Principles of Business and Administration (Diploma)

Transcription

1 Name: The Intermediate Level Apprenticeship in Principles of Business and Administration (Diploma) APPRENTI-KIT HABC Learner N : Assessor/IQA: Start Date: End Date:

2 T/506/1901 Principles of business document production and information management Textbook

3 Understand how to prepare business documents Describe different types of business documents that may be produced and the format to be followed for each Businesses use a variety of different types of documents to communicate information internally and externally. These include: business letters business forms reports s minutes of meetings tables, graphs and charts instructions electronic documents promotional material Business letters Letters are usually used to communicate with people or organisations outside the business, though sometimes formal internal matters such as staff disciplinary proceedings might be communicated by letter. Before came into use, letters were the main way for businesses to communicate with customers and suppliers when they wanted to put something in writing, and some businesses still use letters for issues such as complaints and legal matters. Letters need to show the address of the sender and the recipient, the date, a salutation (a hello to the recipient), paragraphs with the content of the letter and a close and signature. Most business letters will be printed on headed paper that will already have the business s name and address on it. The following is an example. Continue to the next page. You may come across others, but these are the main ones that will be looked at here. 2 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

4 Example of a business letter Aquatest Water Treatment Engineers Unit 2, Caldwell Industrial Estate, Anytown AA1 1AA Telephone: Mr B Conway Green Farm Daleway BB1 1BB Dear Mr Conway We have carried out tests to your spring water supply as requested and now have detailed results available for you. As agreed in our initial discussions, if you would like to call me, I can arrange a convenient time to come and discuss these with you. We can also discuss any potential solutions for managing the water quality on your farm. I look forward hearing from you. Yours sincerely Harry Greenway Harry Greenway Engineer Mobile no: T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

5 When you are writing a business letter, you should normally sign off with Yours sincerely if you have begun the letter with the individual s name (Dear Mr/Mrs.). If you do not know the person you are writing to, you might start the letter to Dear Sir or Madam. In this case, you would sign off the letter with Yours faithfully and your name at the end instead of Yours sincerely. Business forms Many businesses use forms as an organised way to gather information. You have probably filled in a form at some time. This might have been an order form for something you wanted to buy or an application form for a job or a passport or driving licence. Businesses use forms so that they can collect the same type of information from lots of different individuals or organisations. On the next page there is an example of an order form. If you want to see an example of a job application form, try searching the internet for one. For example: an order form will collect the name and address details of the customer and details about the type and quantity of goods they want to order. This enables the business to send the customer the goods they want. a job application form will collect details about a job applicant such as name, address, qualifications and previous experience. This enables the business to compare applicants and see who is best for the job. 4 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

6 Example of an order form Your Company Your logo here Your street Your town Your county Postcode Order Name: Delivery address: Date: Postcode: Quantity Description Price Total 5 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

7 When designing forms, businesses will need to decide what information they need to collect for the task they are carrying out. Reports Business reports are used as a formal way to present information to people within the business, or to clients/customers of the business. A business report sets out information in a logical way. Reports can often be the result of research projects and draw conclusions, present findings and make recommendations. They have a very structured format. Title the title should explain clearly what the report is about and should include a date. Title pages will usually also show who prepared the report. This could be an individual, project team or working party, for example. Terms of reference these say who requested the report and why, describe the purpose of the report, explain how the information was put together, detail any links to other reports and describe any limitations (i.e. anything that the report doesn t cover that it might be expected to cover). Findings this section is divided into numbered subsections with a key point in each one that is clearly explained. It should contain factual information. If the report involves a costing exercise, then costs may be in this section or there may be a separate cost section. Conclusions the conclusion should be a summary of the main points of the report and should link back to the terms of reference. Recommendations the recommendations set out what should be done as a result of the findings or may give a number of options. The section should also cover why it should be done and who should do it. Appendices where there are large amounts of detailed research findings and notes, these are usually included as an appendix to the main report and summarised in the findings section. Appendices might also include a glossary of technical terms used or a summary of scientific formula to assist non-technical/scientific readers of the report. Bibliography all books, journals, websites and other publications used should be listed in a bibliography. If you are preparing a bibliography, you should check the format you need to use for this, as there are a number of different styles. Many organisations use Harvard referencing style, but there are others. Long reports might also have: a contents page with page numbers this makes it easier to find your way around. 6 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

