Higher Nationals

Assignment Brief – BTEC (RQF)

Higher National Diploma in Business (Business Management)

Student Name /ID Number

Unit Number and Title Core Unit 6: Managing a Successful Business Project (MSBP)

Academic Year 2022/23

Unit Tutor / Assessor Mr. Ananta Kar

Assignment Title Addressing business recovery through the lens of a specific
industry e.g., hospitality, tourism, retail (1 of 1)
Issue Date 18 Apr 2023
Submission Date 21 Aug 2023
IV Name

Date

Submission Format:

The submission is in the form of a portfolio which includes the following components:
1. Produce a Research Project Report
2. Project management plan including a work breakdown structure in the form of a
Gantt chart
3. A completed project Logbook
4. An audio recording of a performance review
5. Business case presentation
The business case presentation is in the form of a 10-minute individual PowerPoint presentation
and 5 minutes allocated for questions. The presentation slides and speaker notes should be
submitted in the e- portfolio. You are required to make effective use of PowerPoint headings,
bullet points and subsections as appropriate. Your research should be referenced using the
Harvard referencing system. Please also provide a bibliography using the Harvard referencing
system. The recommended word limit is 2,500 to 3,000 words, including power point
presentation with speaker notes, although you will not be penalised for exceeding the total word
limit.

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 Unit Learning Outcomes:

LO1 Explain the key stages of the project lifecycle that should be considered when project managing
LO2 Produce a Project Management Plan (PMP) for a business project using primary and secondary
research methods
LO3 Implement the Project Management Plan (PMP) to communicate results from the research and make
conclusions from the evidence of findings
LO4 Reflect on value gained from implementing the project and the project management process.
Assignment Brief and Guidance:

The Pearson-set theme: BUSINESS RECOVERY

Topic: Addressing business recovery through the lens of a specific industry e.g., hospitality, tourism, retail
Project Type: Research Project (Examples: Professional research report, investigation/filed work,
feasibility study)

You are employed as a research assistant within the professional development team of an organisation
called Viet Consulting Group, Danang or your own place of work if appropriate. You have been asked to
conduct a small-scale project, in the form of an investigative case study, into the business recovery
which is to be presented as a business case for management on addressing business recovery through
the lens of a specific industry e.g., hospitality, tourism, retail. The project will involve investigating the
business continuity planning and business recovery strategies/initiatives allow businesses to maintain or
quickly resume functions in the event of a major unexpected covid-19 pandemic disruption. The important
findings on business recovery initiatives should be presented to your line manager as a business case,
followed by a performance review in which you will need to reflect upon the project in relation to your own
personal and professional development.

In the long term, businesses need to be prepared to face the unexpected, many fail because they are
unable to recover from unexpected events such as political disruption, natural disasters, and pandemics.
Business continuity planning allows businesses to maintain or quickly resume functions in the event of a
major disruption. Essentially, business continuity is like having a back-up plan that outlines procedures and
instructions for staff members in the event of a disaster.

The recent COVID-19 global pandemic dramatically impacted industry across all sectors, inevitably
affecting disproportionately those businesses that exist to support social interactions and placing strains on
both supply and demand. As the pandemic continues to affect industry: lock-down periods, and
international and local restrictions on movement have led to a huge drop in revenues and a situation of
emergency due to financial difficulties:
• Dramatically lower revenues
• Operational and financial challenges, including issues with liquidity, debt repayments or how to develop
“smart capex” on assets to maintain tariffs and/or competitive advantage.
• Uncertainty about the timing and speed of the recovery depending on the arrival of treatments for the
virus in order to return to “normal”

To meet the challenges posed by unexpected events and disasters, businesses around the world need to
react in agile and decisive ways. This involves businesses identifying capabilities and needs to
strengthen, refactor, reopen, rehire, re-budget, resupply, by creating long term plans that allow for scaling
up. An “after-action review” to collect data and insights on lessons learned, and then using these to
prioritise actions to enhance business value today, businesses will build strategic resilience for tomorrow.

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Businesses that take these steps now will be well-placed to capitalise more effectively on the
opportunities during business recovery, and to continue winning in their marketplaces as greater certainty
and stability return.

Activity
In order to conduct you project successfully to produce your business case you will need take the
following steps:

Step 1 – Project planning

1. Devise a project management plan to map out how you intend to meet the project objectives:
• Begin with the scope. What activities and tasks as defined in your project must be done in
order to make the project a success?
• Note the milestones or major events or phases in your project.
• Provide details of activities to be carried out initiation, planning and execution of the project.
• Create a work break down structure using a Gantt chart to track the activities to be
undertaken.

Step 2 – Conduct primary and secondary research

1. Devise a short questionnaire/ or interview questions to complete with the target participants.
Include questions on business recovery, focussed on addressing business recovery through the
lens of a specific industry e.g., hospitality, tourism, retail.
2. Research at least two other organisations to see what type of business recovery initiatives
they have.
3. Research the value and benefits of business recovery strategies/initiatives.
4. Focus on areas of good practice to build and support your business case.

Step 3 – Present Findings

1. Collate your research and analyse your findings.
2. Produce and present the business case including an evaluation of tools used to gather
research and data to justify your recommendations with context to business recovery initiatives
through the lens of a specific industry.

Step 4 – Reflective Practice

1. Complete a performance review with your line manager to critically reflect upon the project
plan, process and outcomes in terms of your own personal and professional development. Think
about how well you have performed and achieved your project objectives, what obstacles did you
have to overcome? What worked well or not well? What have you learnt from completing this
project?

* Note- Students will need to reflect on the success of their project and their own performance in a personal
performance review at the end of the project. It is advisable to provide students with an appropriate structure for this
reflection.

Pearson Education 2018

Higher Education Qualifications
Assignment Brief

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Pass Merit Distinction
LO1 Explain the key stages of the project lifecycle thatshould be
considered when project managing
P1 Explain the stages of the M1 Evaluate the stages ofthe PLC D1 Critically evaluate the
project lifecycle (PLC)and their and the factors, (deliverables, project-management process,
importance to the success of a quality, risk,communication and PMP and research methods for
project. resources) to be considered in a gathering information and data
PMP. collection.
P2 Examine the factors to be
considered when compiling a M2 Evaluate a range ofresearch
project management plan (PMP). methods and strategies for
gatheringinformation and data
P3 Examine a range ofresearch
collection.
methods andstrategies and
their importance to project
management.

LO2 Produce a Project Management Plan (PMP) for abusiness

project using primary and secondary research methods

P4 Produce a PMP that covers,
aim, objectives, deliverables,
quality, risk,communication
resources and research methods.
M3 Produce a detailed PMP, and
schedule for monitoring and
completing the aims and
objectives of the project.
D2 Justify the choices made in
the design of thePMP for
completing the aims and
objectives of theproject.

P5 Produce a work breakdown

structure anda schedule to provide
timeframes and stages for
completion.

LO3 Implement the Project Management Plan (PMP) to

communicate results from the research and make conclusions
from the evidence of findings

P6 Conduct a business project M4 Justify conclusions and LO3 and LO4

as stated withinthe PMP and
communicate findings.
P7 Present data to drawvalid and
meaningful conclusions and
recommendations fromdata
analysis.
recommendations drawn from data
D3 Critically reflect on the
analysis and findings to meet the
findings from the research and
statedproject objectives.
the project management process
in supporting stated objectives
and own learning.

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Pass Merit Distinction

LO4 Reflect on value gained from implementing the project and the
project management process.

P8 Reflect on the value of M5 Evaluate the project

undertaking the business management process to
project to meet stated meet stated objectives and
objectives and own support own learning and
learning and performance. performance.

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