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Assignment front sheet

Qualification Unit number and title

Pearson BTEC Levels 4 and 5 Higher Nationals Specification in Business

Unit 53: Study and Communication Skills for Business

Student name Assessor name

Task Number Date issued Completion date Submitted on

1 28/09/2015 Week 3 Week 3

2 28/09/2015 Week 5 Week 5

3 28/09/2015

Assignment title Study and Communication Skills for Business

Learning outcome Assessment

Criteria In this assessment you will have the opportunity to present

evidence that shows you are able to: Task no.

Evidence (Page no)

LO1

Understand how to develop reading

strategies to evaluate business sources and

materials.

1.1 Take notes and summarise information in text from business

sources 1

1.2 Compare and contrast fact and opinion demonstrating critical

analysis skills using separate business sources 1

1.3 Evaluate key arguments and supporting evidence from separate

business sources using effective reading strategies 1

LO2

Understand techniques to listen effectively and

critically to business focused materials and develop note-taking

skills.

2.1 Analyse the content of different types of recorded business

material to include lectures and radio broadcasts 2

2.2 Produce accurate summary notes of the recorded materials 2

2.3 Demonstrate comprehension of complex recorded business

materials 2

LO3

Be able to produce a written analysis of a business case study.

3.1 Discuss genre and focus through the analysis of a complex task 3

3.2 Develop a structured written argument with supporting evidence to

a non – routine business problem 3

3.3 Describe cause and effect relationships 3

3.4 Use academic hedging and caution 3

3.5 Reference accurately according to the Harvard system 1,2, 3 and 4

3.6 Accurately proofread and edit a written business text 3

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Learning outcome Assessment

Criteria In this assessment you will have the opportunity to present

evidence that shows you are able to: Task no.

Evidence (Page no)

LO4

Be able to communicate effectively in business

situations using appropriate presentation

techniques.

4.1 Participate effectively in business situations and working groups 4

4.2 Give others the opportunity to contribute their ideas and opinions 4

4.3 Demonstrate ability to assimilate information communicated by

others. 4

4.4 Demonstrate appropriate presentation skills and non-verbal

communication skills during a business presentation 3

4.5 Direct discussions to achieve objectives 4

4.6 Reflect on personal performance to set future learning goals and

objectives 4

Learner declaration

I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own and research sources are fully acknowledged. Student signature: Date:

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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

complex problems with more than one variable have been explored

In any question that requires you to “analyse”, “evaluate” or “reflect”, you are required to draw out relationships between the underlying points of an argument and uncover any implications of those relationships. By necessity, this requires you to use more than one variable and it requires you to make judgements. To achieve M1, you could effectively judge what the points are important; accurately describe why they are important and have an effective approach to arriving at a conclusion. For example, in AC1.3 you will need to make effective judgements when evaluating key arguments from separate business sources.

M2. Select/design and apply appropriate methods/ techniques.

a range of sources of information has been used

complex information/data has been synthesised and processed

As with M1, M2 could be gained in any “compare and contrast”, “analyse”, “evaluate” or “reflect” question. However, it would be easiest to gain it is AC 1.3 where you have to “evaluate key arguments … from separate business sources using effective reading strategies” or in AC 3.1 where you have to “Discuss genre and focus through the analysis of a complex task”. To gain M2, you have to use multiple sources to identify the components of your argument and to draw out the implications. Secondary sources (books or articles) should be included as well as the primary sources presented in the questions.

M3. Present and communicate appropriate findings

the appropriate structure and approach has been used

coherent, logical development of principles/concepts for the intended audience

communication has taken place in familiar and unfamiliar contexts

M3 could be gained in any “evaluate” or “analysis” question as long as you develop your arguments and present your findings in a clear and logical manner. AC 1.3 (evaluate key arguments … from separate business sources) and 3.1 (discuss genre and focus through the analysis of a complex task) are good ways to do this. To achieve M3, you must also use technical language properly and in context. Some tasks will require you give an opinion on a scenario and this will be a context that is unfamiliar to you, others will enable you to use familiar contexts.

