Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information

Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College Learning Outcomes and Criteria covered by this Assignment Summary of learning outcomes To achieve this unit a learner must: 1. Understand how to assess information and knowledge needs 2. Be able to create strategies to increase personal networking to widen involvement in the decision making process 3. Be able to develop communication processes 4. Be able to improve systems relating to information and knowledge Outcomes To achieve each outcome a learner must demonstrate the ability to: LO 1 Understand how to assess information and knowledge needs LO 1.1 discuss the range of decisions to be taken LO 1.2 examine the information and knowledge needed to ensure effective decision taking LO 1.3 assess internal and external sources of information and understanding LO 1.4 justify recommendations for improvement LO2 Be able to create strategies to increase personal networking to widen involvement in the decision making process LO 2.1 identify stakeholders for a decision-making process LO 2.2 make contact with those identified and develop business relationships LO 2.3 involve those identified in the decision making as appropriate LO 2.4 design strategies for improvement LO 3 Be able to develop communication processes LO 3.1 report on existing processes of communication in an organisation LO 3.2 design ways to improve appropriateness LO 3.3 implement improvements to ensure greater integration of systems of communication in that organisation LO 3.4 create a personal plan to improve own communication skills BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 4 LO 4 Be able to improve systems relating to information and knowledge LO 4.1 report on existing approaches to the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge LO 4.2 carry out appropriate changes to improve the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge LO 4.3 implement a strategy to improve access to systems of information and knowledge. BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 5 Programme: BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit Number: 16 Unit Title: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Module Tutors: Email: Assignment Number: 1. Report Distribution Date: 16/10/2013 Submission Date: 15/11/2013 Assessment Format: Produce a report with. The report must be written in professional manner and properly referenced. The report should comply with the word count of 1000 with +/- 10% margin. You may use tables and diagrams to support your report to illustrate the text. The report must be submitted as a printed copy. Starting up a new business can be both demanding and rewarding, and for those looking to establish themselves in the world of retail, the choice can present unique challenges. There is the initial decision over whether to establish the business as either a bricks-and-mortar operation, or whether to go completely online. Then there is the competition “ the retail sector is tough and it is worth bearing in mind that any business no matter how unique, is going to have to compete, not just with similar retailers but with a wide variety of different shops for the consumer spend. For this first assignment you are required to develop a report which will guide the reader through the process of setting up a business. Your report should include the following. ? A discussion of the different decisions to be made and an examination of the information and knowledge required to make the decisions in relation to starting up a business (LO 1.1, 1.2) ? List of internal and external sources of information and understanding. Assess these sources and justify their suitability and reliability in relation to the business start up. (LO 1.3) ? Recommend any improvements in the methods used in the selection and analysis of information needed for business start ups. (LO 1.4) For the second part of the report you are required to develop strategies to increase your personal networking skills and your involvement in the decision making process. Assessment Type: Individual BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 6 Your report should include the following. ? A list of stakeholders for the decision making process in relation to starting up above mentioned business. (LO 2.1) ? A selection of professionals and other stakeholders you should make contact with and ways to make contact with these individuals. ? Which methods you would use to develop a business relationship with these selected individuals. (LO 2.2) ? A plan to involve the identified people in the decision making process for example price strategy and location strategy applicable for this business start up. (LO 2.3) ? Your plan should include a strategy for future improvements in this process. (LO 2.4) BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 7 Programme: BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit Number: 16 Unit Title: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Module Tutors: Email: Assignment Number: 2. Case Study Distribution Date: 16/10/2013 Submission Date: 31/01/2014 Assessment Format: Produce a report. The must be written in professional manner and properly referenced. The report should comply with the word count of 2000 with +/- 10% margin. You may use tables and