8 an executive summary sometimes you might see an executive summary or management summary at the start of a long report. This is just a summary of the main findings and conclusions of the report. Its purpose is to give busy managers a flavour of the report so they can see if it is relevant to them without them having to read the whole report, or for managers who only need to know the main findings. Use the person s name Mr or Ms unless you know them well enough, or have been asked to call them by their first name. Avoid using acronyms such as lmk (let me know), ttyl (talk to you later) and avoid typing in capitals, which is the equivalent of shouting. Don t add smileys or emoticons to business messages as they don t look professional. Sign off with Best regards, Regards, Kind regards, Best wishes or something similar. s s have probably become one of the main ways of communicating in business. The format is partly dictated by the software used in that you must complete the recipient s address, the sender s address (this might be completed automatically) and there is usually a line for a subject. Unfortunately, business s are sometimes too informal when it is not appropriate. Unless you are writing to a colleague or customer that you know very well, it is best to be quite formal and follow business rules. Put your name at the bottom. You may also add your position, telephone contact and other details. Your system may have the option of adding a signature block with details that are added at the end of each , but try not to make this too big. If you get into an conversation with someone where you are sending replies back and forth, it s then acceptable to drop the formal greetings and sign-offs for that conversation. Use a subject that correctly describes what the is about. Use a greeting, usually Dear, just as you write in a letter. You can use Hello to be a little less formal. 7 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

9 Minutes of meetings Minutes are a record of what happened at a meeting. Usually 1 person is asked to take the minutes. If the meeting is a formal meeting (say of a committee or project team), there will usually be a secretary whose role it is to take minutes. In other meetings, a person may have to be selected to take on the role. Minutes should record: title/purpose of the meeting date and time start and end times should be recorded place of the meeting name of the chairperson or meeting leader, secretary and any other speakers or officers names of those attending the meeting apologies from those invited who were not able to attend where there are matters to be voted on and there is a requirement for a quorum (a particular number of people to be present to carry the vote) it should be recorded whether there is a quorum present any matters arising from previous meetings where the meetings are regular, these are items brought forward or arising from the minutes of the previous meeting record of the meeting including any business discussed and any motions put forward and voted on any action points from the meeting including names of those responsible for carrying out actions details of the next meeting signature of the minute taker Minutes may be written by hand during the meeting or typed up, but will usually be typed or tidied up following the meeting and then sent out to all the participants for their approval. Tables, graphs and charts If you need to present numerical or technical information at work, often the best way to do this will be in the form of a table, graph or chart. Which you use will depend on the information you are presenting. Tables are useful for presenting information such as different price options for products or for timetables for events, transport options, etc. Tables should be clearly labelled so that users can see what the options are. On the next page is an example of a table of price plans for a website hosting service. 8 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

10 Web Hosting Price Options Personal Business Business + For personal websites For small businesses For growing businesses 2.99/month 9.99/month 19.99/month Includes Includes Includes Free domain Free domain Free domain Choice of 50 personal themes Choice of 250 business themes Choice of 250 business themes 1GB disk space 10GB disk space 50GB disk space 150GB Bandwidth 500GB Bandwidth 1000GB Bandwidth 5 business addresses 20 business addresses Mobile site Mobile site Search engine optimisation Technical support 9 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

