External Influences and the Stakeholder Model - Lesson Plan: 2 x 1 hour lessons

A series of 'off the shelf' lesson plans and resources for use in the classroom. These lessons deal with External Influences and the Stakeholder Model and are relevant to the following specifications:

• AQA: Module 6, 15.3
• Edexcel: Unit 6, Sections 1 and 3
• OCR: Module 2880

Aim:

There is a range of materials on the Biz/ed site relating to external influences. These lessons seek to provide an opportunity for students to draw together their knowledge and understanding of these areas with the stakeholder model.

The Activity uses McDonald's as the basis for the tasks on the premise that McDonald's has been through some complex strategic changes in recent years in response to a number of stakeholder concerns and is a company that students will be familiar with. In reality, the Activity could be done using any other business if the idea of using McDonald's again is getting too much!

The emphasis of the task is on the judgments that need to be made in the balancing of different stakeholder needs. As such it is important to stress the key assessment aims of using evaluation effectively.

If the topic of external influences is being introduced for the first time then the range of PowerPoint Presentations on Biz/ed can be used to introduce the various elements of the topic.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the sessions, students understand the following:

• The meaning of the term 'stakeholder'
• The objectives/demands of each stakeholder group
• The conflicts that arise for a business seeking to meet the demands of different stakeholder groups
• The importance of judgment in balancing out conflicting stakeholder demands

Resources:

• PowerPoint Presentation - External Influences on Business [80 KB]
• Mind Map - External Influences on Business
• Activity - External Influences and the Stakeholder Model: McDonald's
• PCs for student research
• Digital Projector

Lesson Structure:

Lesson 1

1. Give out the Activity and organise students into appropriate groups. Briefly explain the purpose of the Activity and the format for the lesson. (Students could work on the initial two tasks on their own if preferred). (10 minutes)
2. Set the students/groups to work on the tasks in the Activity. Explain how the report is to be constructed and how the feedback is going to be presented to the rest of the group. (10 minutes)
3. Students to work through the tasks - the teacher/lecturer should devote time to helping guide students in formulating their evaluative responses. (35 minutes)
4. Outline the plans for the next lesson. (5 minutes)

Lesson 2

1. Give students a brief overview of the plans for the lesson. (5 minutes)
2. Allow students sufficient time to complete the presentation and then get each group to present their evaluation to the rest of the group. A class discussion can be held on the outcomes. (50 minutes)
3. Review the main findings of the two lessons. (5 minutes)