Qualification -Advanced Certificate In Applied Management (Small Business)

 ....but you need to know what you're doing, prepare properly and make choices that are viable. A course like this is longer than some others; but it will put things into perspective and can make a lot of difference to your chances of success." Clients... that have completed courses with ACS that we have spoken to, have all been extremely happy. Leanne & myself are more than happy with the assistance we received and the prompt attention."
- Dynamic Workforce Solutions

Course Duration:  900 hours

Accredited through International Accreditation and Recognition Council

Course Structure

• CORE STUDIES - four units of compulsory subjects for all students. ie. Office Practices, Management, Business Operations and Marketing Foundations.
• STREAM STUDIES -three units in the specialisation ie. Bookkeeping I, Entrepeneurship and Advertising & Promotions.
• INDUSTRY PROJECT  -"Work experience or a workplace project" of 200 hrs involving approved work experience in a small business. The project specifically aims to provide the student with the opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed through various areas of formal study.

CORE UNITS

1. Office Practices
Develops basic office skills covering use of equipment, communication systems (telephone, fax, etc) and office procedures such as filing, security, workplace organisations, etc.

 2. Business Operations
Develops knowledge of basic business operations and procedures (eg. types of businesses, financial management, business analysis, staffing, productivity, etc) and the skills to develop a 12 month business plan.

 3. Management
Develops knowledge of management structures, terminology, supervision, recruitment and workplace health and safety.

 4. Marketing Foundations
Develops a broad understanding of marketing and specific skills in writing advertisements, undertaking market research, developing an appropriate marketing plan and selling.

STREAM STUDIES: SMALL BUSINESS

1. Bookkeeping I

The course consists of thirteen lessons, as follows:

1. Introduction
2. Balance Sheet
3. Analysing and Designing  Accounting Systems
4. The Double Entry Recording Process
5. Cash Receipts and Cash Payments Journal
6. Credit Fees and Purchases Journal
7. The General Journal
8. Closing the Ledger
9. Profit and Loss Statement
10. Depreciation on Non-current Assets
11. Profit Determination and Balance Day Adjustments
12. Cash Control:  Bank Reconciliation and Petty Cash
13. Cash Control: Budgeting

2. Entrepeneurship

There are 10 lessons in this module as follows:

1. Scope & Nature of Entrepreneurship
2. Is Entrepreneurship Right for You?
3. Assessing opportunities
4. The Role of Market Research
5. Intellectual Property
6. Legal & Ethical Concerns
7. Operating a Business
8. The Business and Financial Plan
9. Marketing
10. Launching a Venture

3. Advertising and Promotions

The course contains ten lessons, outlined below:

1. Analysing the Market
2. Target Marketing
3. Display and Display Techniques
4. Advertising and Promotions Strategy
5. New Product Development
6. Sales Techniques – General
7. Writing Advertisement
8. Electronic Marketing -Telephone & Email
9. Direct Mailing
10. Exhibitions & Shows

INDUSTRY PROJECT

This is normally done after completing all of the other modules. It is intended as a "learning experience" that brings a perspective and element of reality to the Modules you have studied. The school is very flexible in terms of how you achieve this requirement, and can negotiate to approve virtually any situation which can be seen as "learning through involvement in real life situations that have a relevance to your studies"

Some of the options, for example might be:

Option 1. Work Experience

This involves working in a job that has relevance to what you have been studying. For some students this may be a job they already have. (In some instances, credit may be even granted for work prior to studies). In other instances, this may be either paid or voluntary work which is found and undertaken after completing the other modules. Proof must be provided, and normally this is done by submitting one or more references or statements from an employer. It may also be satisfied by a discussion between the employer and the school in person or on the phone. The must be an indication that you have skills and an awareness of your industry, which is sufficient for you to work in a position of responsibility.

Option 2. Project

This project may be based on applications in the work place and specifically aims to provide the student with the opportunity to apply and integrate skills and knowledge developed through various areas of formal study.

Students will design this project in consultation with a tutor to involve industry based activities in the area of specialized study which they select to follow in the course. The project outcomes may take the form of a written report, folio, visuals or a mixture of forms. Participants with relevant, current or past work experience will be given exemption from this project if they can provide suitable references from employers that show they have already fulfilled the requirements of this project.

Students will be assessed on how well they achieve the goals and outcomes they originally set as part of their negotiations with their tutor. During a project, students will present three short progress reports. These progress reports will be taken into account when evaluating the final submission. The tutor must be satisfied that the work submitted is original.

