chosen in such a way that it provides support for the argument; a good example.
















Suggested context

Reference


C3.1


C3.1.1


C3.1.2



discussions with at least two other people about the importance of effective business communication.


advantages and disadvantages of using electronic communications.

C3.1.3

Reading

C3.2


Reading at least two documents about factors that contribute to successful team working, in preparation for writing a short document.

C3.2.1

Writing

C3.3


Produce a PowerPoint and write a supporting handout about factors that contribute to successful team working for the purpose of informing an audience of peers.

C3.3.1




Suggested context

Reference

Using ICT systems

ICT3.1


ICT3.1.1


ICT3.1.2


Using ICT to communicate effectively using networking skills and different forms of business communication.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.2


ICT3.2.1


ICT3.1.2


Finding, selecting and exchanging ICT-based information relevant to communicating effectively using networking skills and different forms of business communication.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.3


ICT3.3.1


Developing and presenting ICT-based information for the purpose of the task, in the form of text, tables, images, numbers and records for an audience of work colleagues.

ICT3.3.2




Suggested context

Reference


N3.1


N3.1.1


N3.1.2



N3.1.3


N3.2


N3.2.1



N3.2.2


N3.3


N3.3.1



N3.3.2





Suggested context

Reference


WO3.1


WO3.1.1


WO3.1.2


Working as a group or team to put on a one-off business event, plan working arrangements with others, identifying individual roles and agree a common approach as a group or team.

WO3.1.3


WO3.2


WO3.2.1


WO3.2.2



WO3.2.3


WO3.3


WO3.3.1


WO3.3.2



WO3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


LP3.1


LP3.1.1


LP3.1.2


Set SMART targets for learning how to produce different types of business communications and plan how these learning targets will be met. Plan progress reviews and document sources of support and identify timelines.

LP3.1.3


LP3.2


LP3.2.1


LP3.2.2


Use plans in order to produce work within the set time constraints of the activity. Use a range of learning methods and styles, reflect on progress, adapting plans and approaches as necessary and recording the stages of learning

LP3.2.3


LP3.3


LP3.3.1


LP3.3.2



LP3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


PS3.1


PS3.1.1


PS3.1.2


Tackling the problem of producing different types of business communications in the context of putting on a one-off business event. Identify the elements of the problem and explore different methods for producing different types of business communications. Justify the selected method(s) or option(s) and plan the chosen option(s) and get the go-ahead.

PS3.1.3


PS3.2


PS3.2.1


PS3.2.2



PS3.2.3


PS3.3


PS3.3.1


PS3.3.2



PS3.3.3


Work experience Work experience connected to this unit would be useful, especially in relation to preparing business documents and investigating communication practices. Specialist resources None. Reference material Books Ashley V and Ashley S – Student Handbook Level 3 (Business and Administration Standards) (Council for Administration, 2006) ISBN 0955092053 Honey P – Teams and Teamwork (Peter Honey, 2001) ISBN 1902899156 Leigh A and Maynard M – Leading Your Team (Nicholas Brealey, 2004) ISBN 1857883047 Websites www.businessballs.com Team activities www.cfa.uk.com Council for Administration www.cipd.co.uk Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development www.managers.org.uk Chartered Management Institute

LEVEL 3 UNIT 8: RESPONDING TO CHANGE IN BUSINESS (WALES) PAGE 206

Unit 8: Responding to Change in Business (Wales)


Level 3


Externally assessed (29 hours learning time and 1 hour for assessment)

About this unit

‘The key …and there is only one key…is …attitude. If the security of guaranteed cubicle slavery for life is your cup of tea…well you’re going to be scared stiff of all that’s coming down the pike. But if the notion of life as a series of ‘gigs’ in which you learn new tricks and live by your wits, excites you …well you’ll wake up drooling at the chance to re-imagine yourself…’ – Tom Peters in Re-imagine. The world of work is changing rapidly and it is inevitable that you will face many changes in your career. In this unit you will explore the drivers of change from the perspective of the business decision makers, the owners and managers, and in doing so discover that the choice is often ‘change or die’. You will then go on to consider how these changes affect the businesses and their employees, and also how individual employees respond to change in different ways. You will learn about the powerful impact individual responses to change can have on the success or otherwise of change programmes and how to prepare for and manage your own responses to changes in the workplace, as well as how to assess the impact and success of change.

Learning outcomes On completing this unit, a learner should: LO.1 Understand the causes and impact of change in business LO.2 Understand the impact of change on employees.



causes and the impact of change in business

Change in business can be driven by internal factors and external factors. Internal factors include: • business plans and goals which are set by the owners or

managers of a business • improvements or developments in the way work is done • skills and creativity of the workforce • changes in amount of money available to the business • customer feedback. External factors are changes in a business’ external environment. These factors can be examined using the different categories: • influence of global economy on business in the UK: trade

liberalisation; competition from developing countries; knock-on effects of changes in economic conditions and confidence from one economy to another; changes in exchange rates (effects on exporters, prices of imported raw materials, prices of foreign competitors’ products in UK market)

• political: changes in government; government or European Union policies

• economic: economic growth; increased competition; interest rates (cost of borrowing, consumer confidence); inflation (difficulties in forecasting costs, wage demands, less competitive exports); level of unemployment, taxation changes; supply of resources;

• social: population changes such as ageing population, population movements; education; cultural issues such as attitudes to work, health, religion, family, changing lifestyles

• technological: uses of information technology; mechanisation; other developments, e.g. communications, consumer technology, nanotechnology

• legal: health and safety, consumer, employment law • environmental: actions and pressure from governments and

consumers to reduce environmental impact of organisations relating to waste, energy, natural resources, pollution.

Change can affect organisations at all levels. • organisational: relocation, closures, mergers, takeovers • departmental: mergers, changes to management structure,

re-location • team: organisation and composition of teams; changes to

objectives and work roles • individuals: processes, responsibilities, objectives,

colleagues, work location, promotion opportunities, redundancies.


LO.2 Understand the impact of change on employees

A large proportion of change initiatives fail to deliver the expected benefits. The cause of this failure is often resistance to change. You will need to be familiar with Kotter and Schlesingler’s Six Change approaches, which covers: • the four reasons for resistance to change

o parochial self-interest o misunderstanding o low tolerance of change o different assessments of the situation

• the six ways of overcoming resistance to change o education and communication o participation and involvement o facilitation and support o negotiation and agreement o manipulation and cooption o explicit and implicit coercion.

People and organisations deal with change in different ways. You will need to be familiar with: • Lewin’s concepts of ‘freezing, unfreezing and re-freezing’

and Force Field Analysis • Gleicher’s Formula for Change • the Kubler-Ross Change Curve. Individuals can manage their own responses to change in a number of ways including: • becoming well informed about the reasons for change • seeking opportunities to develop skills and experience • becoming involved in initiatives if opportunity arises • continuing to develop plans for own career • monitoring stress levels and using stress reducing

techniques if needed • seeking support if needed. The impact of change and the success of its implementation can be investigated and evaluated in many different ways, including: • measurement of actual results against stated objectives • measurement of changes in quality, productivity or customer

satisfaction data • measurement of financial data such as sales, costs, profits • use of staff satisfaction surveys and/or analysis of staff

turnover data • benchmarking with other organisations.


Teaching this unit Delivery guidance The purposes of this unit are to provide opportunities for learners to develop an understanding of the reasons for change in business, to learn how people respond to it and to consider how to evaluate both the impact of change on an organisation and the extent to which a change programme has been successful. Learning from all the other units can contribute to an understanding of business concepts which should assist the learners’ understanding of this unit: however Unit 1: Business Enterprise (Wales), Unit 2: Business Administration and Events (Wales), Unit 5: Marketing and Sales in Business (Wales) and Unit 10: Business Employment and Career Planning (Wales) provide particular opportunities for curriculum links. Learning from other curriculum areas such as science, technology or history may also provide valuable stimulus material in the form of examples of predicted change or of human reactions to change. Throughout the unit the term ‘business’ should be interpreted in its broadest sense to encompass large and small organisations from public, private and voluntary sectors. It is essential to give learners opportunities to apply the learning to real-world business organisations so that they can engage with the fairly abstract content of the unit, view the issues from a range of perspectives, particularly those of employees and managers/owners of businesses and to practise making links between cause and effect. Ideally the programme could be based on the study of a range of different national and global organisations that have gone through recent change programmes. Sometimes these changes can be controversial and attract media coverage which may provide useful and engaging material for discussing the principles from the unit. As this unit is to be assessed through written examination then learners should be given opportunities to practise applying the concepts from the unit to short case studies and in providing written answers to questions. Delivery guidance for LO.1 The internal and external factors driving change are often interrelated so the delivery of these first two parts of the content could well be done jointly. Learners could consider the impact of internal factors through studying case studies for a business such as Microsoft, or perhaps through a suitable biography of a business personality. For the external factors three or four predominant current topics from each of the headings; political, economic, social/cultural, technological, legal and environmental should be studied together with their impact on selected organisations rather than attempting to cover the whole of the business environment. Learners need to identify the impact of the changes in the external environment on a range of organisations including national and global businesses. They could start by considering the changes in connection with their own school and comparing this with the strategic plans and they may be able to question someone from the governing body on what factors were important in drawing up the plan. Learners should go on to consider how changes in the external environment impact upon a range of national and global organisations. This could be done through links with real organisations or through the use of carefully selected case studies. Games where learners play the role of business decision makers would also provide good opportunities for the learners to engage with this outcome and to ‘walk in the shoes of business leaders’.


