vision2learn for colleges

Principles of Business and Administration

Learner handbook: 2012-2013

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Contents

Welcome............................................................................................................................................... 3Learner advice and support................................................................................................................4

Who to go to for help...................................................................................................................... 4Course time-frame......................................................................................................................... 4Guided learning hours.................................................................................................................... 5

Tips for using the platform................................................................................................................. 5Handy ‘how-to’ tips:........................................................................................................................ 5How to login................................................................................................................................... 5How to contact your tutor...............................................................................................................5How to access your units...............................................................................................................5How to access your assessments..................................................................................................5How to submit work........................................................................................................................ 6How to view your deadline dates...................................................................................................6

Assessment hints and tips – Principles of Business and Administration......................................7Useful assessment tips:................................................................................................................. 7Key words to help you.................................................................................................................... 7Avoid copying directly from course materials.................................................................................7Referencing other material.............................................................................................................7Unit 1.............................................................................................................................................. 7

Unit 2....................................................................................................................................... 9 Unit 3............................................................................................................................................ 10 Unit 4............................................................................................................................................ 11 Unit 5............................................................................................................................................ 12Study skills......................................................................................................................................... 13

10 successful study tips...............................................................................................................13Weekly study planner................................................................................................................... 14

Guidelines for acceptable conduct..................................................................................................15Academic misconduct..................................................................................................................15Appeals procedure....................................................................................................................... 15Personal extenuating circumstances............................................................................................15

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Welcome

Dear Learner,

Welcome to your vision2learn Principles of Business and Administration course. This course is being delivered through a partnership agreement with <<insert college name>>, vision2learn and the Lifetime awarding body.

Please take some time to read through this learner handbook as it’s full of essential information to help you progress with your course as successfully as possible.

We hope your vision2learn course will help you to:

Update your skills and enhance your employability Train for work or return to work Improve your CV and progress your career Study on your own terms.

Please feel free to contact our in-house team of advisors throughout your course study time as we are here to support you along with your online tutor. More details of who to contact and how can be found in the ‘Who to go to for help’ section of this handbook.

We hope you enjoy your learning experience!

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Learner advice and support

Your main point of contact is your online tutor. They will support you throughout your studies and provide you with feedback to help you complete your course. You must contact your tutor via v-mail.

Turnaround times: Your tutor must respond to you within 48 hours of receiving your v-mail. If you find that your tutor is not giving you the support you require please contact us so we can help.

Assessment feedback: Your tutor has 5 working days to mark and return your assessment as either a pass or resubmission. Resubmissions must be carried out within 5 days of receiving feedback to ensure that you do not fall behind. If you are unsure of what you need to do to pass, contact your tutor via v-mail for more support.

Moderation: Your work will be internally moderated midway through your course after you have passed a number of units. It will also be moderated when you have passed all units, which we class as completion. This may result in additional actions for you. Although you will receive a v-mail to inform you of your completion (subject to internal and external moderation), it is important to keep logging in for full completion after the final moderation has been carried out.

Colleges carry out an external verification (EV) visit where your work may be chosen to be sampled. Please ensure that you keep your work up to date and complete any actions as quickly as possible so the EV process is as efficient as possible. If you have queries that your tutor cannot answer, the vision2learn office is open from 9am–5pm, Monday to Friday.

Who to go to for help

Online tutor: You will be allocated an online tutor after you have gone through your eligibility check. They are available online via v-mail to provide you with guidance and robust feedback throughout your course.

The customer care team: This team is dedicated to helping you successfully complete your course. If you have any personal issues which are preventing you from submitting your assessments please give us a call to discuss this and update your action plan in agreement with your specific college.

Course-specific support: There is specialist support available on each course. Advisors are available to help in cases where you are unable to resolve issues with your online tutor and would like to discuss course content with someone. In certain cases there is also an in-house course leader who can advise further.

The technical team: These are the people to talk to if you need advice on any difficulties you may have submitting work or any other technical issues. (See the handy hints on navigating around the system for how to submit work first.)

To receive any of the above support please call vision2learn on 0191 215 4100.

Course time-frame

Principles of Business and Administration is a 16-week course.

Guided learning hours

You need to dedicate 10 hours a week as a minimum to successfully complete your vision2learn course. It’s important to make this time available in order to complete the course in the given time-frame and to avoid being withdrawn before receiving your certificate.

