Learning and Teaching Approaches
Advice and Guidance for Practitioners
National 5 Business Management
Management of People and Finance
About this resource
The following potential learning and teaching approaches
present the opportunity to explore the topics in the
Management of People and Finance unit in more depth.
For most of the activities a range of working methods and
presentation media are left to practitioner/learner choice.
ICT and access to the internet could be beneficial in several of
the activities.
These learning and teaching approaches can be adapted to
suit the needs of practitioners.
The icons below act as guidance for practitioners as to the
slide content and potential approaches to learning and
teaching.
Activity
Information
Discuss/share
Management of People
Welcome to
Strung Out Guitars
Strung Out Guitars was established by guitarmaking college buddies Louise Carruthers and
Paula Russell in 2003 in Glasgow. It is an
independently run guitar shop and guitar repair
workshop specialising in second-hand and
vintage guitars and amplifiers, and, of course,
guitar repairs.
Learners could watch the video interview with
these enterprising business partners and use this
information to further investigate specific areas of
the business.
Finding people (1)
Paula and Louise started their business with only two
workers… themselves! As their business grew, they
decided to increase the number of people in their
business.
Learners could be asked to find simple definitions of the
term used to describe the process of attracting new
workers to an organisation using online resources or
through a group discussion.
Learners could then idea share with a partner or in groups
the different methods that can be used to make people
aware of available job vacancies.
Finding people (2)
Learners could focus their knowledge on Strung Out Guitars
and discuss how this business may have found their new
employees.
Learners could discuss why certain methods of recruitment
would be more or less suited to this business. This could be
done in pairs or groups or using the suggested approach
below.
Learners could consider whether the following factors may
affect the choice of recruitment method for a business:
business size
cost of recruitment
type of job offered.
Finding people (3):
what happens next?
Learners could be encouraged to explain what
may happen after someone is attracted to
apply for a specific job vacancy, ie following
recruitment.
Learners could work in groups or pairs to put
the stages in the correct order and match
them to the given definitions.
Keeping it legal (1)
Following a step-by-step process isn’t the only factor
organisations have to remember when recruiting staff.
Learners could use the web resources linked below to research
legislation that they think could affect the recruitment and selection
process.
Learners could be encouraged to select two pieces of legislation
that they think may have applied to Strung Out Guitars and could
discuss why they may have been relevant to this business.
Keeping it legal (2)
Learners could work with a partner to explain their reasons for
choosing specific laws and how they think they may affect the
recruitment process of Strung Out Guitars. The learner could
be asked one question on each of their choices by their
partner.
Learners could then repeat this exercise listening to their
partner’s choices and asking one question for each.
Learners could use any resources available to research the
key features of their chosen legislation and decide which of
these features would have an effect on the business’
recruitment process.
Learners could report on this information, directing their report
to the managers of the business and advising them how to
avoid breaching these laws when they recruit new staff.
Tip: A local business could also be used for this activity.
Finding people (4)
Strung Out Guitars have decided to recruit an
administrative assistant for their business.
Using internet resources, the Strung Out Guitars
website and video case study, learners could work
in small groups or pairs and research one step in
the recruitment process. Each group/pair could
research a different step.
Learners could then create the necessary
information that will allow Strung Out Guitars to
successfully recruit and select the best candidate
for this new job.
The following slides give some additional hints for
using this approach with learners.
Finding people (5)
Example: Group 1 is researching the use of job
analysis.
Learners could approach this by:
1)
2)
3)
4)
finding out how job analysis/evaluation is done using
internet resources
researching what the detail of an administrative
assistant’s job may be
applying this knowledge to the specific business or to
Strung Out Guitars using the video and website to help
summarising the information using ICT.
Group 1 has a link here to help them begin.
Advice from the experts
Learners could use this additional resource to
assist them with their research.
The ACAS website (www.acas.org.uk) provides
advice on recruitment and selection procedures.
This can be found in the Advice and Guidance
section using the search term ‘Recruitment’ or
under R in the Advice A-Z.
Promoting employment relations and
HR excellence
Possible guidelines for group/pair research:
Job description
What is included here? Where can specific details for an
administrative assistant’s job be found online?
What duties might a specific business look to include?
Person specification
What will this document look like? What details does it contain?
Advertising the job
What options are available and what is appropriate for Strung
Out Guitars or learners chosen business?
Receiving and reviewing applications
How will the business do this? What methods will be used to
decide who to interview?
Selecting the best candidate
What selection methods will be the best? What methods are
commonly used?
Finding people (6)
When all groups have completed their research this topic
could be further extended as follows.
Learners could develop a step-by-step recruitment
process for the position of administrative assistant with
Strung Out Guitars or a local business they have
chosen.
Learners could discuss how they approached this
activity eg where did they find good-quality information?
Learners could be encouraged to highlight the strengths
and weaknesses in their step of the recruitment process
and the steps that other groups worked on.
Learners could collate all the researched information
together to form a recruitment pack for this job, adding
some company information and using ICT to present the
information in a professional manner.
