Assessment Answer Guide Diploma Of Man

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Contents

Introduction4
Units of competency4
Answer guide5

Introduction
This guide has been developed to assist assessors who are using the e learning integrated assessment tool for three core units of the Diploma of Management. The assessment tool should be used in conjunction with the assessment plan but can be adapted according to the needs of the candidate. Guidance is supplied for all scenarios. Answers will differ according to the scenario chosen. Assessors should use the supporting documentation supplied when assessing the answers supplied by candidates.

Units of competency
BSBMGT502B Manage people performance
BSBFIM501AManage budgets and financial plans
BSBMBT515AManage operational plan

Answer Guide
1. You wish to expand your business into another town/suburb in order to increase your profit margins. a) What are the risks?

Answers could include:
Financial loss
Time commitments
New markets
Competition
New staff

b) Who could provide advice to mitigate the risks?

Answers could include:
Accountants
Local government
Professional associations
Consultancy firms

c) What specialist advice do you need?

Answers could include:
Local planning
Marketing
Recruitment
Finance

d) Develop a contingency plan to monitor and address these risks.

Contingency plans should include:
Risks
Probability of occurrence
Impact if the risk did occur
How the risks are to be monitored
Strategies to address the risk or it’s occurrence.

2. In order to undertake this expansion you need to plan
a) Use the template provided to develop an operational plan to meet your expansion goals in 12 month Operational Plan
Objectives
3-4 Objectives related to the expansion of the business
Key performance Indicators
3-4 measurable indicators
Target Market
Demographics
Characteristics
Key needs of the market
Sales Forecast
Estimated sales for 12 months
Financing
Finance could include:
Overdraft
Line of credit
Funds invested
Stock invested
Time frame and Action Plans
Should include:
Dates or months
Tasks to be undertaken
Outputs or milestones to be achieved
Marketing and Promotion Plan
Could include:
Advertising
Merchandising
Promotional activities
Media
b) How will you measure your key performance indicators?

To be related to the KPI identified in the operational plan. Measurements could be: Finance figures
Sales targets
Staff turnover
Marketing activity

c) What additional resources are required?

Could refer to:
Staff
Management
Finance
Stock
Time

d) What finance, credit facilities or trading terms will you need?

Could include:
Overdraft
Line of credit
90 day suppliers

3. People will be a key resource in establishing and driving your new expansion

a) Draw up an organizational chart for your expanded business.

Chart should include:
Staff types (Management, Sales, Clerical, etc)
Time fractions (1.0, 0.5, etc)
Reporting lines

b) What type of additional staffing will you require in your new location?

Could include
Management staff
Casual or part time

c) Using the template provided write up a draft position description for each type of position. Position Description Template
Position Title:Name of the position
Position Purpose: Reason the position exists
Reporting to:Immediate superior
Award/Agreement conditions: Award relevant to this workplace Salary level and range: Related to the award
Commencement date: As required
Contract review: As required
Probation period: 3 or 6 months
Performance appraisal: 12 months
Key responsibility areas
Complete 4 broad areas- can be taken from awardPosition Duties
Complete 8 specific duties- can be taken from award

Key selection criteria
Complete 6 required skills and abilities (including qualifications) 1.

d) What awards or agreements will apply to each worker?

Relevant award should be sourced

e) How will you transfer staff from the existing business?

Answers need to refer to either award or policy of business

f) How will you recruit new staff?

Reference to be made to policy of business

g) Outline your induction strategy and write a checklist for induction sessions.

Reference to be made to policy of business
Checklist to include:
Basic conditions such as hours of work, pay scales, uniform requirements Time sheets and leave provisions
Probation time frames
Work area
Occupational Health and Safety requirements

4. In order to meet your expansion goals you will need to be able to track your progress

a) Identify and describe the systems you will put in place to monitor your business performance.

Could include:
Financial reports
Sales reports
Customer visits
Surveys
Reports on competitors

b) What are your key financial targets for the new business?

