The College is now offering the new Diploma in Management Studies devised by BTEC/EDEXCEL, the largest vocational awarding body in UK. This is a recognised postgraduate business qualification in Britain and is a professional qualification in its own right. It is accepted as a route to an MBA. In some cases exemption from the first year of an MBA.

Subjects to be studies are: 

     1. Managing Operations
     2. Managing Finance
     3. Managing Human Resources
     4. Marketing Management.
     5. Project Management.

Students will also be required to complete a substantial Management Report.

Entry qualifications

The Marketing and Advertising course taken at The College of Central London.
A degree, HND/HNC or equivalent professional qualification.
Exceptionally, mature students with good relevant experience may be granted concessional entry.

Course Duration

See full list of fees & start dates

Syllabus

Unit 1: Managing Operations

Description of unit

This unit enables students to gain knowledge of the strategic planning and control of the operations of the organisation. Students will develop understanding of the design of systems and processes and how they can be monitored and improved. They will learn how change can be implemented within the organisation.

Summary of outcomes

To achieve this unit a student must:
1.Explain the strategic objectives of operations management within the organisation.
2.Manage the design of systems and operations in the organisation.
3.Plan and control the operations of the organisation.
4. Improve performance within the organisation.

Content

Strategic objectives: the importance of effective operations management, role of operations; operations Strategy, strategic objectives; quality, timing, reliability, flexibility, cost; strategic decisions.

Design: process, objectives, systems and operations; layout and flow of processes, the impact of technology on operations and systems; job design, the organisation of work.

Plan and control: the need for planning and control of operations (short-, medium – and long-term planning); planning capacity and materials requirements; control of processes and inventory, Just-in-Time, the importance of quality, customer requirements).

Improve performance: measuring performance; detecting problems, analysis of problems; finding solutions, implementing solutions; improving operations; investigating and controlling quality, monitoring compliance with quality procedures and standards, Total Quality Management (TQM), the management of change within the organisation.

Unit 2: Managing Finance

Description of unit

This unit provides students with a thorough understanding of the use of financial techniques for strategic planning, decision-making and control. Students will learn how to obtain appropriate funding, make investment decisions, and control the income and expenditure of the organisation.

Summary of outcomes

To achieve this unit a student must:

1. Establish and manage an organisational budgeting process.
2. make product mix and pricing decisions
3. make strategic investment decisions based on financial information available
4. obtain funds for an organisation

Content

Budgeting process: setting budgets and targets, negotiating budgets, limiting factors, monitoring systems, master budgets, cash flow forecasts.

Product mix and pricing decisions: economist’s pricing model, optimal price setting, cost-based pricing, relevant cost, contribution margin pricing, ‘what-if’/sensitivity analysis, product mix, profit-volume ratio.

Investment decisions: financial statement analysis, accounting ratios; decision making in conditions of risk and uncertainty; probabilities and expected values, decision trees, cost-volume-profit analysis; maximin, maximax and regret criteria; portfolio analysis; cost benefit analysis, use of net present value and internal rate of return for capital investment decisions; effects of inflation and taxation; capital rationing.

Funds: sources of funds, supporting proposals for obtaining funds internally and externally; gearing ratios, effects of different types of funding on shareholder and market perception; selecting appropriate sources of funds for different projects, comparing the cost of different sources of funds, effects on financial statements of different sources of funds, effects on financial statements of different sources of funds.

Unit 3: Managing Human Resources

Description of unit

This unit develops the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to manage the human resources of the organisation at a tactical level. Students will learn about the development of internal culture, structure and Human resources systems.

Summary of outcomes

To achieve this unit a student must:

1. identify ways in which human resource management can contribute to organisational effectiveness
2. analyse current and future demands for human resources
3. evaluate ways in which the performance of individuals within the organisation is managed
4. evaluate ways in which change is managed within the organisation

Content

Human resource management: function and role; policies, strategies and systems; contribution to organisation

Human Resources: planning models and techniques; selection processes and techniques; assessment centres; behavioural competencies, job competencies; organisational and legal constraints; re-deployment and outplacement; redundancy processes and procedures

Structure, culture and human resource systems: organisational strategies, objectives and policy; management styles; organisational structure and design; flexible working models; culture and values; communication strategies/methods; participation and consultation processes; learning organisations; Investors in People

Performance: motivation and job satisfaction; performance management systems and methods; strategies for dealing with poor performance; development processes and procedures; reward strategies; organisational control systems; employee involvement and empowerment.

