BTEC Business Studies: Sources of Information, Internal Business Information, Development Needs, and Career Plan

This article discusses the sources of information, internal business information, development needs, and career plan in BTEC Business Studies. It covers topics such as identifying and explaining the sources of information, presenting complex internal business information, assessing the methods of obtaining development needs, monitoring and auditing progress towards targets, and evaluating the appropriateness used in achieving planned objectives of career plan.

Running head: BTEC BUSINESS STUDIES
BTEC Business Studies
Student’s name:
Name of the university:
Author’s note:

1BTEC BUSINESS STUDIES
Table of Contents
P1 Identifying and explaining the sources of information, their purposes and sources..................2
P2 Presenting complex internal business information using three different methods appropriate to
the user’s needs................................................................................................................................5
M1 Assessing the methods of obtaining development needs within timeframe of career plan......8
M2 Monitoring and auditing progress towards targets using appropriate success criteria..............9
D1 Evaluating the appropriateness used in achieving planned objectives of career plan.............10
Bibliography..................................................................................................................................11

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P1 Identifying and explaining the sources of information, their purposes and sources
Career-related information can be obtained from various sources like web-based, written
and multimedia. I want to make my career in architecture and I can take the information from
various sources like job centres, career advice and services, newspaper articles, job
advertisements and university and college prospectus. The purpose of the sources is to get the
information regarding a career in architecture that will help me to get information and
knowledge. Sometimes, verbal information from friends and near ones is precious regarding
career.
Job centres:
The purpose of job centres is to give employment support for the individuals who want to
make a career in different fields. Sometimes government itself makes department to help the job
seekers to get their desirable jobs. In Britain, people can get advice about a career from job
centres and candidates can look advertisements for employment.
Career services and advice:
Job-related websites provide career advice to the job seekers and these job portals also
provide career advancement guide. Career advice or services have a separate section for each
different types of career and candidates can seek help from this. In Architecture, these types of
career advice help me to have career direction.
Newspapers articles:

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Daily newspapers provide supplementary news articles on weekly basis for career centred
people. The purpose of newspaper articles is to provide immense news for different careers and
education-related news and information for job seekers and students. Printed newspaper and
online newspapers both are famous for giving information about career articles. The news
contains design, skill, managing people and engineering skills for architectures.
Job advertisements:
Employees and job seekers can find the information of career through job advertisements.
Job advertisements can be seen in online, social media, newspapers, magazines, government
gazettes, radio, televisions and online portals. The purpose of job advertisements is to find the
potential and fruitful candidates for the posts and it helps to reach huge numbers of job seekers
(Brown 2015).
University and college prospectus:
College or university prospectus is a document that is sent to potential students in order
to attract them to apply to the respected colleges or universities for admission. As stated by
Leong (2014), most of the universities have both online and offline prospectus and both for
undergraduate and post-graduate students.
Qualification information:
Qualification information is related to gain knowledge about skills, capacity and
information about specific eligibility criteria. The purpose of qualification information is to get
information about duty, position, office, status and privilege.
Career development needs:

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Name:
Current position: Landscape architect
Performance summary:
In my educational field, I have met and in some cases exceeded all targets that were identified in
my performance. I am doing the architecture course and I have been doing internship from a
small organisation. I have been given the post of Landscape architect and I have not been
assessed with leadership competencies. I have identified competencies that I would like to work
during this period.
Career goals:
I am doing the architecture course and I want to be the architect of a reputed organisation. I have
just successfully completed for my current so my short-term goal is to get as much knowledge in
architecture and leadership. I want to get knowledge in public safety and getting to know about
overseeing the projects.
Areas of strengths
Excellent communication
Keen eye for detail
Strong desire to improve and learn new skills
Ability to prioritise workload
Excellent drawing skills
Ability to work under pressure
Areas for development
Constant improving
Knowledge of financial climate
Leadership qualities
Building confidence
Describing short-term targets (2 years)