Could include:
Gross Profit
Net Profit
Sales
COGS
Expenditure

c) What financial reports can you use to monitor the financial performance of your new business?

Could include:
Income and Expenditure
Cash flow
Balance sheet
Budget variance

d) What are the key output targets for the staff in your new business?

Could include:
Customer numbers
Sales
Stock movements
Revenue

e) Write up a performance appraisal system for the staff in the new business.

Reference should be made to the policy of the business

Should include:
Time frame
Areas to be considered
Measurement devices
Training or professional development
Feedback for employee
Feedback for employer
Agreement of both parties
Budget Variance Reports
BIFI Hardware Store
Income statement variance report for December quarter

Budget
$
Actual
$
Variance
$
%
Sales Revenue
500,000
400,000
100,000
20
Less Cost of Goods Sold

Stock as at Oct 1

Add purchases
150,000
150,000
0
0
Sub total
150,000
150,000
0
0
Less stock as at Dec30
25,000
50,000
(25,000)
(100)
Cost of Goods Sold
125,000
100,000
25,000
20
Gross Profit
375,000
300,000
75,000
28

Less Operating Expenses

Advertising
25,000
15,000
10,000
40
Accounting fees
250
250
0
0
Bank fees
250
250
0
0
Postage
750
1000
(250)
(33)
Power
11,250
12,000
(750)
(7)
Insurance
3,750
3,750
0
0
Motor vehicle
10,000
4,000
6,000
60
Lease
62,500
62,500
0
0

Salary Costs

Wages
125,000
125,000
0
0
Superannuation
11,250
11,250
0
0

Total Expenses
250,000
235,000
15,000
6

Operating Profit*
125,000
65,000
60,000
48

This is the Income variance statement for Build It Fix It Hardware Store after 3 months of business in their new store. What is this report telling you?
Should include:
Lower sales than estimated has resulted in lower gross profit and higher stock holdings Expenditure in advertising and motor vehicle has been reduced Operating profit is 48 % lower than budgeted

What strategies would you recommend for the next three months? Could include:
Increase advertising to increase sales
Offer discounts to move stock
Review sales estimates

Soothers Therapeutic Massage
Income statement variance report for December quarter

Budget
$
Actual
$
Variance
$
%
Sales Revenue
125,000
200,000
(75,000)
(60)
Less Cost of Goods Sold

Stock as at Oct 1

Add purchases
10,000
10,000
0
0
Sub total
10,000
10,000
0
0
Less stock as at Dec30
5,000
2,000
3,000
60
Cost of Goods Sold
5,000
8,000
(3,000)
(60)
Gross Profit
120,000
192,000
(72,000)
(60)

Less Operating Expenses

Advertising
1,250
2,000
(750)
(60)
Accounting fees
7,500
7,500
0
0
Bank fees
125
125
0
0
Postage
125
125
0
0
Power
750
900
(150)
(20)
Insurance
250
250
0
0
Taxi
150
100
50
33
Lease
11,250
11,250
0
0

Salary Costs

Wages
40,000
50,000
(10,000)
(25)
Superannuation
3,600
4,500
(900)
(25)

Total Expenses
75,000
86,750
(11,750)
(16)

Operating Profit*
45,000
105,250
(60,250)
(134)

This is the Income statement variance report for Soothers Therapeutic Massage new business 3 months after establishment. What is this report telling you?
Should include:
Increased sales revenue has increased gross profit by 60%
Wages have increased only by 25% to produce an increase in operating profit of 134%

What strategies would you recommend for the next three months? Could include:
Review of staff time and wages
Review of customer patronage and repeat business
Review of pricing strategy

Staff Scenarios
Assessors may choose any number of these scenarios for candidates to undertake. 1. Kevin (Masseuse): undertake performance review
Kevin has been with your therapeutic massage business for 5 years, in fact he was with the business when you bought it twelve months ago. You intend to establish annual performance reviews of all staff and have made an appointment to meet with Kevin in 5 days to discuss his performance. Kevin has responded stiffly to your request for a meeting and has spluttered remarks about never having had to do this before with the previous owners. He is now avoiding you in the workplace and only when pressed responds to you in clipped speech. Given this response from Kevin how will you approach his performance review? 1. Arrange to hold the meeting in a comfortable space such as a local café. 2. Drop hints to Kevin that you think he is doing a great job 3. Meet Kevin at the appointed time as you want to treat staff equally 4.

