AS 90848 2.6 ~ Carry out, review and refine a business activity within a community
context, with guidance.
Summary of requirements
This document captures advice from TKI and from the moderator’s clarification statements.

The 9 credits associated with this standard reflect the significant amount of time required for
teaching/learning and assessment. It is suggested that students have approximately 90 hours of
in- and out-of-class time to complete the standard.

The planned activity must be carried out within a community context; this suggests it will be
done with a market audience within the school or wider local community. It may be an activity
with a profit or a not-for-profit aim. The activity could:
o Be a service to the community
o Sponsor, fundraise for, or donate profits or products to a community group, activity or
non-profit organisation
o Create an awareness campaign for a local community group.

The teacher should guide students as to what business activities are possible and likely to
succeed. All out-of-school activities will need to comply with the school’s EOTC policy.

The activity can take place as two one-off events, or run continually throughout the year.

The emphasis is on the practical process of planning, reviewing, amending the plan (based on the
initial review) and a final review, rather than on making a profit.

Prior to assessment:
o Students will need to be taught procedures for planning (including stating, including and
integrating relevant business knowledge), setting up and carrying out a business activity.
o As group interaction is a key contributor to the success of this assessment activity,
protocols for effective teamwork, meetings and conflict resolution should be taught.
o They will also need to be familiar with reviewing the business plan prior the second
phase to ensure it encompasses the range of issues that face the business and that need
to be planned for prior to the second phase.

The teacher may provide guidance to ensure candidates are clear on the requirements to achieve
at Excellence level. ‘With guidance’ means teachers may mentor and facilitate a student-centred
process to enable business plans to be at the highest level.

Students work in groups and are assessed on group output. Their individual contribution will also
be taken into account. It is therefore necessary to advise students on how to provide evidence of
their contribution. Progress of individuals can be assessed formatively:
o Individual input to the first iteration of the business plan
o Individual input into carrying out the first cycle of the activity
o Group review of the first cycle of the activity
Or summatively:
o Input to the final version of the business plan
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Business Studies 2.6: summary of requirements ~ prepared by Sue McVeigh for EdCurSec 638B
o
o
Individual input into carrying out the second cycle of the activity
Individual review of the business activity overall
FIRST CYCLE
1. First version of business plan (group)
o Each group needs to decide what their good or service will be and how this will satisfy the
‘community’ focus of the assessment. The teacher should confirm the validity of each
group’s intention.
o A formal business meeting should be held each week and a weekly debrief summary should
be completed. Each group member should keep debrief documents and minutes to assist
them with their reviews.
o Each member of the group participates and contributes to each section of the plan. All
members need a thorough understanding of the businesses so they can review the plan
later. Business knowledge and relevant Maori concepts should be integrated into the plan.
All parts of the plan should be consistent with each other.
o The TKI exemplar shows as Resource 1 a business plan template. In summary, the plan
should contain the following six sections: * Executive summary, * Mission and objectives, *
Marketing, * People, * Finance, * Operations
o The group’s plan is submitted to the teacher along with information sources (latter not
assessed). The teacher may suggest amendments before the group moves to cycle 1.
2. Carry out the activity ~ cycle 1 (group)
o Prepare for and carry out the business activity in accordance with version 1 of the plan.
o Group members thoroughly document results from the first cycle of the activity using, for
example, sales reports, meeting minutes, correspondence and invoices, and they continue
to hold and minute weekly debrief meetings.
o If a student has actively participated prior to the activity being run but is absent on the day
of the activity for a legitimate reason (that would satisfy the school’s assessment policy for
any other internal assessment), the teacher may consider them to have ‘carried out’. On
the other hand, a student who has failed to contribute/participate ~ through considerable
absence or lack of interest ~ may be awarded a Not Achieved, despite being involved in
creating the business plan.
o It is up to the professional judgement of the teacher whether they believe a student has
carried out the activity. There is no need for a teacher to spend time looking at the level of
participation – a student has either been involved or they haven’t. A declaration from the
teacher is sufficient evidence that this has happened.
3. Review and refine cycle 1 of the business activity (individual)
o The review may take the form of a written report or a video or slideshow presentation.
o Individual students write a report/presentation in which they reflect on how well the
business activity was planned and carried out, by:
 Reflecting on what worked well and what did not, giving examples and explanations of
how they affected the business positively or negatively
 Suggesting refinements to version 1 of the plan to improve what did not work well and,
if possible, to enhance what did work well
 Providing in-depth explanations for the refinements suggested, and explanations of
how these would benefit the business or minimise a negative effect
 Supporting explanations by integrating information from the groups version 1 plan,
weekly debrief reports, other documentation or feedback from within the group or
external sources
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Business Studies 2.6: summary of requirements ~ prepared by Sue McVeigh for EdCurSec 638B


