Business Awareness
How organisations are structured and governed, the external forces that move them, professional ethics in practice, and the technology and communication skills a finance team runs on.
Subsections
Read the lessons, then take the check. The check pulls in anything you struggled with earlier in the unit.
Business types and the environment they trade in
Legal structures and liability, governance, the external forces that shape decisions, and the stakeholders who care about the outcome.
- Legal structures and governance9 min
- The external environment and competition9 min
- Stakeholders and sustainable business8 min
Professional ethics in practice
The five fundamental principles, the threats that put them at risk, safeguards that work, and what to do about money laundering.
- The five fundamental principles9 min
- Threats and safeguards8 min
- Money laundering, bribery and reporting8 min
Technology, data and communication
How automation and cloud systems change finance work, the risks that come with them, and how to communicate numbers so people act on them.
- Technology in the finance function8 min
- Data security and data protection8 min
- Communicating effectively8 min
Mixed unit review
Fifteen questions drawn from the whole unit, weighted towards the topics you have got wrong before. Nothing is flagged for revision right now.
A difficult week at Kelsey Brooke Ltd
You are the assistant accountant at Kelsey Brooke Ltd. In one week you face a supplier bank change request, a director's hospitality offer, a data incident, a request from a colleague about payroll, and a board paper to write. Each decision is judged on professional standards, not on how convenient it is.
How this unit is assessed
Computer based assessment, six tasks including extended writing, 100 marks, computer & human marked.
| Task | Focus | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Business types and governance | Structures, liability, governance responsibilities | 16 |
| 2. External environment | Political, economic, social, technological, legal, environmental factors | 16 |
| 3. Professional ethics | Fundamental principles, threats, safeguards, reporting | 20 |
| 4. Technology and data | Automation, cloud, cyber risk, data protection | 16 |
| 5. Communication | Emails, reports and visual presentation of data | 16 |
| 6. Extended written task | Structured response to a business scenario | 16 |