Assignment Spring 2015: HNTT 110 Business Health Check (Assessor )
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Assignment front sheet
| Qualification | Unit Number and Title | |||
| Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND Diploma in Travel and Tourism Management |
HNTT 110 Business Health Check Level 5 (15 credits) |
|||
| Student Name | Assessor | Internal Verifier | ||
| M Sajid | F Khan | |||
| Date issued | Task 1 Submission | Task 2 Submission | ||
| 18/02/2015 | 19th April 2015 | 31st May 2015 | ||
| Assignment title | Health Check of an Existing Travel or Tourism Business | |||
| Learning Outcome | Assessment Criteria |
In this assignment you will have the opportunity to present evidence that shows you are able to: |
Task no |
Evidence (Page no) |
| 1.1 | Analyse the objectives of the business | 1 | LO1 The learner will understand the focuses of the business |
|
| 1.2 | Explain factors that impact on the business |
1 | ||
| 1.3 | Determine potential improvements to the business organisation and/or operation |
1 | ||
| 2.1 | Review the effectiveness of the business |
LO2 The learner will be able to develop plans for businesses |
1 | |
| 2.2 | Develop plans to improve the business, justifying their value |
1 | ||
| 3.1 | Evaluate the current skills of management and staff |
LO3 The learner will be able to evaluate and develop skills of management and staff |
2 | |
| 3.2 | Devise and justify plans for the development of skills for management and staff |
2 | ||
| Learner declaration | ||||
| I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own and research sources are fully acknowledged. Student signature: Date: |
Assignment Spring 2015: HNTT 110 Business Health Check (Assessor )
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| In addition to the above Pass Criteria, this assignment gives you 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. |
To achieve M1: Effective judgements are made about the business, including its objectives, environment, effectiveness and management and staff skills. These judgements are made based on reasoned analysis of the business and its staff. (Tasks 1 and 2) |
| M2 Select/design and apply appropriate methods/techniques |
Appropriate learning methods / techniques have been applied |
To achieve M2: Recommendations for improvement are clearly set out, cover a range of relevant factors and are developed from the analyses of the business and its staff. (Tasks 1 and 2) |
| M3 Present and communicate appropriate findings |
The appropriate structure and approach has been used |
To achieve M3: The written assignment is in an appropriate academic report format, i.e. in impersonal academic language and well structured, with contents page, introduction and conclusion. The work is neatly and professionally presented, maintaining the highest academic and professional standard. The work has been checked for spelling errors. A range of sources of information is used. This is shown by clear on-page citations and a bibliography, in the Harvard format, of at least ten sources for the whole Business Health Check assignment. All tasks are submitted on time. (Tasks 1 and 2) |
Assignment Spring 2015: HNTT 110 Business Health Check (Assessor )
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| In addition to the above Pass Criteria, this assignment gives you opportunity to submit evidence in order to achieve the following MERIT and DISTINCTION grades |
||
| Grade Descriptor | Indicative characteristic/s | Contextualisation |
| D1 Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusion |
Conclusions have been arrived at through synthesis of ideas and have been justified |
To achieve D1: Conclusions are summative, well-justified and demonstrate deep evaluative and strategic thinking based on though investigation of the business and awareness of the relative importance of different factors to the success of the business. (Tasks 1 and 2) |
| D2 Take responsibility for managing and organising activities |
Activities have been managed. | To achieve D2: The student has demonstrated an effective approach to independent research and study throughout this Business Health Check assignment, so ideas in the reports are well developed, clear and logical, demonstrating independent thinking. The whole assignment has been completed to a high standard. The student has regularly attended (80%) and contributed to class sessions. (Tasks 1 and 2) |
| D3 Demonstrate convergent/lateral/creative thinking |
Ideas have been generated and decisions taken |
To achieve D3: Recommendations for the future development of the business and its staff are realistic and made after consideration of different options, their suitability, feasibility and acceptability. (Tasks 1 and 2) |
Assignment Spring 2015: HNTT 110 Business Health Check (Assessor )
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Assignment Brief
| Purpose of the assignment This purpose of this assignment is for you to carry out a business health check to help you gain greater understanding of travel and tourism businesses, including their foci, planning and human resource management. Thus you should use this assignment to build on learning not only from this unit but also from other related units. |
| Evidence Required Task 1 – Individual written report with citations and bibliography in the Harvard Referencing Format. Task 2 – Individual written report with citations and bibliography in the Harvard Referencing Format. |
