Summary of Major Topics: The Programme comprises of four compulsory/mandatory courses as follows:-

• Administrative, Personal Assistant & Secretarial Duties
• Office Management & Administration 
• Business English & Letter Writing
• Advanced Management & Administration Theory & Practice

Summarised details of each course comprising the Honours Diploma:

ADMINISTRATIVE, PERSONAL ASSISTANT & SECRETARIAL DUTIES

• The roles of the officer administrator and executive personal assistant or secretary.
• The personal attributes and skills need for success; work relationships in the office and with executives, adapting to change.
• Managing and overseeing the office environment: factors relating to its layout and design; environmental and health factors, furniture and furnishings, considerations concerning equipment and machinery.
• The world of commerce; public and private, public, industrial and commercial enterprises.
• Features and concerns of effective business letters and their preparation; desktop publishing.
• Communications including memos, emails, forms, reports  and other business documents.
• Types of filing systems, their benefits and features, managing data and information.
• The uses and control of office machines and equipment.
• Computer systems: data, databases, hardware, software, data security.
• Incoming mail: sorting, opening, distributing; dictation, checking typed and word processed work.
• Outgoing mail, despatching mail, options, postage, posting options and machinery.
• Reception work, visitors, appointments, deliveries, arranging meetings, representing the organisation.
• Meetings: arrangements, notices, agendas, taking minutes, preparing minutes.
• Making travel arrangements; the appointments diary.
• Conferences, managing events, logistics, travel.
• Effective communication: oral, visual, written, electronic.
• Principles of bookkeeping, the ledger, sales documents, petty cash, banking, invoices and receipts, checking and passing bills for payment, issuing cheques, records.
• Wages and remuneration.
• Advertising for and recruiting office personnel: job analysis, job descriptions, interviewing, selection tests, induction, training, supervising, controlling, counselling.
• The functions and principles of management; technical and managerial aspects.
• Setting good examples, attitudes; preparing for promotion.

OFFICE MANAGEMENT & ADMINISTRATION

• The functions of the office; the duties and responsibilities of managers/administrators; the wide and varied range of activities of office and workplace managers.
• Organisational structures, spans of control, hierarchies, organisation charts.
• The technical and the human aspects of management; business and company objectives and policies.
• Office locations, centralised and decentralised offices; the layout, design and environmental features of workplaces: heating/cooling, lighting, ventilation, cloakrooms; furniture, furnishings, decor. 
• Health and safety responsibilities, accident prevention, noise reduction, the work environment.
• Office machines and equipment, computer systems, networks, databases: managing and maintaining security and control.
• Electronic communications, email, word processing, desk top publishing, manual and computerised filing systems. 
• Personnel: recruiting staff and employees; how and why job analysis and preparing employee specifications is undertaken; interviewing applicants.
• Inducting and training new employees; motivating, supervising, controlling, grading, ranking, remunerating and counselling for workplace employees and staff.
• Trade unions; aims, benefits, issues; O & M studies; employee development, promotion.
• Communication: preparation, telecommunications, incoming and outgoing mail, meetings, agendas, minutes, conferences. The reception, receptionists. 
• Business forms, documents, design, codes; business letters, memoranda, reports: features.
• Financial matters, principles of accounting: cashiering, bank accounts, budgets, budgetary control.  
• Computerisation: needs analysis, specification; data security.

BUSINESS ENGLISH & LETTER WRITING

• Why business letters are written: their objectives, the type of language used, special features of business letters, their layouts and appearance. 
• Sentences and paragraph construction, building up and constructing a professional letter.  
• Technical terms used in English - their meanings and application.
• Internal and external communications of an enterprise, vertical and horizontal communications. 
• Preparing and purposes of letters to employees; congratulations, warnings, meetings, memoranda.
• English language used in business letters, acceptable abbreviations.
• How to increase knowledge of words and English vocabulary; improving English and writing style.
• Personal, private and professional letters - similarities and differences in content and preparation.
• Spellings and dictionaries; use and help from a thesaurus.
• Techincal English including: conjunctions, verbs, nouns, pronouns, adjectives, punctuation.
• Letters concerning recruitment, employment and/or promotion and work-related matters; CVs, transfers, recommendations, memos, letters of appointment and rejection, references. 
• Sales letters: first approach letters, responses, follow-up sales letters, customer retention, circulars, sales literature/promotion, order confirmations.
• The five stages leading to a sales transaction, buying motives of consumers; relevance when writing letters; matters concerning advertisements.
• Letters concerning enquiries, quotations, estimates, tenders, orders, acknowledgements, proformas.
• Letters making complaints, letters responding to complaints received; settlements, agreements, continuity. 
• Letters dealing with accounts matters: credit notes, invoices, statements, warning letters, credit and trade references; financial terms and expressions.
• Letters to and from central and local government departments, lawyers, educationists, institutions, banks, estate agents, professional and others. 
• Word processing, computers, email; references, copies, files, information and data, filing systems.

