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Assignment front sheet
Qualification Unit number and title
Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in
Business Unit 6: Business Decision Making
Student name Assessor name
Emmanuel Adjaho
Date issued Completion date Submitted on
15/10/2014 19/12/2014
Assignment title Efficient Decision Making: The Secret of Successful Business during the Financial
Crisis in the UK
Learning
Outcome
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
Be able to use a
variety of
sources for the
collection of
data, both primary
and0us
secondary
1.1 Create a plan for the collection of primary and
secondary data for a given business problem
1.2 Present the survey methodology and sampling
frame used
1.3 Design a questionnaire for a given business
problem
LO2
Understand a range
of
techniques to
analyse data
effectively for
business
purposes
2.1
Create information for decision making by
summarising data using representative values
2.2
Analyse the results to draw valid conclusions in
a business context
2.3
Analyse data using measures of dispersion to
inform a given business scenario
2.4 Explain how quartiles, percentiles and the
correlation coefficient are used to draw useful
conclusions in a business context
LO3
Be able to produce
information in
appropriate
3.1 Produce graphs using spreadsheets and draw
valid conclusions based on the information
derived
3.2 Create trend lines in spreadsheet graphs to assist
in forecasting for specified business information
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formats for decision
making
in an organisational
context
3.3 Prepare a business presentation using suitable
software and techniques to disseminate
information effectively
3.4 Produce a formal business report
LO4
Be able to use
software generated
information to
make decisions in
an organisation
4.1 Use appropriate information processing tools
4.2 Prepare a project plan for an activity and
determine the critical path
4.3 Use financial tools for decision making.
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
An effective approach to study and research has been applied.
To achieve M1, you will have to:
Identify the primary and secondary data collection techniques adopted for the assigned task.
Relate the data to the specific business problem that you are investigating into (Linked to AC 1.1)
M2
Select / design and apply appropriate
methods / techniques
Relevant theories and techniques have been applied
A range of methods and techniques have been applied
A range of source information has been used
The selection of methods and techniques/sources has been justified
The design of methods/techniques has been justified
Complex information/data has been synthesised and processed
Appropriate learning methods/techniques have been applied.
To achieve M2, you will have to:
Design appropriate research methodology for the relevant work.
Identify what specific research paradigms are used to formulate the available data for the investigation
(Linked to AC 1.2)
M3
Present and communicate appropriate
findings
Communication is appropriate for familiar and
unfamiliar audiences and appropriate media have
been used.
To achieve M3 the work you will need to
Present and communicate appropriate findings based on assigned task and use suitable techniques to report the
information.
Presentation should be well thought and planned and findings should be reported in a way that is
understandable to all stakeholders in the decision
making process regardless of their specialization
(Linked to AC 3.3)
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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
Self-criticism of approach has taken place
Realistic improvements have
To achieve D1 you will have to:
Critically discuss the limitations faced during the data
collection and analysis stages
Comment on the generalizability of the decisions
reached based on the sample data in and across the
industry (Linked to M3 and presentation)
D2
Take responsibility for managing and
organising activities
Autonomy/independence has been demonstrated
Substantial activities, projects or investigations have been planned,
managed and organised
Activities have been managed
The unforeseen has been accommodated
The importance of interdependence has been recognised and achieved.
To achieve D2 you will have to show:
An original project plan with a recent complexity that needs immediate addressing to keep pace with the
competition
Supporting theories for your choice of methodology for the data collection and analysis
Link between the project and other on-going ventures/branches/ departments to demonstrate the
impact on the sales mix.
D3
Demonstrate convergent /lateral / creative
thinking
Ideas have been generated and decisions taken
Self-evaluation has taken place
Convergent and lateral thinking has been applied
Problems have been solved
Innovation and creative through throughout
Receptiveness to new ideas is evident
Effective thinking has taken place in unfamiliar contexts.
To achieve D3, you will have to demonstrate:
Your ability to use various financial and quantitative tools to support your decision making process
Assumptions about the surprises that may take place when the project is being pursued.