Integrating relevant business knowledge and relevant Maori business concepts
Listing sources of information (though these will not be assessed)
SECOND CYCLE ~ this is the basis for the overall summative result
4. Refine the business plan (group)
o Hold one or more group meetings at which:
 Each group member presents their suggested refinements (as suggested in their
individual review)
 The group decides on a set of changes that will be used to refine the business plan
o As a group, keep meeting minutes to document decisions and produce a report to briefly
summarise the refinements to be adopted.
o Using the original business plan, rewrite sections of it that need to be updated. Note the
reasons for these changes. [The comments section in word processing software can be used
to show these reasons.]
o Submit version 2 of the business plan to the teacher. This plan will be assessed for awarding
the overall grade to the group.
o The teacher will return version 2 to enable to group to carry out cycle 2 of the business
activity.
5. Carry out the business activity ~ cycle 2 (group)
o Prepare for and carry out the business activity in accordance with version 2 of the plan.
o As in cycle 1, thoroughly document results from the business activity, focusing on changes
resulting from the refinements made, and ensure that each group member has access to
this documentation.
o Continue to hold and document weekly debrief meetings. In these, focus on the results of
the refinements you have made.
6. Review and refine the business activity (individual)
o Again, the report or presentation may be in any format acceptable to the teacher.
o Reflect on how well the cycle 2 of the business activity was planned and carried out, by
 Reviewing how well the activity was performed, presenting examples and explaining
why.
 Comparing the outcome of the second cycle to the outcome of the first cycle, presenting
examples and explaining why.
 Comparing the outcome of the second cycle to version 2 of the business plan,
presenting examples and explaining why
 Suggesting further refinements to any aspect of version 2 of the business plan
 Providing reasoned explanations for the refinements suggested, integrating relevant
information and data the group collected, as well as other relevant business knowledge
and Maori concepts
 Writing an updated business plan (version 3)
There is no requirement that suggested refinements be carried out.
Achieved
GROUP
 Planning for a guided
business activity
 Carrying out a first cycle of
the business activity
Merit


Planning in-depth for a
guided business activity
Carrying out a first cycle of
the business activity
Excellence


Comprehensively planning
for a guided business
activity
Carrying out a first cycle of
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Business Studies 2.6: summary of requirements ~ prepared by Sue McVeigh for EdCurSec 638B

the business activity
Reviewing the first cycle of
 Reviewing the first cycle of
the activity, including a
the activity, including
 Reviewing the first cycle of
comparison of the outcome
reasoned explanations of
the business activity,
of the activity with the plan
suggested refinements to
including giving reasoned
the activity
explanations of suggested
 Stating refinements to the
refinements to the
business activity
 Stating refinements to the
business activity
business activity
 Implementing refinements
to make improvement/s
The grade (above) for version 2 of the business plan informs the overall grade for the group and is the
maximum grade available to the individual members of the group. Individual students may hold the
grade allocated through to the group for the business plan, provided they have:
INDIVIDUAL
 Carried out the second
 Carried out the second
 Carried out the second
cycle of the refined
cycle of the refined
cycle of the refined
business activity
business activity
business activity
 Stated how well the
 Reviewed in depth how
 Reviewed in depth how
business activity was
well the business activity
well the business activity
performed in the second
was performed in the
was performed in the
cycle
second cycle, including a
second cycle, including a
comparison of the outcome
comparison of the outcome
 Compared the outcome of
of the business activity
of the business activity
the business activity with
(cycle 2) with version 2 of
(cycle 2) with version 2 of
the original planned
the
business
plan
the business plan
business activity
 Suggested relevant
 Stated business knowledge  Included business
knowledge relevant to the
refinements to the
relevant to the business
business activity to support
business plan if the
activity
explanations
business was to continue
 Stated a Maori business
for a third cycle
 Included a Maori business
concept/s where relevant
concept/s where relevant
 Integrated business
to the business activity
to the business activity to
knowledge relevant to the
support explanations
business activity to fully
support explanations
 Integrated a Maori
business concept/s where
relevant to the business
activity to fully support
explanations
Final grades will be decided using professional judgement based on a holistic examination of the
evidence provided against the criteria in the Achievement Standard.
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Business Studies 2.6: summary of requirements ~ prepared by Sue McVeigh for EdCurSec 638B