The Institute of Administrative Management

Level 5 Diploma in Business and Administrative Management

Candidate guidance
Group 1: Strategic administration of operations,
information and finance


Assignment A






IMPORTANT NOTE:
When answering the assignment candidates must:
answer only one assignment per unit
show knowledge and understanding of the subject area
use analysis and evaluation in their answers
apply concepts and working practice through the use of relevant contemporary organisational
examples.

Group 1: Strategic administration of operations,
information and finance
Assignment A
Task


2012 IAM IAM Level 5 Diploma in Business and Administrative Management Assignment: A Version 1

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Group 1: Strategic administration of operations,
information and finance
Assignment A
Task


2012 IAM IAM Level 5 Diploma in Business and Administrative Management Assignment: A Version 2
3
Instructions for completing your assignment
Your assignment must be based on your own working practice or on examples drawn from one
or several organisations with which you are familiar.

You must show knowledge and understanding of the syllabus for this unit, including the
mandatory and recommended reading as well as the IAM study materials.

Your assignment must address the learning outcomes, and include analysis and evaluation of
the issues and topics you discuss.

Task

Castle Nursing Home PLC is a chain of residences for old age pensioners in the North of
England and has become one of the largest nursing home companies in the United Kingdom
(UK).

Castle Nursing Home has grown and re-organised significantly in the last five years that it has
become extremely difficult to establish and maintain a uniform approach to operations
across the organisation. The company has over two hundred nursing homes in total and has
to streamline in order to maintain their quality service and reputation which has taken a bit
of battering in the press recently, stating that the organisation has become disjointed,
mismanaged and lost focus around their level of care provided to their residents.

Without a clear focus for the future and a significant strategic direction, Castle Nursing Home
will undo all of their recent hard work and dedication of their staff and management who
have worked tirelessly to get the company to where it is today. Shareholders, directors,
managers and employees are aware of the great success the organisation has had in recent
years but they are equally aware that it could be a case of too much, too quickly.

You are the Operations Executive for Castle Nursing Home and the Director of the company
recently sent you an e-mail outlining possible functional strategic plans for the next five
years. As a senior member of the management team you have been asked to compile a
report to outline your view of the position of the business, to help move the company
forward in an efficient and effective way so as to re-establish and maintain the reputation of
the company for residents, staff and shareholders alike.

(Continued on next page)


Group 1: Strategic administration of operations,
information and finance
Assignment A
Task


2012 IAM IAM Level 5 Diploma in Business and Administrative Management Assignment: A Version 1

4
Task (continued)
Your report should include:
Performance:
The role of operations within the company
The importance of the business meeting relevant performance targets
The importance of the business using performance evaluation
The impact of a range of quality improvement techniques to increase competitive
advantage.
Information:
The role of information in strategic decision-making
What type of information systems can be used by management and what support
they offer
The reason for quantitative techniques in decision-making
The use of systems approach to solve problems and make decisions
Finance:
Reasons for and against cash-flow forecasting
The importance of marginal costing and break-even analysis as part of the decision-
making process
The possible implications of capital investment decisions
The use of relevant investment appraisal techniques
Analyse the following financial information supplied by the director for 2010 and
2011 and discuss the trend/findings:


Balance sheet figures
Trading profit and loss figures 2010 2011
2010 2011 Fixed assets 190,000 120,000
Sales 600,000 570,000 Current assets 300,000 173,500
Cost of sales 440,000 450,000 Stock 140,000 75,000
Gross profit 160,000 120,000 Current liabilities 131,000 151,000
Expenses 105,000 88,000 Working capital 169,000 22,500
Net profit 55,000 32,000 Net current assets 359,000 142,500


Note: this case study is fictitious.

Word count: 2500-3000
Candidate cover sheet


2012 IAM IAM Level 5 Diploma in Business and Administrative Management Assignment: A Version 1

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Coursework submissions are marked anonymously, so please do not state your name anywhere on
the coursework.

Candidate name
Candidate number
Membership number/learner code
Centre name (leave blank if
independent candidate)


Coursework title
(identify task A or B if appropriate)

Word count (excluding bibliography)
Submission date

One copy of your coursework must be submitted electronically to your IAM co-ordinator, together
with a completed electronic copy of this document. In addition, you must submit one hardcopy
version of this coversheet to your IAM co-ordinator.

For word count requirements, please refer to the syllabus for your qualification. Any coursework
submissions which do not conform to the appropriate word limits for the assessment level are
liable to lose marks.

Authentic work declaration
I declare that the attached is my own, authentic work. I am aware of, and accept, all applicable IAM
regulations governing student malpractice, and have referenced my work in accordance with the
IAM Referencing Guidelines.
Plagiarism declaration
I have read and understood the IAM guideline on plagiarism, as set out in the IAM handbook. In
particular I understand that plagiarism, if detected, will lead to a zero mark and possible suspension
from IAM registration.

Candidate signature
(hardcopy cover sheet only)
Date