Change: driving and resisting forces to change; organisational development; change management models, methods and techniques; culture change models, methods and techniques.

Unit 4: Marketing Management

Description of unit

This unit encourages students to develop analytical marketing skills whilst providing them with the knowledge and ability to influence and implement a marketing strategy, to fulfil organisational aims and objectives. The unit introduces the idea of the marketing concepts and the need for a corporate approach to marketing. It then focuses on the essence of strategic planning and finally evaluation of the marketing plan in terms of achieving corporate aims.

Summary of outcomes

To achieve this unit a student must:

1. contextualise marketing principles and concepts to organisational aims and mission.
2. analyse a market to determine marketing strategy to achieve organisational aims
3. plan a marketing strategy using marketing tools and techniques
4. evaluate the likely success of a marketing strategy

Content

Marketing principals and concepts: products and services; market orientation, meeting customer needs, customer satisfaction; customer orientation, co-ordination of activities, profit orientation, marketing as an organisational activity, market share, quality, customer service (internal, external); strategic marketing planning.

Analyse: external and internal analysis; PESTLE (political, economical, social, technological, legal, ecological), SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats); International/European influences, environmental considerations; Total Quality Management (TQM); Gap analysis; forecasting techniques, market research.

Marketing tools and techniques: market segmentation; marketing mix; pricing; distribution channels; promotion

Evaluate: product, market share, acceptance, and customers (internal, external), external environment, fit to strategy and policy, feasibility, resources, return on investment; organisational implications; customer implications; service levels, publicity, operational implications

Unit 5: Project Management

Description of unit

This unit allows students to recognise the need for project management as a discrete process for managing and implementing new organisational objectives within a given time limit, as opposed to the day to day management of processes and functions. The unit examines project characteristics and the need for a corporate commitment to the project. It then focuses on the essence of project management planning, and the successful completion of each of the stages that will ensure the overall success and viability of the project as an entity. Finally it looks at evaluation of the project in terms of its fit to corporate policy and feasibility of resources and investments.

Summary of outcomes

To achieve this unit a student must:

1. Define the role and characteristics of project management to meet new organisational needs.
2. Plan a project to ensure it meets its objectives.
3. Plan for the management of resources and project control in the post-approval phase of a project finalise a project and evaluate its success.

Content

Characteristics: special activities, one-offs, mixing of skills and knowledge, implementing of change; types of new project; new organisational needs (market share, quality, new business); project stakeholders and key roles; project phases (identification, proposal, acceptance, planning, implementation, control and monitoring, completion, hand-over, evaluation); project initiation and selection; project viability.

Plan a Project: scope of project, terms of reference, duration; internal and external requirements; estimation methods; financial assessment techniques, organisational implications, customer implications.

Project control: physical resources, human resources, information, time, finance, measurement and control techniques; Gantt, CPM, PERT, line of balance, computer. Software tools; operational implications; forecasts, capacity, quality, stocks, service,

Personnel; managerial control; training needs.

Finalise a project: commissioning, validation, sign-off, final payment, retention, guarantee, title, acceptance, keys, hand-over, assessment criteria, evaluation criteria for success of project (imputs, outputs, scope, specifications, responsibilities).

Unit 6: Management Report

Description of unit

This unit provides an opportunity to integrate learning from all units within the DMS programme. It also provides an opportunity to show the application of knowledge and understanding to a real problem, thereby facilitating the inter-relationship between theory and practice. Students are expected to a present a substantial management report equivalent to a written project of 10,000 words.

Summary of outcomes

To achieve this unit a student must:

1. Define the issue or problem being investigated
2. Construct and monitor a project plan to cover all stages of the report
3. Collect and collate all relevant information
4. Analyse evidence gathered to generate solutions
5. Present conclusions and recommendations in an appropriate format

Content

Define the issue or problem: choice and feasibility of topic; scope and constraints; problem identification; writing terms of reference

Project plan: planning techniques; activity scheduling; critical path analysis

Collect and collate: questionnaire design; interviewing techniques; observation; sampling models; checking reliability and validity; use of databases and CD-ROMs; library and book searches; note making; organising data; data recording and referencing

Analyse evidence: data analysis techniques, creative and lateral thinking; problem-solving techniques, cost benefit analysis.

Present conclusions and recommendations: drawing conclusions; evaluating information; decision making process and techniques; making recommendations; drawing up costed and prioritised implementation plans, clear and concise presentation of information, visual presentation of complicated data, logical structure, report format.