The Chartered Institute of Payroll Professionals

BA (Hons) in Applied Business and Management Content (CIPP)

The BA (Hons) in Applied Business and Management (CIPP) qualification covers the following modules and indicative areas of study:

FINANCE FOR PROFESSIONALS:

Understand the nature of accounting – financial accounts, accounting statements, adjustments, cash flow etc.

• Understand the nature of company finance
• Evaluate accounting information and service
• The facilitation of operational and financial control
• Analysis and interpretation of financial reports
• Management accounting

MANAGING CHANGE:

• The process and classification of change
• Organisational learning
• Leadership and management of change
• The nature of business organisations
• The nature of governance and change
• Power and politics in change
• Organisational culture and change
• Teams and organisational change
• Structure and change
• Change interventions
• Management theory and strategy

GLOBAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT:

• Rationale for international business
• Global marketplace
• A conceptual framework to explain international business and foreign direct investment
• The organisation and the corporate social responsibility (CSR) context (theories of the firm and the ethical context) and the international context
• Diversity in the global business environment
• Customers and markets within a global context
• International monetary system, currency management and foreign exchange markets
• International business and national trade policies
• Foreign market entry mode strategies and subsidiary types
• International strategic alliances

PROJECT MANAGEMENT:

• Assess the various definitions and characteristics of a project
• Explore why organisations in different sectors need to engage in projects and consider different types of project
• Evaluate the implications of the ‘project management triangle’ of Scope, Time and Cost
• Demonstrate an understanding of external business environmental factors and how they may affect a project (PESTLE)
• Appreciate the various stages of project management and understand the various stakeholders involved
• Examine critical success factors and ways in which projects may fail
• Evaluate current IT availability and its application to project management

WORK-BASED INVESTIGATION (INDEPENDENT STUDY):

• The foundations of management research and, hence, the different foundations for the development of knowledge
• Methodology and research strategy in terms of research approach (inductive vs. deductive); types of data (qualitative vs. quantitative), access to data (e.g. sampling strategies), and quality of data (e.g. validity or situational)
• Research methods – the tools and techniques used to identify data sources; capture data; record data; and analyse data

Through process of negotiation, students will identify a relevant area for investigation within their workplace related to their field of academic study. Student will be expected to present the rationale, outline of methodological approach to the investigation and aims and objectives for the investigation along with an outline of any associated ethical issues.

Students will be required to attend a number of tutorial days at the University of Derby and will be allocated a tutor who will offer assistance, guidance and feedback whenever needed throughout the duration of each module.

This course will encourage strategic thinking. Not all modules concentrate fully on specifics of payroll or pension operations, as the purpose is to challenge students. The scope of the course explores the wider context. An example of the applied wider context is the Managing Change module.

This module examines dimensions of managing change within an environment that is increasingly characterised by transition and unpredictability. The nature of change is primarily governed by an organisations response to the external environment. However, it is also affected at an individual level; their response to change, their levels of resistance to change and the climate of power and politics within the organisation. Other organisational factors such as culture, structure and leadership impact upon the organisation’s ability to respond to environmental stimuli.

The applied aspect means that skills acquired as a result of interaction with this qualification are designed to transfer across industry sectors and therefore provides a portfolio of varied skills. As an example this is that the qualification would also be applicable for those involved within the pensions industry. Students would apply their learning experience to the relevant industry.