Business Studies 2014
Subject Area Syllabus — Sample unit of work — Organisational, time
management and planning skills
Sample unit of work — Organisational,
time management and planning skills
The sample unit of work provides teaching strategies and learning experiences that facilitate
students’ demonstration of the dimensions and objectives of Business Studies.
This sample demonstrates:
 organisation and development of a unit that could be used within a course of study
 aspects of the underpinning factors particular to this unit
 learning experiences that support the achievement of the objectives described in the
dimensions of this syllabus
141015
 alignment between core subject matter, learning experiences and assessment.
Unit overview
Organisational, time management and planning skills
How can effective organisational, time management and planning skills contribute to the effective
operation of a real estate business?
Time allocation:
Semester 3; 25 hours
Dimensions and objectives
Knowledge and
understanding
Analysing and applying
Planning and evaluating
 describe concepts and ideas
 analyse business information
 make and justify decisions for
related to business functions
 explain concepts and ideas
related to business functions
 demonstrate processes,
procedures and skills related
to business functions to
complete tasks.
related to business functions
and contexts
 apply knowledge,
understanding and skills
related to business functions
and contexts
 use language conventions and
features to communicate ideas
and information.
business solutions and
outcomes
 plan and organise business
solutions and outcomes
 evaluate business decisions,
solutions and outcomes.
Content to be taught
Core
Business
practices
Concepts and ideas
Identified knowledge, understanding and skills
Business
fundamentals (BF)
 BF1: Essential and
fundamental knowledge
exists for the different
business functions.
 BF3: Organisational
policies and procedures
provide a framework for
principles, rules and
guidelines to support safe
and effective work
practices.
 BF4: The changing nature
of business leads to
varied and emerging
employment options and
roles.
 importance of planning and organising
information
 planning and prioritising work
 identifying work goals and plans
 monitoring and adjusting work practices to
maintain efficiency
 opportunities for improving administrative
processes and procedures, e.g. new ideas, seek
opportunities to improve resource efficiency,
organisational plans, workplace practices
 organisational policies and procedures manual,
e.g. scheduling, planning, resources allocation
 administration roles and responsibilities, e.g.
receptionist, secretary, executive assistant
Business
communication
(BC)
 BC1: Effective
interpersonal and
organisational skills are
essential for quality staff
and customer relations.
 Demonstrate and apply interpersonal skills, e.g.
discretion, diplomacy, tact, delegation,
networking.
 Demonstrate and apply verbal skills, e.g.
answering phone calls, interacting with
customers/clients/colleagues.
 Manage schedules and organisational
requirements, e.g. using organisational tools,
Business Studies 2014
Subject Area Syllabus — Sample unit of work — Organisational, time management
and planning skills
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Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
December 2014
establishing timelines, selecting resources.
 Use effective communication strategies and
techniques within the team and with other
stakeholders, e.g. seeking feedback, reviewing
ideas, identifying issues, allocating tasks, setting
individual targets.
 Establish and apply effective ways of working,
e.g. ground rules, protocols, scheduling of
activities, supporting and guiding colleagues.
Business
technology (BT)
 BT1: A variety of existing
and emerging
technologies are used to
improve business
processes and to meet
identified purposes.
 BT2: Word processing
software is used to create
effective and professional
business documents.
 BT3: Software
applications are used to
effectively manage,
calculate and display
business data and
records.
 Select and use appropriate software for
organising information, monitoring scheduling
and booking resources.
 Use technology to monitor and improve
administration processes and procedures.
 Use of word processing software to complete
tasks, e.g. use of templates, forms, letters,
memos, reports, tables.
 Use desktop publishing features, e.g. templates,
importing text and graphics, font, layout, styles.
 Use software to monitor workflow, e.g. use of
spreadsheet to monitor tasks, use of databases.
 Input, organise and format data, e.g. visual
charts, tables, filters, sort.
Learning experiences
 The office administration assistant of a local real estate business is taking 6 months leave. The
company has asked you to hire someone to fill the position. Brainstorm the roles and responsibilities of
a secretary in a real estate context. Develop a list of personal qualities and skills you would ideally like
the candidate to possess. BF1, BF4
 In pairs, use a variety of case studies to roleplay responses to incoming calls. For each call, evaluate
the effectiveness of the response using criteria such as:
 How promptly was the call answered?
 How clear, polite and positive was the communication?
 Did the response follow the Organisational Policies and Procedures Manual?
 What action was taken? e.g. message, follow-up
 How was the message recorded?
