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SQAHIGHERNATIONALDIPLOMAINBUSINESSWITHACCOUNTING

UNITSPECIFICATION

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YEAR1UNITS

1.BusinessAccounting(F84M34)

This2-creditUnitenables students todevelop their knowledgeandunderstanding in thepreparation

and use of accounting information within a business organisation. Students will develop skills in

preparing basic financial andmanagement accounting reports and in interpreting and using financial

informationfordecisionmaking.

TherearefiveOutcomesinthisUnit.ItisrecommendedthatOutcomes1and2areassessedseparately

andthattheassessmentisintegratedforOutcomes3,4and5.

In Outcome 1 students will prepare the financial statements for a limited company comprising an

income statement, statement of financial position and statement of changes in equity and and

incorporatingyear-endadjustments.

Outcome 2 focuses on the preparation of management accounting information and students will

prepare a cash budget. Further, students will calculate the break-even point for making business

decisions;forexampleconsideringthelaunchofanewproduct.

ItisrecommendedthatOutcomes3,4and5aredeliveredandassessedusinganintegratedapproach.

TheseOutcomescover:usersoffinancialinformationandthepurposesforwhichitisneeded;sources

offinanceavailabletoabusiness,bothshorttermandlongterm;andananalysisoftheperformance

andfinancialpositionofabusinessbylookingatstatementsofcashflowsanduseofaccountingratios.

Theassessmentcouldtaketheformofacasestudycoveringthesethreeareas.

2.BusinessLaw:AnIntroduction(F84P34)

This 1-credit Unit is designed to introduce students to law within a business environment. It is

specificallyfocusedonScotsLawbutmaytakeintoaccountsomeaspectsofEnglishLaw.

TheUnitexaminessourcesofScotsLawandcontractualrelationships.TherearethreeOutcomes:

Outcome1explainsthemainsourcesofScotsLaw.Outcome2explainsthelawofcontract.

Outcome3distinguishesthe legalcharacteristicsofthevarioustypesofbusinessrelationships—sole

trader,partnership,registeredcompany,limitedliabilitycompany.

TheUnitmaybetaughtbyusingreportedcasesfromcurrentlawjournalsandotherrelevantsources.

Students shouldbeencouraged to gather information fromvarious sources, eg the internet, journals

andnewspapersandusetheseinclassdiscussions.

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AssessmentforallthreeOutcomesmaytaketheformofopen-bookassessmentsbasedonacasestudy

and/orrestrictedresponsequestions.Studentsmaycompiletheirresponsesfromtheirownresearch.

Usefulwebsitesarewww.acas.org.ukandwww.gov.uk

3.Communication:BusinessCommunication(H7TK34)

This 1-credit Unit is designed to help students analyse, summarise, evaluate and produce complex

writtencommunication. Italsodevelopsstudents’ skills inpresentingandresponding tocomplexoral

businessinformation.ItisrecommendedthisUnitbetaughtandassessedwithinthesubjectareaofthe

group award. The practical skills developed and assessed in this Unit may be integrated with other

Units.

Outcomesmaybeintegratedwithelementsofthecoursewhichrequiretheanalysisandproductionof

complexwrittenand/ororalcommunication.

TherearethreeOutcomes,whichmaybeintegratedwithelementsofthecourserequiringtheanalysis

andproductionofcomplexwrittenand/ororalcommunication.

Outcome1analysesandevaluatescomplexwrittenbusinessinformationanddevelopsskillsinreading

andanalysingcomplextext,summarisingkeyinformationandevaluatingthesuitabilityofwrittentext

foritspurpose.

Outcome 2 assists students in the production of complex written business documents. It covers

selectionofrelevantinformation,sequencingforimpactandeffectiveness,appropriatenessoflanguage

andstyleforformalbusinessdocuments.

Within the documents spelling, punctuation and grammar should be accurate. Students are also

requiredtoreferencesources.

Outcome3requiresstudentstopresentandrespondtocomplexoralinformationinabusinesscontext.

