Title

Features contributing to the success of contrasting businesses 

Learning Aims

A: Explore the features of different businesses and analyse what makes them successful

B: Investigate how businesses are organised

Vocational Setting or context 

You have been accepted onto a work placement in the Economic Development Unit (EDU) at your local council. The EDU is dedicated to helping businesses to start, grow and prosper. You will be working with the officers who are responsible for publications, brochures and guides. You have been asked to research and collect information on two contrasting businesses and use this evidence to write a report on why businesses are successful.

Task 1

The features contributing to the success of contrasting businesses. The EDU has given you a list of suitable businesses and you will need to carry out initial research on these businesses before selecting two contrasting businesses for your report. To provide a suitable contrast the businesses must have contrasting features, e.g. types of ownership and liability, scope, sector and/or size. You will have to gather comprehensive research evidence for each business.

Your research should include:

• Features of the business to include ownership and liability, purpose, sector, scope of activities and size

• organisational structure and functional areas

• the business mission, vision and values, aims and objectives

• the relationship with internal and external stakeholders, to include how it communicates with these stakeholders and the influence they have on the business

• possible reasons for success.

Using this research, prepare a report that investigates and assesses the reasons for the success of these two businesses.

The report will evaluate how each organisation’s features, and the relationship and communications with internal and external stakeholders, supports and enables the business in achieving its aims and objectives and in being successful.

The report will have a clear conclusion that is fully justified by well- balanced, developed arguments, and is supported by good use of research evidence.

Checklist of evidence required

Individual Report

Research Log

Support Websites

www.businesscasestudies.co.uk

The Times 100 has economics and business case studies. The site also has a selection of theory notes aimed at learners

www.gov.uk

The government portal for government departments and policies

 www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/WritingSkills.htm

Tips on how to develop good communication skills.

www.tutor2U.com

This site provides resources and revision materials. There are also links to other sources of information.

Assessment Criteria

D1-Evaluate the reasons for the success of two contrasting businesses, reflecting on evidence gathered.

M1-Assess the relationship and communication with stakeholders of two contrasting businesses using independent research.

M2-Analyse how the structures of two contrasting businesses allow each to achieve its aims and objectives.

P1-Explain the features of two contrasting businesses.

P2-Explain how two contrasting businesses are influenced by stakeholders.

P3-Explore the organisation structures, aims and objectives of two contrasting businesses.

P1- You need to explain all features for both businesses. The businesses must be contrasting.

P2- Explain the main stakeholders, their role in relation to the business and how they can affect the business both positively and negatively.

P3- Explain the organisational structure clearly for both businesses include diagrams if possible, include functional areas (departments) and their role and aims and objectives.

M1- Research the relationship with stakeholders and communication with stakeholders for your business, form an opinion on how well this is done by the business and how it affects the business.

M2-Look at the business's structure and functional areas, how do they help the business to achieve their aims and objectives.

D1- Explain why you feel your business is successful (or not successful) You must include some of the points from the rest of your report. ie Aims and Objectives, Structure, Functional areas, Communication etc.... as well as any other suitable reasons.

For distinction standard, learners will produce relevant evidence of how differing features and the complex relationship and communications with its internal and external stakeholders make businesses successful to support the evaluation given.

For merit standard, learners will present a careful consideration of each of the businesses relationship and communication with its stakeholders, and arrive at conclusions about how well each business communication impacts on its relationship with stakeholders. Learners will give a breakdown of the organisational structure including the different functional areas within the structure, what each does and how the areas interrelate or work together to contribute to each business’s aims and objectives. 

For pass standard, learners will carry out research that allows them to clearly link familiar and obvious features of the businesses and the stakeholder influence to success factors. 

The businesses you choose are vital to your success in this assignment. Whilst studying the theory you have been working on creating a factsheet for 4 different businesses. You may decide to use two of these businesses, however you can do two completely different businesses should you wish. The factsheet was simply to help you to understand and apply the theory which should now help you to complete the assignment. It is important to recap on the theory while you are doing the assignment.

The businesses you choose for assignment 1 can be used for all three assignments however you may decide to choose different businesses for each assignment. Most students choose one of the two businesses from assignment 1 for assignment 2. Many students decide to do a completely new business for assignment 3.

When deciding on your businesses for  assignment 1 you need to make sure you can get information on the following points which we have already covered in the theory. 

Features:

• Ownership and liability: 

• Purpose: 

• Sector: 

• Scope of business activities:  

• Size:  

• Reasons for success: how these differ depending on the type of business (profit or non-profit), and its aims and objectives

Stakeholders:

• The influence of stakeholders on business success

Communication: 

written presentations, e.g. financial, non-financial, formal and informal reports 

• oral presentations, e.g. computer projection/PowerPoint with speaker notes, video conferencing platforms 

• importance of communication to aid business success, e.g. social media, virtual communities.

Structure:

• Organisational structure

• Functional/operational areas

Aims and Objectives:

• Aims of businesses in different sectors – mission, vision and values: 

• SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time constrained) objectives. 