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Tips for using the platform

Handy ‘how-to’ tips:

How to login

Go to www.vision2learn.com. Click ‘Login’ and enter your username and password. This information will be sent to you in an email when you have been assigned to your tutor.

How to contact your tutor

Your tutor can be contacted via v-mail. The v-mail option is on your toolbar at the top of the web page.

How to access your units

Once logged in, you will see your course units. Click on your course, and then click on your chosen unit and session.

How to access your assessments

The assessments can be found at the end of each unit. Each assessment must be opened and saved as a Microsoft Word document that you can work from and save for submission.

How to submit work

When you have downloaded your assessment a link will appear on your My study page under Assessment. You will need to open this up first and attach your assessment before you submit it to your tutor.

Although this link may look similar to the v-mail option to contact your tutor, you must submit your assessment via the link on your My Study page and not through v-mail. Read the assessment submission hints and tips in the Getting started section of your course.

How to view your deadline dates

Deadline dates can be found in your Action plan. On your My study page, please click on the course you are studying and then click on Action plan.

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For some courses you will need to click revise Action plan to choose any optional units you have. Your deadline dates will then appear.

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Assessment hints and tips: Principles of Business and Administration

Useful assessment tips:

Now you’ve started your vision2learn course, you will soon be completing your first assessment. We’ve compiled some handy tips to help you meet the assessment criteria or learning outcomes for your course and ensure your assessment is submitted smoothly.

Key words to help you

In the assessment questions there are some key words that you should look out for to help you compose your responses. These words can be interpreted like this:

List or identify If the question asks you to list or identify, then you must write a list, like a shopping list (numbers or bullet points).

Describe If you are asked to describe, then you must give a description, i.e. write a detailed account, like a story (not a list).

Explain If you are asked to explain, then you must give your answer and also your reasons.

Outline If the question asks you to give an outline, this means that you need to provide a few sentences along with some key points.

Avoid copying directly from course materials

It is important that you answer assessment questions in your own words in order to successfully pass your course. So, while you may need to refer to the course materials to help answer a question, you should not copy passages or phrases word-for-word. This is known as plagiarism.

If you are suspected of plagiarism you may be asked to resubmit your assessment or, in serious circumstances, be removed from your course.

Referencing other material

Sometimes you may wish to use other material in your assessment, such as a news article or a quote. It is good practice to provide the name and source of the material and when it was accessed by you.For example, if you used a news article to help you demonstrate an answer in your assessment, you could cut and paste the hyperlink to the article into your assessment, and type in the date that you accessed the article.

Unit 1

Please don’t cut and paste from websites as this is not acceptable practice for assessment purposes.

If you wish to use extra information that you’ve researched beyond the course materials please:

1. Make sure it is additional to the Business and Administration course material2. Make sure it supports and is relevant to your answer3. Quote the source.

The main thing to remember when constructing each answer is to be as robust as possible. Try to include as much relevant detail from the learning materials as you can. It is very important to use your own words. The following information should be helpful to you. If you have any queries please get in touch with your tutor using v-mail.

Session 1:

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Question 2a and b - This question is in two parts and you must include three key areas of legislation that affect both the employer and the employee. The key areas of legislation can be the same for both the employer and employee.

Question 4 - In this question you need to describe how representative bodies can support employees. A good source of information regarding trade unions can be found at www.tuc.org.uk.

Question 5 - This question is in two parts - employer and employee responsibilities - and you must answer both parts to pass the question successfully. In addition to the learning materials, ‘EHRC: Advice and Guidance’ has some excellent information that can help you answer this question.

Question 6 - This is a three-part question in which you need to include a benefit for the employer, the employee and the organisation as a whole.

Session 2:

Question 1 - You need to include both employer and employee responsibilities for health, safety and security. In addition to the course materials, www.hse.gov.uk provides useful information on employer and employee responsibilities for health and safety.

Question 2 - Why does managing health and safety properly make good business sense? In addition to the learning materials, a good article about this can be found at http://www.healthandsafetyworksni.gov.uk/whymanagehealthandsafety.

Session 3:

Question 1 - You need to complete all parts of the table, including two examples for verbal, non-verbal and written communication. In the description column you need to include a description of the communication methods you are using in your answer. It is not sufficient just to list the communication methods as your answer.