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

the validity of results has been evaluated using defined criteria

This could be gained through any “analyse” or “evaluate” question as long as you explain why you have arrived at your conclusions. To achieve D1, you would need to explain why you have selected those criteria. For example: in AC 1.3, you need to identify and justify the criteria you used to evaluate which arguments are key and which are secondary.

D2. Take responsibility for managing and organizing activities

substantial activities, projects or investigations have been planned, managed and organised

the importance of interdependence has been recognised and achieved

In an “analyse” or “evaluate” question, you are required to draw out relationships between the different points of an argument and uncover any implications of the relationships between those points. D2 can be achieved if you are able to explain any interdependencies that might exist. D2 could also be achieved if you are very thorough in your search for sources and turn any of the tasks into a substantial research activity.

D3.Demonstrate convergent/lateral/creative thinking.

ideas have been generated and decisions taken

self-evaluation has taken place

problems have been solved

D3 can be gained in a number of ways. One of the easiest ways is to critique your performance in a thoughtful and logical manner. For example, in AC 4.6, where you have to reflect on personal performance to set future learning goals and objectives. To do this, you have to justify the self-evaluation that should take place in the reflection.

Please note that for unit assignments assessors should use these or other exemplar indicative characteristics for the individual grade descriptors from Annexe C of the HN specification or any other relevant indicative characteristics for the particular assignment. The indicative characteristic should then be contextualised. Only one indicative characteristic per grade descriptor, M2, M2, M3, D1, D2, and D3 is required.

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Assignment brief

Unit number and title Unit 53: Study and Communication Skills for Business

Qualification Pearson BTEC Levels 5 Higher Nationals Specification in Business

Assessor

Task Number Date issued Completion date Submitted on

1 28/09/2015 Week 3 Week 3

2 28/09/2015 Week 5 Week 5

3 28/09/2015 Week 7 Week 7

4 28/09/2015 Week 8 TBA

Assignment title STUDY AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS FOR BUSINESS

Purpose of this assignment The aim of this unit is to provide learners with an understanding of the academic skills required to function effectively in a UK university environment, with particular focus on language skills and terminology for the study of Business.

Task 1 – In class timed assessment . . Below is text from two (2) different business sources. In ninety (90) minutes, you are to read the text and: A. Take notes and summarise information in the text. (1.1) B. Compare and contrast fact and opinion demonstrating critical analysis skills using separate business sources (1.2) C. Evaluate key arguments and supporting evidence from separate business sources using effective reading strategies (1.3) D. Reference accurately according to the Harvard system (3.5) Source 1 China's GDP: Can you trust the stats? (Long, 2015) There is almost no way that China's economy is growing as well as the government says it is. For years, experts have questioned whether China cooks its books. "The question is not whether they're right, it's how wrong are they," says Derek Scissors, an Asia expert at the American Enterprise Institute. But you don't need a PhD in statistics to figure it out this time. Just take a look at what China's government has been doing lately: making a surprise devaluation of the yuan in an effort to boost exports, propping up its markets by actually buying stocks, spending big and cutting interest rates in an effort to stimulate its economy. China wouldn't be taking these actions if the country really was chugging along at the 7% growth rate that the latest government data claims. "China could be in the world's greatest depression and they would still report 7%," says Gordon Chang, a China expert and author of " The Coming Collapse of China." But just how bad is it in China? Stock markets around the world are tanking because investors are afraid that the world's second-largest economy will drag other countries down with it. China is a major buyer of commodities like oil and copper. When China doesn't purchase as much, countries like Australia, Canada and Brazil that provide those commodities to China really suffer. In the U.S., China was one of the most talked issues by company executives in the latest round of earnings reports and investor calls. CEOs are trying to figure out how to operate in a China that isn't booming any more. The problem is no one knows exactly how to calibrate their expectations and what to plan for. After all, there's a big difference between China being in the midst of a major slowdown (think: about 2% growth) versus a minor slowdown (think: 5 to 6% growth). Here's the case for a 2% vs. 5% growth scenario: E. It's a major slowdown. Chang says he has heard that in Beijing, they are privately talking about 2% growth. He's not

surprised. Across the board, the statistics don't look good with everything from steel to rail freight to electricity consumption