Sensitivity analysis for upward and downward turns in the projects lifetime.
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Assignment brief
Unit number and title Unit 6: Business Decision Making Y/601/0578
Qualification Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Business
Start date 20.09.2014
Deadline/Hand-in date 19.12.2014
Assessor
Emmanuel Adjaho
Assignment title Efficient Decision Making: The Secret of Successful Business during
the Financial Crisis in the UK
Purpose of this assignment
The aim of this assignment is to give learners the opportunity to develop techniques for data gathering and
storage, an understanding of the tools available to create and present useful information, in order to make
business decisions
Scenario
You have recently assumed the position of a business development manager at a medium-sized British
company, ABC Ltd. A major part of your role is the responsibility for making appropriate decisions for the
smooth operations of the companys business. And this requires occasional data gathering, analysis and
presentation to your departmental staff, and especially senior management team (SMT) as part of ABC
Ltd.s management information and decision support systems for the organisation.
Your company has invested in decision-making software and ICT applications to support efficient decision-
making, and you are given the following tasks to complete:
Task 1 (LO1: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3)
1.1
As the new business development manager, you have been tasked to expand the ABC Ltd business operations
in the UK. To provide the right information, you need relevant information to be presented to your senior
management team (SMT) to enable them make the right decisions as to whether to expand in these two
countries.
You are required to create a plan for the collection of primary and secondary data for the expansion project.
1.2 Following your plan above, present the survey methodology and sampling frame used in your research.
1.3
Since you taking the role, there was general complaining about the poor level of customer service, and you
noticed this has been having impact on sales figures and forecast profit. You have therefore decided to get to
the bottom of the problem by carrying out a customer survey to enable you address the customers concern.
You have been requested to:
(a) State general rules to observe when designing questionnaire;
(b) Design a questionnaire to help you address the customer service problem within the organisation.
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Task 2 (LO2: 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4)
2.1 Twenty five sales staff from the sales and marketing department of your department took course in
basic Excel spreadsheet. The test at the end of the course and marks obtained by the staff shown in the table
below. The marks were out of 50 and the pass mark was 20 out 50.
12
19
8
21
32
25
34
22
30
20
43
21
16
45
32
27
38
39
21
18
33
11
28
26
27
You have been asked to process this data so that the Marketing Director can make decisions based on the
results. Use representative values to summarise this data and create information to help with the decision
making.
2.2 The Production manager is concerned about the number of rejects computers produced by
ABC Ltd and requested you, as part of management information for decision making, to carry out some data
analysis from the table about number of rejects computer for past 10 weeks.
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17
7
17
22
3
30
28
23
24
19
23
25
24
15
23
16
18
27
27
11
9
21
24
3
22
33
22
13
23
28
28
19
21
24
22
24
29
26
26
22
23
12
20
26
31
8
20
25
27
(a) Construct an ungrouped frequency distribution from the data
(b) Construct a grouped frequency distribution from the data using seven class intervals of equal with.
(c) Analyse the results to draw valid conclusions in a business context
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2.3 The normal distribution curve shows profit for a business in the year 2013.
i. Given that the standard deviation is 1000, calculate the values within three standard deviations of the
mean and analyse data using measures of dispersion to inform this given business scenario
2.4 Explain briefly the importance of quartiles, percentiles and the correlation coefficient and as a tool for
business decision making.
Task 3 (LO3: 3.1, 3.2, 3.3)
3.1
The following sales figures were extracted from ABC Ltd annual accounts from the period 2002-2006. You have been asked to use spreadsheet software technique to draw multiple bar charts and provide comments on the figures provided on the graph. Sales (m)
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Product X
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12
15
10
20
Y
8
15
10
15
15
Z
15
10
15
10
25
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0 8 9 10
Business profits
Thousands {000}
A
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3.2 You are given the following forecast data relating to ABC Ltd monthly sales and delivery cost. You are being asked to establish delivery cost against sales to examine the way in which delivery cost changed with sales revenue by using trend lines graph. This information will assist to establish the relationship between delivery cost and sales revenue in future.