11 Graphs and charts might be useful to present figures such as sales or profit figures, or compare sales of different products. The important things to remember about charts and graphs are: Pie chart showing the breakdown of an average household shop Breakdown of an average household shop Hygiene and cleaning Clothes give the chart or graph a suitable title so that users can see what it represents label the chart or graph correctly use appropriate scales on axis so that figures are not misrepresented or distorted Drink Dairy products Fruit and veg Meat and fish Below are some examples of different formats of charts and graphs. Graph showing average temperatures Average Temperatures in C June Average temperatures in C Chart showing 6 months sales figures Instructions Instructions are widely used in business to advise employees how to carry out tasks. Many larger organisations use procedure manuals, which set out instructions for all the major tasks that employees need to carry out. Instructions need to be clear and accurate. They are usually: set out in bullet or point form split into logical steps set out in chronological order (from start to finish of the task) Sales for 6 months explained in clear, straightforward language may use diagrams or illustrations to help explain information June July August September October November January February March April May T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

12 Electronic documents Presentation and similar software can be used to present electronic documents in business, and so they have been included here with some simple rules for formatting. These are often used as an alternative way of presenting business reports, especially when they are to be ed or shared electronically. In presentation software, the document is prepared as a series of slides into which other media such as diagrams, pictures, video, audio and animation can also be embedded. You will need to adapt your format to the software you are using, but there are some simple rules that you should always follow to ensure that your electronic business documents are professional and businesslike. Make sure the document does what it needs to do: there is a great temptation to use audio, video, animation, etc. because they are available and it is very easy to clutter your document with them. Only use these things if they properly support what is in the document and are relevant. Otherwise leave them out. Don t put too much on one page. Especially if using a presentation software, don t put too much text on one slide. You have the option with this type of document to make it interactive so that users can click on text to find out more use this facility to add extra detail rather than squashing too much on to a page. Keep it professional: there is a vast array of colours, icons and clipart that, if you use them all, will simply make your business report look unprofessional. The best way is to keep it simple. Promotional material The last group of business documents covered here is promotional materials. Most businesses will produce material that will promote their business to customers. This may include brochures, catalogues, newsletters, advertisements and s about special offers, for example. All of these will have different formats and there is no set format, but they will have some things in common. They are designed to sell products to customers, so they should: set out information about products and/or services clearly be attractive, with pictures if appropriate use appropriate language for the audience use a format that the customer will be able to access easily, e.g. it is no good sending a spreadsheet if the customer won t be able to open it clearly explain how the customer can buy the product/claim the special offer, etc. give the customer information they will be interested in about the product or service, new products or services, the business and special offers etc. 11 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

13 Explain the use of different types of information communication technology (ICT) for document production The main types of computer software used for producing documents are listed below. Word processing software this is widely used in businesses to produce all sorts of written documents from letters to reports, for writing up minutes of meetings and preparing lists of instructions, etc. Most word processing packages will have templates that can be used to set out business documents and make their preparation easier. Spreadsheets spreadsheets are used to process numbers. They can be used as tables to add up numbers such as for financial records, or can be used to produce graphs and charts by entering data into the spreadsheet. Desktop publishing software this is a sort of enhanced word processing package. It is more flexible than a word processing package for adding pictures, different formats, etc. It also supports the sorts of features required for publishing and printing such as running headers and printer s marks. Desktop publishing software is often used for promotional documents. packages software allows users to send and receive s. Mail can usually be sent and received with documents attached, though this can be controlled by the business which can set a limit on the size of documents received. Mail is usually stored on the recipient s computer or online so that it can be accessed again if required. Databases databases are used to store and manage large amounts of information such as customer records. The information is entered into the database and can be sorted and searched as required. Presentation software this can be used to prepare presentations for use in meetings or training courses, for example, or electronic documents that can be shared online. Electronic documents have the benefit that they can incorporate video, audio and animations as well as pictures and text so they may be more useful in some instances than a paper report. Businesses may use a variety of specialist software, but the packages described above are ones that can and will be used by the majority of employees within a business. 12 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