Studentswillplananddeliveraninputtoaformalbusinessrelatedevent.Theeventmaytaketheform

ofameeting,event,webinar,etc.

ItispossibletointegrateOutcome2andOutcome3,combiningthereportandmeeting/event.Tutors

shouldbeadvisedsettingupthemeetings/eventscanbetimeconsumingand it is recommendedthe

report is marked at key stages and students given constructive feedback. For each Outcome,

assessmentisundertakeninopen-bookconditions.Centresshouldensuretheauthenticityofstudents’

work.

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4.CreatingaCultureofCustomerCare(H1F034)

This 1-credit Unit enables students to recognise and evaluate effective customer care. The Unit

emphasisesthatcustomercareisakeyareaofimportanceandvaluetoorganisationsandis,therefore,

criticaltotheworkofeveryemployee.

TherearetwoOutcomesandstudentevidencecanbegatheredinavarietyofways,egpresentations,

casestudyanalysis,structuredquestions,oralquestioning,e-portfolio,etc.

Outcome1focusesontheanalysisofthefactorswhichcontributetoacultureofcustomercareandthe

achievementofhighstandardsofcustomercare.

Outcome2studentsapplytheseprinciplestoanorganisationandevaluateitscustomercarestrategy.

5.EconomicIssues:AnIntroduction(F7J834)

This1-creditUnitintroducesstudentstofundamentalissuesineconomicswithaparticularemphasison

the business environment. Students will learn about the basic economic problem and how the

consumerandothereconomicagentsaddressthisproblem.Studentsareintroducedtotheoperationof

marketsandactionsthatcanbetakentohelpavoidmarketfailure.TheUnit introducesthetheoryof

NationalIncomeandthecircularflowofincomemodel.

Studentsarerequiredtoanalysecomplexinformationonnationalpoliciesandtheirapplication.

InOutcome1studentsarerequiredtoexplaintheallocationofresourceswithintheeconomy. Inthis

theywillcoveraspectssuchasthebasiceconomicproblem,opportunitycost,determinantsofdemand

andsupply,interactionofdemandandsupply,andpriceandincomeelasticity.

InOutcome2 students are required to explain the theoryofNational Income. In this theywill cover

areassuchascircularflowofincome,injectionsandwithdrawals,multiplier,measurementofnational

income, comparison of national incomebetween countries and national income growthmeasured in

monetaryandrealterms.

InOutcome3 students are required toexplain andevaluate the roleof governmentpolicy in theUK

market. In this theywill cover the role of government inmarket failure, current Government policy,

Governmentpolicyinstruments,andevaluationofGovernmentpolicy.

ThisUnitmaybeassessedusinganintegrativeassessmentapproachforOutcomes1and2,orbyusing

an individual instrument of assessment for eachOutcome. Controlled conditions are requiredwhere

sampling takes place. Assessments may involve the use of stimulus materials and if appropriate,

studentsmaybringwiththemadefinedamountofnotesassourcematerialforassessmentundertaken

undercontrolledconditions.

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Outcomes1and2willbeassessedusingspecificquestionswhichmaybebaseduponstimulusmaterial

andmustbeassessedundercontrolledconditions.

Outcome 3 could be assessed under open-book conditions and may take the form of a short

investigative exercise with a suggested word guide of approximately 800 to 1,000 words in length

excludinganyappendices.

6.Economics1:MicroandMacroTheoryandApplication(F7J635)

InthesecondhalfofYear1,theintroductoryUnitinEconomics—EconomicIssues:AnIntroduction—

isfollowedbyamorein-depthUnitcalledEconomics1:MicroandMacroTheoryandApplication.Itis

strongly recommended that the introductory Unit in Economics is passed before progression to this

Unit.

This1-creditUnit isdesigned tobuildon students’ knowledgeof introductoryeconomics andexpose

themtomicro-economicandmacro-economicapplicationsoftheory.TheUnitallowstheintroduction

ofcurrentissuesineconomicsandprovidesanopportunityforstudentstoanalyseandevaluatethese

issues.TherearethreeOutcomesforthisUnit.