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 Improving leadership qualities through training
 Improving knowledge in finance by taking help from finance guy
 Developing confidence by improving communication
P2 Presenting complex internal business information using three different methods
appropriate to the user’s needs
Skill audits:
An individual does skills audit to know what skills and knowledge the person has. Skills
audit helps to determine the person whether the person can meet the career goals and it also helps
to get information for improving the current skills. I took skills audit in order to understand my
training and development needs.
Name: Skills audit
Required skills Personal rating (1 means
very poor and 5 means very
strong)
Evidence
Imaginative and creative
thinking
3 I can draw very well and I
have been into art school
before
Analyse and critically assess
the issues
4 I think about matter critically
in professional life
Ability to communicate
effectively
4 I am very good at
communication and I can

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convince people effectively
Understand the smallest
details
3 I think about the trivial matter
and go for small details to
understand the matter
Skilled in the English
language
5 I can speak English fluently
and I was born with English.
Table 1: Skill audit
(Source: Self-developed)
Through skills audit, I have identified my own lacks to determine the skill requirements. I
need to audit in actual skills to identify the analytical needs. A targeted analysis will be helpful to
understand the development needs of my side.
Personal SWOT analysis:
Strengths
 Excellent communication
 Eye for details
 Strong desire to improve me
 Excellent drawing skills
 Ability to be creative
 Ability to work under pressure
Weaknesses
 Lacking knowledge of finance
 Lacking in software knowledge
 Lacking in data awareness
 Lacking in professionalism in
presentation design
Opportunities
 Software tutorials
Threats
 Working in competitive industry

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 Canvas for jobs
 Subscription to journals
 Negotiation skills
 Time management
 Current financial climate
 Don’t know other languages
 Restricted communication
Table 2: Personal SWOT analysis
(Source: Self-developed)
Skill Gap:
The skill gap is a gap between employers' needs and what employees can give to the
employers (Patton and McMahon 2014). I have good communication skill, creative and
imaginative knowledge and I can draw very well. I have good language skill as I can
communicate and persuade any person. I can assess the problems critically for the people.
However, in the architecture field, I don't have the big picture in my mind that can put minute
details in everything. Moreover, I lack knowledge about software and finance. I have an issue in
working competitive field as I lack confidence. I am doing architecture course to have good
future in architecture and I need to have good knowledge in understanding history, environment
and cultural factors of the UK and Singapore. I lack in technical and practical understanding of
the structural element of architecture. I need to have lateral thinking skills.
SMART target:
Specific I want to improve my leadership skill along with finance and technical
knowledge
Measurable This can be measured through my behaviour in handling the situations and

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my technical specifications
Achievable This can be achieved through taking feedback from others and having
training sessions. I am planning to admit in IT classes and taking finance
training.
Realistic This plan is realistic as in architecture; I have to manage the people to
make understand my views through technical specification and budget
specification. Leadership skill will help me to smooth my way to grab my
desired career.
Time-bound Within 24 months
Table 3: SMART target
(Source: Self-developed)
M1 Assessing the methods of obtaining development needs within timeframe of career plan
Development needs of an individual can be judged through skills audit as it is an essential
method for recording and measuring skills. The purpose of skills audit is to recognise the
knowledge and skills that an individual requires to increase the skills (Westerman et al. 2014).
An individual can understand the knowledge that he/she currently has. In addition, the skills gap
is another process to understand the development needs of myself as it is the gap between
employers’ needs and employees’ present skills. Employees need to be able what the employers
want from them when they walk into the office (Sekaran and Bougie, 2014). Skill gap helps to
understand the development needs in a specific field which the candidates might miss. It is
required to define the skills and it is also required to complete the tasks with knowledge.
Moreover, personal SWOT analysis assists an individual to understand his/her strengths,

