Evaluating the Selection of Tools and Techniques for Accuracy and Authenticity

This assignment requires students to critically evaluate and reflect on the project outcomes, decision-making process, and changes or developments of the initial project management plan. Students will also need to justify recommendations based on their learning during the project and demonstrate an understanding of corporate social responsibility (CSR) concepts. The submission guidelines include formatting requirements, referencing styles, and font sizes.

Division of Business
Course: HND Level 5 Business (Management) Year: 2016/17
Student Name:
UNIT 6: Managing a Successful Business Project Lecturer’s Name: A. Butt
Date Issued: 6th February 2017 Completion Date: 19th of May 2017
Fail Pass Merit Distinction
P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 P6 P7 M1 M2 M3 M4
D1 D2
Learning Outcomes: LO1: Establish project aims, objectives and timeframes based on the
chosen theme. LO2: Conduct small-scale research, information gathering and data collection to
generate knowledge to support the project. LO3: Present the project and communicate appropriate
recommendations based on meaningful conclusions drawn from the evidence findings and/or analysis.
LO4: Reflect on the value gained from conducting the project and its usefulness to support sustainable
organisational performance
Comments
Assessor’s Signature:______________ Referred
Date:______________
Late: Yes No Internal Verification: Yes No
I declare that the work I am submitting for assessment contains no sections in copied in whole or part from
any other source, unless it is explicitly identified by means of quotation mark or by means of wholly indented
paragraphs. I declare that I have also acknowledged such quotations by providing detailed references in an
approved format. I understand that unidentified and un-referenced copying both constitutes plagiarism which is an
offence. I give my consent for my work being scanned by Turnitin formatively and summatively for the purposes of
assessment.
Student Signature: Date:
Received: Date:

PEARSON BTEC HND Business (Management)
Unit 6: MSBP
Scenario or vocational context:
Corporate Social Responsibility and its importance for sustainability and
competitive advantage
‘Corporate Social Responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave
ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the
workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large.’
(World Business Council for Sustainable Development).
Businesses worldwide have increasingly embraced the concept of Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) as a means to develop and adopt sustainable practices and
approaches in their business operations. It is a multifaceted concept that encompasses
many different aspects ranging from philanthropy, ethical responsibilities and
environmental considerations.
Most recently, in response to maximising stakeholder value and expectations, the
strategic benefits of CSR has seen many companies having a competitive advantage.
Together with the rise of globalisation, companies now employ CSR managers, experts
and consultants to produce comprehensive CSR policies and programmes, to give them
a competitive edge and build stakeholder trust and loyalty.
This unit will enable students to examine the multi dimensions of CSR within the context
of business operations applied to a small-scale project. This will provide the opportunity
for students to contextualise the principles of CSR and explore the merits of CSR in
relation to meeting competitive and sustainable organisational objectives.
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Case Study: Primark
Primark is a subsidiary company of the ABF (Associated British Foods) Group. The
company was launched in 1969 in Ireland trading as Penny's. By 2000, there were over
100 stores across Britain and Ireland. By 2012 Primark had 238 branches across the UK,
Ireland and Europe. Primark has become distinctive for offering unbeatable value whilst
never losing its innovative, fashion-driven fashion businesses. It does not manufacture
goods itself, but expertise lies in understanding its customers and working with its
suppliers to produce goods to Primark’s specification. It then gets the right goods to the
right places at the right prices. Its profitability depends on sheer volume of sales driven
by its value-for-money prices that relies on low costs achieved through economies of
scale and efficient distribution.
Primark’s products are mainly sourced from suppliers in Europe and Asia. Its key
sourcing countries are China, India, Bangladesh and Turkey. Putting the manufacturing
of garments into these countries creates jobs. These are often at better rates of pay than
other types of work on offer, improving overall standards of living. In recent years
particularly in the last five years, there has been series of public debates and discussions
accusing the business of not paying adequate attention to the Corporate Social
Responsibilities aspect of its business activities. Most recent accusation was that of the
plight and the working conditions of those working with the company’s main suppliers
from China, Indian and Bangladesh to mention a few. For an organisation with such a
global brand and image, this is not the kind of publicity you would like.
In a bid to resolving this issue once and for all and to complement the existing CSR
practices already in place, the company has asked you to carrry out a research and
explore the significance of implementing CSR activities within Primark in
achieving sustainable objectives.
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The final outcome of the study should be designed and structured in a project format
and address the following criteria:
Project Title: To what extent implementing CSR activities within Primark can help to
meet sustainable objectives.
Project Brief
Chapter 1: Introduction section
 Briefly introduce the background of the topic theme and establish your aims and
objectives for the project. This section should also include reasonable level of
literature review on CSR to support your aims and the objectives of the project. (P1)
 Produce an appropiate project management plan that covers aspects of cost, scope,
time, quality, communication, risk and resources. (P2)
 Produce a work breakdown structure and a Gantt Chart to provide timeframes and
stages for completion of the project. (P3)
 Produce a comprehensive project management plan, milestone schedule and project
schedule for monitoring and completing the aims and objectives of the project. (M1)
Chapter 2: Research Methodology
 Carry out small-scale research by applying qualitative and quantitative research
methods appropriate for meeting project aims and objectives. P4
 Evaluate the accuracy and reliability of different research methods applied M2
Chapter 3: Research Analysis and Recommendations
 Analyse your findings using appropriate tools and techniques and draw valid
conclusion to form the basis for recommendations. (P5)
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 Communicate appropriate recommendations as a result of research and data
analysis to draw valid and meaningful conclusions. (P6)
Chapter 4: Evaluation
 Evaluate the selection of appropriate tools and techniques for accuracy and
authenticity to support and justify recommendations. M3
 Evaluate the value of the project management process and use of quality research to
meet stated objectives and support own learning and performance.
 Critically evaluate the project management process and appropriate research
methodologies applied. D1
 Critically evaluate and reflect on the project outcomes, the decision-making process
and changes or developments of the initial project management plan to support
justification of recommendations and learning during the project. D2
Complete a performance review that addresses the following: (P7)
o The success of the project and its usefulness in supporting organisational
performance.
o Your own performance.
o A suggested template is attached with this assignment brief
IMPORTANT NOTICE
In addition to answering the questions above as part of the project, you are expected to
keep a log book record of your activities all through the research period. This is a
mandatory requirement to pass this unit. A suggested template is attached with this
assignment brief.
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Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria
Pass Merit Distinction
LO1 Establish project aims, objectives and timeframes based on the chosen theme
P1 Devise project aims and objectives
for a chosen scenario.
P2 Produce a project management
plan that covers aspects of cost,
scope, time, quality, communication,
risk and resources.
P3 Produce a work breakdown
structure and a Gantt Chart to provide
timeframes and stages for
completion.
M1 Produce a
comprehensive project
management plan,
milestone schedule
and project schedule
for monitoring and
completing the aims
and objectives of the
project.
(LO1 & 2)
D1 Critically evaluate
the project
management process
and appropriate
research methodologies
applied.
LO2 Conduct small-scale research, information gathering and data collection to generate
knowledge to support the project
P4 Carry out small-scale research by
applying qualitative and quantitative
research methods appropriate for
meeting project aims and objectives.
M2 Evaluate the accuracy and reliability of
different research methods applied.
LO3 Present the project and communicate appropriate recommendations based on
meaningful conclusions drawn from the evidence findings and/or analysis
P5 Analyse research and data using
appropriate tools and techniques.
P6 Communicate appropriate
recommendations as a result of
research and data analysis to draw
valid and meaningful conclusions.
M3 Evaluate the
selection of
appropriate tools and
techniques for
accuracy and
authenticity to support
and justify
recommendations.
(LO3 & 4)
D2 Critically evaluate
and reflect on the
project outcomes, the
decision-making process
and changes or
developments of the
initial project
management plan to
support justification of
recommendations and
learning during the
project.
LO4 Reflect on the value gained from conducting the project and its usefulness to support
sustainable organisational performance
P7 Reflect on the value of
undertaking the research to meet
stated objectives and own learning
and performance.
M4 Evaluate the value of the project
management process and use of quality research
to meet stated objectives and support own
learning and performance.
Suggested Resources:
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www.OECD.org
Corporate Responsibility: Frequently asked questions
www.WBCSD.org
Corporate Social Responsibility: Making good busines sense
www.ethicalcorp.com
7 Key Learnings from the 2016 Responsible summit
www.csr-asia.com
How they do it: Community Investment professionals and their operating environment – A look
behind the scenes CSR development and trends in China
www.csreurope.org
CSR Handbook for small business advisors Questionnaires to raise SME awareness of CSR
www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk
Corporate social responsibility and your business, The business benefits of corporate social
Responsibility, CSR: Understand the environmental impact of your business, CSR: Work ethically
with customers and suppliers, CSR: Involve your business with the local community, Measure the
effectiveness of your corporate social responsibility, Positive PR from corporate social
responsibility
www.nikon.com
Nikon CSR, Nikon CSR Report 2014
www.starbucks.co.uk/responsibility
Our Responsibility. Global Responsibility Report 2014
www.bitc.org.uk
John Lewis Partnership – It’s your business
www.theguardian.com/environment/corporatesocialresponsibility
‘McDonald’s staff lovin’ the fight for rights.’ ‘Indian law requires companies to give 2% of
profits to charity. Is it working?’
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Submission Guideline
 Work should be referenced
 Sources should be acknowledged fully by referenced books, journals used and
URL visited
 All work should be word processed, font size 12 and font style Times New
Roman/Arial
 Subtitles of the assignment should be in the font size 14
 Pages should be numbered in the bottom right hand corner
 Spell check the document and read thoroughly for grammatical errors
 1.5 Line spacing
 Reference at the end of the assignment
 All paragraphs should be aligned in justified mode
 This assignment should be in the report/dissertation format
Note: The recommended word limit is between 4500-5000 words
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Logbook Template:
Student name:
Project Title:
Date:
Update on weekly research/tasks achieved
Points to consider:
What have you completed?
Did you fulfil task requirements?
Are you on track and within deadlines set?
Did you need to make any changes to your project management plan?
Any risks and/or issues identified?
Points to consider:
Did you identify risks/issues with a lack of skills required for undertaking research/tasks?
Did you identify any additional risks/issues that have an impact on the project management
plan?
Problems encountered
Points to consider:
What barriers did you face?
How did you overcome them?
New ideas and change of project direction
What have I learnt about myself this week?
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