InOutcome1studentsarerequiredtoexplain thecostsof the firmandthemarketstructureswithin

which firms operate. Areas to be covered are costs of the firm,market structures, price and output

behaviour,profitmaximisation,andalternativestoprofitmaximisation.

InOutcome2studentsarerequiredtoanalysetheimpactofunemploymentandinflation.Areastobe

coveredaretypesofunemployment,typesofinflation,theimpactofunemploymentonindividualsand

businesses,andtheimpactof inflationonindividualsandbusinesses.Recenttrendsinunemployment

andininflationarerelevanttothisanalysis.

InOutcome3studentsarerequiredtoevaluategovernmentuseofmacro-economicpolicy.Areastobe

coveredaretheaimsoffiscalpolicy,fiscalpolicymethodsintheUK,aimsofmonetarypolicy,monetary

policymethodsintheUKandsupply-sidepolicies.

Assessment of Outcome 1 will take place in unsupervised conditions and may take the form of an

investigative exercise. Assessment of Outcomes 2 and 3 of this Unit will take place in controlled

conditionsandmaybeassessedbyquestionsbasedonstimulusmaterial.Studentswillbepermittedto

useaspecifiedamountoftheirownnotes.

7.InformationTechnology:ApplicationsSoftware1(D75X34)

This 1-credit Unit is designed to enable students to use Information Technology (IT) systems and

applications independently to support a range of information processing activities and to develop a

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broadknowledgeofthetheoreticalconceptsofITapplications.

TherearetwoOutcomes:

Outcome1 focuses onoperating a rangeof IT equipment independently, giving attention to security

andtootherusers.

In Outcome 2 students use a range of software application packages to meet complex information

requirements.

Assessment is largelypracticaland lends itself toa singleassessmentcontaininganumberof tasks in

theformofaprojectorcasestudy.AnobservationchecklistshouldbeusedforOutcome1.Outcome2

requires the student to use four ormore software packages, and to integrate twoormore different

datatypes,egtext,number,graphics,audioorvideo.Examplesofsoftwareapplicationswhichmaybe

usedincludeWord,Excel,Powerpoint,Publisher,Access,OutlookandtheInternet.

ThereisscopetolinkassessmenttootherUnits,egITinBusiness:Spreadsheets(F84V34)whichuses

Excelforspreadsheets.

8.ITinBusiness:Spreadsheets(F84V34)

This1-creditUnitisdesignedtoallowstudentstodevelopanunderstandingofspreadsheetdesignand

how to use spreadsheet features and functions for practical and effective use. There are three

OutcomesfortheUnitandopen-bookconditionsshouldbeusedfortheassessment.

InOutcome1studentsarerequiredtocreateaspreadsheetdesignandprovidesolutionsforabusiness

scenario.

InOutcome2studentsshouldpresentspreadsheetdataingraphicalformandinterprettheresults.

In Outcome 3 students should provide solutions to a business scenario using spreadsheet statistical

functions.

Itispossibletolinkassessment1,2and3usingacasestudyandtheassessmentmaybepresentedina

varietyofforms,egprinted,submittedelectronicallyorinhardcopy.Anassessmentexemplarhasbeen

provided for thisUnitand thisusesacasestudy forOutcome1 todesignandproducespreadsheets.

FromthespreadsheetsproducedinOutcome1materialisprovidedforthegraphsforOutcome2.Afile

isprovided for the students forOutcome3whichcontains the information fromaquestionnaireand

thisisusedtoproducestatisticalfunctionsforOutcome3.

ThereisscopetolinktheassessmenttootherUnits,egInformationTechnology:ApplicationSoftware1

(D75X34).

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9.ManagingPeopleandOrganisations(F84T34)

This2-creditUnitconsistsoffourOutcomesandassessmentisopen-book,basedonquestionsonacase

studyofarealorfictitiousorganisation.Studentswouldnormallybegiven2–3weekstoresearchand

preparetheirsubmissions.Tutorscouldusequestioningtoauthenticatelearningandensureresponses

arestudents’ownwork.