SALES AND DELIVERY COSTS
Months Budgeted
Sales
(000s)
Delivery Cost
July
50
340
August
150 400
September
550 700
October
560 650
November
650 760
December
710 750
January
750 800
February
900 900
March
470 600
April
350 450
May
250 500
June
80 330
3.3 In addition to the above information, you are also provided with the ACTUAL sales figures for the same
periods. You are required to present this information on trends lines graphs to show the relationship between
budget sales, actual sales and delivery costs.
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SALES AND DELIVERY COSTS
Months
Budgeted
Sales
(000s
Delivery Cost
Actual Sales
(000s)
July
50
340
70
August
150 400 120
September
550 700 600
October
560 650 560
November
650 760 600
December
710 750 740
January
750 800 720
February
900 900 800
March
470 600 550
April
350 450 450
May
250 500 240
June
80 330 100
3.4 Produce a formal business report.
Use the above sales and delivery cost information provided in task 3.3 above, and present a brief formal business report to your line manager, Operations and Business Development Director, and identify 4 key points you observed on the graphs or the table. You should also calculate and highlight in your report the arithmetic mean, median and mode for budgeted and actual sales as well as delivery cost.
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Task 4 (LO4: 4.1, 4.2, 4.3)
4.1 (a) I identify, and discuss at least the four qualities of management information should have whether at
operational, tactical or strategic levels for decision-making within an organisation.
(b) Information systems design to support decision making within an organisation can be classified under
operational, tactical and strategic levels. Explain with examples the following information systems, which
are designed to support decision-making at operational, tactical and strategic levels:
i. Transaction processing systems (TPS)
ii. Management Information Systems (MIS)
iii. Decision Support Systems (DSS)
iv. Executive Information Systems (EIS)
4.2 (a) Discuss briefly the use of the following tools used in project management:
i. Critical Path Analysis
ii. Gant Charts
iii. Pert (Project Evaluation Review Techniques) Chart
4.2 (b) The following project data in the dependency table was provided by ABC Ltd IT manager; it relates to
a new ICT project to be undertaken.
Activity Duration (Days)
Preceding Activities
A 4 -
B 7 A
C 7 A
D 6 A
E 2 C
F 5 C
G 9 C
H 6 B, E
J 6 D, F
K 9 H, G, J
You are required to:
(i) To draw the network flow diagram.
(ii) The Critical path and its duration.
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(iii) Draw a Gantt chart to illustrate the project.
4.3 At the beginning of the year 2014, ABC Ltd board of directors are considering making investment
decisions in ONE of the two new products, A, & B to be developed from next year 2015. The Accounts
Department has provided the following data and relevant information to assist you, and using relevant
financial tools, as stated below, to help the board make the right investment decision.
Barclays Bank has agreed to lend ABC Ltd initial investment of 20,000 for a 5-year period for the
development of either Products A or B. The interest rate to be charged on the loan is 8%.
The forecast cash flows for the 5-year period provided by accounts department is as follows:
Products A B
Year 2015 7,000 8,500
2016 8,500 8,900
2017 9,800 9,600
2018 9,500 9,700
2015 15,500 13,500
Calculate:
(a) The Net Present Value (NPV) for products A & B and recommend to the board which product to
invest in.
(b) Internal Rate of Return (IRR) for products A & B and recommend to the board which product to
invest in.
---End of assignment-
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Materials for reading and consulting:
a. Resources:
b. Books:
Word Count
Learners must state the exact number of words they have used on the assignment submission form and comply
with the word count of 3,500 with a margin of +/- 10%. However, please note that the calculations, tables,
bibliography and appendices are excluded from word counts.
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 learners 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 learners 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.
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The college preserves the right not to accept or mark the assignment in case you failed to inform it in
time.