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showing big drops. China's manufacturing sector looks especially weak -- sentiment just hit its lowest level in six years. "There's a lot there that looks really wrong," says Chang. While Chang acknowledges that China is taking various stimulus measures, he is concerned that a lot of the growth is coming from people, companies, real estate developers and even local governments taking on more debt. "The growth they are creating is crap growth," says Chang. "They're aggravating their debt problem and they have no solution." He estimates the true GDP number is likely 1% to 2% growth. Expect China to hurt American company earnings for the rest of the year. Even worse, expect more panic "because people think that China is more important than it actually is."

F. It's a minor hiccup. Other experts say that predictions of a "hard landing" in China go too far. "This is not 2009," says Scissors, the America Enterprise Institute scholar. He estimates GDP is growing at about 4.5%. Global forecasting company Capital Economics has traded jabs with the Chinese government before over the validity of the government statistics. Capital Economics believes China is likely growing at 5% to 6%. China's economy probably did a lot worse than what it reported in the first half of the year, but there could be a pickup in the second half, especially as all of the stimulus measures take root. "There are signs the economic conditions are improving," says Mark Williams, chief Asia economist at Capital Economics. He reminds people that growing at 5% to 6% isn't the "very dark place" some are warning about. Another key for Americans to remember is that when the Chinese get nervous, they tend to invest their money abroad. "Bad Chinese economy performance means more Chinese money leaving their country, and the No. 1 place it comes is here," says Scissors.

Source 2 China economy: New signs of economic slowdown (BBC News, 2015) Growth in China's investment and factory output in August has come in below forecasts, in a further indication that the world's second-largest economy is losing steam. Factory output grew by 6.1% from the year before - below forecasts of 6.4%. Growth in fixed-asset investment - largely property - slowed to 10.9% for the year-to-date, a 15-year low. Growing evidence that the world's economic powerhouse is slowing down has caused major investment market falls. Other indications that the economy is weakening can be seen in falling car sales and lower imports and inflation. Chinese manufacturers cut prices at their fastest pace in six years, largely on the back of a drop in commodity prices, which have dropped sharply over the past year as demand from China faltered.

25-year low Last week, the Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang, said China remained on track to meet all its economic targets for this year despite the economic data. China has already cut interest rates five times since November to encourage lending and spur economic activity, along with other measures to boost growth. Premier Li pledged that China would take more steps to boost domestic demand and that it would implement more policies designed to lift imports. China recently revised down its 2014 growth figures from 7.4% to 7.3% - its weakest showing in nearly 25 years. For this year, the government is targeting annual economic growth of about 7%. Meanwhile, the Chinese authorities said they would take new steps towards a more market-based economic system by offering shares in state-owned businesses to private investors. The move, which they said would help improve corporate governance and asset management, is planned to take place before 2020. China's industrial economy is dominated by 111 conglomerates which are state owned. Bibliography BBC News, (2015). China economy: New signs of economic slowdown - BBC News. [online] Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34237939 [Accessed 15 Sep. 2015]. Long, H. (2015). China's economy is in trouble. How bad is it?. [online] CNNMoney. Available at: http://money.cnn.com/2015/08/21/news/economy/china-economy-slowdown/ [Accessed 11 Sep. 2015].

Task 2 Using the audios and videos provided on the VLE: A. Analyse the content of three (3) different types of recorded business material to include lectures and radio broadcasts (2.1) B. Produce accurate summary notes of the recorded materials (2.2) C. Demonstrate comprehension of complex recorded business materials by creating one document that summarises all three

recordings.(2.3) D. Reference accurately according to the Harvard system (3.5)

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Bibliography

Godin, S. (2013). Seth Godin on the Difference Between Leadership and Management. [Online Audio Interview] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xx2SV2bYSfU [Accessed 15 Sep. 2015].

Kotter, J. (2012). The Perils of Confusing Management and Leadership. [Online Video Lecture] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz8AiOQEQmk [Accessed 15 Sep. 2015].