| Scenario Imagine you are a business consultant and have been approached by a travel or tourism organisation which has asked you to review its performance and suggest areas for future improvement. You have been asked to produce your report in two parts – the first focusses on the business as a whole and the second on the staff and their contribution to the business. |
| Task 1: Travel / Tourism Business Analysis and Planning (LO1, LO2: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 2.1, 2.2 and M1, M2, M3, D1, D2, D3) Select an existing business / organisation which operates in the travel or tourism sector (either one you are familiar with or a well-known business / organisation that you can obtain sufficient data for), prepare a report on its current position and make recommendations as to how its performance could be improved upon. The findings from task 1 should be submitted in a written report with an introduction at the beginning and a conclusion at the end. The suggested word length for this report is 2,000 – 3,000 words, excluding any appendices. Include a bibliography of all sources used in the Harvard Referencing Format, showing use of at least ten sources. Excellent bibliographies show use of high quality valid sources, e.g. academic journals. Make sure you write your name on your report and number all the pages. The analytical report should be structured as follows: a. Introduction, which includes a short description of the selected travel or tourism business. b. Analysis of the objectives of the case study business. A good analysis will consider how well these relate to the stated mission, vision, goals, priorities, etc. of the business c. SWOT and PESTLE analysis of the business. Good analyses will show your ability to make reasoned judgements about internal environment factors (e.g. trading status, management skills, policies, stakeholders, financial performance, staff resources, location, problems and ability to change) and external environment factors (i.e. political, economic, social, technological, legislation and environmental factors) Excellent analyses are well justified. d. Explanation of the different factors which impact on the business, based on the SWOT and PESTLE analyses. Good explanations will also consider the market environment (e.g. customers, customer loyalty, quality management, marketing methods, competitors and competitive advantage) in addition to the external and internal environment. Excellent explanations will demonstrate thorough awareness of the relative importance of the different factors to the success of the business. e. Review of the effectiveness of the business. A good review will include aspects such as the product/services, marketing, sales, finance and overall business performance. Excellent reviews are thorough and finish with a summative conclusion. f. Determination of potential improvements that could be made to the business, based on the SWOT, PESTLE and market analyses that have been carried out. Good determinations will be related to the long-term objectives of the business. Excellent determinations will evaluate a range of options based on their suitability, feasibility and acceptability. |
Assignment Spring 2015: HNTT 110 Business Health Check (Assessor )
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| g. Business plan that you have developed for improving the business. This plan must be justified. A good plan will include resources (including premises and personnel) finances and financial management systems, marketing, quality management, action planning, risk management and timescale. Excellent plans are realistic and well justified, showing ability to apply theory about improving business performance. h. Conclusion with summarises the key points of your analysis and the main proposals for improvement. Excellent conclusions include in-depth evaluation of the main lessons learnt and how recommendations made build on strengths and overcome weaknesses. For M1 Effective judgements are made about the business, based on reasoned analysis of the business. For M2 Recommendations and business plan are clear, comprehensive and developed from the analysis. For M3 The report is in impersonal language and well structured with citations and a bibliography in the Harvard referencing format. It has been checked for spelling errors. For D1 Evaluative conclusions come directly from your own critical in-depth analysis. For D2 The whole task is completed to a high standard, demonstrating that it has been well planned and managed. Ideas are clearly presented. For D3 Recommendations for future business development are realistic and made after consideration of different options, their suitability, feasibility and acceptability. |
