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ASSIGNMENT

Year 2013/2014
Programme Edexcel Pearson BTEC
Title HNC Certificate in Business and
HND Diploma in Business (QCF)
Unit Title Employability Skills
Unit No. Unit 47
Unit Code A/601/0992
Assignment 01
No.
Level Level 4 – HNC and Level 5 - HND
Credit value 15 credits
Deliverer Mr. Bernardo De Vire , Dr Peter , Ms Malar , Mr Richard,Ms Hepzi ,Ms
Amruta , Ms Aysha, Mr Shabir.
Assessors To Be Confirmed
Handout Date 15/11/2013
Hand in Date 18/12/2013

Assignment Title: RoundAbout Ltd.

To demonstrate your understanding of relevant principles and techniques and your development of the
employability skills that are the content of this module, you are asked to carry out the following tasks and
put together your responses.

Scenario:

RoundAbout Ltd. is a young high-tech company formed only a few years ago, operating from trendy offices
near Old Street, London, considered an important ‘technology hub’.

It specialises in new media techniques and research, often using or even writing its own software for this
purpose, and focusing on clients involved in recruitment, personnel and human resource management.

Having completed your HNC, you are offered a job with RoundAbout as an Administrator.
If the company continues to grow and you perform according to expectations, you believe that this role will
give you good opportunities for personal development and promotion.

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Task 1: Personal Planning for Employability

Before you begin work at RoundAbout, consider the following from the point of view of your own current
circumstances.

1.1 Online you find the following quote by the famous American talk-show host and media proprietor
Oprah Winfrey:

“My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment
puts you in the best place for the next moment.”

State if you “Like” or “Dislike” this statement; and, in the style of an online communication,
write no more than 140 characters to explain why.

(guideline wordcount 25)

1.2 Think about your own career and employability plans and goals, and put into writing,
as if writing in your personal notebook, one personal performance objective.
(You should make this objective SMART.)
(guideline wordcount 50)

1.3 In the style of a letter to a friend, write a paragraph explaining one motivation technique
that you use to improve your performance towards the achievement of your goals
(for example the one you have just set out above).

Now write another paragraph identifying and briefly explaining one time-management strategy
that works for you personally.
(guideline wordcount 100)

(This Task provides evidence for Learning Outcome 1, Assessment Criteria 1.1 and 1.4;
also Learning Outcome 2, Assessment Criteria 2.2 and 2.3)

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Task 2: Preparing for an Appraisal Interview

After working for RoundAbout for a year, you are told that it is time for your Annual Appraisal, and that in
one week’s time you will have an interview with a senior manager who is not your day-to-day line manager.
As preparation for this meeting, you are asked to read through the company’s policies and documents on
appraisal, and carry out the following tasks:

2.1 Identify and write down the one responsibility you think is, or should be, the most important in the
Job Description for your role as an Administrator with RoundAbout.
(guideline wordcount 50)

2.2 Write in draft form for discussion one objective for your work performance that you would like to set
for yourself in this job for the next twelve months.
(You should make this objective SMART.)
(guideline wordcount 50)

2.3 In your first year you agreed with your line manager that you would;-

“provide flexible, adaptable and effective support to management, co-ordinating outcomes from
internal projects and collating reports; while also acting as a first point of contact for telephone
enquiries or referring more complex queries to a relevant member of staff.”

Evaluate how effective your performance against this objective has been,
noting briefly the reasons you might give in support of this evaluation.
(guideline wordcount 50-100)

2.4 As you become aware that there may be questions about how you handled telephone enquiries,
perhaps due to certain weaknesses in your communication skills,
prepare some suggestions or recommendations for improvement in this area that could be agreed in
your appraisal.
(guideline wordcount 50-100)

2.5 Identify one incentive that would help to motivate you in your work at RoundAbout, and explain
briefly how management could use it to improve your quality of performance.

(guideline wordcount 50-100)

(This Task provides evidence for Learning Outcome 1, Assessment Criteria 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4;
also Learning Outcome 2, Assessment Criterion 2.2)

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Task 3: Reporting on Workforce Trends

Given the nature of its business, RoundAbout is very interested in major trends in the workplace, with a view
to anticipating problems and developing solutions that they can offer to clients.