Question 2 - If you needed to speak with your Manager regarding a confidential issue, how would you approach them i.e. face-to-face, telephone, email? Would you approach them in private or in a public place where people can hear you?

Question 3 - As well as using the course materials, a good article about active listening can be found at http://www.mindtools.com/CommSkll/ActiveListening.htm.

Session 4:

Question 1 - You need to explain why having standards of work is important, rather than listing different standards, such as ‘must answer 10 telephone calls in an hour’. If you didn’t have standards of work, how would you know if you are doing a good job or not? How will colleagues who depend on you know what to expect if you don’t have standards?

Question 2 – If you’re willing to take on new challenges, will this make you more valuable to the organisation or not? Will you learn new skills? If you resist new challenges and changes, how will your colleagues feel about you?

Question 3 - If you are honest and respectful to your colleagues, how do you think this will affect the work environment? Will it help to build better working relationships or not? Also how would you expect colleagues to behave towards you if you are unfriendly and unhelpful to them?

Session 5:

Question 1 - Why is it important you meet the work standards required of you? What would the consequences of not meeting your work standards be?

Question 2 - What tools and techniques can you use to plan your work? You need to describe two methods you can use to plan your work. A good source of time management tools and techniques can be found at http://www.mindtools.com/pages/main/newMN_HTE.htm.

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Question 3 - You need to select two communication methods you could use to keep people informed of your work progress, i.e. face-to-face, telephone, email, meetings and give a benefit and drawback for each of them.

Session 6:

Question 1 - Why is it important that you keep improving your performance at work? Could improving your performance at work lead to career progression, better rewards (financial or not), gaining more job satisfaction or being seen by your employer as more valuable to the organisation?

Question 2 - You need to give specific examples of how you can improve your performance at work. Could you do extra training, work shadowing, have a coach/mentor at work or use a learning plan? You need to describe how these steps could improve your performance at work.

Question 3 - What types of career could you do? Be specific with your answer.

Session 7:

Question 1 - You need to identify what kind of problems can occur in a work environment.

Question 2 - Ensure you complete all sections of the table giving a detailed explanation of how you would deal with the problems.

Question 3 - Complete all sections of the table. How are problems that you can’t resolve yourself transferred to other people? Is this done verbally or do you have to complete a form, for example?

Unit 2

Session 1:

Question 2 - When answering the phone, should it be answered within a certain number of rings? How should you greet people when you answer the phone? Before making a call, is there any preparation that you need to do? An example procedure for answering the telephone can be found at http://sbinfocanada.about.com/cs/management/qt/telephonetips.htm.

Session 2:

Question 1 - Why is it important that people receive mail on time? What could the consequences be if mail was lost or late (both incoming and outgoing mail)?

Session 3:

Question 2 - You need to consider the four areas that are mentioned in the course materials when answering this question and refer to them in your answer.

Session 4:

Question 1 - The DEFRA website www.defra.gov.uk contains some useful information on the advantages of good waste management for businesses.

Question 3 - For this question you need to give a full description of how waste can be minimised within a business. Again the DEFRA website gives useful information that supports the learning materials.

Session 5:

Question 2 - This question is in two parts. Break your answer down into the two sections of the question. What information, equipment and facilities are required to hold a meeting? If you were asked to arrange a meeting for a group of people, how would you arrange the meeting?

Session 6:

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Question 1 - What could go wrong if you didn’t have the right information when arranging travel and accommodation?

Question 2 - You need to consider the different modes of transport people can use when travelling for work and also where would they stay overnight when away on business? When making these arrangements, think about what needs to be considered for each one?

Question 3 - Why are accurate records of travel costs useful to a business? Consider the four areas mentioned in the course materials.

Session 7:

Question 1 - Why is it useful to keep a diary of what you are planning to do? If you didn’t keep a diary what could the possible consequences be?

Question 2 – What information would you include in a diary in order to get the most use from it? Think of the ‘5 Ws’.

Session 8:

Question 1 - You need to give a clear answer on what an internal customer is and what an external customer is.

Question 2 - Why is it important that organisations have happy customers? You need to give three reasons. As well as the course materials, the Institute of Customer Service - http://www.instituteofcustomerservice.com/ - has some useful information about customer service.

Question 3 - You need to explain how you can make customers happy. Would meeting their expectations make them happy? As well as the course materials, the Institute of Customer Service has useful information on this subject.

