Accreditation of prior learning (APL) – portfolio of evidence documentation

IIA Advanced Diploma

M1 Strategic ManagementOutlineYou should complete and submit this documentation if you wish to make a submission for accreditation of prior learning for the module indicated above, once you have registered for the qualification. Guidance notes are provided in a separate document available on the Institute’s website.

In this document you will find sixteen defined knowledge areas each requiring you to provide and discuss evidence of learning. You will also find a concluding testimonial sheet for completion to accompany the entire submission.

Initial submission: You should complete any two of the evidence pages for two separate knowledge areas from within this pack and return electronically to the IIA via the address studentsupport@iia.org.uk, using the title APL- Initial submission. You will receive comments and feedback from an assessor to help you with your full submission.

Full submission: On receipt of your feedback from your initial submission, you will be given advice for completion of all sixteen knowledge areas and concluding testimonial. Following review and signature by your authenticating signatory or signatories (electronic insertion of name and date constitutes signature), you should submit the complete document electronically to address studentsupport@iia.org.uk, using the title APL- Full submission.

Payment detailsAn assessment fee of £137.50 + VAT is payable (current to 31 March 2015). We can invoice you or your employer. Your employer may require a purchase order number to be supplied with the invoice. Please note the required purchase order number in the box below or state "Not required". If no purchase order number is supplied then submission of this application will be taken as confirmation that your employer does not require a purchase order number. Please complete the options below:

Invoice me Invoice my employer

Submission confirmationI supply the information below as my submission for the accreditation of prior learning for the module named above. I also supply a copy of my Curriculum Vitae showing my internal audit experience totalling more than five years. I understand that my submission will be assessed under the process outlined in the APL policy and supporting materials:

Full Name

Membership number

Date

April 2014

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Purchase order number

Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.1 The principles of effective governance as they impact on strategic management

1.1

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

How to evaluate the effectiveness of the structure and functions of the board and its sub-committees, including: understanding the roles and responsibilities of the board and its sub-committees; and assessing the resources of the board in relation to the achievement of its roles and responsibilities.

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.2 The requirements for effective performance by the board and it sub-committees

1.2

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

How to evaluate the performance and effectiveness of the board and its sub-committees including: leadership in setting the organisation’s values and standards and understanding obligations to stakeholders; determining the direction of the organisation and assisting in the achievement of its objectives; monitoring and evaluation of managerial structure and performance; appropriate levels of skills and experience to contribute effectively to the decision making process; ability to manage and resolve conflict; ability to manage internal and external relationships through effective communication; and ability to respond appropriately to issues such as corporate social responsibility, legal and regulatory requirements, environmental, ethical, risk management and assurance.

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.3 The principles of business ethics and values 2.1

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

The role of business ethics and values of the organisation, including: business ethics and values and how they can differ between organisations and cultures; and the role and contribution of ethical leaders and employees to the organisation.

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.4 The processes for embedding ethics and values 2.2

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

How ethics and values can be embedded within the organisation including an assessment of: codes of business conduct and policies and the way in which these are endorsed by the board and senior management; organisational culture and the means by which a positive attitude to ethics and values is encouraged among all employees; monitoring, improvement and disciplinary actions including escalation procedures and whistle-blowing; and relationships with third parties such as suppliers and other contractors.

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.5 The principles and processes of strategic management 3.1, 3.2, 3.3

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

The role of strategy within an organisation, including definitions of strategy, formal strategic processes and emergent strategies, and the impact and consequences of improperly formulated or imposed strategies; the concepts of corporate and business strategies; how decisions relating to the product/service offered, the geographical area of operations and in-house vs. outsource options can determine corporate strategy; and the determinants of business strategies, including how the organisation competes within a particular sector or market and how the organisation delivers its products/services effectively and efficiently.

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.6 The principles of strategic analysis and development 3.4

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

Value creation and strategic analysis, including: the concept of value creation, how performance management impacts on value creation, how to appraise current performance, how to evaluate alternative strategies, and how to set performance targets; performance improvement; the linking of strategy with the creation of stakeholder value; methodologies for value assessment; and values, mission and vision and the link to strategy.

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.7 The principles of strategic planning 4.4, 4.5, 4.6

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

How to evaluate strategic option; how to identify opportunities for improving existing portfolio of activities; how to move into new areas/speed to market and/or exit from existing activities; the process for developing strategic objectives, ensuring they are challenging, linked to risk assessment, allocated to specified owners, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, timely (SMART); the importance of ensuring ownership of the strategy and how strategy is agreed and communicated; the role of the board in discussing, challenging and approving the strategy; and the role of internal audit .