You are asked by the Marketing Director to research large-scale workforce trends that are leading to big
changes in the workplace, and send him a Memorandum.

With the title “Global Workforce Megatrends”, the contents should identify at least three key trends,
offer at least two options for management action, and make at least one recommendation.

(guideline wordcount 400-500)

(This Task provides evidence for Learning Outcome 2, Assessment Criteria 2.1 and 2.2)

Task 4: Resolving a Marketing Problem

In part as a result of your report, RoundAbout decides to develop a new product/ service, based on web-
crawlers and other software, that will search, collect and analyse CVs, PDPs, social media profiles and any
other personal data publicly available across the internet, matching it not only to current employment
opportunities but also against trends and probabilities to generate an evaluation of future employability.

For marketing purposes, the new product/ service is branded “SpiderNet” and priced at £666 per profile.
It is advertised on and distributed through the company’s website only. But after one week, there have been
only 10 views and no sales.

You and several colleagues are asked to form a special project team to sort out the marketing, advertising
and promotion problems.

4.1 Identify, explain briefly and evaluate at least one method and one management tool that can be used
for developing solutions to problems generally.
(guideline wordcount 200)

4.2 Develop an appropriate strategy for resolving the issues in this particular situation.

(guideline wordcount 200)

4.3 Evaluate the potential impact on the business of implementing the strategy chosen for 4.2 last above.

(guideline wordcount 150)

4.4 Explain in a few sentences what is meant by the “critical path” of a project.
Also, on the basis that it shows the network diagram for rolling out your group’s solution to the
advertising and promotion problem, analyse what is the critical path in the diagram below.
(You should simply state your answer in the form eg. A-B-C-D-E)
(guideline wordcount 30-50)

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(This Task provides evidence for Learning Outcome 4, Assessment Criteria 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3)

Task 5: Working in Teams

Having worked on the team for resolving the SpiderNet advertising and promotion problems, and given your
experience of the HNC programme, including both theoretical and practical elements relating to teamwork,
an office colleague asks you to help them with the following, so that they can understand business better:

5.1 Explain briefly the different roles people play in a team.

(guideline wordcount 150)

5.2 Explain how people can work together to achieve shared goals, either generally or by reference to a
specific project such as SpiderNet.
(guideline wordcount 150)

5.3 Explain briefly what is meant by the expression “team dynamics”.

(guideline wordcount 50-100)

5.4 Analyse the team dynamics in a specific situation, which is either one of the team exercises on your
HNC or the SpiderNet project.
(guideline wordcount 150)

5.5 Suggest alternative ways to complete tasks and achieve team goals, either generally or by reference to
a specific project such as SpiderNet.
(guideline wordcount 150)
 
(This Task provides evidence for Learning Outcome 3, Assessment Criteria 3.1, 3.2, and 3.3)

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INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION FOR LEARNERS 

¾ This assessment and the Tasks above are designed to assess your achievement of all four of the
Learning Outcomes and associated Assessment Criteria for a Pass in the ‘Employability Skills’ unit of
the qualification you are undertaking.

¾ Your tutor/ deliverer will advise you when you should start work on the assignment, the date when
you must hand in your completed work and when you can expect to get your mark and feedback on
your work. Guidance on this subject is provided on page 1 of this assignment brief.

¾ You should make sure that you plan your work carefully, to ensure that you cover all four learning
outcomes of the assignment, and complete it within the time limit specified.

¾ There is no official guideline wordcount or percentage marking (other than Pass/ Merit/ Distinction/
Refer). By way of guidance only for this particular assignment, it is recommended that you write a
minimum of 2000-2500 words total and match the weighting of your efforts to the wordcount
indicated.

¾ Your statements in answer to the Learning Outcomes need to be prefixed with the specific Learning
Outcome title or at least the Learning Outcome number. This will help you keep on track and should
ensure you address the details.

¾ You must make sure that you acknowledge any sources you have used to complete this assignment,
listing reference material and web sites used.

