To provide candidates with a sound knowledge and understanding of the manager's tactical roles and responsibilities concerning the energy supply market and the organisation's competitive position in that market.

To further provide knowledge and understanding of continuous quality improvement processes as a means of ensuring that competitive position is improved and maintained.

Assessing the extent, through analysis and evaluations of market conditions and the continuous improvement of quality concerning energy supply, by which organisations may improve and maintain their competitive market position.

The candidate should know and understand how to:

1. Determine competitor, collaborator and organisational importance in the energy market.
2. Analyse political, economic, social and technology market drives, legislation and anti-competitive trends and development and their impact on the environment, supplies and suppliers.
3. Establish energy management procedures which lead to the effective and efficient management of energy in changing world, national and local environments.
4. Implement continuous quality improvement information and communications procedures and action to enhance organisational competitiveness in the energy market.

Organisational context

1. Identifying actual and potential competitors, collaborators and other relevant organisations to establish their importance to the organisation in terms of the energy market position.
2. Understanding political, economic, social and technological trends and their impact on supplies and suppliers; the trends and developments which influence supplies and supplier selection, and how to plan for these.
3. A focus on strategic planning in the context of market analysis, legislation impacting on supply and under review, anti-competitive practices and the opportunities which the external environment has to offer.

Energy management

4. An exploration of organisation history concerning strategy; demand, supply and the impact of time and seasonality.
5. Managing energy efficiency in the context of supply and demand, with a particular focus on government and organisational policy changes; world, national and local events; organisational strategies, policies and plans relating to supply needs; supply availability; tariffs and costs, price; anti-competitive practices; market changes; new beneficial developments: flexibility and responsiveness.

Communication

6. Identifying information types required to review internal and external operating environments; confidentiality; the means of information gathering. Establishing the frequency of information retrieval.
7. An exploration into information sources which focus market changes; new developments; potential market improvements; competitiveness of supplies; financial analysis; forecasts and related information-reliability issues, including inconsistencies and how they can be resolved.
8. Establishing the means by which to provide relevant information on a need-to-know-and-act basis; the need for prompt communication; organising, presenting, communicating plans.
9. Understanding analysis procedures which seek to establish the internal and external operating environments; identifying supply users; supply requirements; expenditure and market patterns and trends.
10. Importance of market analysis; identifying evaluation methods suitable for market analysis and establishing competitor strengths and weaknesses in the context of the manager's organisation; supply prices; cost structures; financial forecasts and related performance issues, with a view to seeking continuous improvements.
11. Preparing information which provides advice concerning competitiveness and understanding the means of preparing and presenting a reasoned case when providing advice.

Managing continuous quality improvement

12. Identifying the actual and perceived quality of organisational products and services and the impact of trends and new developments from the internal and external customer perspectives; identifying and obtaining the resources required for monitoring systems.
13. Establishing performance measures and their appropriateness for quality measurement; systems and procedures for data collection including sampling, analysis, evaluation and action.
14. Understanding the process for individual and team motivation and participation in continuous quality improvement, with a particular focus on managing information, identifying criteria to measure effectiveness of improvements, analytical and evaluation procedures, presenting recommendations, benefits and pay-back.
15. Preparing procedures to communicate and action continuous quality improvements.