Unit 1: People in organisations

Section 1: Organisational behaviour (OB) ad culture
1.1 What is an organisation?
1.1.1 Classifying organisations
1.1.2 Interactions with the environment
1.2 Organisational behaviour (OB)
1.2.1 Individual differences and perception
1.3 Organisational Goals and objectives
1.3.1 Goals
1.3.2 Objectives
1.4 Organisational culture
1.4.1 Types of organisational culture
1.4.2 Influences on organisational culture
1.4.3 Impact of organisational culture

Section 2: Personal development and continuing professional development (CPD)
2.1 Personal management and effectiveness
2.1.1 Managerial philosophies
2.1.2 Managerial style
2.1.3 Managerial effectiveness
2.1.4 Role and contribution
2.2 Time management and effectiveness
2.2.1 Importance of time management
2.2.2 Analysing our use of time
2.2.3 Effective time management
2.3 Competence, capability and employability
2.3.1 Management standards
2.4 Self-managed learning and development; continuing professional development (CPD)
2.4.1 Process of self-development
2.4.2 Continuing professional development (CPD)
2.5 Stress and lifestyle management
2.5.1 Causes of stress
2.5.2 Organisational consequences of stress
2.5.3 Strategies for reducing stress
2.5.4 Work-life balance

Section 3: Human resource management (HRM) Practice
3.1 Human resource management (HRM)
3.1.1 Human resource planning (HRP)
3.1.2 Recruitment and selection
3.1.3 Induction
3.2 Managing equality and diversity
3.2.1 Discrimination and victimisation
3.2.2 Equal opportunity
3.2.3 Equality diversity and management
3.3 Disciplinary and grievance procedures
3.3.1 Disciplinary procedures
3.3.2 Grievance procedures
3.4 Learning and development
3.4.1 Benefits of learning and development
3.4.2 The training process
3.5 Planning and implementing change
3.5.1 Modelling change
3.5.2 Identify the need for change
3.5.3 Planning change
3.5.4 Resistance to change
3.5.5 Implementing change

Section 4: Managing people and leadership
4.1. Leadership theories and styles
4.1.1 Approaches to leadership
4.2 Motivation and reward
4.2.1 Needs and expectations
4.2.2 Motivation theories
4.3 Managing individuals, groups and teams
4.3.1 Individuals at work
4.3.2 Importance of groups and teams
4.3.3 Behaviour in groups
4.3.4 Team building
4.3.5 Characteristics of effective groups
4.4 Managing conflict
4.4.1 Causes of conflict
4.4.2 Strategies for managing conflict
4.5 Performance management and development
4.5.1 Performance appraisals
4.6 Interaction skills
4.6.1 Networking
4.6.2 Influencing
4.6.4 Transactional analysis
4.7 The changing context of work
4.8 Flexible working

Unit 2: Administrative systems and processes

Section 1: The organisation in context
1.1 Role of organisations in the business environment
1.1.1 Business organisations
1.1.2 Functions and processes
1.2 Organisational mission, aims and objectives
1.2.1 Planning
1.2.2 Aims
1.2.3 Objectives
1.2.4 Values
1.2.5 Goals
1.2.6 Mission statements
1.3 Types of organisation
1.3.1 Non-incorporated organisations
1.3.2 Incorporated organisations
1.3.3 ‘Not-for-profit’, voluntary and agency organisations
1.4 New models of work organisations
1.4.1 Shamrock organisations
1.4.2 Networked organisations
1.5 Organisational structure and culture
1.5.1 Organisational structures
1.5.2 Organisational culture

Section 2: Professional administration and systems
2.1 Role of administration and systems in the organisation
2.1.1 Developing systems
2.2 Nature of systems theory and the concept of systems thinking
2.2.1 Systems and procedures
2.2.2 Sub-systems
2.2.3 Types of system
2.2.4 Working with systems
2.2.5 Monitoring and revising systems
2.3 The systems approach
2.3.1 Boundary
2.3.2 Feedback
2.3.3 De-coupling
2.3.4 Interface
2.3.5 Systems hierarchy
2.3.6 Using a systems approach
2.4 The concept of control
2.4.1 Forms of control
2.4.2 Closed loop systems
2.4.3 Open loop systems
2.4.4 The control process
2.4.5 The control cycle
2.4.6 Approaches to control
2.4.7 Effective control
2.5 Setting standards
2.5.1 Measuring performance
2.5.2 Management by exception

