Business & Administration

* The first thing you need to do is save a copy of this document, either onto your computer or a disk * Then work through your Assessment, remembering to save your work regularly * When you’ve finished, print out a copy to keep for reference * Then, go to www.vision2learn.com and send your completed Assessment to your tutor via your My Study area – make sure it is clearly marked with your name, the course title and the Unit and Assessment number.

Please note that this Assessment document has 8 pages and is made up of 7 Sections.

Section 1 – Know the employment rights and responsibilities of the employee and employer

1. Identify four main points that would be included in a contract of employment. If possible, use an example contract to support your answer (feel free to obscure any confidential information).

Four Main points are:
* Hours a week that are worked
* Holiday entitlement
* Details of job title
* Terms & Conditions of Employment.

2a) List three key points of legislation that affect employers in a business environment.
* Pay
* Health & safety
* Data Protection

2b) List three key points of legislation that affect employees in a business environment.
* Employment rights
* Pension
* Pay

3. Identify a range of places where a person can find information on employment rights and responsibilities. You should identify at least two internal and two external sources of information.  A person can find information internally through a line manager or a trade union representive & externally by using a library or an internet site called acas.

4. Describe how representative bodies can support employees.

A representive body is able to support employees as they know the rules and regulations. They can act on the employee’s behalf on problems, i.e. redundancy, health & safety. The best example for a representive body is a trade union as they are a large organisation that shares their expertises for the specific work industry.

5. Briefly describe employer and employee responsibilities for equality and diversity in a business environment. You should give at least two employer responsibilities and two employee responsibilities.

If possible, provide relevant equality and diversity procedures from your workplace (or place of study) to support your answer. These documents should be annotated to highlight the relevant sections.

An employer and employee should know what equality & diversity means and they should implement that when at work. An employer should make sure that they treat people fairly & not judge people by their ethnicity or religion. If they are looking to promote a member of staff they should not use personal grudges to not promote them and look into their experience, skills & background knowledge before making a choice. Whereas an employee should not bully people due to their age/race & background. They should also treat every person the same even if they are disabled or personally challenged.

6. Briefly explain the benefits of making sure equality and diversity procedures are followed in a business environment. Your answer should include one benefit for the employer, one benefit for the employee and one benefit for the overall organisation.

The benefits of making sure all procedures are followed are that the employer doesn’t have to waste time trying to deal with problems that are caused by judging people unfairly. The employee is happier in their job and the organisation benefits because the employees are happy they will get on with their jobs and the employer can then deal with what they need to deal with easily without being disturbed.

Section 2 – Understand the purpose of health, safety and security procedures in a business environment

1. Identify employer and employee responsibilities for health, safety and security.

If possible, provide relevant health, safety and security policies / documents from your workplace (or place of study) to support your answer. These documents should be annotated to highlight the relevant sections.

The employer should make sure that all employees are aware of the health, safety & security details for that company. The employer should also make sure that all documentation for these rules are clearly written and shown in a specific place for everybody to see. They should also make sure that they have all the correct equipment need i.e fire extinguishers & wet floors and that all fire exits are clearly marked. The employee should make sure that all fire escapes are left clear and that all documentation they file or store away are done neatly & properly. They need to make sure that they follow all safety rules at every time, i.e. climbing a ladder, don’t do in high heels.

2. Explain the purpose of following health, safety and security procedures in a business environment.

The procedures are put into place to protect each member of staff & to make sure that every person knows what they are responsible for when an accident occurs. If the procedures are not followed accident will happen & they could end up being severe and the company could be sued. Security procedures are put into place to protect every person within that company or building, i.e. a bank, security guards & CCTV put into place to reduce the risk of a robbery and also to be able to view any persons within the building. Economically the rules are in place to stop the law being broken, for fines to be issued, compensation to be handed out if necessary to customers, staff etc…

3. Describe three different ways of maintaining a safe and secure business environment.

An Employer can maintain these by:
1. Regular fire drills
2. Keep all areas tidy
3. Check all security systems regularly

An Employee can maintain these by:
* Not wearing Jewellery or clothing that can cause any harm. * Keeping aware of any faults or hazards & reporting them. * Find out about all the ealth, safety, security details etc… for that company so they are up to date with what they need to do.

Section 3 – Understand how to communicate effectively with others

1. Complete the table below with descriptions of different methods of communication. You should include two verbal, two non-verbal and two written methods of communication.

Methods of communication| Description|
Verbal communication| 1. meetings2. one on one discussions| Non-verbal communication| 1. Facial Expressions2. Posture| Written communication| 1. letters or emails2. Texting|

2. Using two specific examples, explain how to choose the most appropriate method of communication to meet your needs and the needs of others.

To meet needs of others properly & professionally you would use the ‘Verbal Communication’. If it was one individual who needed help and guidance you would call a one to one meeting or if it was a large amount of individuals you would call a staff meeting.

3. Describe at least two ways of actively listening.

Two ways to show that you are actively listening are:
* Making notes
* Joining in with discussions.

By making notes it means that you can look back on them and it also keeps you alert throughout the meetings. Joining in with discussions gives you an opportunity to speak your ideas & feelings.