Choose the approach you will take and list the advantages and disadvantages of this approach. Advantages could include:

Clear communication
Safe environment
Confidence building
Transparent processes

Disadvantages could include:
Public spaces
Unclear messages
Inflexible practices
Not focusing on individuals

2. Shirley (Masseuse): advise where there is poor performance and undertake necessary actions Shirley has been working for you for three months. She has been arriving late regularly but has justified this by working later. Her customers are starting to comment on delays to their appointments commencement and completion. You are unsure about the quality of her service as you have been very busy and have not checked for comments from customers or staff. What actions would you take?

1. Speak to Shirley informally in a coffee break about her late arrival
2. Survey Shirley’s customers to get feedback on her service
3. Give Shirley a written warning about her tardiness

Why have you chosen this action and what would be the likely consequences of this action on Shirley’s performance?

Consequences could include:
Shirley arrives on time
Shirley becomes resentful and her work quality drops
Shirley continues to arrive late
Shirley stops working late to make up time

3. Maurice (Finance Officer): monitor and evaluate performance on a continuous basis Your business has a finance officer to look after the invoicing, paying the bills, looking after payroll and your tax obligations. You do not understand the ‘ins and outs” of the accounts and rely heavily on Maurice your finance officer to look after this side of the business. On an annual basis your Accountant audits the books and finalises your end of year reports. You are unsure of what Maurice actually does in his office and feel unable to evaluate both his workload and performance. What actions can help you both monitor and evaluate Maurice’s performance? 1. Engage your Accountant to meet with Maurice on a monthly basis 2. Establish key result areas with Maurice and receive reports against these KRA 3. Ask Maurice to complete a weekly time sheet that shows the tasks he has undertaken

What would be the best action to take? What could be the advantages and disadvantages of this action? Advantages could include:
The accountant can update you on what Maurice is doing
You can measure achievements according to agreed KPI
You can see the tasks undertaken according to time taken

Disadvantages could include:
You are reliant on someone else to monitor his performance
Your knowledge of finances may not enable you to evaluate his reports and therefore his workload and performance Maurice may be able to manipulate his reports to his own advantage Your finances are vulnerable

4. Jackson (Store Supervisor): train in the performance management process After 10 years working for Build It Fix It Jackson has recently been promoted to the position of Store Supervisor. While Jackson has participated in his own annual performance reviews as an employee he will now be responsible for the performance review of his subordinates. What would be the key principle that you would need to ensure that Jackson applied in performance reviews? 1. Fairness

2. Justice
3. Truthfulness
4. Other

Please explain why you have chosen this principle:

Could include:
Legislation such as Equal Opportunity, Anti Discrimination, etc Clear communication ensures performance improvement can occur Level playing fields enable comparison of performance
Human rights
Industrial law

5. Rollo (Salesperson): Mentoring/Coaching
Build It Fix It has a tradition of “growing up” the staff to ensure that those who reach senior positions have experience from the ground up. In order to achieve this all staff are to have the opportunity to develop their skills and knowledge on the job. Rollo has been with the store for 12 months and has displayed enthusiasm and initiative in his role as sales person. You are the Store Supervisor and have been asked to develop a learning program for Rollo to develop the skills and experience to be Assistant Store Supervisor. Which of these methods would you use in your learning program? 1. Establish yourself as Rollo’s mentor

2. Engage an external coach to provide regular training sessions for Rollo in work hours 3. Send Rollo to an external evening course on supervision
4. Other

What benefits will this learning method bring to Rollo’s learning?