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.8 The external environment and its relevance to strategic management 4.1, 4.2

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

The components of the environment and how to analyse the impact of political, economic, technological, government, environmental, social structure and demographic issues; the relationship of organisations within different industry sectors to their customers, suppliers and competitors; how industry sector can influence the level of profit/value for the organisation; the rationale of Porter’s Five Forces and how organisations use this in analysing the competitive environment; the rationale of game theory and the impact of competitive interactions and co-operation among organisations; how to identify optimal strategic choices; competitor analysis and the type of information/intelligence that enables an organisation to better understand its competitors, such as competitors’ current strategy, objectives, assumptions about industry, resources and capabilities; how to predict competitor behaviour through assessment and evaluation of competitor intelligence; the ethical dimensions of sourcing and use of competitor intelligence; how to apply the results of competitor evaluation through assessing the optimum segmentation of markets and customers in terms of attractiveness, scope and profit; and how an organisation fits within its strategic group and identifying the organisation’s strategic position.

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.9 The internal environment and its relevance to strategic management 4.3

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

The role of the organisations resources and capabilities, including its management information systems, in formulating strategy; how to appraise the resources and capabilities of the firm to enable the success of the strategy; how to apply the results of resource and capability analysis to formulate strategies; how an organisation can develop its resources and capabilities through for example human resource planning; how knowledge management, both tacit and explicit, can be used as a strategic resource; how knowledge can be developed and exploited within the organisation; and barriers to effective knowledge management, eg extracting tacit knowledge and how this can be managed.

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.10 The principles of strategic risk management 5.1

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

The risk profile of the organisation and the relationship of aggregating and monitoring risk with the achievement of strategic objectives; how an organisation determines its risk appetite in relation to its regulatory/competitive environment and its industry sector; how corporate and business strategies are influenced by the risk appetite of the organisation and the personal risk appetite of employees; how risks are aggregated across the strategy of the organisation and how the risk profile is monitored in relation to the corporate and business strategies; and how the use of risk assessment in the strategic process may help organisations to improve stakeholder value.

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.11 The principles of effective change management 6.1, 6.2

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

The dynamics of change, including the reasons for change (new technology, economics, competition, social environment and attitudes, regulation, and pressure/activist groups); strategies for anticipating and responding to change, including the use of techniques such as scenario analysis and corporate radar screen to anticipate and evaluate options for change; establishing a change management programme and identifying factors that could present problems to the successful implementation of change; the role of management, change agents and employees in the change process and how to assess the adequacy of the resources necessary to support change and future strategies eg coaching, mentoring; how to assess the methods of communicating and implementing change programmes; and how to evaluate the success of the change management programme.

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.12 The principles of competitive and organisational advantage 6.3

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

How cost, differentiation and supply can be used as strategies for gaining and/or sustaining competitive advantage and stakeholder value with respect to cost (why cost/price is a medium of competition and value; the different ways in which organisations can reduce costs eg restructuring, downsizing, outsourcing, lean production, business process re-engineering; how product/service design and capacity utilisation can impact on cost; how attracting and utilising investment from different sources (venture capital, Public Private Partnerships, management buy-outs, capital raising in the financial markets) can impact on cost; and the use of the value chain to analyse costs), differentiation (customer/stakeholder demand and expectations, how value is created; customer/stakeholder motivation, lifestyle, status, and basic needs; and the differentiation options for the organisation of broad market appeal or specific market segmentation) and supply (how to evaluate the resources and capabilities through which customer/stakeholder demands can be met; ensuring delivery processes meet the customer need in terms of time, quality and cost; investing in the effective use of technology such as e-commerce; and controlling the quality of the internal processes and external partners eg the sellers of the goods/service).

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.13 The importance of and processes for innovation within strategic management 7.1

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

The implications of innovation for industry structure and competition, including: the innovation process and likely returns; the concept of intellectual property and options for exploiting what you have; the impact of the complexity of technology on returns; time limitations on exploitation of innovation and the product/service lifespan; the resources needed to develop, manufacture, market, distribute and service the product/service such as financing (eg venture capitalist funding, raising finance in the capital markets, grants, Europe, government etc), human resources).