When doing each point in your report I suggest looking at the breakdown in each Learning Aim (A1,A2,A3,B1 and B2) and recapping on the notes if necessary. You don't necessarily need to cover all points but you should aim to cover as many as you can. You will need to perform research to get the information you need. It is important you keep all sources used and include in a sources table/bibliography. This is a requirement of the specification.

Ideally you want to choose a business which has all or the vast majority of the information you need available on their website or through other online sources. You could obviously request information directly off businesses although they may not always respond. If you are choosing a local or smaller business having a contact within that organisation would be a great benefit.

The most difficult pieces of information to find might be the organisational structure, Aims and objectives and current financial information. I would recommend checking for these first when finalising your choices. You will often find these hidden in a companies website however you may have to request information from the company itself if it is not readily available and they might not respond. Business with less than 5 employees should be avoided if possible.

If you have a close contact who works in an organisation or you get a phone call/email with an employee this can be included in your work as an appendice. It should also be referenced in your sources table and explain where your information came from in your report in the appropriate section.

Think about the search  criteria you need to use to get the key information and go through the companies websites in detail, they often have the information you need hidden away in their menus. Some sites may be blocked in school so you may need to complete research at home and bring it in. Useful sites include...

www.statista.com

www.orginimi.com

www.investing.com

Many of the large companies will also have stories published about them in the business section of news companies and many will publish an annual report which is really useful.

Independent research is critical if you hope to achieve the merit grade or above. You should evidence all links appropriately within your report. Perhaps have a sources table to record the websites you use and the date accessed. If you are copying information directly from the website you must indicate this clearly by sourcing and referencing. If you have phone conversations or interviews will people involved with the company you might take notes of the conversation and include appropriately.

Your businesses must be contrasting in either one of the main features listed above. Most people tend to choose a large private company such as a supermarket and compare with a not for profit organisation (charity). When choosing your businesses the more they contrast the easier the writing of your report will be. Business can be contrasting in terms of ownership, size, sector or purpose.

When doing the report I would suggest following the format of the spec although this can be rearranged if you so choose. You may decide to do all points for one business and then repeat the process for the second business, or go through each point one business at a time.

You will get so much more from this assignment and find it much more interesting if you choose businesses you have a real interest in.

If you like music think about Companies like Fender or Epiphone.

If you like fashion think about companies like Gucci or L'Oreal.

If you like sports think about companies like Nike or  Reebok.

If you like tech think about companies such as Apple or Samsung.

If you are really struggling for businesses here are some popular choices.

Unilever 

Cadbury

Coca-Cola

John Lewis

Ryan Air

Amazon

Nike

Dyson

Starbucks

Marks & Spencer

Google

Apple

The Big Issue

WWF

NSPCC

Dogs Trust

British Heart Foundation

Local Charity (Must have a close link in)

Avoid using the following businesses:

Drumragh Integrated College

Tesco

Red Cross

Cooneen

Cancer Care

It can be helpful for M2 to look at the aims and objectives of the business and explain each department/functional area role in helping the business meet this aim/objective.

To achieve the distinction criteria you have to make clear links between the structure and communication with (internal and external ) stakeholders and the successes of the business. You might find it easier to research why the company is successful online and reverse engineer the links.

Click here for a guide on  report writing.

Title 

The effects of the environment on a Business

Learning Aims

C:Examine the environment in which businesses operate

D: Examine business markets

Vocational Setting

You are continuing with your work placement in the Economic Development Unit (EDU) at your local council working with the officers who are responsible for publications, brochures and guides.

You have been asked to select and investigate a large business that trades in the European Union (EU) and use this research to write a report that evaluates the effects of the environment on that business.

Task 1

The effects of the environment on a business 

You have been asked to write a report on a large business that trades in the EU. You should research a number of businesses before selecting one to report on. 

You will need to look at the environment in which the business operates, and to gather enough information to be able to consider how your chosen business has responded to past changes, and evaluate how it may react to future changes. 

Your research should include: 

• The external environment that effects the business to include political, economic, fiscal, monetary and other government policies, social attitudes to saving, spending and debt; social responsibility requirements, technological change, environmental factors and ethical trends and the legal environment 

• The internal environment to include corporate culture and corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) 

• The competitive environment to include competition, competitive advantage and the factors that influence competitive advantage 

• The influences on the chosen business’ demand, supply and price, including elasticity of demand. 

• The different market structures that the business operates in, their impact on pricing and output decisions and the business’ response to these 

Using this research, prepare a report that discusses and assesses the effects of the environment on the business, and how the business has reacted to change. 

The report should include a situational analysis of the business environment using a variety of techniques such as PESTLE, SWOT, 5Cs analysis, and Porter’s Five Forces.

The report will evaluate the extent to which the business has responded to past changes in the market and business environment, and suggest how this business may react to future changes. 

The report will be logically structured and have a clear conclusion that is fully justified by well-balanced, developed arguments, and is supported by good use of research evidence. 

Checklist of evidence

Individual report 

Situational analysis 

Research evidence 

Assessment Criteria

D2-Evaluate the extent to which the business environment affects a given organisation, using a variety of situational analysis techniques.