Could include:
Learning over time will assist Rollo
Workplace learning ensures relevance
Outside expertise brings new ways of doing things
Informal learning and role modelling is powerful
Learning with others outside the workplace will bring new ideas

6. Geoffrey (Salesperson): Develop and agree performance indicators Geoffrey is new to your sales department and has previously worked for companies that paid a commission on sales. Your store does not do this and Geoffrey is finding it difficult to understand how to work to goals that do not translate into additional payments. You need to work with Geoffrey to establish performance indicators. Do you:

1. Show Geoffrey the sales target of your department and give him an equal share as a performance indicator 2. Identify Geoffrey’s strengths that can contribute to the sales target and set performance indicators as part of the team performance 3. Pair Geoffrey with another sales person and give them joint targets as performance indicators

Why would Geoffrey agree with this method in developing his performance indicators?

Could include:
He has been included in setting the targets
He feels equal to everyone else who have the same targets
He understands how he can contribute to the targets
He feels comfortable that he has the ability to meet his targets He is working with another person who can help him understand the process

7. Margret (Salesperson): undertake performance review
It is Tuesday morning and you have a performance review with Margret at 10am. You are generally happy with her work but have had some concerns regarding her ability to work with the rest of the team. She seems to be becoming more of a loner, taking breaks by herself and avoiding attendance at social occasions. Whilst this is not affecting her work it is starting to affect the team morale which is important in small workplaces. At the performance review you:

1. Raise the issue of team work first as you like to get anything that may be unpleasant up front. 2. Praise her work performance before raising the issue
of team work. 3. Ask her if she has any issues she would like to raise before you commence the performance review.

What impact do you think this will have on the outcomes of the performance review meeting?

Could include:
Clarity of goals
Honest feedback
Confidence building
Agreement to changes to be made

8. George (Warehouse Supervisor): Mentoring/Coaching
Part of George’s role as Warehouse Supervisor is to mentor Robin the person responsible for Faulty Warehouse. George was previously in this role and hated it. He is unsure how to be a mentor, particularly when he has no enthusiasm for the role Robin is undertaking. He has asked you for some tips on how to mentor Robin in a positive manner. You tell him to:

1. Fake his enthusiasm for the job and hope that this rubs off on Robin 2. Tell Robin he hated the job but if Robin sticks it out he could get a promotion into the sales team. 3. Train Robin to do the job well and hope that he will gain satisfaction from this

Why did you select this option?
Could include:
You may have had a bad experience but Robin may not
You want him to work hard
You want to be honest
You would like to keep Robin in the job

9. Robin (Faulty Warehouse): Confirm performance standards, code of conduct and work outputs As Warehouse Supervisor you need to ensure that Robin
(Faulty Warehouse) understands the BIFI code of conduct and performance standards of the warehouse. Part of these performance standards include specific levels of weekly work outputs that include sending faulty stock to suppliers and receiving repaired stock for customers. As this work is often delayed and customers are already feeling aggrieved that their purchase is faulty it is extremely important that Robin follows procedures and works with the sales department to meet customer service standards. To make sure that Robin maintains these standards and outputs you: 1. Put a flow chart of procedures and work out put target graphs on the wall above Robin’s computer 2. Talk to Robin about the procedures and standards and then let him learn by his own mistakes on the job 3. Regularly meet with Robin to talk about standards and outputs

Why have you chosen this action and what do you think will be the long term outcomes of your action?

Could include:
Customer complaints have been reduced through Robin learning the procedures Procedures and work out put targets are easily referred to
Standards and outputs are reviewed and improved over time

10. Kim (Casual Sales): on the job coaching to improve performance and confirm excellence Your sales department is keen to provide excellence in customer service and this includes the casual staff who work on Friday nights and the weekend. Kim is a young person who is enthusiastic but has difficulty in remembering where products are in the store. She often does not seek help from experienced staff as she is over eager to help. You need to provide on the job coaching to help her learn the location of products to provide excellence in customer service. You:

