<p>The most successful businesses in today’s world are often the ones which are flexible<br /> enough to respond quickly to the changing environment and meet their customers’<br /> needs. Teamworking can help a business achieve these goals.<br /> It is often said that TEAM stands for ‘Together Everyone Achieves More’. An effective<br /> team is one that makes the best use of individual strengths so more can be achieved.<br /> Team members should work together and support each other to solve problems more<br /> easily with their collective knowledge and skills. In this unit you will investigate why<br /> teams and teamworking are so important in business.<br /> You will also come to understand the role and responsibilities of the team leader.<br /> An effective team leader ensures that all team members understand and share the<br /> same visions and values. Teams also need to go through stages of development,<br /> with distinct roles being identified and filled. The team leader needs specific skills to<br /> manage this process and build their team, whilst at the same time creating a sense<br /> of common purpose and motivating individual members.<br /> Effective communication skills are essential if a team is to meet its goals. This unit<br /> focuses on the different ways of communicating with others in team situations, and<br /> will allow you to develop your knowledge and understanding of interpersonal skills.<br /> You will explore the different factors that make an effective team and have the<br /> opportunity to develop and practise teamworking. It will also allow you to reflect<br /> on and evaluate your own, as well as the team’s performance, and improve your<br /> teamworking and communication skills.</p>

<p>This is a scheme of work for unit 13 on the level 2 BTEC program.</p>

<p>A variety of worksheets for teaching profit and loss accounts.</p>

<p>This is a simple to navigate countdown timer for class activities.</p>

<p>Understanding how a business operates and what makes it successful, requires knowledge of the accounting<br /> process. Accounting involves recording business transactions and, this in turn, leads to the generation of financial<br /> information which can be used as the basis of good financial control and planning. Inadequate record keeping<br /> and a lack of effective planning ultimately lead to poor financial results. It is vital that owners and managers of<br /> businesses recognise the indications of potential difficulties. Remedial action can then be taken.<br /> The unit is divided into two parts. The first develops an understanding of the accounting processes necessary<br /> to provide accurate and relevant financial information. The second part covers the practical aspect of carrying<br /> out those accounting activities.<br /> Learners will be introduced to accounting terminology as they study the purpose and function of accounting<br /> and consider the various categories of business income and expenditure. It is important to know the sources of<br /> an organisation’s income and the nature of its expenditure, as this clarifies the basis of its profitability and enables<br /> more effective control of the business. Control begins with the planning process and learners will study the use<br /> of a cash flow forecast which requires managers to set cash flow targets that can be monitored and adjusted on<br /> a regular basis. Learners will consider the effective management of cash flow and the implications of cash flow<br /> problems. The link between business failure and cash flow problems will be highlighted.<br /> The measurement of an organisation’s financial performance and position requires an understanding of a basic<br /> profit and loss account and balance sheet with this understanding learners can analyse profitability, liquidity and<br /> efficiency of the organisation through the application of ratio analysis. Analysis will always require comparison<br /> of current figures with those from a previous accounting period, or those of a similar business organisation.<br /> Learners will discover how to carry out ratio analysis as well as the meaning and implication of the figures.</p> <p>For hints and tips on teaching and learning, please view my youtube channel on:</p>

<p>Starting a small business is an ambition for many people. The business idea could be almost anything such as<br /> a coffee shop, a courier service, a hairdresser, a motor vehicle repair workshop, a DJ service, a painting and<br /> decorating business, an equipment hire operation, or an organic smallholding producing fruit and vegetables.<br /> However, starting a small business can be fraught with difficulties and the idea may not always be successfully<br /> realised. Those setting out on this venture need to consider the business idea, where funding will come from,<br /> the potential market, the competition and a host of other issues that must be addressed if the business startup is to be successful.<br /> This unit gives learners the opportunity to consider their business idea within structured business parameters,<br /> such as the type of business, the attractiveness of the business idea, the target market and the need to balance<br /> personal and business needs. Learners will also consider their ability to run the business, including the skills<br /> they already have to support the business idea and what personal development they may have to undertake<br /> in order for the venture to be successful.<br /> Learners will also develop their knowledge and understanding of the legal status and trading terms and<br /> conditions of their proposed business, legal aspects such as fire regulations, taxation, VAT and HM Revenue<br /> and Customs, and financial aspects such as start-up and operational costs, as well as personal needs.<br /> Learners will have the opportunity to devise an outline proposal for a business start up. This will cover the<br /> reasons for preparing a business proposal and will include the components expected by financial advisers,<br /> including the type of business, its target market, available resources, financial information and forward<br /> planning.</p>

