Business Management Unit 4: Transforming a Business

Prerequisites

Business Management Unit 3.

Course Description

Businesses are under constant pressure to adapt and change to meet their objectives. In this unit students consider the importance of reviewing key performance indicators to determine current performance and the strategic management necessary to position a business for the future. Students study a theoretical model to undertake change and consider a variety of strategies to manage change in the most efficient and effective way to improve business performance. They investigate the importance of effective management and leadership in change management. Using one or more contemporary business case studies from the past four years, students evaluate business practice against theory.

Areas of Study

Reviewing performance – the need for change

In this area of study students develop their understanding of the need for change. Managers regularly review and evaluate business performance through use of key performance indicators and use the results to make decisions affecting the future of a business. Managers can take both a proactive and reactive approach to change. Students investigate the ways a business can search for new business opportunities as a source of future business growth and consider current forces for change on a business. They apply Lewin’s Force Field Analysis theory to contemporary case studies from the past four years and consider approaches to strategic management using Porter’s Generic Strategies.

Implementing change

It is important for managers to know where they want a business to be positioned for the future before implementing a variety of strategies to bring about the desired change. Students consider the importance of leadership in change management and discuss and evaluate effective strategies for managing change. Students consider how leaders can inspire change and the effect change can have on stakeholders of a business. They consider the principles of Senge’s Learning Organisation and apply the Three-step Change Model (Lewin) in implementing change in a business. Using one or more contemporary business case studies from the past four years, students evaluate business practice against theory, considering how corporate social responsibility can be incorporated into the change process

Assessment

Outcomes	Assessment Tasks	Marks Allocated
Outcomes	(school-assessed coursework)	Marks Allocated
Explain the way business change may come about, analyse why managers may take a proactive or reactive approach to change, use key performance indicators to analyse the performance of a business, explain the driving and restraining forces for change, and evaluate management strategies to position a business for the future.	Structured questions or media analysis or test.	50
Discuss the importance of effective management strategies and leadership in relation to change, evaluate the effectiveness of a variety of strategies used by managers to implement change, and discuss the effect of change on the stakeholders of a business	Structured questions or media analysis or test.	50
Total Marks		100

Overall Final Assessment

Graded Assessment	Title	Assessment	Exam Duration	Contribution to Study Score (%)
1	Unit 3 Coursework	School-assessed		25
2	Unit 4 Coursework	School-assessed		25
3	Written Examination	November	2 hours	50