ADVANCED MANAGEMENT & ADMINISTRATION THEORY & PRACTICE

• The evolution of management theory, principles of management.
• The classical and early theorists; Fayol, Weber, Taylor, Mayo, scientific management, authority, discipline, modern developments.
• Organisational theory: objectives, categories, ownership, environmental factors and interaction.
• Open and closed systems theory.
• Coordination, cooperation, structure, control.
• Communication and communication theories and channels.
• Organisational structures, planning, growth and development, organisation charts, systems diagrams. 
• Duties and responsibilities of executives, delegation, responsibility.
• Mission, vision, values, MBWA.
• Motivational theory: human relations, social psychology; self-realisation, motivation-hygiene, expectancy theory. 
• The theories of Argyis, Maslow, McGregor, Likert, Herzberg, Vroom, Handy; intrinsic and extrinsic factors.
• Leadership theory: traits, style, contingency; theorists. 
• Building and developing workgroups, group behaviour, norms, cohesiveness.
• Managing change, creating and managing culture.
• Moss Kanter, learning organisations and entrepreneurship.
• Strategic management; the theories of Fayol, Chandler, Andrews, Ansoff, BCG, Porter, SWOT.
• Environmental and competitive barriers to entry, industrial competitiveness.
• Corporate objectives, policies, business ethics, social responsibilities.

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN THE FEE FOR THIS HONOURS GROUP DIPLOMA PROGRAMME

 Your CIC Fee includes:-

• Your enrolment/registration with Cambridge International College, and your own high-quality, professionally produced and illustrated comprehensive International CIC Core Study Publications for each of the four (4) ‘courses’ of study.
• CIC’s detailed, professional ‘Study & Training Guide’ with full instructions on how to study to achieve success and gain top results.  The Guide includes detailed advice on how to answer Tests and Examinations.
• Training Tests, Questions and Exercises (which can be used as ‘Past Papers/Questions’), and Recommended Answers for most of them.
• An Examination** set for each of the 4 core courses; each Examination is sat under Invigilation/Supervision in your own area - full details, guidance and explanation of how your Examinations will be arranged and how Invigilation is conducted will be provided when you register.  Note, CIC arranges Examinations in over a hundred countries worldwide for thousands of Members every year; it is a flexible, straightforward process and will be arranged when YOU are ready to write your Examination. **An Assignment Option is available instead of an Exam for the ‘Covid-19’ (Corona) virus period.
• A prestigious Cambridge International College Diploma on successful completion of Study & Training and on passing the Examination for EACH of the 4 core courses, PLUS the International Honours Group Diploma when all 4 courses have been completed - this is a total of 4 awards - 4 individual Diplomas plus the Honours Diploma.
• Your personal page on CIC’s Member Services website with access to results, despatch details, advice and guidance, and more: www.cambridgeinternationalcollege.co.uk
• Regular information and news including: Newsletters with details of special offers and new Programs and much more; and Competition Forms; by email and post.
• Everything needed for your Study & Training success is included in the CIC Fee.

Additionally:

• Further Study and Training Advice, and Assistance is available before, during and after CIC Study & Training; Members may ask CIC’s team of experienced Consultants for advice on further study and Programmes to improve career prospects and advancement.
• CIC’s experienced and helpful staff can assist with numerous special requests, such as reference/recommendation letters and transcripts, and more, by post and email.

• Business Entrepreneurship & Organisation Diploma 12 months (flexible)
• Communication in Business & Management Diploma 12 months (flexible)
• English & Administration (BEA) Baccalaureate 2 years (flexible)
• Management & Administration Honours (Higher) Diploma 21 months (flexible)
• Human Resource Administration Honours (Higher) Diploma 21 months (flexible)

This Honours Diploma Programme is a sensible and beneficial one for anybody looking for a safe and secure career, and considering a move into managerial roles.  Every organisation and workplace requires staff skilled and knowledgeable in office management, secretarial/administrative matters and with effective English skills.  Covering advanced management and administration subjects including motivation, leadership and strategy, this Programme is the route to a good career through possessing competence and skills, and will make a person stand out from others - be noticed by executives and seniors, and be considered for advancement, promotion and greater responsibility.

The Programme also provides access to higher studies in administration, personnel/human resource and management including CIC’s ABA, Baccalaureate and Executive Business Administration programmes, and to degree and other studies with CIC and other institutions worldwide.

There is a wide range of options for further study - see the "Related Courses" section for suggestions - which include other Honours Diplomas, ABA & Baccalaureate Programmes, and the 'Double Award' EBA & BBA Bachelor degree Programme.  You are welcome to ask the College for advice, and of course you can see details of these Programmes on this website.