Channelside – Business

Business is a fast-paced and wide-ranging course that will test your communication skills as well as business knowledge.

Read the scenario below and try the tasks to see how you get on as a business administrator.

Please bring your completed work to your first lesson.

Click here to download a Word document of these tasks.

OCR Administration (Business Professional)

Scenario

Monarch Coach Tours Ltd

You are employed at Monarch House, the main office of Monarch Coach Tours Ltd. The company provides coach tours and holidays throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. You work as a junior administration assistant to Ms Suzie Martin, the company’s Office Manager. You carry out a range of administrative duties including dealing with enquiries from prospective customers. You also take telephone messages for Suzie when she is away from her desk.

Enquiries are made by email, letter and telephone. The company details are:

MONARCH COACH TOURS LTD, MONARCH HOUSE, 52 TORQUAY ROAD, EXETER, EX1 5JB
TEL 01392 929292
FAX 01392 959493
EMAIL admin@monarchtours.co.uk

Introduction

You are required to assist Suzie Martin by undertaking a number of tasks including the production of four business documents; a letter, an email, a memo and a telephone message.

Task 1: Different types of business documents and when they might be used

Suzie Martin wants to make sure that you are aware of the range of documents used in business and when each is most likely to be used.

Your task is to:
♦ identify five different business documents
♦ state the purpose of each of these documents and when they are most likely to be used.

Your evidence for this task could be a table listing the 5 documents and a clear description of how Monarch Coach Tours would use them.

Task 2: Using templates for business documents

Suzie tells you that Monarch staff use templates for many business documents.

Your task is to:
♦ state why templates are used for some business documents.

Your evidence for this task will be a set of PowerPoint slides that Suzie can use when giving her training to new administration assistants.

Task 3: Using formal and informal communication styles

Suzie tells you that Monarch staff receive and send out many different documents, external and internal, during their working day. Some of these use a formal style of communication, while others use an informal communication style.

Your task is to:
Complete the attached table (Appendix 1) – you need to:
♦ state the style of communication (formal or informal) that should be used for each example given
♦ give reasons for your choice of communication style.

Your evidence for this task will be the completed table.

Task 4: Adopting a “house style” for certain documents

Suzie tells you that Monarch Coach Tours Ltd uses a house style for documents but she feels that some new members of staff do not understand why a house style is used.

Your task is to:
♦ state why Monarch Coach Tours Ltd has adopted a house style for certain documents.

Your evidence for this task will be PowerPoint slides added to task 2 for Suzie to use when training new administration assistants.

Task 5: Create Templates

Susie would like you to create templates for the following documents:

A letterhead

A memo

Email

Telephone message pad

Your evidence will be a printed copy of 4 documents you have created.

Task 6: Produce a letter

Suzie has received a high volume of telephone enquiries recently and has asked you to help her with these.

Suzie tells you that Mr Joseph Randall phoned today. He and his wife are very interested in joining next month’s tour to Scotland. She asks you to write to Mr Randall, whose address is 51 Homeview Crescent, Southampton, SO4 7XZ. You need to enclose the ‘Highlands and Islands’ brochure and to inform Mr Randall that there are spaces at present on the tour.

Your task is to:

• produce the letter to Mr Randall as requested – Suzie Martin will sign the letter

• use the appropriate communication style

• use accepted layout and conventions

• check that your letter is accurate.

Your evidence will be the letter you produce. You should use the template letter headed paper that you have created.

Task 7: Produce an email

Suzie tells you that Gideon Jenkins spoke to her yesterday about the possibility of using his staff discount voucher on the tour to Normandy. Gideon works at Monarch House. Suzie has told Gideon that she is very busy but will ask you to email him with the decision.

Suzie asks you to email Gideon to tell him that he may use the staff discount voucher on this tour, but that he will be expected to help the drivers or couriers from time to time, if required.

Your task is to:

♦ produce the email to Gideon Jenkins as requested – Gideon’s email address is gideon.jenkins@monarchtours.biz.uk

♦ use the appropriate communication style

♦ check that your email is accurate.

Your evidence will be a copy of the email you produce. You should use the email template you created in task 5.

Task 8: Produce a memo

Suzie tells you that it has been decided to offer a discount to customers on next week’s tour to Brighton. There are still 20 seats available.

Suzie needs to inform all sales staff that there will be a 15% discount on all customer bookings for this tour.

Your task is to:

♦ produce the memo to all staff from Suzie Martin as requested

♦ use the appropriate communication style

♦ use accepted layout and conventions

♦ check that your memo is accurate.

To evidence this task, you need to produce the memo requested. You should use the memo template you created in task 5.

Task 9: Produce a telephone message

A telephone call has been received from Mr John Summers, the Manager of the Grand Hotel in Bournemouth. He wished to speak to Suzie on an urgent matter, but she was away from her desk and Mr Summers had to leave a voicemail message.

Your task is to:

♦ produce the telephone message from the recording of the telephone call from Mr Summers (Appendix 2)

♦ complete a telephone message form

♦ check that your message is accurate.

Your evidence for this task will be the telephone message. You should use the memo template you created in task 5.

Appendix 1

Task 3: Using formal and informal communication styles

Please complete this table by stating which style of communication (formal or informal) would be appropriate for each document. Then give reasons for your choice.

Appendix 2

Task 9: Produce a telephone message

High my name is Mr John Summers, I am the Manager of the Grand Hotel in Bournemouth. I need to speak to Suzie regarding a booking she made for this weekend, can you please ask her to phone me back as soon as possible on 01229 844730. It is very urgent. Thank you.