14 Explain the reasons for agreeing the use, content, layout, quality standards and deadlines for document production Before producing any major business document, it is important to agree the details of the document production. This will ensure that the document is produced in the right format, is distributed to the right people, is of the right quality and is relevant and timely. The main things to agree are: use: what the document will be used for and who will use it. This will ensure that the document is written with the needs of the audience in mind using the correct level of language and technical detail, and that it is distributed to the right people avoiding any confidentiality issues. content: what the document should have in it. This will ensure that the information contained in the document is relevant to, and meets the needs of the users, and meets the expectations of, those commissioning the document. layout: what the document should look like. This will ensure the document conforms to any house style and expectations of the users and those commissioning the document. It should also ensure the document is easy to read. quality standards: any standards that need to be applied. These might include internal quality standards, professional standards or regulatory requirements depending on the document being prepared. Agreeing these at an early stage will ensure that the document meets the required standards. deadlines: when the document should be completed. If at any time it becomes apparent that deadlines may not be met, this should be highlighted to the relevant parties as soon as possible. Explain the importance of document version control and authorisation With the use of software to produce documents, it becomes very easy to change documents. In addition, where several people may be working on a project and an accompanying document, it can be easy to lose track of the most up-to-date version or to have more than 1 version with different information. This can cause problems, for example, where the wrong version is picked up for decision-making purposes and doesn t contain the correct information. It is, therefore, very important that versions of documents are properly controlled and changes are authorised. Document version control: documents are usually numbered and dated to identify the latest version. Older versions are kept to provide an audit trail of changes Document authorisation: changes are only made by authorised personnel who ensure that the information is correct and maintain the version control 13 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

15 Explain how the requirements of security, data protection, copyright and intellectual property legislation may affect the production of business documents There are many legal requirements relating to data and information that may affect the production of business documents. Generally, these issues may affect timescales in producing the documents, and documents may require authorisations or permissions from other persons. The main issues are listed below. Data security it is important that businesses keep their data secure as they rely on it to run the business. The main threats to data are that it could be damaged, or lost or stolen. The main risks while preparing business documents would come from accessing the data and accidentally damaging, copying or losing data, or not taking sufficient care of it so that it is stolen. Business procedures should be in place to prevent these risk. Data protection data protection legislation requires that information is used for limited purposes, in line with people s rights, is accurate and is stored appropriately. Personal information held under data protection can only be released to persons who require it in the course of business. Any documents using such data would need to comply with data protection and should be authorised by a manager responsible for the data. Copyright most printed material, whether in books, journals, reports or on the web, is copyrighted. This means that someone owns it and you need to gain permission to use the material in other publications. In many cases businesses will have a copyright licence in place that gives them permission to use extracts from most types of publications, but you should always check with the person in charge of copyright for your organisation. Intellectual property this includes the things you write, design or invent as well as the names of products or brands and, like copyright, these can also be protected in law. You may need to seek permission for their use. Explain how to check the accuracy of business documents Professional business documents should always be accurate and most documents will go through a number of checks before being released. Electronic spelling and grammar checks most word processing packages and some other software incorporate spelling and grammar checks. These are useful, but you need to ensure that they are set to the correct language, e.g. British instead of American spelling, and be aware that they may not pick up misspelled words that are actual words, e.g. from spelt as form. 14 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