diagrams to support your report to illustrate the text. Word count excludes the index, headings, information contained in tables, references and bibliography. You are required a produce a report on following points relating to the case study you were given. ? Identify the existing processes of communication in the given case study and explain the different communication processes available to a small voluntary organisation. (LO 3.1) ? By comparing the different communication processes explain how the voluntary organisation cited in the case study can improve appropriate communication and how they can ensure integration of systems of communication. (LO 3.2, 3.3) ? Identify and recommend improvements to the organisation’s existing approaches to collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge (LO 4.1, 4.2) ? Recommend and explain methods by which this organisation can improve its access to systems of information and knowledge (LO 4.3) Assessment Type: Individual BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 8 ? If you are given the opportunity work as the volunteer supervisor in this case study, explain, using a personal plan how you would improve your own communication skills (LO 3.4) Case Study for Unit 16 Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Assignment 02 ORGANISATIONAL COMMUNICATION Introduction The organisation chosen for this case study on organisational communication is a small political activists’ organisation for which the writer of this paper once volunteered. The organisational communication problem encountered was that the volunteer supervisor did not have projects ready during the scheduled volunteer time slots, and despite a thorough interview process to determine skill-need matches and prior verbal scheduling of volunteer times, this problem persisted for months. With the lack of a communication plan, the consequence was a diminished enthusiasm for the cause and growing level of frustration causing this writer to cease volunteering for the organisation despite having a true belief in its mission. Knowledge The major problem in this case study was that the volunteer supervisor was engaged in so many projects that she did not invest the time to communicate projects to delegate to the volunteer. Most volunteers for this organisation worked on updating databases, solicitations, and mailings. This writer’s volunteer emphasis was on writing an
d doing special projects. Therefore, it was only through horizontal top down communication from this particular supervisor that these special projects could be delegated. Because the volunteer work was so different than the other volunteers, there was no real value to vertical communication. In Organisational Communication, Kathryn Baker, contends many communication theories are not so relevant in today’s service world as well as today’s technologically globalized world. (Baker, 2002) While many organisational communication principals would apply, this organisation operates locally and nationally, and falls into Baker’s description of ˜the service’ organisation. What the supervisor could have done was implement time saving communication systems, such as writing memos, e-mails, and other written communication methods to delegate tasks to be done within that specific time frame. If this was done, the task(s) often were so simple that they did not take all the volunteer time, and she was left scrambling to find another volunteer project. Sensitivity BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 9 The person that appears to be most responsible for the problem was the volunteer supervisor. However, she was being asked to do more than supervise volunteers; she was an assistant to the Marketing/Communication Director and was involved in a very extensive public awareness campaign which required a lot of hands on work on her part. Additionally, the communications department seemed at odds with other parts of the organisation, and other departmental managers often were putting demands on this supervisor as well. Her lack of time resulted in her being a poor communicator, and even though this volunteer’s skills could have helped ease her work load, she couldn’t slow down enough to implement a concrete communications strategy. Skills The writer of this case study looks to Carter McNamara’s Basics in Internal Organisational Communications (McNamara, 2007) who suggests a communication plan. This plan can involve verbal or written communications that would cover how to effectively manage a non-traditional volunteer. As cited earlier, this supervisor dealt mostly with people with specific tasks, not project skills, and therefore did not need a one-on one short session with them during their volunteer time. They also had the value of communication with one another to help them out when they ran into a specific problem. Values The value of the frustrated volunteer was the desire to create some quality work and be included within a network of volunteers for this cause. The value of the supervisor was to impress her managers. The values of the volunteer and supervisor were not mutual. If the goals had been mutual, it might have created an environment that would have made it more conducive for the supervisor to take the time to communicate special volunteer projects of value. It’s rather ironic that during the initial