OnecasestudycanbeusedforassessmentofallOutcomesbutitwouldberecommendedthatstudents

submit each Outcome separately. This approach helps students manage their assessment load, plus

studentsbenefitfromtutorfeedbackandreflectivelearning.

In Outcome 1, students focus on the characteristics and purpose of the organisation and its

environment. Theywill understand the importance of organisational goals, objectives andpolicy, the

influenceofkeystakeholdersandstrategiesofcontrol.

In Outcome 2, students will analyse factors that contribute to workplace performance. They will

considertheoreticalmodelsandrelatetoindividualperformanceandmotivation.Teamworkshouldbe

encouraged and students given the opportunity to reflect on factors contributing to their team’s

performanceintasksset.Teamtaskscouldbesetthatencouragestudentstoworktogetherresearching

and presenting key theories. In addition to the use of structured questions, some form of group

assessmentcouldbeusedtoaddvaluetoteamwork.

InOutcome3,studentswillanalysefactorsthat influencemanagerialperformance.Theywillexamine

the roles and activities of managers, ways to measure managerial performance and theories of

leadership. There is scope to integrate with Outcome 2 and use team tasks to assist with research

activitiesandhelpstudentsexploretheeffectivenessofdifferentleadershipstyles.Structuredquestions

could be supplemented by evidence from team work. Students should be encouraged to submit

evidence of reflective learning on their team/leader’s performance, eg what did they do well, what

couldtheyimproveon,actionplanforimprovements.

In Outcome 4, students are required to identify and compare alternative approaches to organising

peopleandactivitieswithintheworkplace.Tutorsshouldensurethereisenoughscopewithinthecase

study or real organisation to evidence this. The organisation should be one thatwould benefit from

restructuring andprovide studentswill scope to cover the range required andpresent an alternative

structure.

10.Marketing:AnIntroduction(F7BX34)

This1-creditUnit givesabroad introduction tomarketing. Thereare twoOutcomeswhich shouldbe

incorporated in an integrated project. Students are required to produce a reportwhich explains the

natureofmarketingandthemarketingdecisionstakeninrelationtoanorganisationoftheirchoice.The

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reportshouldinclude:

Anintroductionthatprovidessomebriefinformationabouttheorganisationtheyhavechosenandthe

key characteristics of themarketing concept. Students will be required to explain the organisation’s

micro and macro environment. Students will explain why market research is important for the

organisation, and two examples of how the organisation could collect and usemarket research. The

examplesmust includeonequalitativeandonequantitative technique.The reportwill thencoveran

explanationofthe importanceandbenefitsofmarketsegmentationandtargetingtotheorganisation

and theprocess that theorganisationmayuse to segment and target themarket.An explanationof

marketingtheory,supportedbyexamplesofthefollowingshouldalsobeincluded:

o Productmixdecisionsthattheorganisationhastaken

o Place—howtheorganisationmakestheproductorserviceavailabletothecustomer,egchannelsofdistribution

o ThePricingmethodsusedbytheorganisation

o Theorganisation’sPromotionalmix

o TheimportancetotheorganisationoftheroleofPeople,ProcessandPhysicalevidenceinthemarketingofproductsorservices

The report should also show how the organisation’s marketing mix responds to changing marketconditions.

TheUnitmaybeassessed inavarietyofways,egbya separateassessment foreachOutcome.Bothassessments may take place under controlled conditions and be designed to encourage students torelatemarketing theory to relevant examples.Alternatively, there is theopportunity to integrate theassessmentofOutcomes1and2.Thiscouldbedoneunderopen-bookconditionsandwouldbebasedonacasestudy,projectorotherstimulusmaterial.

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11.RecordingFinancialInformation(F7JV34)

This1-creditUnitfocusesondevelopingbook-keepingskillsandtherecordingoffinancialinformation.There are four short Outcomes and assessments although it is possible to integrate these into twoassessments, if this suits the student group, by combining Outcomes 1 and 2 and also combiningOutcomes3and4. Outcome1 covers the recordingof financial transactions in thebooksoforiginalentryandcovers salesand sales returns,purchasesandpurchase returns,bank transactions receivedand paid, cash received and paid. It also covers accounting for Value Added Tax (VAT) on thesetransactions.Outcome2followsdirectlyandinvolvesthepostingofthebooksoforiginalentrytothesales,purchaseandgeneralledgeraccountsapplyingdoubleentrybook-keepingprinciples.

