SYLLABUS CONTENT 1 The business and accounting environment (a) Environmental influences on the organisation (i) political, economic, social and technological (ii) external regulations affecting accounting and business practice (iii) external relationships (stakeholder interests) (b) The organisation (i) the structure of business functions (ii) sources of management information (iii) the nature of policies, systems and procedures (iv) types of business transactions (v) methods of planning and control - business planning and control - information management and control - human resources planning and control (c) The accounting function (i) purpose (ii) structure (iii) position within the organisation (iv) types of accounting system - manual - computerised 2 Effective management of business and accounting systems (a) Monitoring business and accounting systems (i) the role of internal auditors (ii) the role of external auditors (iii) the role of management (b) Recognising potential weaknesses in the accounting system (i) weaknesses of controls (ii) potential areas for error and fraud (c) Fraud (i) common types of fraud (ii) the implications of fraud (iii) detecting fraud in the accounting system (iv) preventing fraud (d) Internal controls (i) the importance of internal controls (ii) the control mechanisms in the accounting system (e) Management information and reporting systems (i) features of a management information system (ii) information flows within an accounting system (iii) processing and storage of data and transactions 3 Management theory, principles and techniques (a) Managing people for effective working relationships (i) principles of leadership, management supervision and delegation, including consideration of: - communication - resolving problems and queries (ii) principles of authority - differing styles of management - taking corrective action (b) Individual and group behaviour (i) organisational culture (ii) contribution of individuals and groups toorganisational success (c) Team management (i) team formation (ii) team development (iii) team evaluation and rewards (d) Motivation (i) key theories of motivation (ii) the function of sanctions and rewards in motivation 4 Individual effectiveness at work (a) Planning and organising personal work (i) understanding roles and responsibilities - effective work methods and practices in the organisation - reporting procedures (ii) work planning and planning aids (diaries, schedules, action plans) (iii) prioritising and time management, including unforeseen situations (b) Constructive relationships (i) methods of communication (ii) influencing, negotiating and coordinating (iii) procedures for dealing with disagreement and conflict arising from: - personality - working style - status - work demands (c) Improving individual performance (i) personal performance and appraisal - setting objectives - assessing progress (ii) identifying areas for individual learning 5 Health, safety and security in the working environment (a) The importance of health and safety (i) health and safety in the working environment - legislation - regulations - record keeping - keeping up-to-date with requirements (ii) common hazards and how to deal with them (iii) using equipment and behaving safely at work (iv) emergency procedures - illness - accidents - fires - security breaches (v) recommending improvements to health and safety (b) Recognising security risks (i) physical breaches of security - unauthorised physical intrusion - security of hardware and equipment - security of systems data and software (ii) methods of reducing or avoiding security risks.
