Assessment:

Request for assistance to pull together a 2 -3 page PowerPoint slide with a script for a 5 - 6 min
presentation covering the following:

a) Demonstrate an understanding of the commercial drive module over the 2-day course
Day 1
 Session 1: Business Thinking
 Session 2: Connecting People Practice to Business Purpose
 Session 3: Customer Focus
Day 2
 Session 4: Business Focused Solutions
 Session 5: Results Driven People Practice
 Session 6: Change in a Commercial Context

b) Use a case study to solve the Business problem by using the learning on the course
c) Refer to the key tips and embed the tasks as guidance to answer the questions
/demonstrating an understanding of the module for commercial drive.

Key tips Understanding the business model

1. You can make assumptions based on the information provided to you and are
encouraged to raise these at the start of your presentations
2. We would recommend you submit a paper summarising/supporting your presentation
in more detail prior to the Wrap-up day itself – as you would typically do in reality in
presenting to a senior management team
3. With regards to the tasks below, the bullet points under each are simply a guide and
not intended to be exhaustive. You might not cover all of them in your presentation
given time constraints but might include the detail in the suggested pre-presentation
summary paper
4. You could submit a copy of your paper and/or presentation to the tutor who led the
Introductory Webinar for your programme, who can effectively play the role of a
senior management team member of the company – and they will act as guide/advisor
as you prepare your final presentation before the Wrap-up day

Your task – Understanding the business model

 What do you see as the core role of the Boatswain Services being?
 How would you go about external environmental scanning to gain a better
understanding of the business and the context within which it is operating? What
sources of information would you use? What is happening currently in the ‘real
world’ at the time of you undertaking this task that would impact directly on a
company like Boatswain Services?
 What ‘value’ do you think Boatswain Services is currently creating? What might be
the risks that would destroy that value?
 What do you think are likely to be the key improvement points that would have a
disproportionately positive impact on Boatswain Service’s performance? What role
can HR play in leveraging these improvement points?
 Liz Beckett (HR Director) has implemented a modified HR business partnering model
that she is proud of. What might be its strengths and where do you think some
changes could be made so that HR is potentially a better fit for the Group given the
current business context?