volunteer meeting, how the writer of this paper could assist the cause was a major point of discussion. This paper does acknowledge that as with many political activists’ organisations, things happen on the spot, and there is a great deal of crisis management, and not a lot of pre-planning. Additionally the communication focus for this organisation was external, not internal. This organisational culture spilled over into the communication methods of this writer’s volunteer work, and was a cause of a great deal of frustration. Alternative Solutions The volunteer supervisor should delegate another volunteer to hand out the written instructions for the volunteer time block, and because of the nature of the work, keep the volunteer time appointment in her appointment book, not just on the general volunteer log. This would have eased the frustration and allowed the writer of this paper to feel like a valuable contribution was being made to this particular cause. Above case study is extracted from, Booth, T. A. (2008). Organisational Communicatio. Business Intelligence Journal , 120- 122. BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 10 BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 11 Assessment Criteria: P1-P15 Pass Criteria M1-M3 Merit Criteria D1-D3 Distinction Criteria To Achieve a Pass To gain a pass grade you must attempt all three assignments and you must satisfy the pass criteria as outlined below. LO 1.1 discuss the range of decisions to be taken (P1) LO 1.2 examine the information and knowledge needed to ensure effective decision taking (P2) LO 1.3 assess internal and external sources of information and understanding (P3) LO 1.4 justify recommendations for improvement (P4) LO 2.1 identify stakeholders for a decision-making process (P5) LO 2.2 make contact with those identified and develop business relationships (P6) LO 2.3 involve those identified in the decision making as appropriate (P7) LO 2.4 design strategies for improvement (P8) LO 3.1 report on existing processes of communication in an organisation (P9) LO 3.2 design ways to improve appropriateness (P10) LO 3.3 implement improvements to ensure greater integration of systems of communication in that organisation (P11) LO 3.4 create a personal plan to improve own communication skills (P12) LO 4.1 report on existing approaches to the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge (P13) LO 4.2 carry out appropriate changes to improve the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge (P14) LO 4.3 implement a strategy to improve access to systems of information and knowledge (P15) BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 12 To Achieve a Merit To gain a merit grade you must achieve all the pass mark criteria and in addition you must satisfy the criteria as outlined below. Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions through effective judgement (M1) Select/design and apply appropriate methods/techniques. You are judged on the application of relevant theories and techniques and the justification for their application (M2) Present and communicate appropriate findings. This includes the use the appropriate structure and approach with coherent, logical development of principles/concepts for the intended audience (M3) To Achieve a Distinction To gain a Distinction grade you must achieve all the pass mark criteria and all the merit mark criteria and in addition you must satisfy the criteria as outlined below. Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions including realistic improvements which have been proposed against defined characteristics for success. (D1) Demonstrate convergent / lateral/creative thinking by showing evidence on receptiveness to new ideas and effective thinking in unfamiliar contexts. (D2) Take responsibility for managing and organising activities including accommodating the unforeseen and recognising the importance of interdependence. (D3) Your subject tutor will be able to give you general guidance and feedback on improving your work however it is your responsibility to seek feedback from the subject tutors on the above criteria for you to achieve the intended grades. BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 13 Support materials Textbooks Avgerou C ” Information Systems and Global Diversity (Oxford University Press, 2003) ISBN: 0199240779 Boddy D, Boonstra A and Kennedy G ” Managing Information Systems; An Organizational Perspective (FT Prentice Hall, 2002) ISBN: 0273655957 Kovacic B ” New Approaches to Organizational Communication (State University of New York Press, 1994) ISBN: 0791419185 Little S, Quintas P and Ray T ” Managing Knowledge: An Essential Reader (Sage Publications, 2002) ISBN: 0761972137 McKenzie J and van Winkelen C ” Understanding the Knowledgeable Organisation (Th