Finallystudentswillextractatrialbalancefromtheledgeraccounts.TheseOutcomesmaybeassessed

separatelyortheassessmentmaybecombined.

Outcome 3 covers the completion of a VAT Return by identifying relevant inputs and outputs and

calculatingtherelevantamountsforthereturn.

Outcome 4 covers control mechanisms which may be incorporated into a book- keeping system. In

particular,studentswillprepareabankreconciliationandusejournalentriestocorrecterrors,including

theuseofasuspenseaccount.

Outcomes3and4maybeassessedseparatelyortheassessmentmaybecombined.

12.PreparingFinancialForecasts(F84R35)

This1-credit financialUnit contains fourOutcomesalthough it is recommended that thedeliveryand

assessmentofOutcomes1and2becombinedandthatthedeliveryandassessmentofOutcomes3and

4becombinedalso.

Outcome1coversthepreparationofanoperatingstatementandtheclassificationofcostsintodirect

and indirect. Students also learn about the analysis of overhead costs and methods of determining

profitusingmark-upandmargin.

Outcome 2 further develops the analysis of costs for a business throughmarginal costing to provide

relevantdatafordecisionmaking.ThisOutcomealsolooksattheeffectofchangingcostsandrevenue

levelsonthetotalcontributionmadebythegoodsandservicesanorganisationproduces.

Outcome 3 introduces students to the important business process of budgeting and covers the

preparation of functional budgets and flexed budgets. Further, students will calculate variances

betweenbudgetedandactualrevenuesandcostsforanorganisation.

Outcome4involvestheuseof investmentandprojectappraisaltechniquestoassesstheviabilityofa

project. These techniques include traditional and discounted cash flow and their uses in decision

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making.

TheuseofaspreadsheetpackageisencouragedforOutcomes3and4.

13.BusinesswithAccounting:GradedUnit1(H0J134)

This1-creditUnitwillprovideevidencethatstudentshavemettheaimsofthefirstyearoftheGroup

Award. It assesses the student’s ability to integrate knowledge and skills and problem solving across

fourofthefirstyearUnits.

This Unit covers the integration of a range of knowledge and skills achieved through study of the

mandatoryUnits,butfocusingon:

F84M34 BusinessAccounting

F7J834 EconomicIssues:AnIntroduction

F84T34 ManagingPeopleandOrganisations

F7BX34 Marketing:AnIntroduction

14.BehaviouralSkillsforBusiness(F84L35)

This 1-creditUnit is designed to enable students to explain the functionof amanager and recognise

effectivebehaviouralskills.AholisticapproachcanbetakentothethreeOutcomesusingacasestudy,

withasetofstructuredquestions.Alternativelystudentscouldbe issuedwithasetofguidelinesand

askedtosubmitareportbasedonthecasestudyoronanorganisationoftheirchoice.

Outcome1 examines the role of themanager anddifferencesbetween themanager and the leader.

StudentsshouldbereferredbacktoOutcomes2and3inManagingPeopleandOrganisations(F84T34).

Outcome2coversassertivenessskills, influencingskills,negotiationstrategies,meetingsandbriefings,

conflictmanagement(clearlinktoUnitCommunication:BusinessCommunication).

Outcome3analysestechniquesusedbymanagerstomanagethemselvesandothers—problem-solving

anddecisionmaking,timemanagementanddealingwithstress.

Trainingvideos,roleplay,groupdiscussionandarangemanagementdevelopmentactivitiesworkwell

in this Unit. This Unit also provides students with a good opportunity to reflect on their own

skills/behaviours recognising their strengths, areas for improvement and completion of a personal

action plan. They should be encouraged to recognise their personal strengths and areas for

improvement.