16 Proofreading proofreading is a read through of the document to check for errors. Preferably it is carried out by someone who is not too familiar with the text, but is authorised to read it, so you aren t breaching confidentiality. Author checking the author should read through a final draft of the document to ensure accuracy Calculation checks all calculations in the document should be checked Understand the distribution of business documents Explain how the requirements of security, data protection, copyright and intellectual property legislation may affect the distribution and storage of business documents be stored off-site. Paper documents need to be stored in fireproof, secure cabinets to which access is restricted. Data Protection You have already learnt about data security, data protection, copyright and intellectual property in the previous section. This section will focus on the effects they may have on distribution and storage. Security Business documents need to be securely distributed to ensure that they are not released to unauthorised persons. If they are distributed electronically, the methods used should be secure. Documents should be encrypted before being sent. Documents are not secure if sent by so sensitive documents should not be sent by . Most businesses will use secure electronic sites to exchange and distribute documents. For paper documents, private couriers or the Post Office can provide secure distribution. The storage of documents also needs to be secure. Electronic documents should be also encrypted if sensitive. They may be stored on or offline. They should be backed up and access should be restricted to authorised persons. Archive copies should The distribution of documents with information protected under data protection legislation should be to authorised persons only and only released in the course of business. There are restrictions in data protection legislation over sending information internationally, so this must be complied with. With regards to storage of documents, information under data protection legislation can only be kept for limited amounts of time and so the documents should also be kept for this time. Access to documents in storage must be restricted to authorised persons. Copyright and intellectual property Copyright material and intellectual property must be clearly identified in any distributed documents. There may also be restrictions on the length of time that the use of copyright or intellectual copyright is allowed, so this should be considered where documents are stored for long periods. For example, old documents should not be redistributed without rechecking copyrights and intellectual property. 15 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

17 Describe different types of distribution channels Documents can be distributed internally or externally and can be either electronically distributed or distributed in a paper format (hard copy). Documents may be distributed electronically by: , which is often used for internal documents and for documents where security is not really an issue. It is a quick and easy method of distribution that can be used internally or externally to send to several recipients at once. It is low cost, but is not secure. to a secure area and can then be accessed by authorised persons. Cloud computing costs businesses money as it needs to be hosted on a secure server outside the business. internal networks and intranets can also be used to share and distribute documents within a business. Paper documents can be distributed internally through internal post systems, though in most organisations, these have largely been replaced by . Externally, Royal Mail and couriers can deliver documents. Costs will vary depending on the desired timescale for delivery and the distance. document exchange or cloud computing. This is a secure way to send electronic documents to 1 or a few people. The documents are uploaded Understand how information is managed in business organisations Describe the types of information found in business organisations Business organisations store large amounts of information, which is required for the efficient running of the business, for decision-making and dealing with customers, etc. The main information stored by most organisations includes: customer records these will include names, addresses, order history, amounts owed and payments made financial information all the information about the finances of the business including balances of bank accounts, amounts owed and owing, values of stock and assets owned statistical data data about market share, production lines, competitor analyses, numbers of complaints, customer satisfaction, and quality assurance staff information this will include the names and addresses of staff, 16 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

18 information about qualifications and experience, how long they have worked for the business, positions held, training courses attended, details of appraisals, salary details and any grievances or disciplinary action suppliers details of any businesses that supply goods or services including the name, address, goods or services supplied, amounts owed and paid and key contacts information about activities this will depend on what the business actually does but might be details about production, distribution or sales, for example Explain the need for safe storage and efficient retrieval of information It is important that information is stored safely. Much of the information that a business will store, information such as customer and staff records, for example, is confidential. Other information is commercially sensitive such as information about the business s own finances and activities that it won t want competitors to know. There are also regulations about retaining records. Both financial records and personnel records have to be retained under legislation. Most organisations will archive older information, which means they will remove it from the main system and store it securely. However, wherever the information is stored, it must be easy to retrieve so should be stored in a logical, organised manner where it can be accessed if required. Describe the features of different types of systems used for storage and retrieval of information Information will usually be stored on databases or similar systems, which should be regularly backed up. Backups may be to cloud, hard drives or tapes, and if a physical form is used, it should be taken off-site for storage. Older data may be archived, but should be available in case it is required. Archives may also be kept on the cloud, hard drives or tapes. Information retrieval Access to information should be restricted to authorised users and should be password protected. Security for information systems can also be provided through the use of access keys and cards, which restrict physical access either to computers or areas where computers are operated. Information should be capable of being retrieved through searches. Good management of information will ensure that information is searchable. 17 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