omson Learning, 2004) ISBN: 1861528957 Preston P ” Reshaping Communications (Sage Publications, 2001) ISBN: 0803985630 Quirke B ” Communicating Corporate Change (McGraw-Hill, 1996) ISBN: 0077093119 Stewart T A ” Intellectual Capital: The New Wealth of Organisations (Nicholas Brealey Publishing Ltd, 1998) ISBN: 1857881834 Video The BBC and the Centre for Tomorrow’s Company ” Communications from the ˜Building Tomorrow’s Company’ series. BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 14 Plagiarism and Collusion When producing the assignments, Learners must not copy any material whole or part from fellow students intentionally or unintentionally. Any materials including phrases, paragraphs, diagrams, tables, charts or graphics copied from books, journals, web sites or any other sources must be properly referenced according to the Harvard referencing system. Even if the words are changed or altered learners must clearly reference the source. Learners are required to produce a ˜Turn-it-in’ originality report for any coursework, essays submitted for assessment. Any assignments submitted without a ˜Turn-it-in’ report will be refused and returned without marking. Collusion: Unless stated otherwise, you must not produce assignments in collaboration with fellow students where the assessment is based on the individual work. Such material will be refused by the assessor and you will receive no mark. You must not share your individual assignments with fellow students and in an event both lender and the receiver will be disqualified for the assessment. Plagiarism and Collusion is seriously dealt with in accordance with the regulations at Regent College and any learner who fails to produce an original piece of work may be disqualified of taking the assessment and may have to repeat the unit. Please visit the link to read our Academic Misconduct Policy for further information on above. You can also access this policy by accessing VLE. Extension and Late Submission Please visit the link to read our Assessment Policy in order to acquire information concerning the above matter. You can also access this policy by accessing VLE. Attendance and Punctuality Attending all your sessions is vital for your studies. We expect students to attend 100% of your classes. Please visit the link to read our Attendance Policy for further information on above. You can also access this policy by logging on to VLE. General Guidance This unit is assessed on 100% coursework including your active participation in lessons. You must submit both assignments to receive an overall mark. BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 15 You should plan well in advance on how to tackle this assignment. You should seek knowledge outside the classroom lectures and activities to gain maximum learning outcome. You should access recommended supporting materials as suggested and use the knowledge in your assignments. BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 16 Programme: BTEC Higher National Certificate in Business Unit Number and Title: Unit 16, Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Module Tutor: Saminda Wattuhewa Learner name: Information/feedback on assessment and grading criteria Assessment criteria (Pass-P) Achieved Evidence Feedback LO 1.1 discuss the range of decisions to be taken (P1) Yes/No LO 1.2 examine the information and knowledge needed to ensure effective decision taking (P2) Yes/No LO 1.3 assess internal and external sources of information and understanding (P3) Yes/No LO 1.4 justify recommendations for improvement (P4) Yes/No LO 2.1 identify stakeholders for a decision-making process (P5) Yes/No LO 2.2 make contact with those identified and develop business relationships (P6) Yes/No LO 2.3 involve those identified in the decision making as appropriate (P7) Yes/No LO 2.4 design strategies for improvement (P8) Yes/No LO 3.1 report on existing processes of communication in an organisation (P9) Yes/No Feedback Sheet BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 17 LO 3.2 design ways to improve appropriateness (P10) Yes/No LO 3.3 implement improvements to ensure greater integration of systems of communication in that organisation (P11) Yes/No LO 3.4 create a personal plan to improve own communication skills (P12) Yes/No LO 4.1 report on existing approaches to the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge (P13) Yes/No LO 4.2 carry out appropriate changes to improve the collection, formatting, storage and dissemination of information and knowledge (P14) Yes/No LO 4.3 implement a strategy to improve access to systems of information and knowledge (P15) Yes/No BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 18 Grading criteria (Merit-M; Destination-D) Achieved Evidence Feedback Identify and apply strategies to find appropriate solutions through effective judgement (M1) Yes/No Select/design and apply appropriate methods/techniques. You are judged on the application of relevant theories and techniques and the justification for their application (M2) Yes/No Present and communicate appropriate findings. This includes the use the appropriate structure and approach with coherent, logical development of principles/concepts for the intended audience (M3) Yes/No Use critical reflection to evaluate own work and justify valid conclusions including realistic improvements which have been proposed against defined characteristics for success. (D1) Yes/No Demonstrate convergent / lateral/creative thinking by Yes/No BTEC Higher National Diploma in Business Unit 16: Managing Communications, Knowledge and Information Regent College 19 showing evidence on receptiveness to new ideas and effective thinking in unfamiliar contexts. (D2) Take responsibility for managing and organising activities including accommodating the unforeseen and recognising the importance of interdependence. (D3)

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