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.14 Strategies for maximising and exploiting innovation 7.2, 7.3, 7.4, 7.5, 7.6

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

Strategies to exploit innovation, including: awareness of the options available to exploit innovation and the risk implications; outsourcing of business functions; strategic alliances with partners; joint ventures including public private partnerships (PPP); creation of a new enterprise or business unit MBO; adoption of standards (Public eg government and voluntary such as BSI/ISO (eg ISO17799) and Business Excellence Model, charter mark); private property such as technologies and designs owned by organisations and /or individuals (eg intellectual property rights in software code); the concept of the ‘learning organisation’ and assessing whether the organisation has created conditions that are conducive to innovation; how cross-functional integration within the organisation can improve the innovation process and how cross-functional teams and the application of matrix management may be developed; the role of the product sponsor (both internal and external) in achieving the objectives of the team; the criteria by which new business units are established as a response to the strategic impetus for exploiting innovation; how mature industries can achieve and maintain competitive advantage, the key success factors within mature industries, and strategies that can be formulated to maintain and exploit key success factors; leadership in specific markets, niche markets, maximising cash flow from existing assets, product lifespan or obsolescence, divest unprofitable businesses or products or services; reviewing opportunities for strategic innovation, including reviewing/adjusting bureaucratic structures (e.g. flatter structures) and exploiting new technology; how to encourage high levels of employee commitment; the pursuit of key performance targets; outsourcing; co-sourcing, off-shoring; and options for optimising structures and management systems to implement strategies.

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.15 The principles of aligning business activities and resources with strategic objectives

8.1, 8.2, 8.3

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

The key product/service and corporate based business functions that implement and deliver the organisational strategy including product/service based functions, supply chain management, and program and project management; supply chain management (development and communication of organisational policies and codes of business practice; planning the balancing of demand and supply and agreeing a course of action which best meets sourcing, production and delivery requirements; procuring goods and services (suppliers and sub-contractors) to meet planned or actual demand; transforming products or services to a finished state to meet planned or actual demand; providing finished goods and services to meet planned or actual demand, typically including order management, transportation management, and distribution management; returning or receiving returned products for any reason including post-delivery customer support; establishment, agreement and monitoring of service level agreements); and program and project management (the relationship between cost, time, quality and scope including an assessment of business benefits and project success factors; project risks including delivery, monitoring, people and expectation management; compliance with the agreed project methodology; escalation in the event of problems and contingency planning).

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Ref Knowledge area Syllabus reference

M1.16 The principles of management within key organisational functions 8.4, 8.5, 8.6, 8.7, 8.8, 8.9

Indicative knowledge and understanding requirements:

Financial management (the strategic justification of capital and revenue streams and how they are managed); facilities management (the use and management of: space; energy efficiency and waste management; environmental systems/ergonomics; disaster planning/health and safety; maintenance; and service delivery); human resource management (including new legislation and directives eg DDA and working time directive; recruitment, retention, dismissal of staff; compensation and rewards; capability assessment and development; performance and development management (including sickness, absence); and industrial relations); Information systems management (IT as an enabler of the business strategy; IT and its relationship with business units within the organisation; IT strategy on the efficiency and effectiveness of systems and processes; contingency planning, security and control measures; IT in enabling the monitoring of performance management and capacity planning; and investment in IT systems) and marketing management (the marketing mix and its application to products and services; customer relationship management programmes and e-marketing tools and their use in enhancing the brand/reputation of the organisation).

Source(s) of evidence – what specific evidence sources can you produce that demonstrate you have the required knowledge and understanding? These must be listed with a brief description and must be reviewed by the person who is authenticating your submission.

Explanation of how the evidence satisfies the knowledge and understanding requirements – how does the evidence cited demonstrate that you have the required knowledge and understanding? (Word count: 500)

Authenticating signature: I have viewed the evidence quoted above and in my opinion it demonstrates the candidate has the required knowledge and understanding of this subject.

Name Signature Date

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Concluding testimonial

Please provide details of the person(s) making the authenticating signature for your portfolio.

Ideally the signatory should be a member of the IIA and hold a relevant professional qualification. Where this is not possible you should explain why the person or persons signing your portfolio is/are most appropriately placed to do so.

Signatory (1)

Name: Job role/title:

Relevant professional qualifications held: Professional relationship to you with relevant dates:

Signatory (2)

Name: Job role/title:

Relevant professional qualifications held: Professional relationship to you with relevant dates:

Signatory (3)

Name: Job role/title:

Relevant professional qualifications held: Professional relationship to you with relevant dates:

Candidate’s signature: I confirm that all of the evidence referred to in this portfolio is recent, reliable and authentic.

Name Signature Date

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