To
train
or
not
to
train?
The following is an example of an activity that could be used
to discuss with learners the need for training in an
organisation. The context used could be that of the new
employee at Strung Out Guitars or the local business used for
earlier research. Possible questions to prompt discussion
could be:
Do all employees need training?
Do only new employees need training?
Why might all employees benefit from training?
The group could be divided into ‘Yes’ and ‘No’ answers to
allow a mini-debate to take place.
The Yes and No hyperlinks provide
further reflective questions for possible
discussion/debate.
YES
NO
YES
Learners could be directed in discussion/debate
and/or research using the following guidance:
Training at some stage may be beneficial if:
employees are new to the business and need to learn
about the organisation
skills are out of date and need to be refreshed
new work practices mean different processes or using ICT
requires training for employees
the business is to stay competitive.
Do learners understand how training may help competition
with other businesses?
Can learners research and explain what training may cost a
business in terms of finance, time, production and quality?
NO
Learners could be directed in discussion/debate
and/or research using the following guidance:
What effect will lack of training have on employees’
attitudes?
How might poor-quality work and lack of training have a
negative effect on employees and the business overall?
How can the cost of training be justified?
Can learners discuss/research who else may be affected
by poor work standards?
Are outside customers the only group who might be
affected here?
Costs and benefits of training (1)
Using a range of resources, eg the internet,
learners could research the three main types of
training and what may be involved in each.
Learners could then suggest which method(s) of
training the new administrative assistant at
Strung Out Guitars (or their chosen local
business) would benefit from and why.
Learners could use a form of ICT to present this
information.
See the following slide for more information.
Costs and benefits of training (2)
Learners could study the Strung Out Guitars information again
(video, transcript or website).
Perhaps working in groups or pairs learners could discuss what
benefits each of the three researched methods of training may
have for (a) the new employee and (b) the business.
Learners could also consider what the costs of each method
may be to the business, other than financial.
Learners could summarise the costs and benefits of each
method of training for the business, give their recommendation
as to which method(s) should be used for their new employee
and, using the same form of ICT as in the previous activity,
summarise this information and present it to the group.
How do other businesses train staff?
Mini research project
Learners could choose a business they are familiar with or
that is local to them.
Using a range of available resources, learners could research
how this business approaches staff training.
Learners could be guided in their research by establishing
whether the business uses any or all of the three main
training methods or whether they have their own original
method of staff training and development.
Learners could investigate the possible costs to the business
and how the business benefits from investing in staff training.
Learners could present their results to the rest of the group
using any chosen method. This summary should last for no
longer than 5 minutes.
Keeping your people happy (1)
Strung Out Guitars have recruited their new employee and
have considered training issues. How does the business
make sure the employee stays with them and stays happy?
Learners could be introduced to the topic of motivating and
retaining staff using the resources below. An initial discussion
could centre around why it is important for businesses to
motivate and retain their staff.
Using the articles on KwikFit Insurance and employee
benefits, learners could prepare one key statement from this
information to demonstrate why motivating staff can be of
benefit to an organisation.
Keeping your people happy (2)
Learners could discuss other ways of motivating and
keeping staff that are not described in the KwikFit
Insurance and employee benefits articles.
Using the information linked below, learners could
discover other methods of motivating and retaining staff.
Learners could select the methods they think would be
most appropriate for Strung Out Guitars (or their local
business) and discuss or investigate the costs and
benefits of using these methods.
Learners could present their findings in an appropriate
form using ICT or other media.
Keeping your people happy (3)
Learners could use the example activity in the
Motivating business behaviour worksheet.
For each option selected, learners could present
their findings using different media, eg a slide show,
a podcast and a flip chart for three answers that
could be presented to the group.
The key in this activity is for learners to find quality
information that they can summarise and present
briefly and accurately.
Learners could be encouraged to justify their
selections.
Management of Finance
Take a minute (or two!)
Learners could be asked to think about the
following question to introduce the topic of finance:
Where could you go to get funding to start up, or
invest in, your own business?
Learners could be asked to think about their
responses for 2 minutes and prepare their answer
to this question.
The group could then discuss the range of
answers that are offered and their possible
advantages and disadvantages.
Sources of finance (1)
Learners could investigate and research possible
sources of finance using the two internet sites
below and additional sites they choose.
Learners could be guided to consider the costs
and benefits of each source they research and
discuss what costs and benefits may mean to a
business.
Costs and benefits
Learners could build on earlier research on
sources of finance and focus on creating a list of
the costs and benefits of the sources of finance
they selected.
Learners could work individually on their list for 5
minutes and then swap lists with a partner and
study their list for 2 minutes.
Learners could then discuss their information
with each other or with the wider group,
comparing the range of ideas from their
research.
Sources of finance (2)
Learners could now apply the information gathered
through research and discussion to Strung Out
Guitars (or to their own chosen local business).
Can learners recommend two sources of finance to
Strung Out Guitars?
