Unit 15: Managing Business Activities to Achieve Results

Unit 15 Managing Business Activities to Achieve Results

Qualification: Pearson BTEC Level 4 HND Diploma Business (Management)	Unit Number and Title Unit 15: Managing Business Activities to Achieve Results
Assignment Brief  Assessment Deadline: 1st Formative submission date: 02/06/2014 2nd Formative submission date: 07/07/2014 Final submission date: 28/07/2014
Assessor Name: Shamima Hossain	Date issued: 12/05/2014

 Rules and regulations: 

Plagiarism is presenting somebody else’s work as your own. It includes: copying information directly from the Web or books without referencing the material; submitting joint coursework as an individual effort; copying another student’s coursework; stealing coursework from another student and submitting it as your own work.  Suspected plagiarism will be investigated and if found to have occurred will be dealt with according to the procedures set down by the College. Please see your student handbook for further details of what is / isn’t plagiarism.

 Coursework Regulations   

• Submission of coursework must be undertaken according to the relevant procedure. Lecturers will give information as to which procedure must be followed, and details of submission procedures and penalty fees can be obtained from Academic Administration or the general student handbook.
• Late coursework will be accepted by Academic Admin Office and marked according to the guidelines given in your Student Handbook for this year.
• If you need an extension (even for one day) for a valid reason, you must request one. Collect a coursework extension request form from the Academic Admin Office. Then take the form to your lecturer, along with evidence to back up your request. The completed form must be accompanied by evidence such as a medical certificate in the event of you being sick. The completed form must then be returned to Academic Admin for processing. This is the only way to get an extension. 

Learning Outcomes and assessment requirements

	Learning outcomes The learner will:		Assessment criteria for Pass The learner can:
	LO1 Understand the importance of business processes in delivering outcomes based upon business goals and objectives		1.1 evaluate the interrelationship between the different processes and functions of the organisation 1.2 justify the methodology to be used to map processes to the organisation’s goals and objectives 1.3 evaluate the output of the process and the quality gateways
	LO2 Be able to develop plans for own area of responsibility to implement operational plans		2.1 design plans which promote goals and objectives for own area of responsibility 2.2 write objectives, which are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based to align people and other resources in an effective and efficient way 2.3 implement appropriate systems to achieve objectives in the most efficient way, on time, to budget and meeting organisational standards of quality 2.4 carry out work activities meeting the operational plan through effective monitoring and control
LO3: Be able to monitor appropriate systems to improve organisational performance		3.1 design systems to manage and monitor quality standards specified by the organisation 3.2 demonstrate a quality culture to ensure continuous monitoring, evaluation and development of the process 3.3 recommend improvements which align with the organisation’s objectives and goals and which result in improvements 3.4 report on the wider implications of proposed changes within the organisation
LO4: Be able to manage health and safety in the workplace		4.1 carry out risk assessments as required by legislation, regulation and organisational requirements ensuring appropriate action is taken 4.2 demonstrate that health and safety regulations and legislation applicable in specific work situations are correctly and effectively applied 4.3 carry out a systematic review of organisational health and safety policies and procedures in order to ensure they are effective and compliant 4.4 carry out practical application of health and safety policies and procedures in the workplace.

In addition to the above PASS criteria, this assignment gives you the opportunity to submit evidence in order to achieve the following MERIT and DISTINCTION grades
Grade Descriptor	Indicative characteristic/s	Contextualisation
M1 Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions	·     effective judgements have been made	To achieve M1, draw effective judgements you would consider to comply with the criteria of the ISO9000 certification
M2 Select / design and apply appropriate methods / techniques	·     a range of methods and techniques have been applied	To achieve M2, logically apply project management tools and techniques in relation with the objective of own area of responsibility.
M3 Present and communicate appropriate findings	·     coherent, logical development of principles/concepts for the intended audience	To achieve M3, access the Health and Safety Executives (HSE) web site www.hse.gov.uk to find advisory guidelines for risk assessment and present the process of risk assessment as might be applied to Jaguar or your chosen organisation using coherent, logical development of principle/concept.
D1 Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions	·   conclusions have been arrived at through synthesis of ideas and have been justified	To achieve D1, provide a conclusion that reflects the ideas and justification of your own work through synthesis
D2 Take responsibility for managing and organising activities	substantial activities, projects or investigations have been planned, managed and organised	To achieve D2, demonstrate an effective approach to independent research and study and will have met the deadline to submit the tasks and achieve the unit assessment criteria
D3 Demonstrate convergent /lateral /  creative thinking	·   self-evaluation has taken place	To achieve D3, critically evaluate the benefits of risk assessments when seen as a necessity for organisations like Jaguar (your chosen organisation).

