Advanced Diploma in

Business
Management

Graded Unit 2 How to plan and

H0J0 35 complete stage 1
Graded Unit 2
Stages & marks

Candidates must attain a minimum A = 70%–100%

of 50% of available marks for each B = 60%–69%
stage to pass. C = 50%–59%
Graded Unit 2
Planning for stage 1
The brief must include

1. Personal assessment of the candidate’s skills.

2. An appropriate title of the project.
3. Statement of the issue to be investigated. This should cover how it involves meeting the
needs of customers and who the relevant customers are.
4. Aims and objectives of the project.
5. Reasons for the choice of issue which must be directly related to a topic or topics covered
6. Justification for the choice of business or businesses involved.
7. Explanation of the range of primary and secondary sources of information which will be
used for the investigation and justification for the choice of each source.
8. Explanation of the how the investigation will be conducted with justification for the
choice of methods used.

The brief should carry all eight elements to pass the stage 1 (Planning)
Graded Unit 2
Planning for stage 1- Brief

• S & W are internal- Controllable by you

• O & T are External -Not controllable by you
• S & O- Helpful
• W & T- Harmful
• Deep self analysis

Have you understood the SWOT model?

How deep your analysis?
Graded Unit 2
Planning for stage 1-Brief
Appropriate title for the project

Common observations

Wide range of choices

HR, Marketing, Business , Management,
Finance…..
Improvement

Specific with few variables

Do you understand “Cause
and effect” or relationship?
Graded Unit 2
Planning for stage 1-Brief
Statement of the issue (Problem statement)

What you should think Improvement

You are the subject expert, you Discussion related and

should educate the reader relevant to the issue,
impact, organization,
customers etc
Have you explained and transferred
the knowledge of the
issue/research?
Graded Unit 2
Planning for stage 1-Brief
Aims and objectives

Improvement
• Primary objective
• Secondary objectives  Ask the questions

• Why--------- -is it happening?

• What---------are you going to do?
• How-----------are you going to do?

Are your objectives are

specific and focused ?
Graded Unit 2
Planning for stage 1-Brief
Reasons for the choice of issue which must be directly related to a topic or
topics covered

Why are you choosing this topic?

• Academic interest
Improvement
• Professional interest
• Personal interest Organizational and
environmental information
can be discussed in
Have you stated your interest “Justification”
clearly?
Graded Unit 2
Planning for stage 1-Brief
Justification for the choice of business or businesses involved.

• How serious is this issue?

• What happens if you don’t find a solution?
• Quantification of the problem- Data driven?
Improvement

Think about proving how

Have you explained internal and important that this issue is
external challenges & to be sorted
opportunities ?
Graded Unit 2
Planning for stage 1-Brief
Range of primary and secondary sources of information which will be used for
the investigation and justification

• Primary data & sources

• Secondary data & sources Improvement

Not only about what is

Have you explained what are you available but what you
going to collect and how are you need and how you obtain it
going to collect?
Graded Unit 2
Planning for stage 1-Brief
How the investigation will be conducted with justification for the choice of
methods used- Methodology

A research methodology  involves specific techniques

• To collect
• Assemble and
• Evaluate data
Improvement
Have you explained how you are gong The steps, tools in collection
to conduct, collect and interpret this to interpret
research?
Graded Unit 2
Planning for stage 1
Devise an action plan to carry out the investigation.
The plan must include:

1. Negotiated dates for the planning, development and evaluation of the project.
2. Interim and final timescales and dates for conducting the investigation, which should be
related to the objectives of the investigation.
3. Identification of the resources (including time) required to carry out the investigation.

Produce a log of activities carried out. The The plan carries total 6
log must include activities undertaken, marks and minimum 3 is the
resources used and time allocated. pass mark
Graded Unit 2
Planning for stage 1-Plan
An action plan to be put in place carry out the investigation.

Does your planning has

• Dates?
• Timescales for investigation ( Meeting, interviews, surveys, book
research etc)?
• Resources to be used?
• Actions and achievements?
Graded Unit 2
Planning for stage 1-Plan
Activity log

Does your log includes

• Activities undertaken?
• Resources used ?
• Time allocated during the Planning and Developing stages of the
investigation?
Graded Unit 2
Planning for stage 1-Plan
Stage 1 submission

Submission through Moodle

Stage 1 Submission Date - 14-12-2020

Stage 1 Marks - 16-12-2020
Start of Stage 2 - 17-12-2020
Graded Unit 2
Common mistakes
• Starting late
• Thinking research is easy
• Writing something about a title is enough
• Can produce a passable work in the last week

• Start on time
• Research is about following a specific process
• It is about detailed reading and understanding
• It is about finding solution for a significant problem