Strategic Management and Information free essay sample

Assignment title Criteria reference To achieve the criteria the evidence must show that the student is able to: Task no. Evidence P1 explain different types of business information, their sources and purposes 1 M1 analyse different types of business information and their sources 1 D1 evaluate the appropriateness of business information used to make strategic decisions 1 P2 present complex internal business information using three different methods appropriate to the user’s needs 2 D2 evaluate the effectiveness of business information and its communication as key contributors to the success of an organisation, using examples to illustrate your points. 2 P3 produce corporate communications 3 P4 evaluate the external corporate communications of an existing product or service 3 P5 explain the legal and ethical issues in relation to the use of business information 4 P6 explain the operational issues in relation to the use of business information 4 M2 Analyse the legal, ethical and operational issues in relation to the use of business information, using appropriate examples. 4 P7 Outline electronic and non-electronic methods for communicating business information, using examples for different types of audience. 5 Learner declaration I certify that the work submitted for this assignment is my own and research sources are fully acknowledged. Learner signature: Date: Assignment brief Qualification Unit number and title Start date Deadline Assessor name Assignment title Task 1 (P1, M1, D1) You have been asked to carry out an audit on the types of information used within a business in order to report back to management on the range of information used, the ways in which it is used, and the appropriateness of information used in decision making. Write a report to show the results of your investigation into information in an organisation you have been given. In order to do this you should complete the following activities. Complete a table like the one below to show the types, sources and purposes of information used within the organisation. Try to include at least two examples of each type of information. (P1) Type of information Example Description Purpose Source Verbal Written On-screen Multimedia Web-based Where possible cross reference your example to evidence of this in your appendices, for example, a screenshot of web-based information or a copy of a letter. (P1) Purpose of information: updating knowledge; informing future developments; strategic direction; SWOT analysis; offering competitive insight; communicating sales promotions; inviting support for activities Sources of information: internal, eg financial, human resources, marketing, purchasing, sales, manufacturing, administration; external, eg government, trade groupings, commercially provided, databases, research; reliability of data sources Analyse the types of information by explaining the range of sources that they come from and explaining how they meet their purpose. Analyse how the different types of information work in relation to each other. (M1) Identify and explain two strategic decisions made by the business. Identify what information was used to make these decisions. Evaluate the appropriateness of the information used to make these decisions. (D1) Task 2 (P2, D2) You have been asked to attend a meeting to present the results of an investigation into the effectiveness of the sales and marketing of a particular product or service by the business. This includes the way in which information is communicated to the customer. You must prepare materials to be discussed and presented at the meeting combining different forms of information, for example, text, tables, charts and images from a range of sources. In order to do this you should complete the following activities. Choose a product or service offered by the business. Gather information from a range of sources that will help you look at key indicators of the sales and marketing performance of that product or service. (P2) Ask the following questions: How has it been marketed? How effective was the marketing? How does the business measure the effectiveness of its marketing? What are the sales figures? Provide a summary of your findings on one side of A4 to be distributed to employees prior to the meeting. (P2) Prepare a presentation to support your summary and give further explanation during the meeting. (P2) Evaluate the corporate communication which has been used to promote this product or service. (D2) Present a corporate communication document aimed at improving the sales of the investigated products or services. (D2) TASK 3 (P3, P4) Using the same organisation or any other of your choice, produce a corporate communication such as an advert, Poster or leaflet communicating information about the business or one of its products or services. Your proposed audience will be the businesses customers and potential customers. (P3) Find an example of a real external corporate communication from your selected business and evaluate it as a means of corporate communication. This could be an advert they have produced or a poster, leaflet, advertisement, packaging, logos, livery, straplines, endorsements or any sponsorship they may have undertaken. (P4) Task 4 (P5, P6, M2) Use the organisation you have worked on throughout the unit. You have to explain the use of legal an ethical issues in relation to the use of information. The explanation needs to include how the business complies with current legislation and how it deals with ethical issues by means of policies and codes of practice. (P5) Explain the operational issues in relation to the use of information. You can again use the same organisation or any that is appropriate. (P6) Analyse the legal, ethical and operational issues in relation to the use of business information, using appropriate examples. (M2) Task 5 (P7) This section requires you to investigate communication using appropriate methods. Produce a summary of the electronic and non-electronic methods of communication used in the business. For each method identify the nature of the audience for which it is intended. (P7)