Unit B5: Finding Out About Businesses in Your Area 

Level: 1
Unit type: Sector (Business)
Guided learning hours: 40

Unit in brief
Learners will find out and present information about businesses in their area.

Unit introduction
Every day people buy products and services provided by businesses, for example you will go to the local supermarket if you want to buy groceries or new clothes. There are also many services that are provided, including solicitors that give legal advice and plumbers who repair plumbing problems at your home.
In this unit, you will find out about different businesses in your area and what purpose they serve. You will use your skills to select information and present what you have found out to others.

This unit will give you the sector knowledge you need to progress to Level 2, as well as skills in searching for, selecting and presenting information. The transferable and sector skills you develop in this unit can enable you to progress to further learning. They will also support you in completing the core skills units in Group A of the qualification.

Learning aims
In this unit you will:
A. Find out about different businesses in your area and how they meet customer needs
B. Produce a document about businesses in your area for a given purpose.

Unit summary

There are opportunities to develop functional skills in this unit:

Unit content
Knowledge and sector skills

Types and purposes of businesses
Retail businesses selling products or food, including:

• supermarkets o corner shops o clothing stores
• stationery shops
• charity shops o coffee shops o book shops.

Service businesses selling a service, including:

• hairdressers o beauty salons o electricians
• plumbers
• transport, e.g. bus, rail, taxi
• medical, e.g. doctors, dentists
• non-profit organisations, e.g. sports clubs
• libraries

Service businesses with an administrative focus, including:

• accountants
• solicitors
• marketing businesses

Retail and service businesses, including:

• a large retail store that offers photocopying service and a shoe repair service
• a hairdresser selling hair products
• charities or non-profit organisations often sell second-hand clothing and provide a social service to someone who is ill, e.g. a hospice.

Public services, including:

• education organisations, e.g. schools, colleges
• services provided by the local councils such as road maintenance and waste removal

Types of customer needs

• Customers want value for money, convenience and quality of products/services. They might also want to consider the environment by using recyclable products.

Transferable skills

• Finding out information: from sources such as newspapers, local yellow pages, books, leaflets and web-based research, preparing questions for interview, skills in searching for information, including internet searches, using websites, downloadable resources, collecting leaflets and using content pages.
• Managing information: organising information in a clear, logical manner, including the selected businesses and their purpose by producing either leaflets, an email or using presentation software, selecting information, including reading skills, identifying key points, making notes, summarising key points such as purpose of the business.

Assessment criteria