Teaching and learning

Detailed example 1

Developing a business idea

Introductory icebreaker innovation puzzles ‘Think outside the square’

The nine dot problem – Think outside the square

Below are nine dots arranged in three rows. The challenge is to draw four straight lines that go through the middle of all of the dots without taking the pencil off the paper. Each line needs to start where the last line finishes off.

Detailed example 2

Double bubble map – comparing the characteristics of two entrepreneurs

Outline of task

Working independently or in small groups, students use a double bubble map to compare the characteristics of two entrepreneurs.

Resources required

1. Printed (A3 or A4) or digital version of a double bubble map (free printable templates can be found using a search engine or a digital version can be created in PowerPoint or Google Slides using shapes). Alternatively, students can construct the double bubble map freehand.
2. Case study materials for two entrepreneurs. Teacher can source these materials or students can select their own entrepreneurs to research.
3. Three different coloured pens.

Process

1. Place the names of each entrepreneur in the two adjacent central bubbles.
2. Add bubbles between the two entrepreneurs to capture the characteristics that are common to both (similarities) and use one colour for all the similarities.
3. Add bubbles on the outer extremities of each entrepreneur to capture the characteristics that are unique to each entrepreneur. Use difference colours to record the difference.
4. Share with the class or create a gallery walk.

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Detailed example

Develop a business profile

The aim of this activity is for students to apply their understanding of the internal business environment by analysing the planning and decision-making of a real business example of their choice, through constructing a business profile or considering a business that has adopted a specific model, such as online, bricks-and-mortar or franchise.

Scope of the task

The scope of this task in your context will be dependent on factors such as time constraints, the teaching and learning program and assessment. This task can be smaller in scope (focused on 1–3 key knowledge dot points, such as business model plus the business type and location) and completed in 3–-60 minutes in a workbook or Word / Google Doc. Or the task could be expanded in scope (focused on 4 or more key knowledge dot points) and presented as a PowerPoint/Slides presentation or poster over a longer period of time (2–3 hours).

Developing the task

Students follow these steps:

1. Select and research a business of interest. The business needs to use one of the following business models: online business, direct-to-consumer business, bricks-and-mortar business, franchise, importer or exporter.
2. Outline the key facts about the business, such as name, owner(s), the year it was established and the goods or services sold. The logo and other distinctive aspects such as the motto, vision and mission or website link may be included.
3. Outline the type of business it is (business structure).
4. Describe the key features and characteristics of the business, with reference to the business model it has adopted.
5. Optional: discuss the advantages and disadvantages of this business model.
6. Identify the location of the business and describe the factors affecting the choice of location.

To expand this task, students can:

7. Identify the resource needs (natural, labour and capital) and describe the factors affecting the use of resources by the business.
8. Analyse the relationship between the internal and external environment of the business.
9. Apply a SWOT analysis to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats associated with planning and decision-making.
10. Identify and describe corporate responsibility considerations related to planning for the business.

Detailed example

Research essay

A research essay provides students with the opportunity to delve more deeply into a topic than they would in structured short-answer questions, and to make more sophisticated connections between ideas, concepts and real life business cases.

Developing an essay topic

Option 1: No specific case study identified

• Select a relevant macro or operating factor as a focus in the question.
• Select a relevant key skill to assess.

For example:

• Describe how legal and government regulations affect businesses in the planning stage.
• Discuss the impact changing economic conditions have on small retail businesses.
• Analyse how corporate responsibility considerations relates to business planning in manufacturing.
• Evaluate the impact competitors have on business planning.

Option 2: Link to a real-life case study

• Select a relevant macro or operating factor as a focus in the question.
• Select a relevant key skill to assess.
• Link to a real-life case study (either through phrasing such as ‘with reference to a contemporary case study’ or use a case study you are studying in class).

For example:

• With reference to a contemporary case study, describe how the business has adapted to developments in technology.
• With reference to a contemporary case study, analyse the impact changing societal attitudes and behaviour have affected the business over time.
• With reference to a contemporary case study, discuss the use of local suppliers.

Suggested essay structure

Introduction

• Present the topic and outline the main ideas that will be included in the essay.