Kotter, J. (2013). The Key Differences Between Leading and Managing. [Online Audio Lecture] YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEfgCqnMl5E [Accessed 15 Sep. 2015].

For task 3 and 4, you are required to prepare a business plan in groups of 3-5. Task 3 is individual work and Must go through Turnitin. Present the business plan in a seminar (Task 4).

Task 3: You are required to complete the following tasks (individual work).:: A. Discuss genre and focus through the analysis of a complex task from your business plan. (3.1) B. Develop a structured written argument with supporting evidence to convince the audience why you should be given the

funding the start the business. (3.2) C. Describe cause and effect relationships. (3.3) D. Use academic hedging and caution (3.4) E. Reference accurately according to the Harvard system (3.5) F. Accurately proofread and edit a written business text (3.6)

Task 4 – Group Presentation : A. Participate effectively in business situations and working groups (4.1) B. Give others the opportunity to contribute their ideas and opinions (4.2) C. Demonstrated an ability to assimilate information communicated by others. (4.3) D. Demonstrate appropriate presentation skills and non-verbal communication skills during a business presentation (4.4) E. Direct discussions to achieve objectives (4.5) F. Reflect on personal performance to set future learning goals and objectives. This is an individual task. (4.6)

---End of assignment-

Materials for reading and consulting:

Free course from the Open University - OpenLearn, (2015). Summarising text. [online] Available at: http://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/english-language/summarising-text/content-section-0 [Accessed 15 Sep. 2015].

Reading.ac.uk, (2015). Effective note-taking - University of Reading. [online] Available at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/internal/studyadvice/StudyResources/Reading/sta-effective.aspx [Accessed 15 Sep. 2015].

Student.unsw.edu.au, (2015). Effective Reading and Note-taking | UNSW Current Students. [online] Available at:

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https://student.unsw.edu.au/effective-reading-and-note-taking [Accessed 15 Sep. 2015].

Plagiarism and collusion Any act of plagiarism and collusion will be seriously dealt with according to the Edexcel plagiarism policy. Basically, plagiarism occurs when excerpts, ideas, passages taken from other sources are not properly acknowledged and referenced both in the body of the text and in reference. It is the learner’s responsibility to ensure that they understand all Edexcel guidelines with regards to plagiarism and what Edexcel considers to be an academic offence. Collusion can be understood as the submission of works produced in collaboration for an assignment based on the assessment of individual work. It is a severe academic offence to share a learner’s work with others who submit a part or the whole of it as their own work. The College has mechanisms in place to detect plagiarism and collusion. Learners must sign the declaration on the front of the assignment submission form. Submission Guidance and Policies for Edexcel Students This is an individual assignment. All parts of the assignment are required to be presented in a professional format, MS Word processed with full citation and references following Harvard system. Brit College strongly advises the learners to follow the guidance below:

Brit College prefers Times New Roman 12 or Arial 11 in the body of the text.

An assignment cover sheet and a receipt must be attached along with each submitted assignment.

All assignments must have clear headings and sub-headings where necessary.

Make sure you state the word count on the title page.

Assignments must be printed in black and white.

Late Submission and Resubmission

Assignments will not be accepted for assessment by lecturers unless an extenuating circumstances form has been filled in

and duly authorized by a member of staff.

Students will receive the feedback form and guidance from the lecturer to improve in the areas of their weaknesses on their

first submission. Please note that assignments can be re-submitted only once. A resubmitted assignment will be awarded a

failed grade should it not meet the required pass grade marks and results in retaking the module.

Please note that a resubmitted assignment will earn a maximum pass grade should it sufficiently meet the required criteria.

A fine may also apply in case of resubmission.

Extensions and Extra-ordinary Circumstances

Extensions are only granted for documented medical reasons and/or other documented serious interruptions relevant to your

ability to study.

Please note that extensions are not allowed due to your inability to organize your work.

Should there be any extra-ordinary circumstances; the College should be made aware of this in writing.

The college preserves the right not to accept or mark the assignment in case you failed to inform it in time.