Section 3: Administrative procedures
3.1 Role and function of procedures
3.1.1 The relationship of procedures to systems
3.1.2 procedures in practice
3.2 Types of procedure
3.2.1 Protocols
3.2.2 Documented procedures
3.2.3 Formal and informal procedures
3.3 Policy formulation and procedures
3.3.1 Policy as a guide
3.3.2 Procedures and strategy

Section 4: Principal administrative functions
4.1 Role and purpose of administrative systems
4.2 Types and elements of administrative systems
4.2.1 Information and communication systems
4.2.2 Complaints-handling systems
4.2.3 Quality assurance and improvement systems
4.2.4 Accounts/budget and payroll systems
4.2.5 Credit control/cash-handling systems
4.2.6 Procurement and inventory management systems
4.3 Flow diagrams and process mapping
4.3.1 Flow diagrams
4.3.2 Process mapping
4.4 Business process reengineering (BPR) and workflow management
4.4.1 Business process management
4.5 Service level agreements (SLAs)

Unit 3: Professional administration

Section 1: Managing administration
1.1 Managers and how they manage
1.2 Managing work processes
1.3 Managing information and records
1.4 Compliance
1.4.1 What is a compliance?
1.4.2 What are quality benchmarks?
1.4.3 What are codes of practice?
1.4.4 What is legislation?

Section 2: Change and administration
2.1 The need for organisational change
2.2 Approaches to improvement: productivity, efficiency and effectiveness
2.2.1 Organisation and methods
2.2.2 Forms
2.2.3 Work measurement
2.3. Information communication technology (ICT)
2.4 Other approaches to business improvement
2.4.1 Business process re-engineering (BPR)
2.4.2 Outsourcing

Section 3: Delivering customer satisfaction
3.1 Marketing philosophy
3.2 The organisation’s supply chain
3.3. Service level agreements (SLAs)
3.4 Total quality management (TQM)

Section 4: Business communication
4.1 Models of communication
4.2 organisational communication media
4.2.1 Written and oral communication
4.2.2 The role of the business meeting
4.3 Impact of information communication technology (ICT) on internal and external communication
4.3.1 IT protection and security
4.4 Impact of developments in e-commerce and e-government
4.4.1 E-commerce
4.4.2 E-government

Unit 4: Information for decision-making

Section 1: Data, information and decision-making
1.1 Data, information and management information
1.1.1 What is information?
1.1.2 Sources of information
1.1.3 Levels of information
1.1.4 The requirements of an information system
1.1.5 Management information
1.2 The decision-making process
1.2.1 Decision-making and information
1.2.2 Programmed and non-programmed decisions
1.2.3 Characteristics and information requirements of the three levels of decision-making
1.2.4 Contribution of effective decision-making in achieving organisational goals

Section 2: Presentation of information
2.1 Methods to tabulate and graphically represent data
2.1.1 Tables
2.1.2 Graphs
2.1.3 Bar charts 2
2.1.4 Pie charts
2.1.5 Pictograms
2.2 Frequency distributions and histograms
2.2.1 Frequency distributions
2.2.2 Histograms
2.2.3 Frequency density
2.2.4 Displaying grouped discrete data
2.3 Summary statistics: measures of location and spread
2.3.1 Measures of location
2.3.2 Measures of spread

Section 3: Information for financial awareness
3.1 Income and expenditure
3.2 The balance sheet
3.2.1 Assets
3.2.2 Liabilities
3.3 Working capital and capital employed
3.4 Constructing a balance sheet and a profit and loss account
3.4.1 Balance sheets
3.4.2 Profit and loss accounts

Section 4: Information for planning and control
4.1 Cost classification
4.1.1 Direct costs
4.1.2 Indirect costs
4.1.3 Fixed, variable and semi-variable costs
4.2 Cost control
4.2.1. Cost centres
4.2.2 Cost control
4.3 Budgets and budgetary control
4.3.1 Advantages and disadvantages of budgets and budgetary controls
4.3.2 Types of budget
4.4 Constructing flexible and cash budgets

Unit 5: Case study

Section 1: What are you aiming for?
1.1. Case study: carefree curtains Ltd
1.2. Specimen answers
1.3. Examiner’s comments

Section 2: Dealing with cases
2.1 An approach
2.1.1 Get an overall ‘feel’ for the case
2.1.2 Identify your tasks
2.1.3 Identify the case problems
2.1.4 The external business environment
2.1.5 Factors inside the business
2.1.6 develop a questioning style
2.1.7 Evaluate and develop solutions
2.1.8 Writing up your answers
2.1.9 Keywords used in examinations

Section 3: Case to develop your expertise
3.1 International diploma case study
3.1.1 Examiner’s comments