Main body (2–4 paragraphs)

• Each paragraph needs to include relevant business management information and concepts as well as examples and evidence to support the key ideas or arguments.

Conclusion

• Summarise the main points

Detailed example

Plan a short-term school-based business

The aim of this activity is to apply the knowledge and skills of Unit 1 (the business idea, external environment and internal environment) by constructing a business plan to potentially run a short-term school-based business. Students submit this business plan to school administration. If approved, they establish this business and operate it either at the conclusion of Unit 1 or during Unit 2.

Suggestions regarding the scope and range of such small business ventures include: operating a popcorn and movie night under the stars, operating a school car wash, running a sausage sizzle stall, planning and running a lunchtime market day with student stalls competing against each other, planning and running a school community vegetable garden, making tie dye t-shirts and selling them, organising a year level formal, preparing and running a university open day information session, planning and running an indoor sports tournament for school students to compete in over lunchtime, up-cycling and redesigning products from the local recycling centre, running a student-made jewellery stall, running a school comedy night, promoting student-designed websites for local businesses, recycling Christmas cards and creating new designs to sell, running Mother’s or Father’s Day stalls for the local primary schools, planning and operating a small-scale student-run café, organising a school recycling program focusing on either paper recycling or mobile phone recycling through the Mobile Muster program.

Due to the potential implications of this activity on students’ time within and outside of the school, on financial management, and on the wider school community, including parents, it is advised that school principal and key stakeholder permission and approval be sought before conducting a student school-based business activity, and a full risk assessment be completed prior to running the activity. Some questions that will need to be addressed by the school are: Will the markets comply with legislation requirements such as food handling provisions? How will you prevent potential student health issues if there are allergic reactions to some of the ingredients? Is money involved and how will it be handled – is it to be run on a not-for-profit basis, a social enterprise basis, or once costs are covered as a profit incentive for students?

As with many activities, the preparation prior to running an event such as this one is vital to its success. Teachers are advised to create a Gaant chart or timeline of the activities that need to be undertaken by themselves and by students in order to remain on task and adequately prepared for the event.

In developing such an activity, students should follow these steps:

1. Generate a business idea.
2. Devise a set of objectives and goals for the activity, a business name and a formal agreement / partnership agreement between the group members.
3. Conduct market research into the feasibility of the business idea.
4. Identify the resources required to undertake the activity.
5. Estimate potential financial costs and revenue from the business.
6. Develop a business submission that gains the teacher’s, and all the other stakeholders’ approval. This should be signed before proceeding any further.
7. Generate a full and detailed business plan.
8. Develop an effective marketing strategy for the business.
9. Run and operate the short-term school-based business.

Review the business’s operation, and evaluate the role of the individual and group in the completion of this activity.

Detailed example

‘The Pitch’ advertising campaign

A marketing group has recently won a contract to market a burger company that is struggling to gain public acceptance for lab-grown beef patties. The job is to make eating lab-grown meat more acceptable.

The marketing ‘pitch’ must consist of a 30-second commercial on a movie maker program (such as iPad Movie maker or BYOD Movie market application), backed up by a carefully considered marketing campaign.

To complete an effective marketing campaign, consideration must be given to how to address the 7Ps of marketing as they relate to lab-grown meat:

• Product: quality, image, branding, features, packaging, customer service, support, warranties etc.
• Price: positioning (penetration, skimming, competitive pressures), discounts, payment methods etc.
• Place: trade channels (direct, wholesaler, retailer, online), sales support etc.
• Promotion: marketing and sales techniques
• People: individuals on marketing activities, customer contact, recruitment, training, remuneration, culture
• Physical evidence: staff experience of brand, product packaging, online experience
• Process: customer focus, design features, research and development

In a workbook, draw up a table explaining how to address and respond to each of the 7Ps.

With this information clearly identified, create a drawn storyboard of ‘the story’ that is to be conveyed in the ‘pitch’. Include the characters, the demographic and consumer behaviours of these characters which should resonate with the target market, the storyline and the supporting soundtracks, slogans, jingles, humour etc. – all of which should reinforce the message.

Once the teacher has signed off the marketing plan and storyboard, students move on to filming the ‘pitch’ commercial.