Question 4 - How do customers give feedback on a company’s level of service? Is it verbally? Is it by completing surveys?

Session 9:

Question 1 - You need to include what the purpose of the receptionist is within a company. Include the different duties a receptionist will carry out in your answer.

Question 2 - It is important that the receptionist gives a positive impression of themselves as they are often the first point of contact people will have with an organisation. How does a receptionist create a positive impression? Is it by appearance, communication (both verbal and non verbal), their behaviour and professionalism?

Unit 3

Session 1:

Question 2 - As well as the learning materials, the website http://smallbusiness.chron.com/information-technology-business-success-4019.html contains some useful information regarding the benefits IT can bring to a business.

Session 2:

Question 1 - Why is it important that you know what you are required to research and the date it needs to be completed by? If you didn’t have the topic or date, what could the possible outcome be?

Question 2 - This question is in three parts and each needs to be answered fully. Break your answer down into the areas of research, organising and reporting information. How would you conduct your research? How would you organise the information you collected? How would you present your findings?

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Question 3a - This question also needs to be answered in three parts. How is information archived? How would you retrieve the information you have archived? If the information is no longer required how is it disposed of?

Question 3b - Are there any legal requirements that relate to the storing of information? Is there any specific legislation relating to the industry you currently work in/have worked in?

Session 3:

Question 1 - Why is it important that documents are fit for purpose? Think about the structure, the content of the document and the impression it will make on the person reading it.

Question 2 - Complete all sections of the table. Consider whether a business letter should be used? When are formal reports used? When would sending an email be appropriate?

Session 4:

Question 1 - It is worth considering the ‘5 Ps’ for this question – ‘proper planning prevents poor performance’. Without proper planning how would the document appear?

Question 2a – Are you the only person who checks that a document is correct? Are there tools you can use on a computer to check the spelling and grammar of documents?

Question 3 - Why is it important that personal information does not fall into the hands of the wrong people? What could happen to the company if this occurs?

Question 4a - You need to include the different types of documents that can be produced from notes and describe how these documents would look. What information would you expect to find on a letter for example?

Question 4b - When taking notes to produce a document, what things need to be considered? Why are you taking notes? What type of document will be produced from the notes, e.g. business letter or formal report? Is it important that the notes are clear and contain sufficient detail?

Unit 4

Session 1:

Question 1 – You need to explain why change happens within a business. As well as the course materials, a useful resource to help answer this question can be found at http://www.businessballs.com/pestanalysisfreetemplate.htm.

Session 2:

Question 1 - Areas that need to be considered for this question include looking at the impact that reviewing work methods could have on how you operate in your job. Could this result in the business offering different products or services?

Question 2 - When a business is going through change, what sort of support might employees need? For part B you need to consider the advantages that working in a team may bring and the possible consequences of not working as part of a team.

Session 3:

Question 1 - This question is divided into three parts which all need to be answered successfully to pass this question:

A) If you are asked to work in a different way, why it is important you work in the new way? If you refuse to work in the new way what would the consequences be? How do you feel your colleagues would feel if they had to do extra work as a result of you not using the new work methods? B) If your company introduces new products and services how would customers react if you were not positive about them? If your company doesn’t introduce new products or services and your

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competitors produce new products and services that customers like, what could the possible consequences be? C) What types of behaviours would show that you are responding positively to change? Would it be refusing additional training or attending the training, for example?

Unit 5

Session 1:

Question 1 - You need to describe the range of support activities that may be required when organising an event. Simply listing the range of support activities is not sufficient.

Question 2 – Please make sure you complete all sections of the table.

Session 2:

Question 1 - Why is it important that you behave in a professional manner? By displaying professional behaviour how will this benefit the event? Also, if you displayed unprofessional behaviour what could the possible consequences be?

Question 2 - Think carefully about what constitutes professional and helpful behaviour. Does this include how you look and appear to people? What about how you talk to people and the non-verbal communication you demonstrate? How should you deal with attendees/speakers’ queries and requests?

Session 3:

Question 1 - Three types of problems can occur whilst holding a business event. You need to include one example of each problem in your answer.

Question 2 - For the three examples you have given in Question 1, you need to outline specific solutions of how you would overcome each problem.

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Study skills

This section of the handbook is designed to help you study successfully. It will help you to:

Organise your study Make the most of your learning experience Define learning strategies Manage your time effectively,

and… Stay motivated!