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15.BusinessContractualRelationships(F84N34)

The1-creditUnitdevelopsstudents’knowledgeofthelawasitappliestothebusinessenvironment.It

examinesconsumerlegislation,thelawinemploymentandtheLawofObligations.

IthasthreeOutcomes:

Outcome 1 explains the key statutory provisions relating to consumer protection— Sales of Goods,

UnfairContractTerms,ConsumerCredit,FalseandMisleadingTradeDescriptionsandProductLiability.

Outcome2explainsthekeyelementsofthelawinemployment—contractofemployment,dismissal

andtermination,discrimination.

Outcome3explainsthekeyelementsofthelawofobligation—generalprinciplesofdelict,negligence

anddefences.

AssessmentforallthreeOutcomesmaybeopen-bookbasedonacasestudywithrestrictedresponse

questions.Assessmentsmaybe integrated.Studentsmaycompileresponsesfromtheirownresearch.

Usefulwebsitesarewww.acas.org.ukandwww.berr.gov.uk

16.BusinessCultureandStrategy(F7J735)

This 2-creditUnit buildsonManagingPeople andOrganisations (F84T34) fromYear 1 andenhances

students’ understanding of business strategy and culture. There are five Outcomes and a holistic

approachmaybe taken toall fiveOutcomes.A single instrumentof assessment canbe issued in the

formofacasestudyoraninvestigationintoanorganisationofchoice.Tutorsshouldensureanychosen

organisationwilloffersufficientevidencetocoverthefullrange.Studentsshouldbefamiliarwiththeir

chosenorganisationandensure theycaneasilygatherdata required tocompleteallOutcomes.Clear

guidelinesshouldbeissuedfortheinvestigativereport.

It is advisable tutors monitor student progress and offer formative assessment feedback after

completion of each Outcome. If students research an organisation of choice, then they should be

encouragedtopresenttheir findingstotheclassgroup.Thisprovidesan insight intothestrategyand

cultureofavarietyoforganisationsandenhancesstudentlearning.Italsoprovidestheopportunityto

developCoreSkillsinCommunicationandProblemSolving.

Outcome 1 examines how management analyse the organisations relationship with its external

environment.

Outcome2assessestherelationshipbetweenorganisationalcultureandorganisationalbehaviour.

Outcome3explainstheinfluenceofbusinessstrategyonorganisationalbehaviour.Outcome4explains

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howtomanagebusinessstrategy.Outcome5analyseshowtomanagechangewithinanorganisation.

17.CompanyLaw:AnIntroduction(DE5H35)

This1-creditUnit introducesthe importantaspectsofcompany lawand isdesignedforstudentswho

wishtopursueacareerinaccountingandfinance.TherearefourOutcomes.

In Outcome 1 students gain knowledge and understanding of the separate legal personality of a

company and its legal consequences, together with the formalities and documents required for

registeringacompany.

Outcome2involveslookingatthecapitalandfinancingofacompanyincludingordinaryandpreference

sharecapital,loancapitalandbothsecuredandunsecuredborrowings.

Outcome3coversthemanagementandadministrationofacompanyandfocusesonareasrelatingto

Directors,theCompanySecretary,theAnnualGeneralMeetingandpassingofResolutions.

Outcome4dealswithinsolventcompaniesandcoversvoluntaryliquidation,compulsoryliquidationand

administration.

TheassessmentforallOutcomescouldbebasedaroundonecasestudy.

18.Economics2:TheWorldEconomy(F86E35)

This1-creditUnit introduces theworldeconomy, themain focusbeing thekey featuresof theglobal

economicenvironment. Itadvanceseconomicconceptsandallowsstudentstodeveloptheir research

andanalyticalskills.Thecoreeconomic issuesthatarefocusedon inthisUnitaretrade, international

payments,exchangeratesandeconomiesundergoingchange.

InOutcome1studentswillexplaininternationaltradeandtheroleoftradeorganisations.Areastobe

includedaretradetheory,barrierstointernationaltrade,protectionism,theWorldTradeOrganisation

andTradingblocs.