 How efficiently was the phone call responded to? BC1, BF3
 Discuss different local real estate businesses. In small groups, research the different administrative
roles that exist in the real estate industry. Analyse whether different administrative roles and
responsibilities exist between small and large real estate businesses. Explain the similarities and
differences through a comparative table. BF1, BF4
 Conduct research to identify the different software applications that can be used to plan and organise
resources in the real estate context. Describe the various features (i.e. layout, content) of each of the
applications. Use a visual organiser to communicate and represent the different features. Examples of
software applications include Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, JIRA, Doodle,
Google calendar. BT1, BT2, BT3
 Invite a guest speaker from a real estate business to provide:
 an overview of their Organisational Policies and Procedures Manual (OPPM)
 describe their booking procedures
 explain the ways of monitoring their staff’s schedules. BF3
 You, as executive assistant in a real estate business, have been given a large amount of tasks to
complete in preparation for the end of the financial year. In order to complete these efficiently and
Business Studies 2014
Subject Area Syllabus — Sample unit of work — Organisational, time management
and planning skills
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Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
December 2014
effectively, complete the following steps:
 identify tasks you would be likely to receive in the situation described above
 apply technology skills to develop a task list template using a software application
 organise the tasks into a list of importance
 explain the impact on the organisation if the task list was not completed within the allocated time.
BF1, BF3, BC1, BT1
 Listen to and summarise information given by a guest speaker from a local recruiting company who is
speaking on:
‘Personal goal setting is just as important as business planning.’ OR ‘The challenge facing employees
is to judge the optimum amount of time required to complete a task properly.’
Prepare a brochure or booklet for a new employee, which describes the concepts of goal-setting and
explains the importance of setting effective goals to achieve success in your business. BF1
 Apply the SMART goal-setting strategy to an area of life, such as studies. Using a software application,
plan and develop a goal-setting template that:
 states specific goals
 describes how the goals will be measured
 explains why the goals are important
 analyses the goals to identify the actions required to achieve the goals
 plans and allocates a corresponding timeline to support each action item. BF1, BT1, BT2
 Research the skills and techniques that are required in delegation. Review the article
http://kochiesbusinessbuilders.com.au. Prepare a factsheet for publication that describes the key
aspects of delegation. BC1
 Prepare and complete a time log for yourself for a period of one week. At the end of the week, analyse
the time log to determine:
 Were all objectives achieved?
 When was the most productive time of the day?
 When was the least productive time of the day?
 Which activities took the most time?
 How many interruptions occurred? BF1, BC1, BT1
 Interview a group of peers or teachers to identify the tools and strategies (e.g. weekly schedule,
to-do lists, time logs) that are used to manage time and tasks efficiently and effectively. Prepare a
presentation to share with your peers which:
 describes the different tools and strategies
 analyses how effective these tools and strategies are when aiming to achieve short-term, mediumterm and long-term goals
 makes and justifies the most appropriate tools and strategies to use when organising a study plan.
Based on findings from your time log and knowledge gained regarding effective time management,
devise a procedure that will help successfully accomplish a given number of tasks in an efficient way.
BF1, BC1, BT1
 Using a real estate business case study, prepare a schedule of appointments for a number of
employees. The case study may involve rental property inspections, open houses, auctions and client
meetings. Use an appropriate software application (e.g. Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Excel, Google
calendar, databases) to create a list of the tasks that must be completed over the next week. For the
list of tasks:
 apply a timeline for completion
 organise and categorise each task according to its priority
 analyse the list of tasks to determine the estimated time, ideal time and real time
 apply technology skills to prepare a weekly schedule which visually represents the timelines. BF1, BT1,
BT2, BT3
Business Studies 2014
Subject Area Syllabus — Sample unit of work — Organisational, time management
and planning skills
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Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
December 2014
Assessment
Assessment technique
Project
Dimensions assessed
Knowing and understanding
Analysing and applying
Planning and evaluating
Description of
instrument
Undertake a field trip to a real estate business to observe and analyse how
they coordinate, manage and monitor the appointment schedules of their staff.
 Practical component: Compilation of survey questions to interview different
employees. The survey should examine concepts and ideas such as:
 organisational skills
 time management strategies
 choice of organisational tools and devices
 techniques for managing stress
 ability to prioritise tasks
 strategies for reviewing and evaluating tasks.
 Multimodal component: Prepare and deliver a presentation to the staff
which evaluates their existing processes and procedures and provides
recommendations for improvements.
Assessment conditions
 Practical component: survey, data compilation, e.g. graphs
 Multimodal component: 3–6 minutes
Business Studies 2014
Subject Area Syllabus — Sample unit of work — Organisational, time management
and planning skills
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Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority
December 2014