Section 4 – Understand how to work with and support colleagues

1. Explain the purpose of agreeing standards for your own work. Give at least two reasons.

Agreeing a standard for work makes it easier for you as an employee to: * Complete work properly with the correct equipment & help Completing the work properly is vital so that if you are not in work on that day then somebody else can use you work to finish i.e. a presentation. * Keep a check on your own progress if there is no guidelines set in place. If you keep an eye on your progress then you will know what you need to do next and what you need to complete within a certain time.

2. Explain the purpose of taking on new challenges and being able to adapt to change at work.

Taking on new challenges involve the person into the best employee they could be, although adapting to them could take a while, the reasons behind the change are for a reason. A member of staff that will adept to change is a very handy and useful person to keep within your business because no matter what you give them they will sort it for you. A member of staff that doesn’t adept can be very hard to keep within the business because if the business changes there might not be a position available for them.

3. Explain the purpose of treating others with honesty and consideration.

If you are honest with other then they will be honest with you which means that working together will be a lot easier. You always need to considerate to others as they could be slower at something that you are quick at. If you shout or bully others then they will not like you and can cause all types of problems within the workplace.

Section 5 – Know how to plan own work and be accountable to others

1. Explain the purpose of meeting work standards and deadlines when completing tasks in a business environment.

Standards are set for a reason, if you work in say advertising and you make a presentation that is below standards there is a very high chance that others will not buy your product because you show that you haven’t really bothered with the concept. Deadlines are also there for a reason, if you don’t complete the work within the given time this could also mean that a business could lose out on money or even lose another contract completely.

2. Describe two different methods that you can use to plan your own work in a business environment.

Two different methods could include:
* A chart on what to work on and when
A wall planner chart, so that next to their name it has what they need to do and when they need to complete it by. Also a chart to organise any meetings, holidays or training exercises. * Be flexible when it comes to working, prioritise the most important first. Keep all work in order, make sure that the most important or the stuff that needs doing first is completed first.

3. Describe ways of keeping other people informed about progress and compare their effectiveness. What are the benefits and drawbacks of each approach?

If you communicate with others about your progress then at least they know where you are and if you start to struggle they can help you out because they know what you are doing and where you are. A perfect example for this is with a presentation, if you are struggling on the wording and you still need to a graph but your near deadline, other could help you by doing your graph whilst you finish your wording.

Drawbacks of when you don’t communicate means that you could miss deadlines because you didn’t talk and ask for help. Your workload could pile up and you can’t complete it because you haven’t enough time to do so.

Examples of communication can be a
1. text, fast and easy to send. Drawback can be the battery has gone dead or no signal. 2. Email, fast, easy to send and can attach all information needed. Drawback the person is not at the desk and cannot receive it, the persons computer can be broken and they cannot get access to another.

Section 6 – Understand the purpose of improving own performance in a business environment and how to do so

1. Explain the purpose of continuously improving your performance in a business environment.

If you continuously improve your performance you could significantly increase your chance of promotion. You will also be able to keep up with the standard of work and be able to stay within that business environment. You will also receive job satisfaction by being able to change and keep up with the ever growing environment.

2. Describe at least two ways of improving your performance at work. Where relevant, illustrate your answer with specific examples from your own experience.

Improving your performance:
1. Have regular reviews so that you can see where you are lacking behind so that you can make adjustments. 2. Learn from others, if there is something you’re not quite sure about ask somebody to show you how to complete the task. Never to be shy enough not to ask. When I was working at my first job I had the opportunity to become an assistant manager but unfortunately I left on maternity leave so the job was given to somebody else, but although I never got the position my manager at the time did give me some training on the job role just in case I came back after my leave and the position would have been mine. My manager showed me everything and explained everything that I didn’t understand constantly until I did understand.

3. Briefly describe at least two different types of career pathways that may be available to you.

Two different career paths can include:
* Promotion within the same business
To gain a certain promotion you might be required to have specific qualification that you could gain by possibly doing an apprenticeship through a college or an online course.

* Move on to another company & start again.
If you can’t get a promotion through your company but another is offering you the position you could move to further your career.

At the moment my job is a full time mum so to look at it this time my path is to bring them up to the best of my ability to send them to school. To move & start again is not an option, as cannot send children back although sometimes we wish we could. Promotions could be having more children or reaching the goal of school & getting a job myself.

Section 7 – Understand the types of problems that may occur in a business environment and how to deal with them

1. Identify at least two different types of problems that can occur in a business environment.

Problems that can occur could be
* A absent colleague
* Supplies not arriving
* Deadlines being shortened for tasks and them not being completed.

2. Complete the table below by describing at least two specific problems that can occur at work and how they can be dealt with.

Problem| Dealing with the problem|
1. machine fault| If it can’t be fixed by yourself then contact your department that deals with faults. Normally your IT consultants. | 2. deadline shortened| Ask others for help, if they can delegate the work between them so they know what they are doing|

3. Complete the table below by listing at least two problems you are able to deal with yourself and two problems you would need to refer to others to deal with (and how you would refer these problems).

Problems I can deal with:| Problems I would need to refer to others:| How are problems referred to others? 1.Deadline shortened| 1. colleague is absent| Spoken to the manager to let them know about the absent. | 2. too many tasks not enough time. 2. technical problems| Speak to the department that deals with this type of problem or get your manager to do it.