Once the ‘pitch’ has been made, watch and review each one as a class, using a peer review sheet to add to individual personal reflection on the effectiveness of each pitch.

Use the criteria below to focus attention on the steps needed to complete this project.

SD: Strongly Demonstrated
D: Demonstrated
NW: Needs Work
ND: Not Demonstrated

Detailed example

National Employment Standards infographic

Overview of the task

The purpose of this task is for students to communicate their knowledge and understanding of the National Employment Standards into an infographic, targeted at young people entering the workforce.

Resources

• Laptop, computer or tablet (digital)
• Infographic maker such as Canva, Piktochart, Venngage or use PowerPoint, Google Slides, Paint or Google Draw (digital)
• Poster paper, textas and pens (paper)
• The National Employment Standards (Fair Work)
• Optional: infographic examples

Tips for making an effective infographic:

• Use a combination of colours and graphics to grab the attention of the reader
• Focus on key words and thoughtfully use fonts to highlight important information
• Remember that ‘less is more’ and include only critical information; do not write chunks of information
• Use diagrams, flowcharts, bullet points, lines, icons and other related images
• Arrange key information in a visual hierarchy, in order of importance. Make sure important information is more prominent.

Detailed example

Conduct an investigation into a business

The use of business case studies is essential in VCE Business Management for students to anchor their knowledge and to test their problem-solving proposals. The case studies must be contemporary examples from the past four years. To assist students, it is therefore important to develop a range of case studies focusing on different types of businesses, including sole traders, partnerships, private limited companies, publicly listed companies, social enterprises and government business enterprises.

The investigations / case studies can be developed a number of ways:

• From direct observation through an excursion to the business. Businesses that are set up to take regular groups of students include Yakult and Australia Post in Dandenong, and the CUB brewery in Abbotsford. Alternatives include: a request to a local business, a connection through a student’s parent or a visit to local business incubators where there are a number of businesses to observe.
• From indirect observation through inviting a business manager to come to the school and talk about how they manage their business, or DVD case study material, TV documentaries, news programs and YouTube clips of virtual reality business tours, or online investigations through business websites such as ASX.

The following example relates to knowledge about business styles and management skills, but research could be expanded to observations about how businesses manage employees, operations management, performance reviews and implementation of change. This is in preparation for the upcoming areas of study. The investigation should include the following:

• Identify and describe the culture of the business from its traditions, values, symbols or gestures.
• Identify the management styles that exist among the managers.
• Examine and discuss why these management styles are used and the effectiveness of each in the context of the business.
• Brainstorm and discuss the management skills a manager needs in order to manage their business, and then compare and contrast this profile with the cultures, styles and skills prevailing in the businesses other students in the class have investigated.
• Develop a gallery of business case studies in the room, or a nominated space on the school intranet for students to review and share business case studies.

Detailed example

Jigsaw approach to motivational theories

Students undertake a jigsaw activity where specialist teams are given responsibility for gaining an understanding of the principles of one of the motivational theories: Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow), Goal Setting Theory (Locke & Latham) and Four Drive Theory (Lawrence & Nohria).

Specialist roles

The task for each group (specialist team) is to learn the:

• principles of the assigned motivational theory
• how the theory can be applied in a business
• the advantages and disadvantages of using the theory in business.

Individually, students research their group’s assigned motivational theory, and then return to their group to transfer this information to the others.

Each group presents their shared information on their assigned motivational theory to the rest of the class.
As a class, students consider the similarities and differences between each of the theories, and create a group table that outlines these similarities and differences. They form a united group to be challenged by quiz questions on each of the theories of motivation.

A sample of the similarities and differences that the students may draw out are listed below.

The rules of the game prevent a student answering in their specialist motivational theory. Therefore they will rely on the information having been clearly conveyed to them. Some sample quiz questions follow.

1. Outline the five levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory.
2. Outline the general principles behind Locke & Latham’s Goal Setting theory.
3. Outline the Four Drives as stated by Lawrence & Nohria, with one example for each showing how they can be applied in a business.
4. Describe one benefit for a business applying Maslow’s motivational theory.
5. Explain how a business can apply Locke & Latham’s theory and a benefit and disadvantage of doing so.