InOutcome2 studentswill analyse thebalanceofpaymentsandexchange rate regimes.Areas tobe

coveredarethestructureoftheUKbalanceofpaymentsaccounts,recenttrendsintheUKbalanceof

payments account, the relationship between exchange rates and the balance of payments, exchange

rateregimesandtheeffectsofexchangeratesoneconomicagents.

In Outcome 3 students will evaluate world economies. Areas covered will be the characteristics of

NewlyIndustrialisedCountries(NICs),theissuesfacingNICs,characteristicsofLessDevelopedCountries

(LDCs),issuesfacingLDCsandtheimpactoftransnationalsinNICsandLDCs.

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Assessment could be undertaken by using one instrument of assessment which allows students to

developtheirresearchskills.Aninvestigativeapproachcouldbetakenbythestudenttoenablethemto

gatherevidence.Thismaybeintheformofaportfolio.

19.FinancialReportingandAnalysis(F7R435)

Across the four Outcomes of this 2-credit Unit, students develop their knowledge of the underlying

conceptsandstandardsthatareappliedinpreparingfinancialstatements,preparefinancialstatements

ofa limitedcompany forpublication,prepareaconsolidatedbalancesheet foragroupof companies

andanalysecompanyfinancialstatementsidentifyingappropriatesourcesoflongtermfinance.

The use of UK Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (UK GAAP) or International Accounting

Standards(IAS)willbeacceptableforthedeliveryandassessmentofthisUnit.

Outcome 1 covers the underlying accounting concepts and the legal framework governing the

preparationoffinancialstatementsoflimitedliabilitycompanies.

Outcome 2 involves the preparation of financial statements for a limited company for publication

includingtheprofitandlossaccount,balancesheet,notestotheaccounts,disclosureofcontinuingand

discontinuedoperations,a statementof recognisedgainsand losses,a reconciliationofmovement in

shareholders’fundsandincorporatesrelevanttaxation.

Outcome3coversthepreparationofaconsolidatedbalancesheetforagroupofcompaniesfollowing

theacquisitionmethodofaccounting.

In Outcome 4 students will analyse company financial statements using accounting ratios covering

profitability,liquidity,efficiency,capitalstructureandinvestment.Furtherstudentswillidentifysources

of long term finance appropriate for an organisation. Students will produce a report with

recommendationsontheirfindings.

20.InformationandCommunicationTechnologyinBusiness(F84W35)

This 2-credit Unit is designed to develop students, knowledge and skills in identifying, evaluating,

managing and presenting business information to facilitate and influence decision-making. There are

fiveOutcomesinthis2-creditUnit.

In Outcome 1— students are required to identify and evaluate the role of business information in

decisionmaking.

In Outcome 2— students are required to describe and evaluate data communications and new ICT

innovations.

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InOutcome3—studentsare required toplanprojectdevelopmentworkusingprojectmanagement

softwaretomeetclientneeds.

In Outcome 4 — students are required to schedule project development work using project

managementsoftwaretomeetclientneeds.

In Outcome 5 — students are required to create a presentation using appropriate presentation

software.

Outcomes 1, 2 and 3 can be linked using an appropriate case study. Outcome 3 requires the use of

ProjectManagementsoftware.Outcome4isapracticalactivitybasedonOutcome3andtheevidence

presentedasareport.Outcome5isapracticalassignmentusingpresentationsoftware.ThisOutcome

couldbelinkedwiththeUnitBusinesswithAccounting:GradedUnit1(H0J134).

ForthedeliveryofthisUnitstudentsshouldbeabletopull togetherconceptsand ideasfromvarious

otherUnitssuchasBehaviouralSkillsforBusiness(F84L35),BusinessCultureandStrategy(F7J735)and

BusinesswithAccounting:GradedUnit1(H0J134).

21.ManagementAccountingforDecisionMaking(F82J35)

This 2-credit Unit enables students to provide and evaluatemanagement accounting information for

use in short to medium term decision making and focuses on the preparation of cost statements,

applyingmarginalcostingtechniques,usinglimitingfactoranalysisandappraisingcapitalprojects.