Other Options

Workplace learning hours may also be satisfied through attending or being involved with meetings conducted by industry bodies such as professional associations; or attending seminars which are attended by industry professionals. Any opportunity for observation and networking may be seen as a valid option.

FAQ'S (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q. Are these studies recognised?

A. ACS has an excellent international reputation.

• We have been established since 1979,
• Our tutors are highly qualified,
• We are recognised internationally by IARC,
• We have affiliations with a group of highly credible colleges from several countries,
• We maintain credentials or memberships with a range of professional bodies.

Q. Will this get me a job?

A. We rarely hear of students having difficulties with employment once a course has been successfully completed. Our courses are designed to make you employable! Having said this though; there is always more to getting a job than just study. Plenty of university graduates end up unemployed. We try to develop more than just knowledge in order to help you avoid such situations.

Q. How am I assessed

A. Assessment is holistic (We consider not only exam results, but also assignments, and all interaction you have throughout the course with your tutor). If you don't satisfy requirements, you are always given opportunities to resit exams or resubmit assignments.

Q. What support will I get?

A. Lots more than most colleges. Our priority is to support our students. We have academic staff on duty daily -both in the UK, and in Australia. This means that you can phone or email us and get in touch 16 out of 24 hrs, every working day. Our policy is that student phone calls and emails are given number 1 priority. It is rare that they are not answered on the same working day as when we receive them.

Our academics provide mentoring and careers or business advice whenever requested; at no additional cost to our students.

Q. How can I be sure I choose the right course?

A. We strongly recommend that you use our careers advisory service. Click here

Learning Facilities

ACS follows the old fashioned idea that “the student comes first”. Our staff are told to treat every student as an individual and respond promptly to their enquiries; and the facilities we have developed and continue to develop, are all focused on that goal. Facilities include:

• Offices in two time zones (UK and Australia) –which means an international team of academics are responding to students 5 days a week and 16 hours a day.
• An online student room with unique resources that are only available to students studying our courses, including online library.
• Bookshop offering quality downloadable e books
• A data base of 20 million words of unique information written by our staff over 3 decades that can be drawn upon if needed by academics for use in supporting our students.
• Systems that ensure assignments are tracked, marked and returned to students, fast -commonly within a round 1 week & rarely more than 2 weeks (note: many other colleges take longer).
• The school is active in social networking and encourages students to connect with us and each other.
• No automated handling of student phone enquiries. When you call you get a real person; or leave a message and a real person will call you back within a day, but more commonly within an hour or two.
• No additional charges for extra tutor support over the phone or email.
• Free careers advice for graduates –It is our policy to provide support and advice to our students even after they graduate. If a graduate needs help with getting a CV together, or advice on setting up a business or looking for work; they only need ask.
• The quality of academic staff is higher than many other colleges.

 How our Courses Differ

• Courses are continually improved –we invite feedback from all graduates and change courses immediately the need is detected.
• Courses are relevant to the whole world –we try hard to teach make the learning transferable to any region or country because the world is increasingly a global economy
• Courses written by our staff, teach different skills to standard courses; giving a unique mix of skills and knowledge to provide a career advantage. Do you want an accredited certificate and the same skills as 100 other job applicants; or one of our courses with skills that no other applicants have?
• Certificates and diplomas are longer. They teach you more, and our qualifications have built a reputation amongst academics and industry as being a very high standard for this reason.
• We are focused on helping you learn in a way that improves your capacity to understand your discipline, apply knowledge, and continue learning and developing your capabilities beyond your course.

These things cannot be always said of other colleges.

Career Opportunities

Study alone can never guarantee career success; but a good education is an important starting point.

Success in a career depends upon many things. A course like this is an excellent starting point because it provides a foundation for continued learning, and the means of understanding and dealing with issues you encounter in the workplace.

When you have completed an ACS course, you will have not only learnt about the subject, but you will have been prompted to start networking with experts in the discipline and shown how to approach problems that confront you in this field.

This and every other industry in today’s world is developing in unforeseen ways; and while that is unsettling for anyone who wants to be guaranteed a particular job at the end of a particular course; for others, this rapidly changing career environment is offering new and exciting opportunities almost every month.

If you want to do the best that you can in this industry, you need to recognise that the opportunities that confront you at the end of a course, are probably different to anything that has even been thought of when you commence a course.

BOOKS

Visit our School bookshop at www.acsebook.com

• Downloadable ebooks that can be read on ipads, PC’s, Laptops, or readers like a Kindle.
• Titles are written by our principal and staff.
• Anyone can purchase books –ACS students are offered a student discount