Detailed example

Class investigation

To anchor the key knowledge in this area of study, teachers may provide this experience either through an excursion, watching a DVD of a business in action or, as in the following example, running an operations management system within the confines of the class. This is an experiential activity, designed to be used as a hands-on introduction to the area of operations management. The general objective of this task is for students to manufacture a product and experience the input–process–output model of operations management. The students also experience simulated operational problems and consider and analyse the strategies to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operations in the areas of technological developments, materials, quality and waste minimisation, as well as corporate social responsibility considerations through the system.

Notes to teachers:

The central aim of the task is for students to create a product. This could be a batch production of paper airplanes, paper cars, simple construction towers out of Lego or recyclable goods, food products such as chocolate cornflake balls, or a microwavable cake, depending on school restrictions and access to resources.

The key considerations are to ensure that:

• resources for the product are not instantly at hand – sourcing them will form a key part of the learning process
• groups compete against each other in a business environment to produce the best quality product in the shortest time.

Preparation:

To make the microwavable cake (the most demanding of the above options), the following resources are required:

• 1 microwave
• 1 mixing bowl and spoon per group
• 1 microwave cake mix per group
• 1 egg per group
• A central tub of butter / margarine.

Instructions to students:

1. Arrange yourselves into groups of four or five. Your mission is to produce the best quality cake / paper plane / Lego tower (which meets school health and safety standards) in the quickest time possible.
 
2. The Quality Control Officer (QCO) (teacher) will mark your team in terms of the speed of each group and the quality of the final product.

Activity debrief:

The following questions could be used as a guide for this activity (possibly made into a worksheet) before beginning the class discussion.

1. As a group of producers, rate out of $10 (maximum) the value of your product in terms of the effort and work you put into it.
2. What leads you to this belief?
3. Now pretend you are a consumer coming in to buy a high-quality product. How much would you pay for your item? (Maximum $10)
4. If there is a difference between your answers to (1) and (3), explain why. Do you believe this also applies to real workplaces?
5. If you could change anything about the activity, what five strategies would you employ to ensure you produced the highest quality product in the shortest time?
6. Explain how these five strategies would help you achieve your objectives.

Detailed example

Concept maps and summary tables

This task underlines the importance of understanding the information provided by key performance indicators and how managers use these to gauge how efficiently and effectively their business is operating. This enables an understanding of where the business is now, but also helps to set goals and guide strategies for change and improve the business into the future.

Students who develop this summary table will be able to draw on this across the unit:

• Create a table listing a range of key performance indicators, a brief summary to outline how they are measured, the significance of changes in their figures, and into which areas of a business they give an insight.

• Draw a concept map of the driving and restraining forces on a business, annotated with examples related to the business being investigated. Illustrate the size of the competing forces through the size of the arrows to illustrate how successful or otherwise they may be in implementing change in this business.

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Detailed example

Hypothetical business case study – Problem-solving scenario

Orange is a smart phone manufacturer that is operating in a very competitive market with high customer demands and a constant drive to lower prices. Orange has created products with very similar features to their competitors and very similar price points. The corporate culture in Orange is very friendly and supportive and the workforce is incredibly loyal. The team has reviewed its key performance data for the last year.

1. Explain what the change in percentage of market share means to the business.
2. Explain what the change in net profit figures means to the business.
3. Explain what the change in website hits means to the business.
4. Explain what the change in level of staff turnover means to the business.
5. Explain what the change in number of customer complaints means to the business.
6. Porter’s Generic Strategies Approach advocates two key principles to strategic management. Outline both of these principles and justify which strategy Orange should pursue in the future.
7. Evaluate three management strategies that the business managers could employ to respond to the key performance indicator data, and justify one proposal that will most likely allow them to succeed in reaching their strategic objective.
8. Outline the principles of Lewin’s Three Step Change Model and apply it to the introduction of the proposal to change the business.
9. Given the present levels of staff turnover in the business, describe and justify whether the business should use high- or low-risk strategies to overcome potential employee resistance to the change.
10. Outline the corporate social responsibility considerations the business should consider as it embarks upon its change.
11. Propose and justify which key performance indicator the business should track to achieve the new set strategic objective for the business.