8605-410 Managing the Analysis of Secondary Data

Unit Overview

8605-410 Managing the Analysis of Secondary Data is a unit within the ILM level 4 module that helps the learners to appreciate the role that secondary data plays in supporting organisational activities and practices. Secondary data involves data that is collected from second-hand data sources. This involves being able to understand a subject that is being researched within the organisation to support the different activities of managers from the context of second-hand data, including academic, official and commercial sources.

Other critical sources of secondary data for the managers include the official statistics that are published by government and non-government agencies that could contribute to the making of effective decisions within the organisation and supporting the process of managerial performance. 8605-410 Managing the Analysis of Secondary Data as a unit helps the managers to build awareness of these sources and their importance to the organisation. It also helps them to effectively review the data and create relevance from the secondary sources of data that boosts the accomplishment of the organisational goals and objectives, ensuring that these data sources contribute to organisational performance and productivity.

The main purpose and aim of this unit is to build core data analysis skills which are required for practicing and potential middle-level managers within the organisation. It ensures they are able to identify relevant data from secondary sources to support their decision-making or various managerial roles that they have to play. The unit further aims at ensuring that they are able to assess their effectiveness in utilising data from secondary sources to support this practice. The unit contributes 4 credit values to the completion of the ILM Level 4 module and is taught in 15 hours of guided learning.

Suitability of the Unit

All stakeholders must use secondary data to ensure that they develop effective support for theory practices, roles and responsibilities. Secondary data helps to understand the theoretical models that are applicable in various areas of operations within the organisation as well as ensuring that the managers can effectively collect and analyse statistical data from both local and international markets that could inform their practices and decisions.

8605-410 Managing the Analysis of Secondary Data, therefore, provides critical information that is suitable for all stakeholders within the organisation who need to develop an understanding of the theoretical frameworks supporting their practice as well as collect useful real-time data from external second-hand sources that could support the accomplishment of organisational goals and objectives. The unit is designed to provide learning and training to the middle managers within the organisations, which make tactical decisions for the organisation.

However, it is highly applicable at other levels of management. The top managers can use this to understand the legal and ethical frameworks that could influence the performance of the organisation as well as assess industry-level data that could impact the development of strategic decisions. Lower levels of management and team member can also use the information to generate an understanding of the theoretical models that could support them and improve their information.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the unit, the learner should be able to:

• identify a subject for research in their areas of practice that is relevant to the organisation

• collect secondary data from different sources, including academic, official and commercial sources, that they can analyse to provide a background and theoretical support to their research subjective identified

• analyse the collected data to determine the validity of the information, make deductions from the data and draw conclusions on the research subject

• show the ability to lead a group discussion on findings from secondary data analysis

• evaluate and review the outcomes of the group discussion on the data analysis to determine efficiency of the secondary data in supporting organisational duties

• review the effectiveness of conducting research activities against the set objectives and goals

• conduct an effective self-development process to improve performance based on the findings of the review in managing research activities

Key Learning Areas

8605-410 managing the Analysis of Secondary Data focuses on improving appreciation of secondary data in supporting managerial roles. As such, the unit focuses on helping boost awareness of secondary data and ensuring that the learners can effectively conduct research using this data to support managerial roles and functions. Some of the key learning areas in this unit include:

Research Methods

This area of learning provides basic principles of research using secondary data. The learners are introduced to approaches of conducting effective secondary data collection and analysis from government or supra-governmental agencies as well as other sources of information, their retrieval processes and library classifications systems, as well as the use of journals to inform managerial roles and responsibilities. This area of learning further helps to analyse data using structured notes and cross-referencing materials in their reports and representations. They are also helped to understand referencing and bibliographies and their contribution to ensuring the reports are valid.

Leading Effective Research

8605-410 Managing the Analysis of Secondary Data is designed for middle manager show should facilitate effective research within the teams. This area of learning focuses on building the skills of coordinating research within the teams. The learners are introduced to techniques that they can use to effectively motivate groups to pursue research using secondary data and facilitate success in the process. They are also helped to effectively review the different factors influencing the firm presentations and demonstrations of secondary data with others.

Personal Development

This area of learning helps to ensure that the learner masters skills that are required to effectively evaluate their performance in research and the use of secondary data in supporting their management support. The areas provide the opportunity to evaluate performance in research and analysis of secondary data and the ability to lead groups in effectively conducting research, as well as ensuring that they are able to develop and implement strategies aimed at improving their abilities to use secondary data in conducting research related to organisation tasks and objectives.

Evaluation

On completing the unit, the learners are required to complete a written assessment. The assessment is used to ensure the learners provide a response on theoretical information and practical skills that they have acquired from the process of learning in this unit.