Assignment title	Managing Operations to Achieve World Class Performance
Purpose of this assignment:  Assess the  learner’s understanding of how to manage their activities in the business workplace to improve their effectiveness and efficiency
Scenario:  You are working as a Manager at the Jaguar Halewood plant in Liverpool or any manufacturing or service Organisation(s) of your choice. Ten new management interns will soon join the company and you have been tasked to introduce them to the operational activities of the plant. You have been asked by your manager to prepare a report on Operations and which covers the following four areas: -the importance of business processes in delivering outcomes based upon business goals and objectives -shows ability to develop plans for your own area of responsibility to implement operational plans -shows ability to monitor appropriate systems to improve organisational performance -shows ability to manage health and safety in the workplace To successfully complete your tasks, you need to carry out your own research, examine relevant theories, and link them to practical activities and examples in the context of the Jaguar company or your chosen organisation.  TASK 1 ( covers learning outcome 1, and assessment criteria 1.1, 1.2 and 1.3)  Carry out your research and produce the first section of your report through evaluating the business processes of the organisation and how they achieve their outputs in line with their business objectives. This section of your report should cover all of the following sub-tasks: 1.1. Identify two core organisational functions (or department) of the Jaguar company ( or your selected organisation) and evaluate the interrelationships between their functions.(AC1.1) 1.2.  Describe and justify the methodology used to map processes to organisation’s goals and objectives.(AC1.2) 1.3. Evaluate the output of the process and quality gateways of the organisation.(AC1.3) TASK 2 (covers learning outcome 2, and assessment criteria 2.1, 2.2 2.3 and 2.4)  Using planning techniques and models you have learnt, complete the following: 2.1. Design a plan which promotes goals and objectives for your own area of responsibility. (AC2.1) 2.2. Write SMART objectives for your department that align people and any other resources in an effective and efficient way. (AC2.2)(AC2.3) 2.4. Discuss how project management tools such as Work breakdown Structure (WBS), Gantt Chart, Critical path analysis etc. are used to effectively plan, implement, monitor and control project operations. (AC2.4) To achieve M2, logically apply project management tools and techniques in relation with the objective of own area of responsibility in doing so, demonstrate a range of sources of information has been used and information has been synthesised and processed. To achieve D2, demonstrate an effective approach to independent research and study and will have met the deadline to submit the tasks and achieve the unit assessment criteria.  TASK 3 (covers learning outcome 3, and assessment criteria 3.1, 3.2 3.3 and 3.4) 3.1.  Design a Quality system that can be used  to manage and monitor quality standards at Jaguar (or your chosen organisation) (AC3.1) 3.2. Demonstrate how a quality system will support and ensure the development of a culture of continuous quality improvement at Jaguar (or your chosen organisation) through monitoring, evaluation and development of the process. (AC3.2) 3.3. Make at least three recommendations for improvement which are aligned to the organisation’s objectives and goals. (AC3.3) 3.4 Assess the effects and wider implications of proposed changes within the organisation. (AC3.4) To achieve M1, draw effective judgements you would consider to comply with the criteria of the ISO9000 certification by doing some research on how quality can been assured  in case of Jaguar (or your chosen organisation) To achieve D1 provide a conclusion that reflects the ideas and justification of your own work through synthesis. TASK 4 (covers learning outcome 4, and assessment criteria 4.1, 4.2 4.3 and 4.4)  Discuss how you can apply theoretical knowledge of managing health and safety in case of Jaguar (or your chosen organisation). This section of your report should cover all of the following. 4.1. Carry out risk assessment as required by legislation, regulation and organisational requirements ensuring appropriate action is taken. (AC4.1) 4.2. Demonstrate with examples, how health and safety regulations and legislation are correctly and effectively being applied in certain specific situations. (AC4.2) 4.3. Discuss how systematic review of the health and safety policies and procedures can be carried out in assessing whether they are effective and compliant with recommendations showing how they can be put in practice. (AC4.3, AC4.4) To achieve M3, access the Health and Safety Executives (HSE) web site www.hse.gov.uk to find advisory guidelines for risk assessment and present the process of risk assessment as might be applied to Jaguar or your chosen organisation using coherent, logical development of principle/concept. To achieve D3, critically evaluate the benefits of risk assessments when seen as a necessity for organisations like Jaguar or your chosen one.

