Management Theories, Economics, and Key Skills Development Assignment Report

1.Demonstrate understanding of the different management theories and the basics of Macro and micro-economics, including the decision making process and strategic management approaches that drive organisations’ performance

2.Work with others, develop your personal and professional skills and demonstrate your ability of self-management and learning and be able to use these skills for analysing particular environments, and/or unique situations in which businesses are active.

What am I required to do in this assignment?

The assignment task has two critical components:

• Exploring a business problem faced by the company and the impact of solutions recommended supported by evidence
• Reflective Report on Learning from Week 1-5 focused key employability skills

What is expected:

Write a formal report, with headings, using your reading, research, learning and journal content as a starting point. We suggest writing the report in two parts:

• Your application of theory, models, analysis of the business and how it is impacted by the external environment influences. This section could include:

Topic industry data

Key businesses, customers, suppliers, competitors, performance, strengths and weaknesses and challenges faced

A SWOT / PESTEL analysis of Pearson

Analyse the competitive position of the organisation through Porter’s Five Forces Model

Identifying key issues faced, resourcing and any management / operational issues facing the wner/managers of the business

Evidence of research and reading beyond topic areas discussed in class

Please note this is a referral piece of work and therefore you cannot use material used before in your first assessment.

Business Report Style

Part 2: Reflective Report on Key Skills Development

Your personal reflection is based on your learning experience documented by your journal entries in BREO which will form part of this assessment. Therefore, journal entries added on a regular basis in weeks 1-5 are required to evidence how you have developed and used key skills in the initial learning in the unit and in the analysis of the business case for this assignment.

This can be achieved by completing journal entries on your self-assessment analysis, VARK, Belbin and all personal development activities that link to key employability skills.

In the reflective report you may explore key skill development in all or any of the following areas:

• Communication (both verbal and written – evidenced by classroom discussion, presentations and report writing)
• Numeracy – (evidenced by examples of use of data and statistics in your seminar activities and this submission)
• ICT (evidenced using Microsoft Office programs during the unit)
• Problem Solving (evidenced by examples of analysis and information gathering, during the unit and in the submission of the assignment)
• Working with Others (evidenced by reflecting on your experience working in teams during the unit)

The reflective report should include continued evaluation of your experience working in class and your practice week by relating where possible to models and theories like Belbin, Tuckman and Kolb. You can also include reflection on learning from feedback offered in seminars and from SEM 1 units as your development is continuous

The reflective report should conclude with an action plan using the SMART framework. So, where you identify an improvement is needed, document how you intend to do that.

• Reflective report should be written about yourself so in 1st person
• All links to key skills development must be referenced in text to entries in your journal. For Example:

“Since Semester one unit learning I have continued to develop and work on these academic skills, how to read an article and paraphrase key elements of it, reference it correctly so that it could be included in a formal submission” (JNL Week 4 (date)

• Your report should be correctly referenced in Harvard style with references in text and in a reference list at the end of your report.

Do not include any elements that have been submitted or marked in previous submissions without correct referencing. To use chunks of work previously submitted is considered to be self-plagiarism.

What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)

• Using reading and research demonstrate your understanding of how at least one of the business models like SWOT, PESTEL and Porters Five Forces can be used to analyse a business scenario
• Present your work in a formal report with headings using Harvard style referencing
• Show evidence of self-reflection on the assignment task by making links to your online journals

How do I produce high quality work that merits a good grade?

We will be filling this section in together in class on Click or tap to enter a date. make sure you have downloaded/printed out the Assignment Brief and bring it to the session with you.

How does assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?

Your assignment tests your application of learning in the Unit. In delivering the assessment you will undertake activities which are designed to develop your skills, which will provide relevant evidence for your assignment submission. You apply your knowledge and learning in writing a formal business report. The learning in your lectures and seminar activity all inform your preparation for writing the assignment.

How will my assignment be marked?

Your assignment will be marked according to the threshold expectations and the criteria on the following page.

You can use them to evaluate your own work and consider your grade before you submit.