Delivery guidance for LO.2 In order to understand ‘resistance to change’ learners could consider their own initial responses to a change in their own lives such as moving schools or starting college. They could consider whether they felt ‘resistance to change’ and why and they could identify whether any of the six ways of overcoming resistance change were used to help them to ‘buy in’ to the change. They will need to go on to consider Kotter and Schlesinger’s theory on resistance to change from the standpoint of a manager or owner of a business through the use of carefully selected case studies or links with real business organisations. Learners need to know that Gleicher and Beckhardt’s Formula for Change is used to assess the likelihood that change will be successful and also how the four components in the formula relate to each other. The Kubler-Ross Change Curve is used to understand the process of coming to terms with loss but it is often related to the business context. Sometimes it is said that if change is not handled well an organisation’s productivity will follow the same path downwards as shown in the model for personal loss. Learners could be introduced to the principles of using a Forcefield Analysis through considering a change they could introduce into their own lives such as ‘taking more exercise’ or similar and then identifying the driving forces and the restraining forces before going on to use it within business scenarios including some from national and global organisations. However, centres should not limit this to just personal applications – it is important that learners understand how it can apply to real business contexts. An active approach should be encouraged, possibly through using the knowledge of the theories to draw up plans for introducing changes into an organisation. It would also be useful for the learners to consider change from the point of view of an employee in a more practical way, perhaps through interviewing someone who has successfully faced some changes in their career. Having considered the drivers of change, the theoretical models listed in the content and how to manage responses to change, learners need to learn how to undertake the whole evaluation process, which includes looking at methods of evaluation, analysing and making comments on data and drawing conclusions as to the success or otherwise of specific change programmes from the evidence base provided. In order to practise doing this, there may be an opportunity for learners to carry out an investigation to evaluate a change carried out in the school or college; however, there is also likely to be a need for case studies providing suitable data and the opportunity for learners to practise evaluating the impact of change individually.


Unit summary


LO.1 understand the causes and the impact of change in business

1.1 Identify internal and external causes of change

1.2 Explain how internal and external factors drive changes across an organisation

LO.2 understand the impact of change on employees

2.1 Identify different responses to change 2.2 Discuss theories of change 2.3 Explain ways people can manage

reactions to change 2.4 Explain how impact and success of

change can be measured


Assessment information for learners How you will be assessed This unit will be assessed by an examination lasting one hour. This will consist of a variety of questions based on one or more organisations. The mark you achieve for this examination will be your mark for the unit. Learning outcomes — assessment weighting

Learning outcome Range of weighting (% age) LO.1 understand the causes and the

impact of change in business 40–50%

LO.2 understand the impact of change on employees

50–60%
















Suggested context

Reference


C3.1


C3.1.1


C3.1.2



discussions with at least two other people about reasons for, and methods of overcoming resistance to change


Lewin’s concepts of ‘freezing, unfreezing and re-freezing’ or Gleicher’s Formula for Change or the Kubler-Ross Change Curve.

C3.1.3

Reading

C3.2


Reading at least two documents about Kotter and Schlesingler’s Six Change approaches, in preparation for a discussion.

C3.2.1

Writing

C3.3


Writing a business article about the causes and impact of change in business for the purpose of informing a business magazine readership.

C3.3.1




Suggested context

Reference

Using ICT systems

ICT3.1


ICT3.1.1


ICT3.1.2


Using ICT to produce a case study on the impact of change on employees.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.2


ICT3.2.1


ICT3.1.2


Finding, selecting and exchanging ICT-based information relevant to produce a case study on the impact of change on employees.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.3


ICT3.3.1


Developing and presenting ICT-based information for the purpose of the task, in the form of text, tables, images and numbers for an audience of directors of the selected business in which the case study is based.

ICT3.3.2




Suggested context

Reference


N3.1


N3.1.1


N3.1.2



N3.1.3


N3.2


N3.2.1



N3.2.2


N3.3


N3.3.1



N3.3.2





Suggested context

Reference


WO3.1


WO3.1.1


WO3.1.2



WO3.1.3


WO3.2


WO3.2.1


WO3.2.2



WO3.2.3


WO3.3


WO3.3.1


WO3.3.2



WO3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


LP3.1


LP3.1.1


LP3.1.2


Set SMART targets for learning about theories of change to inform a case study, and plan how these learning targets will be met. Plan progress reviews and document sources of support and identify timelines.

LP3.1.3


LP3.2


LP3.2.1


LP3.2.2



LP3.2.3


LP3.3


LP3.3.1


LP3.3.2



LP3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


PS3.1


PS3.1.1


PS3.1.2


Tackling the problem of selecting an organisation and producing a case study concerning the causes and impact of change. Identify the elements of the problem and explore different methods for producing the business plan. Justify the selected method(s) or option(s) and plan the chosen option(s) and get the go-ahead.

PS3.1.3


PS3.2


PS3.2.1


PS3.2.2



PS3.2.3


PS3.3


PS3.3.1


PS3.3.2



PS3.3.3


Work experience Work experience is not a requirement for this unit. However, learners could make use of any opportunities afforded by work experience to investigate recent or planned changes on the organisation in which they are working. Specialist resources None. Reference material Books Ashwin A, Merrills S, Thompson R and Machin D – A2 Business Studies, chapters 21-31 (HarperCollins, 2009) ISBN 0007270380 Burnes B – Managing Change, 4th Edition (Prentice Hall, 2004) ISBN 0273683365 Centre for Creative leadership, Gurvis J and Carlarco A — Adaptability: Responding effectively to change (Jossey Bass, 2007) ISBN 1882197925 Collins J and Collins J – Good to Great: Why some companies make the leap… and others don’t (HarperCollins, 2001) ISBN 0066620996 McFarland R K – The breakthrough company: How everyday companies become extraordinary performers (Crown Business, 2008) ISBN 0307352188 Websites www.bized.co.uk Resources for teaching of business studies www.times100.co.uk Resources for teaching of business studies

LEVEL 3 UNIT 9: CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (WALES) PAGE 223

Unit 9: Corporate Social Responsibility (Wales)


Level 3


Externally assessed (29 hours learning time and 1 hour for assessment)

About this unit

There are growing concerns about the impact of business activity on people and the environment. The growth of the information age and freedom of information legislation means that all stakeholders have access to information to a far greater degree than ever before. For many organisations, their operations are coming under far greater scrutiny and they increasingly recognise that they have a responsibility to operate with differing and often conflicting stakeholder interests in mind. The growing concern about the environment and about corporate behaviour has meant that many organisations see benefits for themselves and to their stakeholder groups of exercising corporate responsibility. Such benefits might bring with it some element of competitive advantage. Corporate social responsibility is about how organisations integrate social and environmental concerns into their operations. Their investment in the communities can bring benefits to the organisation, the community and the planet. This unit will help you to assess the extent to which organisations conduct themselves responsibly. It will also provide you with an introduction to many global issues such as sustainability, climate change and the treatment of people in other parts of the world.

Learning outcomes On completing this unit, a learner should: LO.1 Know the corporate social responsibility issues facing organisations LO.2 Understand the importance for organisations of acting responsibly LO.3 Understand responsible business practices from the perspective of different interest

groups.


What you need to learn LO.1 Know the

corporate social responsibility issues facing organisations

There are a number of key issues in corporate social responsibility. The way that organisations engage with these issues can have positive or negative impacts at home and abroad: • environmental issues: waste; sustainability of resources;

pollution; climate change; carbon footprint; congestion • financial and political issues: financial dealings with

companies and governments (bribery, corruption, fraud); payment of taxes and ability of governments to collect revenue to invest; effect on political rights, e.g. democracy and freedom of speech

• economic issues: local investment; technology transfer; job creation and job losses; development of skills; fair and unfair competition

• issues for employees in supply chain: standard of living; health and working conditions

• issues for consumers and communities: safety of products and effect on consumer health; advertising aimed at children and vulnerable people; social inclusion of disadvantaged groups.

LO.2 Understand the importance for organisations of acting responsibly

Corporate social responsibility has become more important in recent years. You need to learn about: • increasing expectations from public: willingness to hold

organisations responsible for their actions; keeping up with the competition

• growing awareness of consumer power: ethical consumerism, e.g. fair trade; ethical investment; effects of positive and negative publicity

• the importance of recognition from external bodies, e.g. Investors in People, Business in the Community, Fair Trade Foundation, Marine Stewardship Council, FTSE4Good Index

• other benefits for organisations: customer loyalty; branding; ability to charge premium prices; staff recruitment, motivation and retention; benefiting from talents of diverse workforce.


LO.3 Understand responsible business practices from the perspective of different interest groups

You need to learn about different types of responsible business practices: • employees: promoting diversity, inclusion and equal

opportunities through training, monitoring and recruitment; health and financial wellbeing; employee training and development;

• customers: treating customers with respect; being honest and open as to price and consumer rights; promoting health and responsible consumer behaviour

• suppliers: treating suppliers fairly; choice of supplier reflecting responsible business practice, e.g. fair working conditions, environmental concern, ethical trading

• the local community and the general public: helping the local economy through choice of local suppliers; supporting local projects through sponsorship and grants; encouraging employee engagement with socially responsible activities, e.g. volunteering and mentoring; encouraging education and training; creating employment opportunities for socially disadvantaged groups

• environmental concerns: waste management; recycling; using sustainable resources; reduction of carbon footprint; avoiding unnecessary power consumption.

You need to know how different stakeholder interests can be in conflict and the trade offs that may be required: • meeting employee expectations (e.g. pay and benefits)

whilst ensuring costs are sustainable • maximising shareholder return but meeting consumer

interests and dealing ethically with suppliers • minimising the impact on the environment against its legal

obligations for health and safety to consumers and employees

• investing in the local economy whilst meeting the needs of shareholders and the environment.


