Business Management

The ABMA Education qualification in Business Management is aimed at students who wish to study a vocational pathway where academic knowledge and understanding are applied to a variety of business situations. 

This approach will enable learners to pursue a career in a related discipline where knowledge, skills and understanding provide the intellectual foundations to be successful in business.

In addition, each level of the Business Management qualification provides the basis for progression onto higher levels of learning. This could be based on an ambition to focus on subject specific disciplines or to progress onto master?s level study.

The vocational and applied nature of the qualification means that different types of learners would benefit from attending a programme of study and achieving the qualification.

Learners who have recently completed compulsory education and have chosen to follow a career in business management or a related vocation will be able to acquire the fundamental skills and knowledge to successfully enter the workplace.

Whereas, those already in employment will be able to build on existing workplace competencies which will provide an opportunity to make an immediate and positive impact on an organisation and how it conducts its business.

In addition, obtaining this qualification would be beneficial for those who are re-entering employment after a period of absence and for those who are seeking a career change.

Objectives of Business Management

The ABMA qualification in Business Management has been developed following consultation with a range of stakeholders, these include employers, learning providers, industry experts and nationally recognised qualification and subject experts.

As such, learners can be assured that the qualification is contemporary and robust and therefore have confidence in its strong position within the regulated environment in which it is located.

The ABMA Business Management qualification has 10 objectives, which are:

1. Equip learners with the necessary skills and competencies to enable them to gain meaningful employment.
2. Encourage a critical approach to knowledge acquisition where learners have the confidence to challenge established theories and concepts when these are applied in different contexts.
3. Develop, in learners, the confidence to challenge and improve workplace activity where the outcome is both positive and beneficial to an organisation.
4. Develop an awareness of the global influences on business where organisational cultures and a diverse workforce are constantly evolving.
5. Promote the benefits to an organisation of entrepreneurial activity, enterprise and creativity.
6. Allow for flexibility in teaching, learning and assessment so that local and/or specialist requirements are met.
7. Meet the aspirations of learners who may wish to develop further knowledge, whether that is specialised or at higher levels.
8. Provide a balance between developing the knowledge, skills and understanding for learners to succeed academically and those required when entering employment.
9. Promote an interactive teaching and learning environment which is challenging yet rewarding.
10. Present to learners, assessments which are transparent and achievable whilst at the same time offering an appropriate level of challenge.

What you will study

The ABMA qualification in Business Management is separated into three levels: level 4, level 5 and level 6.

Each level meets the requirements and expectations of appropriate regulatory frameworks where there is a combination of mandatory and optional units.

The mandatory units provide the fundamental knowledge and understanding which anyone working in a business management role should possess.

The optional units provide learners with an opportunity to fine-tune their study so they can pursue related subjects which will support progression into a specific area of employment or further study.

Each unit, irrespective of the level, requires 150 hours Total Unit Time (TUT). TUT consists of direct contact with learners such as classroom based activities, directed and independent study such as research and reading, time to prepare for assessments and time taken to complete assessments.

At level 4 there are three mandatory units and four optional units. Learners can select any two optional units. At levels 5 and 6 there are two mandatory units and five optional units.

Learners can select any three optional units at levels 5 and 6. Learners should, however, consider the relationship between each optional unit within each level.

Learners should also ensure that if they opt for units at levels 5 and 6 that sufficient knowledge and understanding has been acquired at levels 4 and 5. This is necessary to help ensure a learner has the best possible chance of succeeding.

In instances where appropriate underpinning knowledge and understanding are not present, then centres are advised to offer additional teaching or direct learners to appropriate reference material before starting a programme of study. This is of particular importance should learners opt for a level 6 unit where sufficient and prior knowledge and understanding of that subject is not present. The following provides a summary of each level of study and an outline of each unit at each level.

Level 4

This level of the qualification provides a broad introduction to business management as a subject. 

The mandatory units provide the basis on which to develop fundamental research and study skills whilst also introducing learners to the fundamentals of how organisations are designed, structured and managed. The optional units provide, for the first time in the qualification, an opportunity for learners to select specialist subjects. The following units form level 4 of the qualification.

Mandatory Units

• Unit 1 - Preparing for Study and Employment
• Unit 2 - The Dynamics of Organisational Design
• Unit 3 - Leading and Managing in the 21st Century

Optional Units

• Unit 4 - Interaction and Co-operation for Organisational Success
• Unit 5 - Contemporary Finance and Accounting and Management
• Unit 6 - 21st Century Economics
• Unit 7 - Using Information to Support Business Operations

On successful completion of level 4 learners can progress to level 5 or exit the qualification with a level 4 qualification in Business Management.

Level 5

Whilst the two mandatory units focus on subjects which apply to all organisations: operations and strategy, the optional units provide opportunities for learners to begin developing the knowledge and understanding required to become competent in subjects which are of specific interest to them.

These units will use the knowledge gained from study at level 4 (or equivalent workplace learning) as the basis to explore more complex and more focused disciplines. In addition, any combination of optional units, when combined with the mandatory units, will help to ensure learners succeed when progressing to level 6 or, if they chose, to enter the workplace.

The following units form level 5 of the qualification.

Mandatory Units

• Unit 1 - Strategic Planning in Contemporary Business Environments
• Unit 2 - Improving the Supply Chain through Effective Operations Management

Optional Units

• Unit 3 - Leading Change in Dynamic Environments
• Unit 4 - Contemporary Issues in HRM
• Unit 5 - Enterprise and Entrepreneurship
• Unit 6 - Contemporary Marketing
• Unit 7 - Legal Rights and Responsibilities in Business Law

On successful completion of level 5, learners can progress to level 6 or exit the qualification with a level 5 qualification in Business Management.

Level 6

At level 6 learners are expected to think and respond to teaching more critically and with a greater emphasis on the strategic aspect of business management. As such, both of the mandatory units have a strategic bias; as do three of the optional units. The knowledge and understanding gained through the mandatory units should enable learners to support organisations to gain competitive advantage whilst considering the global environmental influences. The optional units, when linked to similar units at levels 4 and 5 (or their equivalent), will provide a stepping stone to the bespoke pathway which learners may have selected.

The following units form level 6 of the qualification.

Mandatory Units

• Unit 1 - Globalisation: An Opportunity for Strategic Growth
• Unit 2 - Strategy and Planning for Competitive Advantage

Optional Units

• Unit 3 - Strategic Financial Management
• Unit 4 - Strategic Economics for the 21st Century
  
• Unit 5 - Project Management for Organisational Success
• Unit 6 - Supporting Strategy through Effective Decision Making
• Unit 7 - Marketing in a Global Context

On successful completion of level 6, learners will be awarded a level 6 qualification in Business Management.