Can learners recommend where additional
investment funding could be found for the
business?
Learners could create a short report on two
possible sources and use ICT to record, video or
present their information effectively.
Cash flow
Whether a business makes millions of pounds or
only enough to survive, it needs to keep records
of where the money comes from… and where it
goes!
Why do businesses need to do this?
Learners could discuss this topic in pairs or
groups and highlight the reason they feel is of
most importance to a business, justifying the
reasons for their choice to the group.
Budgeting and planning ahead
Learners could reinforce their knowledge of
cash budgets using the exemplar budgets
provided. Guidance is provided within the
exemplar worksheet files.
The following slide could be used as an
example for learners of how a cash budget
could be set up or how it may look.
Learners could be encouraged to devise their
own scenarios where a cash budget may be of
benefit to them or to a business of their choice,
and to produce a cash budget for this scenario.
Cash budget for (your name) from (this month) to (6 months from
now)
Months
Opening balance
1
100
Income
Wages
Money gifts
Total
80
30
210
Expenditure
Food
22
Clothes
40
30
Fuel
Total
Closing balance
92
118
2
118
3
4
5
6
Breaking even (1)
Do learners understand what the term ‘breaking
even’ means?
Learners could research the following questions, using a
range of resources:
What is the break-even point (BEP) in business?
Why do businesses need to know their BEP?
Can learners devise a simple, real-life example to better
illustrate the information they have found through
research?
Breaking even (2): BEP
Learners could use Strung Out Guitars to further
investigate the concept of BEP, perhaps using the
exemplar below.
A guitar sells for £100. It cost the business £65 to buy in
and repair the guitar. Can learners explain how much this
sale contributes towards the running costs of the
business?
If the total running costs of the business per year are
£35,000, can learners calculate how many guitars the
business has to sell at this price to cover their costs, and
therefore calculate the BEP of this business?
Learners could use this link for more detailed
information on BEP.
Breaking even (3)
In the case of Strung Out Guitars, Louise and Paula
will have to work out how many guitars they will
have to sell or repair in order to pay all of the
overheads of running the business – rent, wages
etc.
If they know this, can learners explain how a sales target
could be set that will allow Louise and Paula to cover
their costs and make a profit each month?
Can learners explain what could happen if Louise and
Paula don’t know their BEP?
Learners could study the following example of BEP
for In-Tune Guitars, Louise and Paula’s competitor.
In-Tune Guitars BEP exemplar
Practitioners could use the following information as a guide for
learners for the calculation of BEP.
Fixed costs
Selling price per guitar
Variable costs per guitar
Contribution to fixed costs per guitar:
selling price – variable cost =
£100,000
£
120
£
70
£
50
BEP = fixed costs/contribution = 100,000/50 = 2000 units or
£240,000 sales
What would be In-Tune’s sales target in order to cover their
costs? Can learners identify this figure using this example?
BEP: try it!
Learners could use the
link to go to The Times
100 Business Case
Studies website.
Further information is
provided here on BEP,
with sample exercises
for learners to calculate
working together or
individually as
appropriate.
The
Times 100
A break-even chart explained
Learners could supplement their knowledge of BEP by
producing break-even charts using information from Strung
Out Guitars or a local business of their choice.
Learners could discuss elements of the information given by
break-even charts, perhaps using the following as prompts for
discussion:
Do learners understand why sales revenue begins at zero sales and
zero production units?
The break-even chart shows the fixed costs of the business. Can
learners give examples of typical fixed costs?
The break-even chart shows total costs (fixed + variable). Can
learners give examples of variable costs and how these differ from
fixed costs? Why do variable costs rise as production rises? BEP
occurs when the level of sales equals the total costs of the business.
Calculating profit (1)
Businesses need to be able to see clearly whether
they are making a profit or a loss through their
business activity.
One method of doing this is to create a Profit and
Loss Statement. Learners could investigate other
methods of establishing whether profit has been
achieved by the business.
Using the link below and other sources of
information, learners could investigate what a Profit
and Loss Statement will include and how this
information will be used by the business.
Calculating profit (2)
Learners could be encouraged to draw up a simple Profit
and Loss Statement basing this on either Strung Out
Guitars or a local business they may be familiar with.
Learners could use internet resources to investigate
what their Profit and Loss Statement should look like and
what calculations are necessary.
Learners could then describe each of the terms shown in
a Profit and Loss Statement using a range of resources
to help them with descriptions.
Finally, learners could work in pairs or groups to create a
list of possible costs/items that may appear under the
headings in a Profit and Loss Statement.
Calculating profit (3)
Learners could use the exemplar spreadsheet file and
guidance to apply recent knowledge to produce a Profit
and Loss Statement for a sample business, In-Tune
Guitars.
Learners could work individually or in pairs on this
activity and then discuss their results with the group.
Did everyone get the same result? If not, why not?
Learners could discuss where possible errors or
inconsistencies may have arisen in their work and the
consequences of this for the business.