Outcome 1 looks at the preparation of a relevant cost and revenue statement for a specific

managementdecision,forexampletheacceptanceorrejectionofaspecialorder.Itincludessunkcosts,

committedcosts,incrementalcosts/revenueandopportunitycosts.

InOutcome 2 studentswill build onmarginal costing and break-even techniques to evaluate various

decisionsfacinganorganisationincludingoptimumuseof limitingfactors;makeorbuydecisions;and

changestoprocess,costsandvolume.

Outcome3 involves applyingmarginal costing techniques to provide information to produce amulti-

productprofitvolumegraphwhichhighlightsthebreak-evenpointandmarginofsafety.Studentswill

produceareportwithrecommendationsontheirfindings.

Outcome4coversproductmixdecisionsinvolvingmorethanonelimitingfactor.Studentswillidentify

theoptimumproductmixandprepareaprofitstatementfortheproductmixidentified.

Outcome 5 covers the appraisal of capital investments using accounting rate of return, payback, net

presentvalue,andinternalrateofreturn.Thisappraisalincludestheeffectsoftaxationandinflation.

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22.StatisticsforBusiness(F84K35)

This1-creditUnitofthreeOutcomesintroducesstudentstostatisticalconceptsanddescriptivestatistics

usedinbusiness.

InOutcome1studentswillberequiredtoexplainstatisticaltechniquesforcollectingdata.Areastobe

coveredaretypesofdata,sourcesofdata,surveymethodsandsamplingmethods.

InOutcome2studentswillberequiredtousestatisticaltechniquestoanalyseandinterpretdata.Areas

to be covered are presentation of quantitative data, presentation of qualitative and ordinal data,

measures of central location, measures of dispersion, index numbers, analysis techniques and

interpretationtechniques.

InOutcome3studentswillberequiredtousesoftwaretoproduceforecastsanddiagrams.Areastobe

coveredarescatterdiagrams includingpredictorandresponsevariables, linearregressionforecasting,

Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient, time series forecasting, histograms, analysis skills

andinterpretationskillsandtheuseofappropriatesoftware.

Outcome 1 could be assessed using an assessment containing short response questions and given

circumstancescoveringallaspectsofOutcome1.

Outcome2couldbeassessedbyanopen-bookassessmentcarriedoutincontrolledconditions.Theuse

ofcalculationaidssuchasascientificcalculatorand/orappropriatesoftwareispermitted.Studentswill

have topresentdata indiffering formats,performcalculationsanddraw inferences from interpreting

figuresandprovidemeaningfulcomment.

Outcome3couldbeassessedbyanopen-bookassessmentcarriedoutundercontrolledconditions in

whichstudentsuseappropriatesoftware.

23.BusinesswithAccounting:GradedUnit2(H0J235)

This2-creditUnitwillprovideevidencethatstudentshavemettheaimsoftheGroupAward.

Itwillbeassessedbyaprojectinvestigation.Theprojectwillinvolvetheinvestigationofabusinessissue

andtheassessmentofitsimplicationsforabusinessoranumberofbusinesses.

ThisUnitcoverstheintegrationofarangeofknowledgeandskillsachievedthroughoutselectedUnits

oftheHND:

F84M34 BusinessAccounting

F84R35 PreparingFinancialForecasts

F7J834 EconomicIssues:AnIntroduction

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F7J635 Economics1:MicroandMacroTheoryandApplication

F86E35 Economics2:TheWorldEconomy

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F84T34 ManagingPeopleandOrganisations

F7J735 BusinessCultureandStrategy

F84W35 InformationandCommunicationTechnologyinBusiness

D75X34 InformationTechnology:ApplicationsSoftware1

F84V34 ITinBusiness:Spreadsheets

H7TK34 Communication:BusinessCommunication

F84L35 BehaviouralSkillsforBusiness

F84P34 BusinessLaw:AnIntroduction

F84N34 BusinessContractualRelationships

F84K35 StatisticsforBusiness