Teaching this unit Delivery guidance for LO.1 This learning outcome focuses learners on the ethical issues. This links to LO.3 which deals with the ways in which organisations show how they deal with the various issues. Learners need to be made aware of the impact that organisations can have not only at home but also internationally: this is most obviously the case with the effects on the supply chain, but may also be relevant to economic issues and impacts on consumers, as there is sometimes a disparity between the concern that organisations show consumers in different places. These issues can often be quite complex, with both positive and negative effects, and learners should be encouraged to begin developing an appreciation that such issues are not always black and white; this is covered more explicitly in LO.3 Many large organisations have websites dedicated to their corporate social responsibility which give information about how they have taken action to deal with these types of problems, although these may be less useful when it comes to issues that organisations are unwilling to acknowledge or respond to. Naturally, these issues will be relevant in different ways depending on the type, size and nature of the organisation. Case studies could be used to highlight ways in which the issues differ and visits to, or speakers from, local employers would be useful. Delivery guidance for LO.2 This learning outcome focuses on why the issues are important from an organisational point of view, the pressures that are being placed on organisations, and on how organisations can benefit from being seen to engage these issues. Some historical background might be useful for learners (although the historical development will not be assessed): the development of an industrial society in the United Kingdom can be seen as a time line from the industrial revolution. The increasing interest in responsible business practices can be traced, for example, in the development of factory legislation and the changed mindset in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and subsequent legislation. This is mirrored by the increasing expectations from the public, the increase in litigation and willingness to hold businesses responsible for their actions. Responsible business practices bring a number of benefits to the organisation; this can be seen by finding examples of positive publicity. Investigation of the profit making effect can be seen by comparing the success of organic and free range chicken and egg farmers compared to their battery farming counterparts. This can be compared with the publicity about the price that the big supermarkets pay for milk and the pressure that has been put on them to increase the price paid to dairy farmers. The growth of Fair Trade products and the willingness of consumers to pay a higher price for such products would also be relevant. External recognition for responsible business practices exists not only for products, but also for organisations themselves, as is the case for Business in the Community and Investors in People (IIP); the last is a useful reminder that ‘responsible practices’ includes investing in staff as well as the more obvious relationships between an organisation and the wider world. Centres should cover the examples listed, and may introduce others, but learners will not be tested on the details of how they operate – what is important is for learners to know the different aspects of CSR that can be covered by them and why organisations value such recognition. But it is important to go beyond the impact on sales and profits; organisations are increasingly aware of the benefits in terms of recruiting and retaining talent, and the ability to tap into employees’ aspirations to work for organisations that are doing something worthwhile.


Delivery guidance for LO.3 This outcome follows on from LO.2 in that it deals with the actions organisations can take to show that they are acting responsibly, and at the same time the effects that these actions have. The benefits can be considered from the perspective of different interest groups: employees, customers, local community and the general public. ‘Environmental concerns’ are not an interest group as such, but are considered separately as they could affect any of the different interest groups. Learners need to know what interests these stakeholder groups have in an organisation so that they can understand how conflicts can arise. This allows students to be able to understand why it is important to reach a balance and why, sometimes, conflicts can be difficult to avoid. Learners need to be aware that individual situations will vary, depending on the type of organisation, the nature of its business and the scale on which it operates: this will also affect whether the actions take place on a local, national or international level. As part of their learning, an organisation could be researched by a visit to or a visiting speaker from the organisation – this in itself is an example of the organisation exercising corporate social responsibility. It might be that a learner’s part-time work employer will be able to be of assistance.


Unit summary


LO.1 Know the corporate social responsibility issues facing organisations

1.1 Identify issues relevant to corporate social responsibility

1.2 Assess positive and negative impacts of businesses


2.1 Discuss the benefits for businesses of demonstrating corporate social responsibility


3.1 Identify responsible business practices 3.2 Assess the benefits to communities

and other interest groups of responsible business practices

3.3 Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of different ways of strengthening corporate social responsibility


Assessment information for learners How you will be assessed This unit will be assessed by an examination lasting one hour. This will consist of a variety of questions based on one or more organisations. The mark you achieve for this examination will be your mark for the unit. Learning outcomes — assessment weighting

Learning outcome Range of weighting (% age) LO.1 Know the corporate social

responsibility issues facing organisations

40–50%


10–20%


30–40%









The problem should arise naturally in the context of the candidate’s work for the Principal Learning unit. For portfolio evidence at this level, the candidate must carry out at least one activity that shows their skills in the process as a whole, ie covering all three components of the unit. ICT As with Application of Number, the ESW standards emphasise the importance of using ICT in context and for a purpose. The ‘Amplification of evidence requirements’ specifically states that ‘You must demonstrate your ICT skills in the context of these activities; demonstrating your skills in isolation cannot be used as evidence’. Also similarly to Application of Number, the learner, while developing their ICT skills, is likely to focus on parts of the process and on specific skills, but they should always have the ‘big picture’ in mind and build towards seeing the process as a whole. For the portfolio, the ‘Amplification’ states that: ‘You must carry out at least two activities that, overall: • show that you can plan and carry through a number of different activities, one of which







Suggested context

Reference


C3.1


C3.1.1


C3.1.2



with at least two other people about what is meant by corporate responsibility.


responsible business practices which organisations can engage in.

C3.1.3

Reading

C3.2


Reading at least two documents about the benefits for organisations in acting responsibly, in preparation for writing a short document.

C3.2.1

Writing

C3.3


Writing a persuasive document about the benefits for organizations of acting responsibly for the purpose of persuading an audience of business owners.

C3.3.1




Suggested context

Reference

Using ICT systems

ICT3.1


ICT3.1.1


ICT3.1.2


Using ICT to produce an information booklet on different types of responsible business practices that businesses can engage in.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.2


ICT3.2.1


ICT3.1.2


Finding, selecting and exchanging ICT-based information relevant to producing an information booklet on different types of responsible business practices that businesses can engage in.

ICT3.1.3


ICT3.3


ICT3.3.1


Developing and presenting ICT-based information for the purpose of the task, in the form of text and images for an audience of local small businesses.

ICT3.3.2




Suggested context

Reference


N3.1


N3.1.1


N3.1.2



N3.1.3


N3.2


N3.2.1



N3.2.2


N3.3


N3.3.1



N3.3.2





Suggested context

Reference


WO3.1


WO3.1.1


WO3.1.2



WO3.1.3


WO3.2


WO3.2.1


WO3.2.2



WO3.2.3


WO3.3


WO3.3.1


WO3.3.2



WO3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


LP3.1


LP3.1.1


LP3.1.2


Set SMART targets for learning about different responsible business practices and plan how these learning targets will be met. Plan progress reviews and document sources of support and identify timelines.

LP3.1.3


LP3.2


LP3.2.1


LP3.2.2



LP3.2.3


LP3.3


LP3.3.1


LP3.3.2


Review progress with the tutor; evaluate finished work at close and reflect on the learning process in order to establish how learning and performance could be improved in future. Identify how learning can be transferred to different situations.

LP3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


PS3.1


PS3.1.1


PS3.1.2


Tackling the problem of attempting to influence local businesses to become more responsible. Identify the elements of the problem and explore different methods for producing the tackling the problem. Justify the selected method(s) or option(s) and plan the chosen option(s) and get the go-ahead.

PS3.1.3


PS3.2


PS3.2.1


PS3.2.2



PS3.2.3


PS3.3


PS3.3.1


PS3.3.2



PS3.3.3


Work experience Learners may be able to take the opportunities offered by work experience to develop their understanding of what the organisation that they are working for is doing to implement best practice in terms of corporate social responsibility Specialist resources None. Reference material Book Kotler P and Lee N – Corporate Social Responsibility: Doing the Most Good for Your Company and Your Cause (John Wiley and Sons, 2005) ISBN 0471476110 Websites Many organisations publish reports on their websites showing how they are engaging with issues relating to corporate responsibility. One example is given below. www.bitc.org.uk A scheme promoting community involvement,

with over 800 UK member companies www.bsieducation.org Information on British Standards www.csr.gov.uk Government information on corporate social

responsibility www.ethicalcorp.com/ Website about business ethics www.fairtrade.org.uk/ A foundation dedicated to fair trade www.mallenbaker.net/csr Website with corporate social responsibility

news production.investis.com/about/csr/ Example of a downloadable company CSR

report www.sustainability.com Organisation that advises on sustainability www.defra.gov.uk/sustainable/government UK government advice on sustainability


Unit 10: Careers and Employment in Business (Wales)


Level 3


Internally assessed

About this unit

You are likely to spend much of your adult life in the workplace, so it is important to find a career that suits you. To do this, you will need to think about what you want from a job and plan how to get there. This unit will give you the opportunity to do this through researching different careers and producing a career plan. Most people find a job by using a CV or application form. In this unit you will practise doing this, and also take this to the next stage by preparing for and taking part in an interview from both sides: as an interviewer and interviewee. This will give you a good idea of what employers are looking for. You need to understand what skills and attributes are required for you to succeed in the workplace. You will use this to help you set goals for your workplace experience, which will enable you to get the most of your time in the workplace and which should help you make progress towards your chosen career. Employment legislation and contractual rights and responsibilities affect the ways that organisations operate: failure to comply can lead to legal action and financial penalties, and so they design procedures to ensure that they do. You will learn about the impact of these rights and responsibilities, and also about the performance management tools that are commonly used to measure employee performance.

Learning outcomes On completing this unit, a learner should: LO.1 Know about sources of careers information and recruitment methods LO.2 Be able to plan and set goals for their career LO.3 Be able to prepare for and take part in job interviews as interviewee and interviewer LO.4 Understand the impact of employment legislation, procedures and processes.


