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Study Skills

Gathering Information about a Company

You may be lucky enough to be given a case study on an organisation that contains all the information you need. It is more likely, however, that you will be asked to research a business of your choice, and it is unlikely that all of the information you need will be available from one source. The key is to identify a range of sources that, together, will give you what you need to go on and complete a top quality assignment.

Obviously, unearthing the information alone is not enough - you will need to demonstrate analytical and evaluative skills as well as theoretical knowledge and application in order to achieve a high grade. But the final grades of portfolio work are heavily dependent on the quality of information you obtain, so you need to think carefully about how you intend to obtain it. The following guide will hopefully give you some ideas as to your approach, as well as some useful sources:

• Start your research early - you need to be confident that you can obtain all of the information you need before you start writing up.
• Always record your sources! This makes it easier to trace them in future in order to check facts or acquire additional information.
• Check that the organisation you have chosen matches the requirements of the banner. Check with your teacher or the exam board if necessary.
• Examine the assessment criteria carefully. This will help you identify exactly what kind of information you need. Sometimes one criterion will be asking you for more than one thing. It's easy to miss this unless you read each one carefully.
• Contact the organisation you have chosen to see if they produce a student/education pack. These may be produced for a variety of reasons so they are only likely to be of limited use. They may answer some initial questions and provide you with some general data about the organisation, but don't expect them to tell you everything you need to know, and don't try to 'fit' the information they contain to your needs. Try to also remember that such packs aim to show the organisation in a favourable light, and may not give you the 'whole picture'.
• Check out whether the organisation has a Web site - if so, investigate it - thoroughly! Web sites can be a source of up-to-date, detailed and easy to access material, but often the information you require will need some searching out. Remember that Web sites act as a promotional tool and are, therefore, unlikely to contain information that is critical of the company!
• Information on larger organisations may be available on other Web sites, e.g. academic Web sites such as Biz/ed (http://www.bized.co.uk/compfact/comphome.htm) and Times 100 (http://www.times100.co.uk).
• General searches on the news sections of media sites such as www.bbc.co.uk may also provide useful information. Such information may offer a more objective/critical view of the organisation concerned, but make sure that such information is up-to-date and not just the opinion of the journalist concerned (make sure you have got the right organisation too!)

Make sure you prepare adequately in the run-up to any visit. By now, you should be in a position to identify which criteria you still need information on. Use these as a basis to write a list of questions to act as a prompt during your visit.

Don't assume that the visit will automatically answer any outstanding questions you may still have. Be pro-active - take your questions, some paper and a pen on your visit, take notes during any talks or tours, pick up leaflets and packs and, remember, to ask questions, not just from the speaker/tour guide but from other staff as well.

Before you leave, find out if it is possible to contact someone at the company with any further questions in the future. This may need to be co-ordinated through a teacher via telephone or e-mail. It may be possible to make additional visits to the organisation yourself, especially if you are dealing with an organisation in the retail sector. However, don't just assume it will happen whenever you require it; your first visit to an organisation may well be your only opportunity to acquire what you need!

Once the visit is over, start writing up your assignment as quickly as possible. It's important to do this when information is fresh in your mind. It will also allow you to identify any information gaps and take steps to fill them while still meeting any deadlines set. Ultimately, you may need to do this by 'borrowing' from similar organisations in the same industry.