Level 4 Higher National Diploma in Business and Management

Unit Overview

Unit 1: The Business Environment

Aims: Develop understanding of the business environment, internal and external circumstances, organisational responsibilities, and structures.
Key Topics: Types of organisations, purposes and responsibilities, organisational structures, impact of the market environment, and the national environment.
Assessment: Learners must use real-life examples to illustrate points, focusing on specific organisations.

Unit 2: People in Organisations

Aims: Develop knowledge of organisational aspects concerning people, including communication, teamwork, and remote working.
Key Topics: Communication within organisations, effective teamwork, issues with remote working, and monitoring and supporting people in the workplace.
Assessment: Real-life examples and organisational information are required to meet standards.

Unit 3: Financial and Management Accounting Techniques for Managers

Aims: Understand financial and management accounting techniques used by managers.
Key Topics: Financial and management accounting systems, assessing business performance, and applying management accounting techniques for decision-making.
Assessment: Use of real-life examples and organisational data for ratio analysis and other techniques.

Unit 4: Communication Skills for Business

Aims: Develop knowledge of communication practices within organisations and improve communication skills.
Key Topics: Internal communication, communication with customers, factors impacting communication effectiveness, presenting oral information, and written communication.
Assessment: Practical demonstration of communication skills in real-world contexts.

Unit 5: Resource Management

Aims: Provide an overview of human and physical resources needed in organisations and the impact of efficiency.
Key Topics: Resource requirements, effective use of physical resources, human resource planning, and reviewing resource use.
Assessment: Use of real-life examples to illustrate resource management practices.

Unit 6: The Marketing Mix

Aims: Understand the seven elements of the marketing mix and their interrelationships.
Key Topics: Product, price, place, promotion, process, people, physical evidence, and digital marketing elements.
Assessment: Analysis of real-world marketing strategies and their effectiveness.

Unit 7: Corporate Social Responsibility

Aims: Understand CSR issues and impacts, and make recommendations for responsible business practices.
Key Topics: Regulatory framework, environmental and social issues, impact on stakeholders, and CSR policy recommendations.
Assessment: Use of real-life organisational examples to illustrate CSR practices.

Unit 8: Managing a Work-based Team Project

Aims: Develop project management skills through planning, implementing, and reviewing a work-based team project.
Key Topics: Project proposal, planning, implementation, and evaluation.
Assessment: Practical project management tasks with real-world applications.

Unit 9: Entrepreneurship

Aims: Understand entrepreneurship, skills and qualities of successful entrepreneurs, and prepare for a new business venture.
Key Topics: Entrepreneurial lifecycle, types of entrepreneurs, skills and qualities, and business start-up planning.
Assessment: Development of a business plan and analysis of entrepreneurial practices.

Unit 10: Customer Relationship Management

Aims: Develop knowledge of CRM, its importance, and how to achieve effective CRM.
Key Topics: Key features of CRM, processes for effective CRM, role of staff and stakeholders, and loyalty schemes.
Assessment: Research and practical application of CRM strategies in real-world contexts.

Unit 11: Administrative Services

Aims: Understand the range of administrative services and develop skills for effective administration.
Key Topics: Administrative services, creating and using organisational systems, supporting meetings and events, and effective communication.
Assessment: Practical demonstration of administrative skills and use of organisational systems.

Unit 12: Managing Information and Knowledge

Aims: Understand the importance of information and knowledge management in organisations.
Key Topics: Sources of information and knowledge, sharing and using information, ensuring reliability and validity, and managing information policies.
Assessment: Use of real-world examples to illustrate information and knowledge management practices.

Unit 13: Managing Operations

Aims: Understand the role and importance of operations management in organisations.
Key Topics: Operations management approaches, relationship between operations and performance, and decision-making techniques.
Assessment: Analysis of real-world operations management practices.

Unit 14: Managing Quality

Aims: Understand quality management concepts and their application in organisations.
Key Topics: Theories of quality management, quality control and assurance systems, and impact of organisational culture on quality.
Assessment: Use of real-world examples to illustrate quality management practices.

Unit 15: Digital Communications

Aims: Develop knowledge of digital communications technology and its impact on organisations and society.
Key Topics: Digital communication technologies, impact on workplace and society, accessibility, security, and blogging and social networking platforms.
Assessment: Research and practical application of digital communication strategies.

Unit 16: Cultural Perspectives

Aims: Understand cultural concepts and their impact on individuals and organisations.
Key Topics: Culture and cultural theories, ethics and values, cultural frameworks, and reviewing own cultural assumptions.
Assessment: Analysis of cultural practices and their impact on business environments.

Unit 17: Applied Statistics

Aims: Introduce applied statistics and its use in business and management.
Key Topics: Data collection, presentation, interpretation, descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, and designing investigations.

• Assessment: Practical application of statistical techniques in real-world contexts.

Level 4 HND in Business and Management