<p>Marketing is at the heart of every organisation’s activity. Its importance is also growing in the non-commercial,<br /> public and voluntary sectors. Also, at the heart of marketing is the customer. This unit will introduce learners<br /> to some of the tools and techniques all types of organisations use to achieve their objectives.<br /> Firstly, learners will explore how different types of organisations use marketing principles to meet the needs<br /> of their customers and achieve their objectives. The constraints under which organisations operate are<br /> important and learners will study the legal requirements and voluntary codes that affect marketing.<br /> Learners will then go on to investigate how organisations collect data through market research and turn<br /> it into useful information which can be analysed and used to plan their marketing activities.<br /> The segmentation and targeting of groups of customers is a key marketing technique and this is studied<br /> in detail. This includes the different bases for segmentation of both consumer and business markets.<br /> Next, learners will examine how a marketing mix is developed to meet the needs and aspirations of a<br /> targeted group of prospective customers, before going on to develop a marketing mix for a new product<br /> or service.<br /> The unit gives a brief overview of the principles of marketing or can be used as a basis for further study<br /> of specialist marketing units.</p>

<p>This is a complete scheme of work for the BTEC level 3 Business resources unit (2).</p>

<p>One essential requirement in running and managing of an organisation is the need for clear, relevant<br /> and accurate information. In particular, an organisation needs accounting information that gives a complete<br /> picture of all financial transactions that have taken place and the current financial position of the organisation.<br /> Accounting information is vital to the owners and managers of business organisations, and there are often<br /> other stakeholders who have an interest in the financial performance and position of the business.<br /> At an organisation’s financial year-end, the accountant will prepare financial statements including a trading and<br /> profit and loss account and a balance sheet. The system that provides all the information for these final accounts<br /> is known as the accounting system.<br /> The quality and accuracy of the information presented in the final accounts depends entirely on using an<br /> effective accounting system correctly. Beginning with the source documents that show financial transactions,<br /> accounting staff will need to classify and encode the information before inputting the details into the system.<br /> Manual accounting procedures, using double-entry bookkeeping, have been in operation for over 500<br /> years. The system is still effective in providing managers with an analysis of income, profits, expenses, losses,<br /> assets and liabilities. However, organisations need information quickly and manual systems can be slow.<br /> Computerised accounting packages are based on double-entry principles and will give informative reports<br /> in a matter of seconds.<br /> Organisations will adopt the most suitable accounting system for their resources and needs. System users will<br /> need training and, if the computerised option is chosen, hardware and software are essential requirements.<br /> Whichever system is chosen, the year-end task of preparing the final accounts remains the same. Organisations<br /> rely on effective control of resources including cash. Most organisations depend on making a profit. The<br /> accounting system is an integral part of managing money so survival of an organisation depends on that system.</p>

<p>The attached workbook has a range of activities that can be used as ice breakers or develop an inset on stretch and challenge.</p> <p>Ideal for a CPD for teaching and learning.</p>

<p>This is an activity pack for teaching balance sheets in the classroom.</p>

<p>This is a complete lesson plan with activities and powerpoint for teaching sources of finance.</p> <p>This lesson was observed as being GOOD by OFSTED.</p>

<p>It is generally accepted that having the appropriate information is the foundation of all good business decisions,<br /> and marketing information is, therefore, the basis of good marketing decisions. The ability to collect information<br /> and data about the business environment, markets and customers has been transformed by technological<br /> advances. The main research challenge today is to find the best information amongst a large amount of data,<br /> rather than finding scarce data, as was the case in the past.<br /> Market research is carried out in all areas of marketing activities and the information collected concerns<br /> customers, markets, responses to existing and planned marketing campaigns and the general business<br /> environment. This means that the process needs to be continuous so that trends, opportunities and threats<br /> are identified.<br /> In this unit learner knowledge of the main types and sources of market research will be developed. They<br /> will learn about the main research methods used to collect data and how to decide on the most appropriate<br /> method for a given situation. This will take into account organisational objectives and the constraints that<br /> businesses work within. Learners will also learn how data is analysed, interpreted and presented so that the<br /> research objectives are met. Learners will have the opportunity to plan and carry out some simple market<br /> research activities and to interpret their findings.</p>

<p>These are activities for teaching budgets.</p>

<p>This is a level 3 Business Economics scheme of work at a level 3 standard. Can be used at level 2 but adapted.</p> <p>This has been inspired by unit 38 in the Level 3 BTEC QCF specifcation.</p>

<p>A complete lesson plan with activities for teaching methods of market research.</p>

<p>This is a complete lesson with plan and resources on how to breakeven analysis.</p>

<p>This is complete lesson with activities and powerpoint on teaching the importance of physical resources.</p>

<p>The attached is a full lesson in teaching percentages and ratio. Its a highly interactive lesson with a range of activities built in. Students will be working individually, paired and in groups. This can be used as a 90 minute lesson.</p>

<p>This is a pre coded MS Excel template that builds your breakeven graph as you type the figures in.</p> <p>Great resource to use in the classroom to demonstrate ICT usage and numercy.</p>

<p>If you are teaching break even in a finance unit and need to evidence their assessment; you could use the template attached. Students calculate the figures for sales, total costs and profit or loss and the graph will build itself.</p>