What you need to learn LO.1 Know about

sources of careers information and recruitment methods

The employment market is competitive. To maximise your chances, you need to know the sources of information on jobs and careers: • school or college careers advisers • company websites and career packs • agencies and job centres • newspapers: articles, job advertisements • specialist journals • careers guidance software • college prospectuses, open days, careers fairs. You also need to know about different ways in which organisations recruit people: • online recruitment via company websites • newspaper advertising • agencies and headhunting • careers fairs • after work experience, internships and temporary work • graduate trainee programmes.

LO.2 Be able to plan and set goals for their career

You need to learn about the steps involved in preparing a career plan to make best use of workplace experience: • a self analysis of your current situation and future

requirements, e.g. what you like/dislike doing, what you need and want from a job

• research to find a possible career that fits with step 1: o specific job-related information o what is required to achieve your chosen career, e.g.

knowledge, attributes, training, education, experience • planning activities for the short-to-medium term which take

into account where you are now and where you want to be • setting SMART goals and success criteria for workplace

experience: o which skills and attributes are relevant for the job you will

be doing o where you are now: your strengths and weaknesses o what to concentrate on: skills/attributes you want to

improve or show you can do o how to set SMART goals that can help you to do this and

success criteria • reviewing goals: assessing if you have achieved your goals;

deciding what else you have learned and how to build on this to help you in the future.


LO.3 Be able to prepare for and take part in job interviews as interviewee and interviewer

You need to learn about the preparation and process involved in applying for a job: • using a job description and person specification to prepare

an up-to-date CV and covering letter or application form • following interview protocols, e.g. dress code, punctuality • researching the organisation • preparing questions to ask at interview and preparing for

questions you may be asked. You need to learn about the preparation interviewers go through before interviewing someone for a job: • reading CV/letter/application form in relation to job

description and person specification • knowing or preparing what questions to ask • being ready to record answers. You will also need to learn about techniques and skills needed at interview: • interview techniques used by interviewees, e.g. selling

yourself, showing enthusiasm, turning negatives into positives, demonstrating knowledge of job/company

• interview techniques used by interviewers, e.g. putting interviewee at ease, use of open-ended questions, questions for identifying core competencies; keeping records of answers

• oral communication skills: asking and responding to questions, listening, voice clarity, tone and pace

• non-verbal communication skills, e.g. body language, posture, eye contact, facial expressions.

LO.4 Understand the impact of employment legislation, procedures and processes

You will need to learn about the main areas of employment legislation: • contractual versus statutory rights • health, safety and welfare legislation • employment protection rights • pay, holiday and working hours • maternity and paternity rights • anti-discrimination legislation. You need to learn about the implications of legislation: • employment procedures, e.g. recruitment, grievances,

termination • what can happen if legislation is not complied with by

employers or employees. You also need to learn about how performance management is used in the workplace: • different types of monitoring and appraisals, e.g. formal,

peer, 360 degree • learning and development activities • performance-related pay and bonuses • goal setting across an organisation.


Teaching this unit Delivery guidance This unit is 30 guided learning hours (GLH) in length. Centres should allocate this amount of time within the timetable for its delivery and assessment. The time spent on workplace experience, which learners will need to take part in order to complete the assessment (but not the learning) for LO.4 and the review of goals in LO.2, is not considered to be part of the guided learning hours for this unit. Unless otherwise stated, all of the content included in the What you need to learn section needs to be taught. Sometimes an ‘e.g.’ or ‘for example’ is included in order to show content that is indicative: in these cases not all of the examples will need to be covered (for example, because some may not always apply in a particular situation), and tutors can introduce other examples of their own that are relevant to particular situations and to the needs of their learners. Delivery guidance for LO.1 and LO.2 Delivery covering the different sources of information that can be used to access careers information and recruitment methods (LO.1) can be integrated with career planning (LO.2), since they go hand in hand. A useful starting point is to ask learners to carry out a self-assessment. This could include their current, qualifications and skills. CASCAID’s Kudos software is also a good starting point and can be used in parallel with the self assessment. These activities would help to generate ideas on occupational and career preferences and can be useful in helping learners to focus on realistic options before it comes to assessment. Learners will need to spend time becoming familiar with the information available on company websites and electronic or published career information. Most company websites will have a recruitment section and these can be a good starting point for gathering information on career opportunities and recruitment methods. Visits to organisations or visiting speakers (such as from employers, agencies or ex-learners from the centre) can also be a rich source of information on career opportunities for learners. Organisations that focus on graduate entry could be able to help: even though learners would not be able to apply in the immediate future, visits to or from such organisations could help focus learners on the longer term. In preparation for goal setting, it would be useful to review as a class the sorts of skills and attributes that are valued in the workplace, and encourage learners to think about what will help them in their career plan from LO.1 It would also be extremely valuable to involve a local employer or workplace provider to talk to them about what they expect from their employees; if more than one can be involved in this process, there may be interesting opportunities to compare and contrast. At this level, learners need to learn about SMART goal setting and success criteria. Learners can practise by setting goals related to other learning experiences in the school or college or personal goals for the future. In order to review the extent to which they have achieved their goals, learners will need to record their experiences in some way, for example using a diary, for which they will need to be prepared (although the diary itself will not be assessed). It is useful preparation if learners can practise this skill by completing a diary of their learning experiences in school or college so that learners understand which sorts of information is useful to record. After their workplace experience has finished, learners should be given time to reflect on their experience in the workplace and to evaluate the progress they have made towards their goals. Talking through their progress in groups can be a useful way of helping to give learners a clear focus on the experiences they have gained in the workplace.


Delivery guidance for LO.3 Learners will need guidance on the format and content of job application documents, above all the importance of showing how they have the skills, attributes and experience necessary for a job as outlined in a job and person specification. They should have some practice at completing an application form: real examples could be obtained from local or national employers. As well as using hard copies, it would also be useful to practise using online application forms that are readily available. It would be useful to look at different styles of CVs, as the choice of format can be a matter of personal preference or can vary according to the sector. It would also help to prepare examples of CVs and covering letters that are written in reply to a specific job description and person specification, and encourage the learners to analyse the strengths and weaknesses of these. Local businesses may also be able to help by providing examples of real applications made for particular jobs (with personal identifying information removed. An example or a template of a basic CV and covering letter could be used to provide guidance on what they should include in their own. As a starting point for interview preparation, learners could work in small groups to come up with basic questions they think they could ask at an interview. It is important to note that the unit content differentiates between interview techniques and communication skills; this distinction will also be seen when it comes to assessment (in assessment criteria and marking grids). As a confidence builder, learners should have the opportunity to practise basic interview techniques prior to the assessed interview; recording learners’ practice interviews for them to watch afterwards could help. Learners are likely to require guidance and regular feedback on their progress in order to develop their interview techniques and communication skills. Before the learners are assessed, it will be beneficial for them to practise interviewing in pairs for different types of jobs. After they do this, they should give each other feedback and try to identify ways that they can improve next time. Again, local employers or human resources could be invited to give advice on both applications and interviews. The delivery of this can be linked to Unit 7: Teams and Communication in Business (Wales) which deals with written business communication. Delivery guidance for LO.4 Learners will need to have a broad understanding of the implications of key areas of legislation covering contractual rights and responsibilities and of methods of performance management. Newspaper articles and topical television reports can be a fruitful way of bringing this potentially dry area to life. Learners could be encouraged to research and find recent and current examples of disputes or developments in key areas of employment legislation. Many learners, particularly those with part-time jobs will have some experience of methods of performance management, an appraisal for example. Learners need to know that there are different types of monitoring and appraisals – the centre can probably provide examples from its own staffing systems. They also need to understand the way in which goal setting is used, being linked across an organisation, with top level goals or objectives then feeding through into departmental or team objectives and then down to individual level. This might be most easily illustrated with goals that lend themselves easily to measurement, for example sales or customer service targets.


Unit summary


LO.1 Know about sources of careers information and recruitment methods

1.1 Access careers and recruitment information

LO.2 Be able to plan and set goals for their career

2.1 Identify steps required to achieve their chosen career

2.2 Set goals and success criteria 2.3 Review progress towards goals, acting

on the outcomes

LO.3 Be able to prepare for and take part in job interviews as interviewee and interviewer

3.1 Produce job application documents 3.2 Prepare for an interview by preparing

questions to ask and answer 3.3 Demonstrate interview techniques as

an interviewee and interviewer 3.4 Communicate as an interviewer and

interviewee

LO.4 Understand the impact of employment legislation, procedures and processes

4.1 Assess the impact of employment legislation on employers and employees

4.2 Analyse strengths and weaknesses of performance management methods


Assessment information for learners How you will be assessed This unit will be assessed by an assignment connected to careers and your future employment. You will need to: • Use careers information to produce a career plan, which includes: information you have

researched on a chosen career and recruitment methods typically used; a short-to-medium-term plan to help you achieve your career plan; and goals and success criteria for your workplace experience [LO.1, LO.2(.1, .2)]

• Create job application documents, and then prepare for, and take part in, a job interview

as an interviewer and interviewee [LO.3] • Use your workplace experience to:

o assess the positive and negative effects of one area of employment legislation on the organisation in which you are working and its employees; and analyse the strengths and weaknesses of the performance management methods that the organisation uses [LO.4]

o review what you have learned on your workplace experience, whether you have

achieved the goals you set in your career plan, and what you could do next to build on this [LO.2(.3)].