| Task 2: Travel / Tourism Business Staff Evaluation and Development (LO 3: 3.1, 3.2 and M1, M2, M3, D1, D2, D3) Staff are key to any business success and so a good strategic business plan should include workforce planning, based on a staff skills audit. This second report should be for the same travel / tourism business / organisation as the first report. The findings from task 2 should be submitted in a written report with an introduction at the beginning and a conclusion at the end. The suggested word length for this report is 1,000 – 1,500 words, excluding any appendices. Include a bibliography of all sources used in the Harvard Referencing Format, showing use of at least ten sources. Excellent bibliographies show use of high quality valid sources, e.g. academic journals. Make sure you write your name on your report and number all the pages. The analytical report should be structured as follows: a. Introduction, which recaps the short description of the selected travel or tourism business. b. Evaluation of the current skills of key managers and selected staff. This staff skills audit should be focussed on relevant technical, operational and management skills. A good evaluation will include a skills gap analysis in which the current skills are compared with those needed both now and in the future for meeting long-term business objectives. An excellent evaluation will lead to recommendations for staff training and recruitment for improved business performance. c. Plan that you have devised for developing the skills of key managers and selected staff. A good plan will set clear targets, consider what training is required, when and how it should be delivered, availability of suitable training, etc. An excellent plan will also include consideration of the cost / benefit analysis of the planned training for the business as a whole. d. Conclusion which summarises your key recommendations for the travel / tourism business. Excellent conclusions demonstrate in-depth evaluation and strategic thinking. For M1 Effective judgements are made about management and staff skills, based on reasoned analysis. For M2 Recommendations cover a range of relevant factors and are developed from the analyses. For M3 The report is well structured, in an appropriate academic format, with citations and a bibliography in the Harvard referencing format and it has been checked for spelling errors. For D1 Evaluative conclusions come directly from your own critical in-depth analysis. For D2 The whole report has been completed to a high standard, using high-quality sources. For D3 Recommendations for staff development are realistic and include cost / benefit analysis. |
Assignment Spring 2015: HNTT 110 Business Health Check (Assessor )
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Guidelines for assignment submission
• The assignment has TWO TASKS. Please read BOTH TASKS carefully.
• Each task has its own submission date. Please submit all assignment tasks ON TIME.
• All tasks MUST be submitted on time to be considered for a MERIT grade.
• The attendance percentage and participation in class tutorials will contribute towards the
achievement of DISTINCTION grade.
• All assignments will be subject to PLAGIARISM checks. PLAGIARISM is a serious
academic offence and will automatically lead to ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT PROCEDURES.
In the event of COLLUSION (similar/identical submissions) please note that both students will
automatically be subject to ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT PROCEDURES.
• When IPADS/TABLETS/MACS are used please make sure documents are saved as .doc.
Otherwise the submission will not be valid and may not be marked.
Writing Guidelines
• Your evidence for assessment must be handed in with a signed learner declaration.
• Make sure that all required Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria are covered in
the assignment. You must hand in individual work for assessment for all tasks.
• Written reports must be word-processed report and should use Times New Roman / Arial font
and font size 12. Use 1.0 or 1.5 line spacing. Please ensure that all pages of your report are
numbered and identify your name, ID number and unit number.
• You should use your own words and ideas as much as possible. There must be no
plagiarism (see above for consequences)
• You must include a BIBLIOGRAPHY of all sources used for the whole assignment, such as
books journals, websites, class handouts, etc. The bibliography should be in the Harvard
referencing format and show use of a wide range of sources of up-to-date relevant material.
(See the college guidelines for how to reference correctly).
• Ensure that citations, referencing and bibliography fully acknowledge all sources. All ideas,
quotes, tables, pictures, diagrams, etc. from books, journals or the Internet must be identified
and clearly cited on the same page.
• Wikipedia and similar sources must not be used as an academic reference.
• Ensure that citations, referencing and bibliography fully acknowledge all sources. All ideas,
quotes, tables, pictures, diagrams, etc. from books, journals or the Internet must be identified
and clearly cited on the same page.
• Wikipedia and similar sources must not be used as an academic reference.
Glossary
Analyse: Break an issue into its constituent parts. Look in depth at each part using supporting
arguments and evidence for and against as well as how these interrelate to one another.
Critically evaluate/analyse: Give your verdict as to what extent a statement or findings within a
piece of research are true, or to what extent you agree with them. Provide evidence taken from a
wide range of sources. Come to a final conclusion, basing your decision on what you judge to be
the most important factors and justify how you have made your choice.
Discuss: Outline competing points of view; weighing up arguments for and against; drawing on
evidence and considering implications.
Explain: Clarify a topic by giving a detailed account as to how and why it occurs, or what is meant
by the use of this term in a particular context. Your writing should have clarity so that complex
procedures or sequences of events can be understood, defining key terms where appropriate, and
be substantiated with relevant research.