D3-Evaluate how changes in the market have impacted on a given business and how this business may react to future changes. 

M3-Assess the effects of the business environment on a given organisation. 

M4-Assess how a given business has responded to changes on the market. 

P4-Discuss the internal, external and competitive environment on a given organisation. 

P5-Select a variety of techniques to undertake a situational analysis of a given organisation. 

P6-Explore how the market structure and influences on supply and demand affect the pricing and output decisions for a given business. 

Support

Websites 

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/economy

The BBC provides news on the UK economy 

www.businesscasestudies.co.uk

The Times 100 has economics and business case studies on topics such as Business Environment, the Economy, Ethics and External Influences. The site also has a selection of theory notes aimed at learners. 

www.gov.uk

The government portal for government departments and policies 

www.economist.com

The Economist online has an archive of articles about the UK economy. A subscription is required but it also includes the weekly editions of the newspaper 

www.investopedia.com/

Investopedia is an educational website that has many useful articles such as ‘Economics Basics: Supply and Demand’ 

www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/law

The Times provides up-to-date information and cases. This site includes a Student Law area 

For distinction standard, learners will carry out in-depth research on the extent to which the business environment affects a given business, and how it could affect the business in the future. Learners will be able to utilise a variety of situational analysis techniques to support their evaluation. 

For merit standard, learners will select and apply relevant knowledge of the effects of the business environment on a given business and how it has responded to changes in the market.

For pass standard, learners will carry out research that allows them to discuss the effect of the internal, external and competitive environment on a given business. Learners will show an understanding of situational analysis techniques that can be used to analyse the business 

As you have done a lot of research on two businesses already it makes sense to choose one of the two businesses from Assignment 1 but you can if you wish choose a completely different business. Most people tend to find it easier to do this task based on a profit making organisation rather than a charity.

You do not necessarily have to cover all of the situational analysis tools, though they can link to each other. If you are hoping to acheive a top grade you should be able to show the links. SWOT and PESTLE should be used as a minimum.

You need to show you know the difference between price elastic and inelastic and influences/impacts on prices.

Learning Aims: 

E: Investigate the role and contribution of innovation and enterprise to business success 

Title:

How important is innovation and enterprise to today’s businesses? 

Vocational context or scenario:

You are continuing with your work placement in the Economic Development Unit (EDU) at your local council working with the officers who are responsible for publications, brochures and guides. 

You have been asked to research a selected business and prepare a presentation and an individual reflective account that investigates its use of enterprise and innovation. 

Task 1

The effects of the environment on a business 

You have been asked to join with a group of researchers to prepare a presentation that investigates the use of enterprise and innovation in an existing business. You should research a number of businesses before selecting one for your presentation. 

You will need to research the role of innovation and enterprise in business success and the associated benefits and risks in relation to a changing market and environment. 

Using this research, prepare a group presentation that explores how innovation and enterprise has contributed to the success of this business. 

The presentation should be accompanied by an individual analysis of how successful the use of innovation and enterprise has been for the chosen business, and a justification of its use in relation to the changing market and environment for the business. 

Checklist:

Presentation including presentation slides and speaker’s notes script or script or cue cards. 

Observation record. 

Individual reflective account. 

Research evidence. 

Criteria:

D4-Justify the use of innovation and enterprise for a business in relation to its changing market and environment. 

M5-Analyse how successful the use of innovation and enterprise has been for a given business. 

P7-Explore how innovation and enterprise contribute to the success of business.

Support

Websites 

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/economy

The BBC provides news on the UK economy 

www.businesscasestudies.co.uk

The Times 100 has economics and business case studies on topics. The site also has a selection of theory notes aimed at learners. 

www.gov.uk

The government portal for government departments and policies 

www.economist.com

The Economist online has an archive of articles about the UK economy. A subscription is required but it also includes the weekly editions of the newspaper 

www.tutor2u.net

Tutor2U provides case studies and free online resources for learners and assessors. 

For distinction standard, learners will prepare and present an individual assessment and analysis of the use of innovation and enterprise in an existing business. Learners will weigh up risks versus advantages and come to a justified conclusion, supported by relevant evidence that clearly explains the importance of innovation and enterprise. 

For merit standard, learners will carry out adequate research to allow them to demonstrate how the use of innovation and enterprise has affected a business, and to analyse how this has affected the success of this business. 

For pass standard, learners will carry out research on use of enterprise and innovation in an existing business, and show an understanding that although innovation and enterprise may have its benefits, there are also risks and drawbacks. 

Most students choose a different business for this task although you can certainly use your other businesses if you wish. You need to provide evidence of how successful/unsuccessful a business has been with innovation. Choose businesses that have been innovative in many different ways. Large businesses  with lots of information available is a wise choice. It is good to be able to compare successes and failures made by the same company. 

This can be splt into two tasks a presentation and a written document. The presentation can be done in groups and you will complete activities that allow you to achieve the pass and merit criteria. 

The written report will be done individually and this will allow you to achieve the distinction criteria.