Assessment information for assessors Instructions and controls for setting assessment assignments This unit must be covered by a single assignment, which is described in the How you will be assessed section, and exemplified within the unit sample assessment material (SAM). The assignment for part of this unit is connected to workplace experience. This could be in the form of a placement or it could be a part-time job that the learner is starting or is already doing, but centres will not be able to complete the assessment for this unit without it. The job applied for in the assessment of LO.3 must not be one that they have practised preparing as part of the learning for this unit. Sector-relevant purpose The assignment (and by extension the job in which learners are doing their workplace experience) must be relevant to the Principal Learning in Business, Administration and Finance. Evidence structure

Learning outcome


LO.1, LO.2(.1, .2)

A Career plan Written evidence: chosen career and recruitment methods; plan; goals and success criteria for workplace experience

LO.3(.1) A Job application documents Written evidence: CV and covering letter or application form

LO.3(.2) A Interview preparation (interviewer and interviewee)

Written evidence: questions they think they may be asked and questions they could ask

LO.3(.3, .4) B Interviews (interviewer and interviewee)

Learner observation record: interview and communication skills

LO.3(.3, .4) A Written evidence: notes of interview taken as interviewer

LO.4 A Workplace experience* Written evidence: employment legislation; performance management

LO.2(.3) A Written evidence: review of workplace experience and goals

* This part of the assignment is based on learners’ experience at work, but assessment takes place afterwards.


Level of demand The extent of the career plan required in LO.2 is exemplified in the unit sample assessment material (SAM). The job applied for in LO.3 should be appropriate for a Level 3 learner: this should be a job that typically requires as a minimum relevant Level 3 qualifications and which offers career advancement opportunities: the job should be one in which learners would be expected to take responsibility for solving problems and for initiating and completing tasks, some of which may be complex; they would need to be able to work with some autonomy and to exercise judgement, within limited parameters; the jobs would have the potential to involve learners in supervising others (for example temporary staff) in the completion of routine tasks. Examples of appropriate jobs include: marketing officer, accounts officer, human resources officer. Assessment duration The suggested guided learning hours (GLH) required to complete this assignment is 10 hours per learner. Centres can structure this time as they see fit, but it is recommended that the job interview in which they are acting as interviewee lasts no longer than 20-25 minutes. The suggested GLH for assessment does not include time spent in the workplace. Centres should note that the total class assessment time is likely to be higher to allow time for separate observations of interviews in LO.3. Instructions and controls for taking assessment assignments The learners must be provided with full access to study all of the areas identified in the What you need to learn section of the specification. Controls relating to resources and supervision are contained within Annexe C. Group work is permitted when the learner is taking part in an interview as an interviewer: learners may work together at the preparation stage, but each must keep a record of their own preparation; and at interview, each learner must take responsibility for asking questions. Although information for the assessment for LO.4 will be collected without supervision, the tasks must be written up under supervised conditions. Summary of unit controls


See Annexe C for further information. Guidance for assessment It is recommended that assessment takes place in stages after the relevant learning has taken place rather than all at the end of the unit. See below for further guidance. Learners will benefit most from this unit if the assessment for LO.1, LO.2 and LO.3 takes place shortly before their workplace experience starts (unless this assignment is based around a job that learners are already doing). This will help prepare them for the workplace and should maximise the chances that it will be a mutually beneficial experience both for the learner and the employer.


For their career plan in the first part of the assignment, learners should focus on one career: this could be quite broad, e.g. ‘accountancy’ or ‘human resources’, or it could be more narrowly focussed on a specific job and/or organisation. Their plan should follow the four steps listed in the What you need to learn section, and should include further study or qualifications where appropriate. Learners do not need to use all of the sources and types of information listed in the What you need to learn for LO.1, nor to mention all types of recruitment methods, only what is relevant. The plan that they set for themselves should be short-to-medium term: if they plan to go into further study, then this may cover the next five or six years, which would probably cover their education and the first couple of years in a job; if, on the other hand, they plan to go straight into work, then this might be a shorter period, taking them through to the first few years in their chosen occupation. The goals and success criteria that learners set for their workplace experience may relate not only to what they want to improve, but also to what learner wants to prove they can do. For example, it may be that a learner thinks that they are good at time keeping, but they would have difficulty in coming up with evidence for this; they can therefore use their goal setting and workplace experience to gather evidence of their existing attributes/abilities which will be useful to them in future. Learners should try to ensure that their goals are SMART. There are different approaches possible for the job application and interview for the second part of the assignment. The most coherent approach would be either to use a job that they have found out about in the first part of the assignment or the job that the learners are going to do as work experience in LO.4 and for the goals part of LO.2 or for centres to assess LO.3 last, after the workplace experience has been completed: this would allow learners to make use of what they have learned and been able to demonstrate during the workplace experience when making their application, and could be contextualised as being an interview to recruit recent work-experience participants into a permanent position within the organisation. Alternatively, the job could be one that learners find for themselves, for example a job from a local newspaper or it could come from a brief specially designed by the tutor. Whatever approach is taken, tutors will need to ensure that learners have a job description and person specification to work from. If the application is made using a CV and covering letter, learners can make use of previous versions that they have created for practice purposes, but they should customise them for the specific requirements of the job applied for. The interview can be done as a role play, and a learner observation record must be completed which covers the learner’s performance in both roles. Other members of staff, local employers or a work-experience provider could take part in the interviews in the role of interviewer. When it comes to acting as an interviewer, learners could perform in pairs (interviewing each other) but as each learner must be observed, it is likely to be more convenient and less time-consuming for centres if learners work in groups as part of an interview panel. It would be more realistic if the interviewee in this case was someone not known to them, for example a learner from another class.


The workplace experience, which forms the context for the assessment of the last part of the assignment, could be in the form of a placement or it could be a part-time job done over a longer period. The workplace experience must relate to some part of the Business, Administration and Finance Principal Learning and therefore allow learners to apply some of the knowledge and skills that they have developed or (if the workplace experience takes place early in the course) get a taster of the knowledge and skills that they will focus on later. Learners doing full-time work experience should complete this before they review their experiences. Ideally, this will also be the case for learners doing part-time work experience, but if this proves impractical, they may be able to complete this after at least half of the work experience is finished. During the workplace experience, they will need to record their experiences in some way, for example using a diary (although the diary itself will not be assessed) so that afterwards they have the necessary information to allow them to write up their experiences. Learners can find out about the impact of employment legislation on rights, responsibilities by talking to existing members of staff or a mentor. They need to cover only one of the main areas of legislation covered. Learners could also interview members of staff about the performance management methods used, asking them about the benefits and disadvantages.


Marking grid A


available The learner produces a career plan which includes some information accessed on a chosen career, demonstrating through their planned activities limited awareness of what they will need to do in order to achieve their chosen career. The learner sets goals for their workplace experience that are SMART to a limited degree, and also success criteria. The goals have limited relevance to their chosen career.

The learner produces a career plan which includes full information accessed on a chosen career, demonstrating through their planned activities reasonable awareness what they will need to do in order to achieve their chosen career. The learner sets goals for their workplace experience that mostly conform to SMART principles and also success criteria. The goals relate in some ways to their chosen career.

The learner produces a career plan which includes full and accurate information accessed on a chosen career, demonstrating through their planned activities good awareness of what they will need to do in order to achieve their chosen career. The learner sets goals that fully conform to SMART principles and success criteria for their workplace experience. The goals relate well to their chosen career.

LO.1 Know about sources of careers information and recruitment methods LO.2(.1, .2) Be able to plan and set goals for their career

(0–4) (5–7) (8–9)

LO.2(.3) Be able to plan and set goals for their career

They review their progress by to assessing briefly how far they have achieved their goals. There are limited ideas for how to build on this experience.

They review progress by assessing how far they have achieved their goals, providing some supporting evidence. There are ideas for how to build on this experience.

They review progress by assessing how far they have achieved their goals, providing convincing supporting evidence. There are well thought out ideas for how to build on this experience.

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6) 15


Assessment focus


The learner completes the required documentation, addressing some of the requirements of the job applied for. Appropriate style/register is used in some places. There may be some errors or inconsistencies which detract from the overall impression.

The learner completes the required documentation, which is reasonably accurate and addresses many of the requirements of the job applied for. Appropriate style/register is generally used. There may be some errors or inconsistencies but these are minor.

The learner completes the required documentation, which is accurate, well presented and fully addresses the requirements of the job applied for. Appropriate style/register is used. Any errors will be minor and few in number.

LO.3(.1) Be able to prepare for and take part in interviews as interviewee and interviewer

(0–4) (5–7) (8–9)

The learner makes some preparation for the interview as an interviewee and interviewer. In both roles, they identify questions to ask. As interviewee, they predict a few questions they may be asked and prepare answers to them.

The learner makes reasonable preparation for the interview as an interviewee and interviewer. In both roles, they identify relevant questions to ask. As interviewee, they predict a range of questions they may be asked and prepare answers to them.

The learner prepares well for the interview as an interviewee. In both roles, they identify relevant and perceptive questions to ask. As interviewee, they predict a wide range of likely questions they may be asked and prepare convincing answers to them.

LO.3(.2) Be able to prepare for and take part in interviews as interviewee and interviewer

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6)

LO.3(.3, .4) Be able to prepare for and take part in interviews as interviewee and interviewer

As interviewer, they make records of the interview, although these are not clear.

As interviewer, they make records of the interview, some of which can be understood with effort.

As interviewer, they make clear records of the interview.

(0–1) (2) (3) 18



available LO.4 Understand the impact of employment legislation, procedures and processes

There is some attempt to assess impact of the legislation, although this may focus mainly on only the positive or negative effects and it may consider the question from the point of view of the employer or the employee. They produce a basic analysis of the methods of performance management, although this may focus mainly on either strengths or weaknesses, and may be limited to the perspective of either employee or employer.