¾ The assignment result will be published on BITE’s Moodle online education materials platform,
normally within 6 weeks of the submission date.

¾ If your assignment is assessed as referred, you will be notified with an indication of the areas to be
addressed. You may resubmit an assignment, or submit a new assignment, on a further two occasions
during your period of registration as an Institute learner with Edexcel.

¾ If there is anything in these instructions or in the assignment itself which you do not understand,
please seek guidance from your tutor/ deliverer.

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Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

In order to Pass this unit, the evidence that the learner presents for assessment needs to demonstrate
that they can meet all the Learning Outcomes for the unit.

The Assessment Criteria determine the standard required to Pass this unit.
The Assessment Criteria will act as a guide to help you put into context your answers to fulfill the
Learning Outcomes.

Learning Outcomes Assessment Criteria

LO1: Be able to determine own
responsibilities and performance
1.1 develop a set of own responsibilities and performance
objectives
1.2 evaluate own effectiveness against defined objectives
1.3 make recommendations for improvement
1.4 review how motivational techniques can be used to
improve quality of performance

LO2: Be able to develop interpersonal 2.1 develop solutions to work-based problems

and transferable skills 2.2 communicate in a variety of styles and appropriate
manner at various levels
2.3 identify effective time-management strategies

LO3: Understand the dynamics of 3.1 explain the roles people play in a team and how they
working with others can work together to achieve shared goals
3.2 analyse team dynamics
3.3 suggest alternative ways to complete tasks and
achieve team goals

LO4: Be able to develop strategies for
problem solving
4.1 evaluate tools and methods for developing solutions
to problems
4.2 develop an appropriate strategy for resolving a
particular problem
4.3 evaluate the potential impact on the business of
implementing the strategy.

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Descriptors
For learners to achieve a
Merit grade they must:
Identify and apply
strategies, tools or techniques
to find appropriate solutions
Select and apply appropriate
strategies, tools or techniques
Present and communicate
appropriate findings
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Grade Descriptors:
Employability Skills Unit
Merit grade
Indicative characteristics
Learners must demonstrate:
• considered evaluations and judgments, using evidence in
support, have been made
(for example in Tasks 1.2, 1.2, 2, 3 or 4.3)
• problems with a number of variables have been considered
(for example in Tasks 3, 4, or 5)
• a range of relevant strategies, tools, techniques or methods have
been included
(for example in Tasks 1.3, 4.1, 4.2 or 4.4)
• relevant strategies, tools, techniques or methods have been
applied to the business issues and scenarios
(for example in Tasks 4.2, 4.3, 5.2, 5.4 or 5.5)
• the written assessment demonstrates a writing style appropriate
for audiences both familiar and unfamiliar with the subject.
(for example in Tasks 1, 2 and 3)
• the written work is clearly written and technical language has
been accurately used.
(for example in Tasks 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2, 3, 4.2, 4.4, 5.1, 5.3
or 5.5)

Distinction descriptors
For learners to achieve a
Distinction grade they must
be able to:
Evaluate their work and
justify their conclusions
Take responsibility for
managing and organising
activities
Demonstrate elements of
convergent/ lateral/
creative thinking
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Distinction grade
Indicative characteristics
Learners must demonstrate:
• conclusions have been arrived at through use of ideas or
evaluation of situations and have been justified
(for example in Tasks 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2 or 2.3)
• realistic analysis and conclusions in the responses to the
business scenarios and situations
(for example in elements of Tasks 2, 3, 4, or 5)
• material used has been clearly understood, with some additional
effort at gathering effective material or at independent thought
(for example in elements of Tasks 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5)
• taking responsibility for activities as evidenced by
participation in problem-solving and teamwork exercises
(for example in elements of Tasks 4 or 5)
• elements of convergent/ lateral/ creative thinking are evident in
the written assignment
(for example in Tasks 1, 2 or 3) ; or
• elements of convergent/ lateral/ creative thinking were shown
by participation in one or more of the
problem-solving and teamwork exercises
(for example in Tasks 4 or 5)