Business Accounting — 160 hrs

This Unit is designed to enable candidates to develop their knowledge and understanding in the preparation and use of accounting information within a business organization. Candidates will develop the skills required to prepare basic financial and management accounting reports and, in addition, will also develop the skills, knowledge and understanding to enable them to interpret and use financial information for decision making.

Business Law: An Introduction — 80 hrs

This Unit is designed to introduce the candidate to the framework of law as it applies within the business environment. The Unit will examine the sources of Scottish law, the contractual relationships between individuals, the contractual relationships between individuals and businesses, and the distinction between types of business relationships. It is primarily intended for candidates who require knowledge of legal matters in a business context.

Communication: Business Communication — 80 hrs

This Unit Communication: Business Communication sits at SCQF level 7 and is designed to develop skills in analyzing, summarizing, evaluating, and producing complex written business information. It also develops skills in presenting and responding to complex oral business information.

The Unit enhances skills for learning, life and work and there is a particular emphasis on employability.

The Unit can be taken as part of a Group Award or as a stand-alone Unit for the purposes of continued professional development. Work undertaken for the Unit will be in a context appropriate to the learner’s Group Award or relevant to an individual’s vocational area/discipline.

The Unit embeds and provides automatic certification of the Core Skill of Communication at SCQF level 6.

Creating a Culture of Customer Care — 80 hrs

The purpose of this Unit is to enable candidates to recognize and evaluate effective customer care within a relevant work environment. It allows candidates to analyze factors affecting customer care and to judge the effectiveness of a customer care strategy by applying them to the workplace. The Unit emphasizes that customer care is a key area of importance and value to organizations and is, therefore, critical to the work of any employee.

Economic Issues: An Introduction — 80 hrs

This Unit introduces candidates to fundamental issues in economics with a particular emphasis on the business environment. Candidates will learn about the basic economic problem and how the consumer and other economic agents address this problem. Candidates are introduced to the operation of markets and actions that can be taken to help avoid market failure. The Unit introduces the theory of National Income and the circular flow of income model.

Economics 1: Micro & Macro Theory and Application — 80 hrs

This Unit is designed to build on candidates’ knowledge of introductory economics and expose them to microeconomic and macroeconomic applications of theory. The Unit allows the introduction of current issues in economics and provides an opportunity for candidates to analyze and evaluate these issues.

Human Resource Management: Introduction — 80 hrs

This introductory Unit is intended for candidates who are preparing to study Human Resource Management, or are considering a career in this discipline. It is also for those candidates who may wish to gain a holistic overview of how Human Resource Management can add value to an organization. It is designed to develop knowledge of the role of Human Resource Management as a key function within organizations and to develop understanding of the background to the development of the discipline of Human Resource Management. It introduces candidates to the activities that make up Human Resource Management and how these activities contribute to the success of an organization.

Information Technology: Applications Software 1 — 80 hrs

This Unit is designed to enable students to use Information Technology (IT) systems and applications independently to support a range of information processing activities. The Unit is designed to develop a broad knowledge of the theoretical concepts, principles, boundaries and scope of IT applications. These activities will be centered on using software applications packages to meet complex information requirements while paying attention to security and the needs of other users.

IT in Business: Spreadsheets — 80 hrs

This Unit is designed to allow candidates to develop an understanding of spreadsheet design and how to use spreadsheet features and functions for practical and effective use. It is relevant to candidates wishing to develop their knowledge of spreadsheets as a tool to help provide solutions to common business problems.

Managing People and Organizations — 160 hrs

This Unit is designed to enable candidates to gain an understanding of different approaches to managing an organization in today’s dynamic and complex business environment. It will introduce candidates – whether intending to or working in an administrative, commercial or management role – to current management theories to enable them to use these to evaluate organizational effectiveness.

Marketing: An Introduction — 80 hrs

This Unit is designed to provide candidates with a knowledge and understanding of marketing and its importance in organizations. This Unit is also designed to develop candidates’ understanding of the marketing mix in the context of both products and services. This is an introductory Unit which can be used by candidates who may wish to progress to more specialized marketing units.

Personal Development Planning — 80 hrs

This unit helps candidates to take responsibility for their own learning and development. It provides a framework for the development of the personal and general skills and qualities which employers seek in the workplace and which are increasingly recognized as underpinning success in personal life, in citizenship and in lifelong learning. The contexts of progression to employment, or from college to university, or developing Core Skills, can be used.

Through a process of Personal Development Planning1 candidates will identify their skills, abilities and development needs and review these in the context of their own personal, educational and career aims. They will devise a personal action plan, then undertake and evaluate that plan. They will gather, organize and present evidence of each stage of the plan – including personal reviews – in their personal development portfolio.

Business: Graded Unit 1 — 80 hrs

This Graded Unit is designed to provide evidence that candidates have met the following aims of the Advanced Certificate in Business:

• Provide the competencies required by employers of those engaged in entry level administrative, managerial or commercial positions in organizations.

• Develop and apply a range of vocational knowledge and skills in an integrated manner to the analysis of business situations.

• Build on previously acquired transferable skills.

• Adopt an innovative and creative approach to their work and be able to respond quickly to the challenges posed by changes in the business environment.