19 Describe the legal requirements for storing business information There are some legal requirements for the storage of information. Data protection legislation requires that information is only kept for the minimum time required, that access is restricted to authorised personnel and that it is regularly updated to ensure that it is accurate. Once the data is no longer required, it should no longer be kept. Accounts and financial records by law have to be kept for 6 years. Personnel records should be kept for at least 6 years after the individual has left the business (this is the time limit for any legal claims). 18 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

20 T/506/1901 Principles of business document production and information management Workbook

21 Understand how to prepare business documents Q1 - Independent Enquirers Reflective Learners Complete the table below to describe the different types of business documents that may be produced and the format to be followed for each. Document Type Description Format Letter Report Minutes Forms 20 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

22 Q2 - Independent Enquirers Explain what ICT package(s) should be used for the following documents and why? Document: presentation What package(s) will be used and why: Document: a report (including pie charts) What package(s) will be used and why: Document: minutes of a meeting What package(s) will be used and why: 21 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

23 Q3 - Creative Thinkers Explain why it is important to agree the following when producing business documents Its use Its content Its layout Its quality standards Its deadline 22 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

24 Q4 - Independent Enquirers Explain why it is important to agree the following when producing business documents Document version control Authorisation 23 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

25 Q5 - Independent Enquirers Explain how each of the following considerations impact on producing, distributing or storing business documents Producing documents Security legislation Data protection legislation Copyright legislation Intellectual property legislation Distributing documents Security legislation Data protection legislation Copyright legislation Intellectual property legislation Storage of documents Security legislation Data protection legislation Copyright legislation Intellectual property legislation 24 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

26 Q6 - Independent Enquirers Reflective Learners Self Managers Explain the different checks that may be completed to ensure the accuracy of business documents 25 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

27 Understand the distribution of business documents Q7a - Independent Enquirers Define the term distribution channel Q7b - Independent Enquirers Describe TWO types of distribution channel. 26 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

28 Understand how information is managed in business organisations Q8 - Independent Enquirers Self Managers Describe the types of information gathered and retained by your organisation. 27 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

29 Q9 - Independent Enquirers Explain why the following are important in relation to the storage and retrieval of information in an organisation: restricting and password protecting access to information ensuring all information is stored securely ensuring all information can be retrieved efficiently 28 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

30 Q10 - Independent Enquirers Describe the features of TWO systems that can be used for the storage and retrieval of information. 29 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

31 Q11 - Independent Enquirers Identify which piece of legislation covers the storage of business information and describe the main requirements of this legislation. 30 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

32 Notes 31 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

33 Notes 32 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

34 Highfield Unit Mapping The following mapping reference provides a guide for assessors on suggested coverage of unit criteria within this kit. Where indicated on the Unit Kit Question column with a QXX, this refers to a question within the kit that could provide coverage for the identified criteria. However, it should be noted that it is still the responsibility of the assessor to ensure the answer provided by the learner is of the appropriate standard to meet the criteria in full. For those criteria that have no Unit Kit Question linked, further assessment guidance is provided below. Learner s name: Centre s name: Principles of business document production and information management (T/506/1901) Unit Criteria Unit Kit Question Additional Evidence 1.1 Qu Qu Qu Qu Qu Qu Qu Qu Qu Qu Qu Qu. 9, T/506/1901 V1: October 2016

35 Assessment Confirmation Learner s name: Learner s signature: Assessor s name: Assessor s signature: Quality Assurance Confirmation IQA s name (if sampled): IQA s signature (if sampled): EQS s name (if sampled): EQS s signature (if sampled): Note: No further assessment evidence guidance is required, as all criteria within this unit are linked to the questions within the kit. If assessors wish to supplement this learner evidence further, they may do so and map this in the Additional Evidence column above. 34 T/506/1901 V1: October 2016