10 successful study tips

1. Planning your time is the first step towards successfully achieving your qualification. In your life there will be many other things to balance as well as study, so it’s important that you decide when you are able to study successfully. Try creating a weekly plan which includes all commitments, as well as time to concentrate on your studies. Please see the weekly planner in resources on your My study page, which you are welcome to download and use.

2. Planning your study will help to identify when you will study, how long you will study for and what you will study in each section. This clear plan will help to keep you focused on succeeding on your course.

3. Organise your course materials by working through each section thoroughly, making easy-to-read notes as you go. If you like to make handwritten notes or have access to a printer, you could colour code paper based notes about different topics and sessions as you work through, which can help when you’re completing your assessment.

4. Take regular study breaks. It’s important to remember that studying whilst tired can stop you from reaching your full potential. When working at a computer you must consider your posture and take regular breaks to refresh tired eyes.

5. Make a note of your planned submission dates. Although you can study whenever it suits you with vision2learn, it’s important to keep track of your planned end date. By clicking on the

icon in your My study area you will find a quick link to your Action plan deadline dates. If you need any extra time due to holidays or other commitments you can v-mail your online tutor (see 6, handy ‘how-to’ tips).

6. Consider where you study. Try to find a quiet area to allow you to study without distractions. Turning off radios, telephones and televisions will allow you to fully concentrate on your work.

7. Make sense of what you are reading. It’s all too easy to let your eyes gloss over the words you are reading in each session, but being unfocused means you will not fully understand the concepts and these will need to be revisited for the assessment. There are two ways of maintaining focus; the first is to complete the interactive activities throughout the sessions and the second is to record notes in your journal.

8. Preparing your assessment. Make sure to download your assessment to read through fully before you begin to answer questions. Once you have made sense of what you are being asked to do, please ensure you answer ALL questions including relevant examples where required.

9. Identify how you learn best. As a learner, you receive and process information by seeing, listening, feeling and doing. Using real life examples will allow you to learn from experience through reflection and observation, so be aware of your surroundings and experiences to strengthen your answers. Do not rely completely on the course materials.

10. Do not plagiarise! The Oxford Dictionary (2012) defines plagiarism as taking the work or an idea of someone and passing it off as your own, including copying and pasting the course materials. Tutors will not accept work that is identified as plagiarised, so please ensure that all ideas are your own. Further information on this can be found in the Academic misconduct section.

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Weekly study planner

In order to meet the guided learning hours - 10 hours a week - please use the planner below to help you organise your study time. Remember to arrange your weekly activities to make time to study.

Time Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday

Pre-9am

9.00-10.00

10.00-11.00

11.00-12.00

12.00-1.00

1.00-2.00

2.00-3.00

3.00-4.00

4.00-5.00

5.00-6.00

6.00-7.00

7.00-8.00

8.00-9.00

9.00-10.00

10.00-11.00

11.00-12.00

After Midnight

Total study time

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Guidelines for acceptable conduct

Academic misconduct

As previously highlighted in the Study skills section, plagiarism will not be tolerated.

Reading other people’s ideas about a topic is perfectly legitimate research and forming your own ideas from that research is absolutely fine, but the other person’s work must not be copied word for word.

Quoting other peoples work verbatim is also quite legitimate, provided credit is given to the author of that work (e.g. in a reference footnote spelling out the source). In this case you should explain in your own words why the quote is important or relevant to your own ideas.

Course materials cannot be copied and pasted into your submissions; this is a form of plagiarism and will not be accepted.

Learners who are rude to members of staff including in-house staff and online tutors will not be tolerated. Please remember that we are all here to support you and to work together to help you complete your course successfully.

Appeals procedure

If you are unhappy with any aspect of the course, your tutor or the level of support that you receive, we first recommend discussing this with your tutor. Please v-mail your tutor with any concerns to make them aware of the situation. The next step, if your tutor cannot resolve your issues, is to speak to the vision2learn customer care team. The customer care advisors will be able to further advise you and forward your appeal to the correct person.

Personal extenuating circumstances

If you cannot hand in your work for any reason please v-mail your tutor. Tutors can provide learners with extensions of up to 2 weeks. If any extra time is required please get in touch with our in-house team as they can then contact the College to request further extensions.

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