The learner assesses the impact of the legislation in a way that addresses both positive and negative effects, although it may consider the question mainly from the point of view of employer or employee. They produce an analysis of both strengths and weaknesses of methods of performance management, although it may focus mainly either on point of view of the employer or employee

The learner assesses the impact of the legislation in a way that addresses both positive and negative effects and is well balanced, considering these from the perspective of employer and employee. They produce a well argued analysis of both strengths and weaknesses of the methods of performance management, considering this from the point of view of both employee and employer

(0–5) (6–9) (10–12) 12

Total marks 45


Marking grid B


available The learner demonstrates a basic level of interview techniques as an interviewee. They show adequate oral communication skills, dealing well with straightforward questions and those that they had predicted, although they manage less well with open-ended and more difficult questions.

The learner demonstrates a reasonable level of interview techniques as an interviewee. They show good oral communication skills, dealing well with well with straightforward questions, and showing some ability to deal with open-ended and more difficult questions.

The learner demonstrates a good level of interview techniques as interviewee. They show very good oral communication skills, dealing well with well with both straightforward and also open-ended and more difficult questions.

Non-verbal communication skills may be adequate, but are likely not to be sustained.

Non-verbal communication skills may be good, but are likely not to be sustained at more difficult moments.

Non-verbal communication skills are good and sustained.

(0–3) (4–6) (7–9)

LO.3 (.3, .4) Be able to prepare for and take part in interviews as interviewee and interviewer

The learner demonstrates a basic level of interview techniques as interviewer.

The learner demonstrates a reasonable level of interview techniques as interviewer.

The learner demonstrates a good level of interview techniques as interviewer.

(0–2) (3–4) (5–6) 15

Total marks 15


















marking grid B.


Level 3 descriptors

Descriptor Meaning Accurate Correct, without errors.

Adequate Only just sufficient.

Analyse/analysis Examine carefully in order to explain key features, causes, etc.

Appropriate Suitable/relevant.

Assess Judge the extent or degree of something.

Attempt to Tries, but has no or only limited success.


Brief/briefly Short, lacking detail.


Convincing Believable, well argued.


A few One or two.

Few Not many.

Full/fully Complete/completely.




Mainly Mostly, but not exclusively.

Most/mostly The majority with one or two left out.

Open ended question A question which requires more than a yes/no answer.

Perceptive Showing good insight into the key requirements.

A range Between three and five.



Relevant/relevance Applicable to the subject.

Simple Basic, routine, straightforward.

A straightforward question A question that is routine or requires only a yes/no answer.

Some At least two; to a certain degree, partial.

Well argued Showing the ability to construct a convincing argument. Well balanced Giving appropriate weight to both sides.

Well presented Attractive and easy to read.

Well thought out Showing good judgement, thoughtful.

A wide range Six or more.
















Suggested context

Reference


C3.1


C3.1.1


C3.1.2



discussions with at least two other people about potential sources of careers information


employment legislation, procedures and processes.

C3.1.3

Reading

C3.2


Reading at least two documents about employment legislation, procedures and processes, in preparation for a talk/presentation.

C3.2.1

Writing

C3.3


Writing a personal statement for the purpose of applying for further study.

C3.3.1




Suggested context

Reference

Using ICT systems

ICT3.1


ICT3.1.1


ICT3.1.2



ICT3.1.3


ICT3.2


ICT3.2.1


ICT3.1.2



ICT3.1.3


ICT3.3


ICT3.3.1



ICT3.3.2




Suggested context

Reference


N3.1


N3.1.1


N3.1.2



N3.1.3


N3.2


N3.2.1



N3.2.2


N3.3


N3.3.1



N3.3.2





Suggested context

Reference


WO3.1


WO3.1.1


WO3.1.2


Working in a group or team to undertake employment related role plays. Plan working arrangements with others, identifying individual roles to undertake employment related role plays. Agree a common approach with the group to the task. WO3.1.3


WO3.2


WO3.2.1


WO3.2.2



WO3.2.3


WO3.3


WO3.3.1


WO3.3.2



WO3.3.3





Suggested context

Reference


LP3.1


LP3.1.1


LP3.1.2


Set SMART targets for learning about, and undertaking planning and goal setting for the future, and plan how these learning targets will be met. Plan progress reviews and document sources of support and identify timelines.

LP3.1.3


LP3.2


LP3.2.1


LP3.2.2



LP3.2.3


LP3.3


LP3.3.1


LP3.3.2


Review progress with the tutor; evaluate finished work at close and reflect on the learning process in order to establish how learning and performance could be improved in future. Identifying how learning can be transferred to different situations. LP3.3.3


Key Skills: Problem Solving



Suggested context

Reference


PS3.1


PS3.1.1


PS3.1.2



PS3.1.3


PS3.2


PS3.2.1


PS3.2.2



PS3.2.3


PS3.3


PS3.3.1


PS3.3.2



PS3.3.3


Work experience Work experience is integral to this unit. For further information, see Assessment information for assessors, above. Specialist resources This unit can be delivered without specialist resources. However, there are specialist resources that are useful and relevant, for example Cascaid’s Kudos software. Reference material Books Anderson A, Barker D and Critten P – Effective Self Development: A Skills and Activity-based Approach (Blackwell, 1996) ISBN 0631200150 Fry R – Your First Interview: for students and anyone preparing to enter today’s tough job market (Career Press, 2002) ISBN 1564145867 Linn L – Landing your first real job (McGraw-Hill Education, 1996) ISBN 0070380619 Messina E N – Teenwork: Four Teens Tell All: A guide for finding jobs (Goodheart-Wilcox, 2005) ISBN 159070598X Narms J – Employment Law for Business Students (Longman, 2007) ISBN 1405832762 Websites www.alec.co.uk Alec www.careeesa-z.co.uk Careers A-Z www.careers-gateway Careersoft www.connexions-direct.com Connexions www.channel4.com/brilliantcareeers Brilliant Careers www.support4learning.org.uk Support4Learning There are a number of industry-specific websites that have useful career information, for example: www.acca.co.uk Association of Chartered Certified

Accountants www.cim.co.uk Chartered Institute of Marketing www.cipd.co.uk Chartered Institute of Personnel and

Development www.lawsociety.org.uk Law Society of England and Wales


8 ACCESS AND RECRUITMENT

WJEC/Edexcel’s policy regarding access to its qualifications is that: • the qualifications should be available to everyone who is capable of reaching the

required standards • the qualifications should be free from any barriers that restrict access and

progression • there should be equal opportunities for all wishing to access the qualifications. Centres are required to recruit learners to WJEC/Edexcel qualifications with integrity. This will include ensuring that applicants have appropriate information and advice about the qualifications and that the qualification will meet their needs. Centres should take appropriate steps to assess each applicant’s potential and make a professional judgement about their ability to successfully complete the programme of study and achieve the qualification. This assessment will need to take account of the support available to the learner within the centre during their programme of study and any specific support that might be necessary to allow the learner to access the assessment for the qualification. Centres should also show regard for WJEC/Edexcel’s policy on learners with particular requirements.

Access arrangements and special considerations

WJEC/Edexcel’s policy on access arrangements and special considerations aims to enhance access to the qualifications for learners with disabilities and other difficulties (as defined by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and the amendments to the Act) without compromising the assessment of skills, knowledge, understanding or competence.


9 FURTHER INFORMATION

For further information please call Customer Services on 0844 576 0028 (calls may be recorded for training purposes) or visit our website at www.WJEC/Edexcel.com.

Useful publications

Further copies of this document and related publications can be obtained from: Edexcel Publications Adamsway Mansfield Nottinghamshire NG18 4FN Telephone: 01623 467 467 Fax: 01623 450 481 Email: [email protected] Related information and publications include: • Accreditation of Prior Learning available on our website: www.Edexcel.com • Guidance for Centres Offering Edexcel/BTEC NQF Accredited Programmes

(Edexcel, distributed to centres annually) • The Statutory Regulation of External Qualifications in England, Wales and

Northern Ireland (QCA, 2004) NB: Most of our publications are priced. There is also a charge for postage and packing. Please check the cost when you order.


10 PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING

WJEC/Edexcel supports UK and international customers with training related to our qualifications. This support is available through a choice of training options offered in our published training directory or through customised training at your centre. The support we offer focuses on a range of issues including:

• planning for the delivery of a new programme • planning for assessment and grading • developing effective assignments • building your team and teamwork skills • developing student-centred learning and teaching approaches • building key skills into your programme • building in effective and efficient quality assurance systems.

The national programme of training we offer can be viewed on our website (www.Edexcel.com/training). You can request customised training through the website or by contacting one of our WJEC/Edexcel team to discuss your training needs.

The training we provide: • is active – ideas are developed and applied • is designed to be supportive and thought provoking • builds on best practice.


11 LIST OF ANNEXES Annexe A: Qualification codes

Annexe B: Glossary of terms

Annexe C: Internal Assessment of Principal Learning Units: Controls for Task Setting, Task Taking and Task Marking


Annexe A: Qualification Codes

QCA codes The QCA National Qualifications Framework (NQF) code is known as a Qualification Accreditation Number (QAN). This is the code that features in the DfES Funding Schedules – Sections 96 and 97 and is to be used for all qualification funding purposes. Each unit within a qualification will also have a QCA NQF unit code. The QCA qualification and unit codes will appear on the learner’s final certification documentation. The QAN for the qualification in this publication is: 500/8692/3 WJEC/Edexcel Level 3 Principal Learning in Business and

Finance (Wales) The qualification title will appear on learners’ certificates. Learners need to be made aware of this when they are recruited by the centre and registered with WJEC/Edexcel. Providing this happens, centres are able to describe the programme of study leading to the award of the qualification in different ways to suit the medium and the target audience. Other codes The codes below will be required when making entries for individual units and the overall Principal Learning qualification:

Unit codes Each unit is assigned a unit code. This

unit code is used as an entry code to indicate that a learner wishes to take the assessment for that unit. Centres will need to use the entry codes only when entering learners for their examination or coursework moderation.

