BCS Foundation Certificate In Organisational Behaviour - United Kingdom

BCS Foundation Certificate in Organisational Behaviour Course Outline

Module 1: Organisational Principles

• Explain Delivering Value
1. Competitive Advantage – Porter’s Five Forces
2. Value Proposition
3. Value Stream Analysis (Not LEAN)
• Explain Organisation Structuring
1. Elements of Organisation Structure
2. The Six Structure Levels
3. The Leavitt Diamond
• Explain Budgets and Departmentalised Businesses
1. The Purpose of Budgets
2. Reasons for Departmentalisation
3. Cost Centres and Profit Centres
• Describe Types of Jobs
1. Work Specialisation
2. Flat and Tall Hierarchies
3. Span of Control
• Describe Line Management, Staff and Functional Relationships
• Explain Formalisation of Rules and Procedures
• Explain Centralisation Vs Decentralisation
1. Advantages
2. Disadvantages

Module 2. Operating Models

• Explain Organisation Structures and Their Characteristics
1. Functional
2. Divisional – Product or Service/ Geography/ Customer
3. Matrix
4. Team-Based – Cross Functional/ Project
• Recognise Organisational Boundaries
1. Boundaryless Organisations
2. Outsourcing
3. Offshoring
4. Hollow Organisation Structures
5. Modular Organisation Structures
6. Virtual Organisations
7. Collaborations and Strategic Alliances
8. Agile Organisations

Module 3: Organisational Motivation, Behaviour and Culture

• Explain Organisational Motivation (Object Management Group (OMG) Business Motivation Model)
• Describe The Organisational Behaviour Field Map.
• Explain Organisational Effectiveness and The Balanced Scorecard.
• Describe Understanding and Analysing Culture
1. Organisational Cultural Types
1. Deal and Kennedy Model of Corporate Culture
2. Handy’s Model of Organisational Culture
2. Strong, Weak and Appropriate Cultures
1. Groysberg’s Internal and External Company Factors
3. National Cultures
1. Brooks Factors Affecting National Culture
2. Hofstede Five Dimensions of National Culture
4. The Cultural Web

Module 4: Group Formation

• Explain Groups and Group Dynamics
• Describe Formal and Informal Groups
1. Groups and Group Tasks
2. Characteristics of Formal Groups
3. Homan’s Theory of Group Formation
4. Tuckman and Jensen’s Theory of Group Development
5. Characteristics of Informal Groups
6. Social Networks of Informal Groups

Module 5. Principles of Financial Reporting

• Describe Statement of Financial Position (Balance Sheet)
1. Purpose and Structure
2. The Nature, Purpose and Types of Capital
3. Current and Non-Current Liabilities
4. Current and Non-Current Assets
• Explain Income and Expenditure (Income Statement, Profit and Loss Account)
1. The Importance of Operating Profit
2. Revenue (Turnover)
3. Cost of Sales
4. Administrative Expenses
5. Profit After Tax
• Describe Cash Flow
1. Cash Flow Forecasting
2. Use of Cash Flow in Decision Making
3. Cash Flow and Profit
• Explain Costing and Pricing
1. Fixed and Variable Costs
2. Direct and Indirect Costs
3. Break Even and Contribution Analysis

Module 6. Project Finance

• Describe The Rationale for a Payback Calculation and the Techniques Used for Evaluating a Financial Case
• Costs and Benefits
1. Tangible and Intangible
2. Benefits Classification
1. Financial
2. Quantifiable
3. Measurable
4. Observable
3. Payback
1. Rationale for a Payback Calculation
2. Payback and Risk
3. Limitations of Payback
4. Discounted Cash Flow /Net Present Value
1. Rationale for A Discounted Cash Flow/Net Present Value Calculation
2. The NPV Decision Rule
5. Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
1. Rationale for IRR
2. How IRR Is Used
3. The IRR Decision Rule

The certificate will also enable candidates to learn the main principles of finance at business as well as project level. They will also gain an understanding of business finance and organisational behaviour, including:

• Three techniques to evaluate a financial case.
• An appreciation of costing and pricing, forecasting, and budgeting.
• An understanding of organisational models and structures.
• How to interpret financial accounts and explain specific business performance ratios.
• How to analyse the business domain and portfolio value.
• Organisational Principles including delivering value, structure, budgets, jobs, management, and rules.
• Organisational motivation, behaviour, and culture.
• Group formation, dynamics, and networks.
• Project finance including costs and benefits, payback, discounted cash flow and internal rate of return.