1. Assign her to one aisle each Saturday on a rotating basis 2. Teach her to look at the aisle signs first and then locate the product in the aisle 3. Give her a map of the store with the products located on the map

How will this help Kim to achieve excellence in customer service? Could include:
She will learn where all stock is held in every aisle
Kim will learn how to use the signs so that she can cope with any changes in product location Kim can refer to the map and retrieve the items required immediately

11. David (Casual Sales): Provide informal feedback on a regular basis You are the Store Manager and you are keen to improve your ability to provide regular informal feedback to your staff. Often the busy store means that this feedback is sounds pretty lack lustre and forced. This is particularly so for the casual staff who work a maximum of 15 hours and may not be in the store at the same time as you. You often rely on the comments of other staff to know how they are going. In order to give informal feedback to David who works casually in sales you have decided to use an innovative solution. You:

1. Set up a face book page and invite all your staff to provide informal feedback to each other 2. Start a tweet account for each of your casuals and get them to let you know what is happening in their work day 3. Organise a buddy system for each casual so that they have someone from the permanent staff to provide informal feedback

What are the likely consequences of your choice?

Could include:
Staff may use the opportunity to ridicule or bully others
Staff may give very positive feedback and this builds the team Your time may be taken up with having to tweet
You get immediate feedback from your casual staff
Your permanent staff may not have the time to provide feedback Your casuals may not like the person they are buddy’s with.

12. New Casual- Induction
You are employing a number of new casual staff and need to undertake an induction program with them. Do you:
1. Run the induction as a group activity so that the new casuals will meet each other 2. Induct each new staff member individually face to face as you want to get to know them and believe that they will learn better on their own 3. Give them the policy and procedure manual to read prior to commencing work and then quiz them over their first week at work

What are the advantages and disadvantages of the approach you have taken? Advantages
Building a team of casuals
Getting to know individual casual employees
Learning is done in the employees own time as they are casual

Disadvantages
Casuals need to work in a team with the permanent staff, may develop a clique Time taken to work with someone individually
Learning is difficult from a manual without the workplace context Casual staff may feel under pressure in their first week

13. Counsel individuals who continue to perform below expectations and implement disciplinary processes if necessary Rollo has failed to meet his sales targets for the third month in a row. He has continued to be punctual but has left the store right on knock off time every night. All other departments are exceeding their targets each month so it does not seem to be a lack of customers. You have seen him wandering around the store away from his section on a number of occasions. Do you:

1. Organise an informal discussion with him in order to find out if anything is happening in his personal life? 2. Organise a formal meeting with him to discuss his targets and why they are not being met? 3. Write a formal letter to him identifying the unsatisfactory performance and the steps you wish him to take to rectify the problem.

How will your actions contribute to your decision to terminate his employment? Could include:
His personal life may be disrupting his work in the short term and you will not terminate his employment He will need to explain why he is not meeting his targets and this could help both parties decide that employment termination is the best option. His response to a formal action may demonstrate if he is interested in maintaining his employment with you.

14. Terminate staff where serious misconduct occurs or ongoing poor performance continues David a casual sales assistant has been caught by your store manager pocketing cash at the register. This constitutes grounds for immediate dismissal. Do you:

1. Take David into your office and explain to him the consequences of his actions 2. Escort David to pick up his personal property and see him to the front door 3. Request your store manager to sack him immediately

Why have you chosen this action?

Could include:
Privacy issues
Security issues
Maintaining supervisory responsibilities

15. Provide support to ensure that team members can competently perform required roles associated with the management of finances Each of your staff have a responsibility to handle sales and receipts and you want to make sure that they have the knowledge and skills to do so. Which of the following approaches would you take?

1. Organise a group session on point of sale after hours
2. Run individual sessions at the cash register with each staff member
3. Ask staff to complete a self assessment of their knowledge and skills

What are the benefits of this approach?

Could include:
Customers would not be inconvenienced by the training
Training can happen with customers involved
Staff are acknowledged for what they already know
Training can be targeted
Training in a group can build the team