Demonstrate a critical understanding of effective techniques of information preparation and presentation within a specific context.

BUS6005B Business Analysis and Planning

Portfolio of Tasks

Assignment Brief

As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a Business Analysis and Planning portfolio of tasks assessment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.

Learning Outcomes:

After completing the module, you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of effective techniques of information preparation and presentation within a specific context.
2. Identify and implement a data collection strategy using a range of primary and secondary sources.
3. Apply a complex range of techniques to analyse data.
4. Utilise software as an aid to decision-making and control.

Graduate Attribute (GA)

Possess a range of skills to operate within this sector, have a keen awareness of current developments in working practice being well positioned to respond to change.

Guidance

Your assignment should include: a title page containing your student number, the module name, the submission deadline and the exact word count of your submitted document; the appendices if relevant; and a reference list in AU Harvard system(s). You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please note that tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work.

You must not include your name in your submission because Arden University operates anonymous marking, which means that markers should not be aware of the identity of the student. However, please do not forget to include your STU number BUS6005B Business Analysis and Planning

Maximum word count: 4000 words in total.

Please refer to the full word count policy which can be found in the Student Policies section here: Arden University | Regulatory Framework

Please note the following:

Students are required to indicate the exact word count on the title page of the assessment.

The word count includes everything in the main body of the assessment (including in text citations and references). The word count excludes numerical data in tables, figures, diagrams, footnotes, reference list and appendices. ALL other printed words ARE included in the word count.

Please note that exceeding the word count by over 10% will result in a 10-percentage point deduction

Assignment Task – This assessment is worth 100% of the total marks for the module (LOs 1 – 4 & GA)

Task: Report

This assignment has two parts - see task below for the context provided (LO 1 – 4 & GA) 100% of total marks for the module

Background:

The healthcare sector is facing an increasing challenge with funding for health and social care in England. The NHS five year forward view (2015) highlights the relevance of ‘integrated working’. In the last 20 years, the sector has seen a shift in the priorities and approaches for financing healthcare. As a research student, you are expected to have learnt and gained valuable knowledge and experience around ‘doing healthcare research’. This means you should understand the role of data, its formats and methods of analysis to make decisions, forecast and present analytical facts and statistics. Demonstrate a critical understanding of effective techniques of information preparation and presentation within a specific context.

Task - BUS6005B Business Analysis and Planning

You are asked to write a report with the caption ‘the trend in the social care housing sector in England’. The report should particularly focus on the Government’s thinking about ‘saving costs and improving efficiency’. The report is to be presented to a cross party committee of MPs on a fact-finding mission from key stakeholders like yourself.

Notes

1. Consider critically discussing the legislative history and context in which ‘value for money’ matters.
2. What are the types of information, data or statistics you can identify from research. Students are advised to look at information/data covering the last 10 - 15 years.
3. It may be useful to visit a Local Authority of your choice and investigate the range and types of data available concerning how ‘health and social care services are costed and delivered’. For example, what is a weekly cost of a specified service user group and what are the Government requirements. Consider ‘direct payments’ and ‘funding registered care homes’
4. Again, it is important that students focus on the use of literature and published financial information already available in the public domain. A comparison of the ‘trends’ over a period of time will help develop a ‘projection’ of activities which could be based on ‘assumptions’
5. Within the discourse, you must demonstrate understanding of how specific software tools aid in decision making. Examples of such tools include data analysis tools like ‘MS Excel’

(100% of total marks) (4000 words) (LOs 1-4 & GA)

Guidance Notes:

• Your tutor will assist you with the use and application of the excel software, some class tutorials will be required for students to practice and gain confidence in data management with a simple analytical tool
• Student need to understand the usage of primary and secondary data
• Your report must have a formal structure.

Formative Feedback

You have the opportunity to submit an outline draft/plan of your assessment to receive formative feedback.

The feedback is designed to help you develop areas of your work and it helps you develop your skills as an independent learner. BUS6005B Business Analysis and Planning

If you are a distance learning student, you should submit your work, by email, to your tutor, no later than 2 weeks before the actual submission deadline. If you are a blended learning student, your tutor will give you a deadline for formative feedback and further details.

Formative feedback will not be given to work submitted after the above date or the date specified by your tutor - if a blended learning student. Demonstrate a critical understanding of effective techniques of information preparation and presentation within a specific context.

Referencing Guidance

You MUST underpin your analysis and evaluation of the key issues with appropriate and wide ranging academic research and ensure this is referenced using the AU Harvard system(s).

Follow this link to find the referencing guides for your subject: Arden Library

Assignments submitted late will not be accepted and will be marked as a 0% fail.