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weaknesses, opportunities and threats in career and educational life. It promotes the recognised
strengths and assists to reduce the weaknesses. In addition, it will also help to exploit the
opportunities and minimise the threats. In professional life or career demonstration plan, SWOT
analysis helps to provide the benefit of personal development along with betterment opportunity
(Abramowicz et al. 2016).
Qualification gap analysis helps an individual to get to know about lacks in achieving the
desires posts and objectives. Development activities are conducted by an individual in a saturated
learning atmosphere and qualification gap will help the person to focus on the gap. In skill audit
and from SWOT analysis, I have identified my gap in learning and personality. In SMART target,
the timescale is set in order to meet an objective at the desired time. The training requirement is
needed to identify in order to improve in that particular area. Training helps an individual to use
the skills in a proper way.
In understanding my weaknesses, SWOT analysis helps me and I have identified my own
area of improvement. I have identified my skills lack in leadership, technology and financial
knowledge. I have made a change in my objective to focus only on the technical specification
with software and leadership skills. I will achieve this within 6 months by admitting myself in
classes.
M2 Monitoring and auditing progress towards targets using appropriate success criteria
My target in a career is to be an architect that can handle people effectively and who has
knowledge of finance and software technology. I have made mapping process against a target in
order to fulfil my desires to achieve my desires. I have made a map of fulfilling the proposed
action by joining the IT classes and I will take feedback from my friends and intern colleagues.

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These feedbacks will help me to tally my strengths and weaknesses. I will work on my
weaknesses to convert these into my strong points. I will keep a daily journal to record
achievement on a daily basis. Keeping daily journal helps me to enhance my knowledge and
memory. Achievement of knowing about my strengths and new software or new calculation in
finance will be kept in this journal. In order to evaluate the progress in career plan, I will find a
baseline and gather the credible evidence. Progress can be judged by measuring or KPI (Key
Performance Indicator). I will judge my progress through my confidence level in front of others
about knowledge in architecture and leadership skills. In addition, if I feel, I am not on my way
to fulfilling the target in time-frame, I will adjust my target inflexible way. Within 12 months, I
will definitely achieve my objective. At the end of career plan, I need to reassess the objectives
whether they would help me or not. Architecture career will definitely fulfil my love for
designing and I am fascinated by my training needs to fulfil my desires. Leadership skills and
software knowledge would help me to be a leader in various projects (Argenti 2015).
D1 Evaluating the appropriateness used in achieving planned objectives of career plan
In the short-term plan, I want to improve my leadership skills, financial knowledge and
technological knowledge in architecture. Improved leadership skills will help me to live my
mission in actions and words. I can motivate the people on my team who will be working with
me. My communication skill is good and I do not change my mind frequently. Improved
leadership will help me to be confident, determined and courageous. I always focus the matter in
details and I want to be nice to the people. In addition, the technical specification will help me to
understand the architectural technology to be used in integration and application of construction
process. Technology and software used in design have been changing constantly and I would like
to be updated with the technological specification. Effective technical design and solutions

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knowledge would help me to perform well with production and procurement criteria (Shaw and
Bransford 2017). Moreover, I would also like to improve my financial knowledge by taking help
from a financial guy from my intern team. Financial knowledge in architect design will help me
to give a credible budget for the planning. I will calculate the cash-flow and balance statement of
the project. I can provide financial support along with administrative support.
Mid-term career objectives (5 years)
 To find an adequate position in architecture firm in which I can excel
 To improve my confidence level by taking feedback
In own skill audit, it has been observed that I have good communication skills and
English knowledge proficiency. I miss minute details sometimes and I must be more creative to
provide contemporary design to the clients. My professional development plan will be
continuing on improving leadership skills and use of software in architecture design.

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Bibliography
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Berlin: Springer.
Argenti, P.A., 2015. Corporate communication. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Brown, D., 2015. Career information, career counselling and career development. Sydney:
Pearson.
Camiciottoli, B.C. and Fortanet-Gómez, I. eds., 2015. The multimodal analysis in academic
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Cummins, J., 2014. Beyond language: Academic communication and student
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Davies, C. 2004, Finding and Knowing psychology, information and computers. Abingdon:
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Leong, F. (Ed.). 2014. Career development and vocational behaviour of racial and ethnic
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publications.
Niederst, J, 2011, Web design in a Nutshell: A desktop quick reference. O’Reilly.

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Patton, W., & McMahon, M. 2014. Career development and systems theory: Connecting theory
and practice (Vol. 2). Berlin: Springer.
Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R., 2016. Research methods for business: A skill building approach.
New York: John Wiley & Sons.
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psychology (Vol. 27). Abingdon: Routledge.
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Communication, 19(2), pp.171-183.