Evidence checklist	Summary of evidence required by student
Task 1	Demonstrate an understanding of business processes in delivering outcomes based upon business goals and objectives.
Task 2	Demonstrate how to plans for own areas of responsibility for managing business activities.
Task 3	Demonstrate how to monitor appropriate systems to improve organizational performance
Task 4	Demonstrate an understanding how to manage health and safety in the workplace.

  

Suggested Reading
1. Case studies on business activities of Jaguar	i) Creating world class performance in a Jaguar assembly plant: A Jaguar case study Read more: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/jaguar/creating-world-class-performance-in-a-jaguar-assembly-plant/introduction.html#ixzz2Nt61JxSW ii) Building the Jaguar S-Type: A Jaguar case study Read more: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/jaguar/building-the-jaguar-s-type/introduction.html#ixzz2Nt8EwWtg iii) Changing the culture at Jaguar: A Jaguar case study Read more: http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/jaguar/changing-the-culture-at-jaguar/#ixzz2Nt8YRz9W
2. Documentaries on business activities of Jaguar	i) Jaguar - Mega Factories - Super Cars - National Geographic Documentary Web link: http://youtu.be/cld5fdfdjYc ii) Jaguar / Land Rover Halewood Plant Factory Footage Web link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUvgWciLpQU iii) Jaguar XJ220 - The Official Story Web link: http://youtu.be/SokqjOzBRSY
3. Learning Web links	i) British Standards Institution: www.bsieducation.org ii) UK Quality Foundation: www.quality-foundation.co.uk iii) EU Foundation Quality Management: www.efqm.org iv) WMG Academy: www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/wmg v) Health and Safety Executives: www.hse.gov.uk
4. Learning textbooks	i) BPP (2010) BPP (2010) Management: Communication and Achieving Results-Business Essentials, BPP Learning Media, London ii) Slack, N., (2007) Operations Management, 5th Edition, Financial Times: Prentice Hall iii) Watson, G. and Gallagher, K (2005) Managing for Results, London: CIPD

 Achievement Summary 

Qualification		Pearson BTEC Level 4 HND Diploma in Business			Assessor name
Unit Number and title		Unit 15 Managing Business Activities to Achieve Result			Student name
Criteria Reference	To achieve the criteria the evidence must show that the student is able to:						Achieved? (tick)
LO 1	Understand the importance of business processes in delivering outcomes based upon business goals and objectives
1.1	evaluate the interrelationship between the different processes and functions of the organisation
1.2	justify the methodology to be used to map processes to the organisation’s goals and objectives
1.3	evaluate the output of the process and the quality gateways
LO 2	Be able to develop plans for own area of responsibility to implement operational plans
2.1	design plans which promote goals and objectives for own area of responsibility
2.2	write objectives, which are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based to align people and other resources in an effective and efficient way
2.3	implement appropriate systems to achieve objectives in the most efficient way, on time, to budget and meeting organisational standards of quality
2.4	carry out work activities meeting the operational plan through effective monitoring and control
LO 3	Be able to monitor appropriate systems to improve organisational performance
3.1	design systems to manage and monitor quality standards specified by the organisation
3.2	demonstrate a quality culture to ensure continuous monitoring, evaluation and development of the process
3.3	recommend improvements which align with the organisation’s objectives and goals and which result in improvements
3.4	report on the wider implications of proposed changes within the organisation
LO 4	Be able to manage health and safety in the workplace
4.1	carry out risk assessments as required by legislation, regulation and organisational requirements ensuring appropriate action is taken
4.2	demonstrate that health and safety regulations and legislation applicable in specific work situations are correctly and effectively applied
4.3	carry out a systematic review of organisational health and safety policies and procedures in order to ensure they are effective and compliant
4.4	carry out practical application of health and safety policies and procedures in the workplace.
Higher Grade achievements (where applicable)
Grade descriptor			Achieved? (tick)	Grade descriptor				Achieved? (tick)
M1: Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions.				D1: Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions
M2: Select / design and apply appropriate methods / techniques				D2: Take responsibility for managing and organising activities
M3: Present and communicate appropriate findings				D3: Demonstrate convergent /lateral /  creative thinking