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Title / Identify and assess business development opportunities for a small business enterprise
Level / 7 / Credits / 10
Purpose / People credited with this unit standard are able to: assess political, economic, and cultural trends; monitor and evaluate new processes and technologies; monitor the competitive environment and assess opportunities; identify, research, and evaluate opportunities for business development; and assess impacts of options on current business operations, and identify required changes to operational methods and structures to achieve business development.
Classification / Business Environment > Business Culture and Environment
Available grade / Achieved
Explanatory notes
Small business enterprises are diverse, and assessment of business development opportunities could require consideration of a range of current legislation, such as:
Commerce Act 1986
Resource Management Act 1991
Sale of Goods Act 1908
Employment Relations Act 2000
Income Tax Act 2007.
Outcomes and evidence requirements
Outcome 1
Assess political, economic, and cultural trends.
Evidence requirements
1.1The political environment is monitored, and policies are identified and assessed in terms of possible impact upon current operations and potential development of the business enterprise.
Rangemay include but are not limited to – direct assistance to small business enterprises, changes to the business environment for specific industries or business sectors, changes to current legislation and regulations.
1.2Relevant national economic indicators are selected and assessed in terms of implications for business development.
Rangemay include but is not limited to – inflation, unemployment, interest rates, investment spending, money supply, share market fluctuations, business confidence, availability of credit, disposable income, gross domestic product, national income indicators.
1.3Relevant international economic indicators are selected and assessed in terms of implications for business development.
Rangemay include but is not limited to – international trade, balance of payments, currency fluctuations, international market fluctuations, regulations for entry to specific international markets.
1.4Relevant industry or sector indicators are identified and assessed in terms of implications for business development.
Rangemay include but is not limited to – population trends; building permits; business surveys; specialist trade, industry, or service surveys.
1.5Relevant cultural indicators are identified and determined in terms of implications for business development.
Outcome 2
Monitor and evaluate new processes and technologies.
Evidence requirements
2.1New processes and methods that are relevant to existing and potential business operations are monitored and evaluated in terms of their potential contribution to business development.
2.2Technologies that are relevant to and may impact upon current or potential business operations are identified, and are evaluated in terms of their potential contribution to business development.
Outcome 3
Monitor the competitive environment and assess opportunities.
Rangeassessment is in terms of – potential contribution to sales volume, market growth, market share, profitability.
Evidence requirements
3.1Competing products and/or services are monitored, and opportunities for development of product and/or service range are identified and assessed.
3.2Competitor markets are investigated, and opportunities to enter markets with existing or new products are assessed.
3.3Potential new markets are researched, and opportunities for development of product and/or service range are identified and assessed.
Outcome 4
Identify, research, and evaluate opportunities for business development.
Evidence requirements
4.1Existing product and/or service range is reviewed, and opportunities for further development of existing products and/or services, or for deletion of specific products and/or services, are identified and researched in terms of potential contribution to business development.
4.2Opportunities for development of new products and/or services are identified and researched in terms of potential contribution to business development.
4.3Opportunities for participation with other enterprises, organisations, and individuals, in relation to joint production and marketing ventures for products and/or services, are investigated in terms of potential contribution to business development.
Rangeopportunities may include but are not limited to – joint ventures, soft and hard networks, cooperative ventures, introduction of new partners, franchising, exporting, distribution arrangements.
4.4Opportunities for acquisition of rights to produce and/or market specific products and/or services are investigated in terms of potential contribution to business development.
4.5Opportunities for acquisition of complementary business enterprise(s) are investigated in terms of potential contribution to business development.
4.6Opportunities are evaluated, benefits are identified, and their contributions to business advancement are assessed in terms of attractiveness and viability as an option for further business development.
Rangeevaluation could include but is not limited to – sales volume; market share; profit estimates; cost, volume, profit analysis; break-even analysis; cash flow implications; capital requirements.
Outcome 5
Assess impacts of options on current business operations, and identify required changes to operational methods and structures to achieve business development.
Evidence requirements
5.1Required changes to technical and operational procedures for business development options are determined, and impacts are assessed in terms of viability of current and proposed operations.
5.2Impacts of changes on financial resources for business development options are assessed in terms of financial capacity of the enterprise to fund growth and maintain viability.
5.3Required changes to the business structure are determined for business development options, and impacts are assessed in terms of compatibility, appropriateness, and effectiveness of structural changes for the business enterprise.
5.4Impacts of operational, technical, and structural changes on people involved in the enterprise are assessed in relation to business development options.
5.5Impacts of operational, technical, and structural changes on existing customer base are assessed in relation to business development options.
5.6Required changes to customer services are identified, and are evaluated in relation to business development options.
5.7Required changes to business operations to achieve business development are determined, and impacts of implementing changes are reviewed and evaluated in relation to the benefits and viability of business development.
This unit standard is expiring. Assessment against the standard must take place by the last date for assessment set out below.
Status information and last date for assessment for superseded versions
Process / Version / Date / Last Date for AssessmentRegistration / 1 / 22 February 1996 / 31 December 2015
Revision / 2 / 12 May 1999 / 31 December 2015
Revision / 3 / 8 February 2001 / 31 December 2015
Revision / 4 / 12 January 2006 / 31 December 2015
Rollover and Revision / 5 / 22 August 2008 / 31 December 2015
Review / 6 / 20 September 2012 / 31 December 2015
Rollover / 7 / 16 July 2015 / 31 December 2018
Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR) reference / 0113
This CMR can be accessed at
Please note
Providers must be granted consent to assess against standards (accredited) by NZQA, before they can report credits from assessment against unit standards or deliver courses of study leading to that assessment.
Industry Training Organisations must be granted consent to assess against standards by NZQA before they can register credits from assessment against unit standards.
Providers and Industry Training Organisations, which have been granted consent and which are assessing against unit standards must engage with the moderation system that applies to those standards.
Requirements for consent to assess and an outline of the moderation system that applies to this standard are outlined in the Consent and Moderation Requirements (CMR). The CMR also includes useful information about special requirements for organisations wishing to develop education and training programmes, such as minimum qualifications for tutors and assessors, and special resource requirements.
NZQA National Qualifications ServicesSSB Code 130301 / New Zealand Qualifications Authority 2018 / / New Zealand Qualifications Aut