Please refer to the WJEC/Edexcel Information Manual, available on the WJEC/Edexcel website.

Cash-in codes

The cash-in code is used as an entry code to aggregate the learner’s unit scores to obtain the overall grade for the qualification. Centres will need to use the cash-in codes only when entering learners for their qualification award.

Please refer to the WJEC/Edexcel Information Manual, available on the WJEC/Edexcel website.


Annexe B: Glossary of terms

There are some terms that you may come across in the specification, which have a particular meaning within the context of the Principal Learning. You are therefore advised to familiarise yourself with the definitions of the terms in this glossary.

Term Definition

Applied learning Acquiring and applying, knowledge, skills and understanding through tasks set in sector contexts that have many of the characteristics of real work or are set within the workplace. Most importantly, the purpose of the task in which learners apply their knowledge, skills and understanding must be relevant to real work in the sector.

Assessment criteria Specify the standard a learner is expected to meet to demonstrate that a learning outcome, or set of learning outcomes, has been achieved. Assessment criteria should be sufficiently detailed to support a consistent judgement that a learning outcome has been achieved – there are no minimum or maximum number of assessment criteria that relate to each learning outcome. The criteria should not dictate the method of assessment to be used.

Experiential learning

A process that stresses the central role of experience in learning related to the world of work. Learners reflect on their experience, draw out and articulate lessons learnt (generalise), and then apply their learning to new situations or activities.

External assessment

Assessment tasks are set and candidates’ work is assessed by WJEC/Edexcel.

Formative assessment

This is concerned with the short-term collection and use of evidence as guidance of learning, mainly in day-to-day classroom practice.

Internal assessment

Tasks are set and marked against criteria provided by WJEC/Edexcel and subjected to external moderation. Internal assessment is normally supervised and conducted under controlled conditions.

Level The level at which a qualification or unit is positioned for accreditation. Levels are defined in terms of complexity, autonomy and range of achievement.

Line of learning The broad subject areas that each Principal Learning will cover. There are 17 lines of learning, including: Creative and Media; Information Technology; Society, Health and Development; Engineering; Construction and the Built Environment.

Principal Learning Learning modules and units of assessment that the learner must include in their Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification. Principal Learning includes a minimum of 50 per cent of applied learning and consists of knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes that support progress through the line of learning into the sectors concerned. Opportunities to develop and apply generic skills are also integrated into Principal Learning.

Project A freestanding qualification within the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification.

Summative assessment

This serves to inform an overall judgement of achievement.


Annexe C: Internal Assessment of Principal Learning Units: Controls for Task Setting, Task Taking and Task Marking

This annexe should be read in association with the latest edition of the Joint Council for Qualifications document ‘GCSE, GCE, ELC, Functional Skills, Principal Learning in the Diploma and Project Qualifications – Instructions for conducting coursework’, available from the JCQ website, www.jcq.org.uk Section 1: Introduction

It is a requirement of the Criteria for accreditation of Diploma qualifications at Levels 1, 2 and 3 that:

‘Internal assessment [of Principal Learning] must normally be supervised and

conducted under controlled conditions to ensure reliability and fairness.’ Further guidance from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority has identified three stages of assessment for which control must be specified: • Task setting • Task taking (controls on time, resources, supervision, and collaboration) • Task marking.

Further to the areas specified above, this annexe in collaboration with the individual specifications also sets the parameters for: • guidance and support; • submission, revision, re-working; • the involvement of parents/carers; • malpractice; and the authentication of learners’ work.

This annexe details the controls that normally apply to all WJEC/Edexcel Principal Learning internally assessed units. However, tutors and assessors must also apply any specific controls or additional requirements that may be identified within the Assessment information for assessors section in individual units. There are three levels of control that can apply to each stage.

High control Where the assessment requirements are tightly prescribed.

Medium control Where the assessment requirements are specified in terms of parameters that allow consortia some flexibility to suit local circumstances.

Limited control Where the assessment requirements are specified in terms of broad parameters that allow consortia to determine the details of the assessment.


Section 2: WJEC/Edexcel Controlled Assessment Profile In WJEC/Edexcel’s internally-assessed Principal Learning units, some aspects are subject to medium control and others have limited control. The table below shows the standard profile for all WJEC/Edexcel Principal Learning internally-assessed unit specifications. Individual unit specifications will indicate where a divergence has occurred from this profile.

Aspect Level 1 Level 2 Level 3

Task setting Limited Limited Limited

Time Limited Limited Limited

Resources Limited Limited Limited

Supervision Medium Medium Medium

Collaboration Limited Limited Limited

Marking Medium Medium Medium


Section 3: Assessment controls 3.1 Task setting Limited control WJEC/Edexcel will publish, as part of its tutor support materials, at least one model assignment for each internally assessed unit. It is recommended that these model assignments are used in the assessment of each unit. However, in order that these assignments can best meet learner interests and local needs they will include guidance for tutors and assessors to show the ways in which they may be adapted and contextualised. If the tutor decides to either adapt or write their own assignments then each assignment must meet the following conditions:

• each internally assessed unit must be assessed through a single coherent

assignment which addresses the overall theme of the unit to emphasise how the different learning outcomes all relate to each other. Each assignment may be broken down into a series of related tasks

• assignments must have an applied work-related context • across all tasks, assignments must address all learning outcomes and

assessment criteria, and must give access to the full range of marks • the evidence produced must conform to the requirements published in the How

you will be assessed section of the relevant unit specification • in some units the marking grid is divided into parts A and B. All tasks which will

be marked against the A grid must generate learner evidence that can be re-assessed at a later stage during internal standardisation activity or external moderation

• where tutors decide to set their own assignments, another person, who

understands the requirements of the specification, must check that each new assignment is appropriate for the line of learning and the level, and also that a new assignment will allow candidates full access to the marking criteria. This is especially important when a new tutor/assessor is required to produce assignments. Suitable people may include a Domain or Lead Assessor. This review process must be documented and the evidence of the review must be made available for the external moderator if requested

• if the assignment is to be produced outside the teaching institution, for example

by a supervisor at the learner’s work experience placement, then the tutor or assessor at the teaching institution responsible for that unit, must sign off the assignment for validity before the learner attempts the assignment.

In addition to these requirements, further guidance on writing assignments is provided in this specification, in the section ‘Assessment and grading of the principal learning specifications’.


Complexity If the level of complexity of the evidence required is not already identified within the specification, then an indication can be assumed from the amount of time set within the specification for the production of the assessment evidence, considering the level at which the specification is being taken. The expectations of what a Level 1 learner can accomplish in 10 hours are far different from that which can be expected from a Level 3 learner in the same time period. Unless it is otherwise specified, learners should be set a task of equivalent complexity, whether they are expected to achieve marks at mark band 1 of the marking grid or mark band 3. 3.2 Task taking (controls on time, resources, supervision, and

collaboration) If not specified within the unit, it is to be assumed that tasks or the whole assignment will normally be attempted at the end of the learning process. Time – limited control Each unit has a time for assessment allocated. This is defined as ‘the time to be spent generating evidence for assessment’, and covers all tasks and/or aspects of the assessment which carry marks in the unit marking grid. Activities to support the assessment such as setting up equipment or researching data are not included in the time allowance if they do not carry marks. While it is not a requirement that this time should be observed to the minute for internal assessments, it should be taken as strong guidance and variance should not normally be by more than plus or minus 10%. Learners given significantly less time may well be disadvantaged in relation to the quality and breadth of work they can produce, while those given significantly more may well be disadvantaged by an excess of time spent on assessment rather than learning. Resources – limited control Unless otherwise stated in the individual unit specification, learners are entitled to have full access to all resources seen fit for purpose by the centre tutor/assessor. Any specific resources (for example equipment, published material) required or prohibited for assessment will be detailed in the individual unit. Supervision – medium control Learners must normally be supervised by the centre tutor/assessor whilst producing evidence for the summative assessment activity, unless otherwise stated in the individual unit specification. Supervision is defined as normal classroom/workshop/studio working conditions, with the tutor/assessor being present in the same room whilst the summative assessment evidence is produced by the learner, but not requiring examination conditions.


Where supervision is relaxed:

• because it is not possible to directly supervise the activity that is required to produce summative assessment evidence, e.g. researching data, then the tutor/assessor must authenticate the learner work following the process identified in the section headed ‘Authentication’; or

• because the most suitable environment for producing the evidence means the

tutor/assessor cannot be present, e.g. work experience, the tutor/assessor must ensure an appropriate person supervises the evidence production. All such evidence must be authenticated (see Authentication below) and, where this covers performance evidence, a signed learner observation record must be completed with enough reliable information to allow the tutor to accurately assess the evidence (see 3.4 Task marking below).

It is not permissible for summative assessment evidence to be produced in the learner’s home environment, without the direct supervision of their assessor. Due to the nature of producing an artefact, its production as part of the summative assessment will often be dictated by the availability of materials, equipment etc, therefore it may well be produced outside of the centre. However, the assessor must be confident that the work is that of the learner. In order to be confident, WJEC/Edexcel requires one of the following situations to apply: • the work is carried out under the direct supervision of the teaching centre

assessor. This is the most desirable option • the learner demonstrates to the teaching centre assessor equivalent levels of skill

in each of the processes included in the production of the final artefact. Ideally this would be in the course of the regular teaching/learning programme, but exceptionally, if the assessor feels a skill has been assessed at a level beyond expectations, the assessor may require the learner to repeat that skill before authenticating the work.

If the artefact can only be produced remotely, for example during work experience, the assessor must have enough reliable information to allow them to both accurately assess the outcome and have a signed learner observation record from an appropriate person who directly observed the learner producing the artefact. An ‘appropriate person’ is defined as someone with a supervisory role within the workplace (or equivalent), and who has the required skills. This person must not be a family member, and must record and supply the required information for the assessor. Collaboration (Group work) – limited control Some units may require learners to work as part of a group. In other units, unless it is specifically forbidden, tutors may choose to have learners working collaboratively. When producing assignments which require or allow learners to work in groups, tasks must be written to allow each group member to fully meet the requirements of the assessment criteria. Learners must not have their assessment opportunities reduced by the poor performance of other group members. Where this becomes apparent the tutor or assessor should intervene, or provide suitable alternative activities which do not greatly add to the learners’ workloads.


Group tasks should not rely on the performance of individual members of the group to allow other group members to meet all of the assessment criteria. It is important that each learner is assessed on their individual contribution to the achievements of the group. Where several individuals contribute to a single piece of work, individual contributions must be clearly shown on the work to enable external moderation to take place. This can be indicated by learners or through the tutor’s annotations.

Guidance and support At the start of the assignment learners will often be required to plan out their programme of work. The tutor/assessors should agree these plans and where appropriate agree milestones where they can monitor learners’ responses. Appropriate intervention is to be encouraged to ensure learners have every opportunity of success. However, if the planning process forms part of the assessment criteria, care must be taken to ensure that the plan remains the learner’s own work. Within some unit specifications, the level of assistance given to a learner is a discriminating factor used to decide a learner’s positioning within the marking bands. To aid the assessor in selecting the appropriate level of assistance given to the learner a glossary of descriptors is included in the units and should be used for guidance when marking the learners work. In some cases, where a glossary doesn’t exist, the following definitions should be used: • Assistance – The learner has to be guided and advised to make progress, and

responds to ideas suggested. The tutor/assessor needs to direct significant aspects of the work.

• Limited assistance – The learner suggests ideas for themselves, but makes use of guidance and advice from the tutor/assessor to make progress. The tutor/assessor assists in some aspects of the work, but generally does not direct it.

• Independently – The learner develops ideas themselves, using the tutor/assessor as an advisor rather than as a director. The tutor/assessor facilitates the work but does not need to direct its progress.

It is expected that all learners should develop as independent learners, but this does not mean that they should not be given any support in order to be able to research, write up and complete their reports. The hallmark of the independent learner, whatever the level, is knowing when and whom to ask for support in helping to carry the work forward. All learners must be fully and equally briefed at the start of any task or assignment about the requirements of that task, including how they will be marked. They should be given the opportunity to ask any questions in order to clarify the requirements. Once the assignment is under way, the tutor should respond to questions and requests for advice, but should normally refrain from intervening unasked. Responses can advise the learner on such matters as further sources of information, and can point out where further work is needed, but must always stop short of actually stating what to write.


In some units the amount of support and guidance a learner may receive in the course of carrying out the task or assignment is specified. This occurs, for example, when differentiation between mark bands is achieved in part by the support the learner needs to complete a practical task safely. Tutors or assessors must always intervene where matters of health and safety are concerned. When this happens, the assessor should make a judgement about the appropriate marks that can be applied to the learner’s work in the light of the intervention, and attach to the work a record of the intervention and justification for the marks awarded.

3.3 Feedback, re-working and submission

All Principal Learning awarding bodies are required to follow the instructions for feedback, re-working and submission specified by the JCQ. Candidates are free to revise and redraft a piece of coursework without teacher involvement before submitting the final piece. Candidates should be advised to spend an appropriate amount of time on the work commensurate with the marks available. Teachers may review coursework before it is handed in for final assessment. Provided that advice remains at the general level, enabling the candidate to take the initiative in making amendments, there is no need to record this advice as assistance or to deduct marks. Generally one review should be sufficient to enable candidates to understand the demands of the assessment criteria. Advice may be given in either oral or written form. Having reviewed the candidate’s coursework it is not acceptable for teachers to give, either to individual candidates or to groups, detailed advice and suggestions as to how the work may be improved in order to meet the assessment criteria. Examples of unacceptable assistance include: • detailed indication of errors or omissions • advice on specific improvements needed to meet the criteria • the provision of outlines, paragraph or section headings, or writing frames

specific to the coursework task(s) • personal intervention to improve the presentation or content of the coursework.

As indicated above, a clear distinction must be drawn between any interim review of coursework and final assessment for the intended examination series. Once work is submitted for final assessment it may not be revised: in no circumstances are ‘fair copies’ of marked work allowed. Adding or removing any material to or from coursework after it has been presented by a candidate for final assessment will constitute malpractice. Where coursework is submitted in digital format there may be instances where the construction of the e-coursework does not attract any marks, in which case this construction may be done by the teacher instead of the candidate. If a candidate requires additional assistance in order to demonstrate aspects of the assessment, the teacher should award a mark which represents the candidate’s unaided achievement. The authentication statement should be signed and information given on the Candidate Record Sheet.


Teachers must keep live coursework secure and confidential at all times whilst in their possession. It is not acceptable for teaching staff to share coursework with other candidates. There may be occasions when a learner needs to retake a task or assignment. This is acceptable at the discretion of the tutor, but the assignment should normally be set in a different context so that the learner is not repeating exactly the same tasks which they have had the chance to practise beforehand. Individual units will have further guidance where appropriate. Authentication All candidates must confirm that any work they submit for assessment is their own. Where learners are required to gather information and resources, tutors or assessors should take the opportunity to discuss authentication and plagiarism at the outset. Where learner observation records and practical activity logs are required WJEC/Edexcel will provide exemplar pro formas. Centres may choose to develop their own documentation, but they must record at least the information contained within the exemplar pro formas. Once the assignment has been completed the assessor may need to interview or test the learner on their understanding of the information and/or the resources that they have identified and used. This may be necessary if, for example: • the assessor needs to confirm the authenticity of the work • the unit marking grid carries marks for information and/or resource gathering. It will be up to the centre assessor to decide on the appropriate format, although the activity should be of a ‘closed book’ nature. If the assessor decides to interview the learner, the assessor is required to question the learner regarding their information or resources until the assessor is sufficiently satisfied with the authentication. Whilst the interview is in progress the learner should not have access to the information or resources unless the individual unit specifies otherwise. It can be either a group or individual interview. If the assessor decides to test the learner, the assessor is required to follow the usual testing format, with learners working in silence, and placed in a manner so that they do not see other learners’ responses. The questions are at the discretion of the assessor, as is the length and timing of the test. Learners are not permitted to view the questions prior to the test and should not have access to their work during the test unless the individual unit specifies otherwise. The documented outcome could be either notes following an interview with one or a group of learners and signed by the assessor, or marked test papers. Each candidate is required to sign a declaration before submitting their coursework to their subject tutors/assessors for final assessment, to confirm that the work is their own and that any assistance given and/or sources used have been acknowledged. Ensuring that they do so is the responsibility of the candidate’s centre.


It is also a requirement that tutors/assessors confirm to the awarding body that all of the work submitted for assessment was completed under the required conditions and that they are satisfied that the work is solely that of the individual candidate concerned. Where assessment is supervised by someone other than the tutor, additional confirmation is required from the person who has supervised the assessment. All tutors/assessors who have assessed the work of any candidate entered for each component must sign the declaration of authentication.

3.4 Task marking (standardisation and marking) — medium control Marking WJEC/Edexcel requires all consortium assessors to use only WJEC/Edexcel authorized documentation in the assessment of its Principal Learning internal assessed units. All WJEC/Edexcel Principal Learning internal assessed unit specifications have mark descriptors, and these must be used when assessing learner work. Consortium assessors must not try to re-interpret the mark descriptors, or use any other unauthorised publication which aims to do so. If written evidence and artefacts are completed under the supervision of someone else (see Supervision above), this person may comment upon what is produced, but only the tutor can allocate marks. Where performance evidence is observed by someone other than the tutor, this person must record their comments on the learner observation record. It is then the responsibility of the tutor to judge this evidence and allocate marks. Standardisation All Principal Learning awarding bodies are required to follow the instructions for standardisation specified by the JCQ. Centres should use reference and archive materials (such as exemplar material provided by the awarding body or, where available, work in the centre from the previous year) to help set the standard of marking within the centre. Prior to marking, a trial marking exercise should be undertaken. Teachers mark the same relatively small sample of work to allow for the comparison of marking standards. The exercise can take place at appropriate stages during the course and has three beneficial effects: it helps to bring about greater comparability in the marking standards; it may identify at an early stage any teachers whose standards are out of line with that of their colleagues; and it alleviates a heavy marking load at the end of the course.


Where the work for a unit has been marked by more than one teacher in a consortium, standardisation of marking should normally be carried out according to one of the following procedures: Either a sample of work which has been marked by each teacher is re-marked by the teacher who is in charge of internal standardisation – normally the Domain Assessor; Or all the teachers responsible for marking a component exchange some marked work (preferably at a meeting led by the Domain Assessor) and compare their marking standards. Where standards are found to be inconsistent, the discrepant teacher(s) should make adjustments to their marks or re-consider the marks of all candidates for whom they were responsible. The new marks should be checked by the teacher in charge of internal standardisation. Following completion of the marking and of internal standardisation, the coursework must be retained within the consortium and not returned to the candidates. Consortia should retain evidence that internal standardisation has been carried out.

WJEC-Edexcel Level 3 Principal Learning in Business & Finance Specification / KB 24/8/10

Documents

WJEC/Edexcel/CBAC Principal Learning in Business, Administration