Planning and Decision Making Course

We all know that some people and organisations always succeed while others never seem to do quite so well. Many people put success down to 'luck', especially those unsuccessful individuals who persist in reflecting on their 'bad luck' rather than on their not too effective or non-existent plans.

Whether we are talking about a swimming gala, an international company, a newsagent's shop, a charity or a country, it could be argued that good planning is the single factor which makes one organisation, individual or project more successful than the next.

Planning is the most basic - and some would say the most important - of all management functions. If an organisation is to be effective, everyone involved must know where they are going and how they are expected to arrive there. Planning bridges the gap from where the organisation is now to where it wants to be.

It makes it possible for organisational development and change to occur and for businesses to achieve their desired goals. The development of an organisation and the quality of the work it produces also depend on effective decision making.

Unit 1: Effective Planning

Contents:

Why planning is important

Management styles

The features of effective plans

The planning cycle

The control loop

Unit 2: Types of plan

Contents:

Strategic plans

Operational plans

Budgets

Project plans

Unit 3: Ideas into action

Contents:

Keeping the organisation on course

Policies

Planning in large organisations

Planning in small businesses

Planning in the public sector

Unit 4: Planning for change

Contents:

The pressure for change

External influences

Internal influences

Analysing strengths and opportunities

Building a risk window

Unit 5: What decision making involves

Contents:

The importance of decision making

Types of decision

Styles of decision making

Key steps in decision making

Unit 6: Obtaining information for decisions

Contents:

The need for high quality information

Types of information

Sources of information

Information flow and organisational structure

Unit 7: Creative approaches

Contents:

The need for creativity

The creative organisation

Encouraging creativity

Techniques for creative decision making

Unit 8: Choosing between options

Contents:

Evaluating options

Choice and the individual

The choice process

Unit 9: Identifying contengencies

Contents:

Why is contingency planning important?

Approaches to contingency planning

Recognising contingencies

Unit 10: Coping with risk

Contents:

Risk analysis

Decision modelling

Dealing with contingencies

Resources

The pioneers who put people first

Fisons picks up the gauntlet

Qualification 1: Planning and Decision Making Diploma

Planning and Decision Making Diploma issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges, entitling you to use the letters SAC Dip after your name.

This course is an online course. With online study you have access to your entire course from the start of your studies. You can access your course materials, and submit all of your question papers to your personal tutor, online from anywhere in the World using your unique student account.

If you do not have Internet access, or would prefer to study this course via the traditional paper/postal based study method, you can find more information on the course by clicking on the link below.

With this course you will have unlimited access to your own personal tutor who specialises in their field of study. It is your personal tutor's role to ensure that you receive constructive feedback and to deal with any queries you may have. You are more than welcome to telephone, fax or email your personal tutor.

You will also have access to a dedicated and friendly team of administrators and course advisors who offer sound and professional guidance and advice when you need it. This ensures that you will never feel neglected and that you will always succeed!

There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.

This is only an approximate figure and is dependant upon how much time you can dedicate to your studies and how well you grasp the learning concepts in the course material. Furthermore, at the end of each lesson there is a question paper that needs to be completed and returned to your tutor. You should allow at least 1 - 2 hours of study to complete each question paper.

The approximate amount of time required to complete the course is: 180 hrs.

Assessment Method

After each lesson there will be a question paper, which needs to be completed and submitted to your personal tutor for marking. This method of continual assessment ensures that your personal tutor can consistently monitor your progress and provide you with assistance throughout the duration of the course.

What's Included

• All study materials
• Study Guide
• Full Tutor and Admin support

Below you will find a list of courses that previous students have taken to complement their course. We hope that this list will give you some idea of the types of progression courses we offer, or alternative course options that may be of interest to you.

• Advertising - Good advertising is advertising which sells the product! Advertising which looks beautiful and reads well may indeed sell the product but then again, it may fail to do so if other things in the marketing mix ...
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• Advertising and Promotion (Skills Course) - This course deals with how to get your message across to your customers. ...
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• Business Decision Analysis - For those involved in business, particularly for those in managerial positions, the ability to make effective decisions or to contribute to the decision-making process is of vital importance. The ability to use mathematical techniques is becoming ...
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• Business Economics - Economics is the study of scarcity and the consequences of scarcity. Individuals, households, businesses and nations all experience some level of scarcity, in that they do not possess all the resources to satisfy all their wants ...
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• Business Economics Professional - What is economics about? Economics is the problem of using the available resources as efficiently as possible so as to achieve the maximum fulfilment of society's unlimited demand for goods and services. The ultimate purpose of ...
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• Business Functions - This course presents an introductory over-view of the study of business organisations. The course examines business organisations in terms of their missions and values, their structures and cultures and the key organisational processes which underpin business ...
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To help you broaden your skills, update your expertise in a particular field or get a competitive edge on that job you're after, we have also included all the resources below absolutely FREE for you to use when you register for your course! Click title below for more details.

This course comes with a series of FREE online videos. The normal price per series is £50.00, however, enrol on this course through Elearnuk and you will have FREE and unlimited access to the series for one year.

PLEASE NOTE: These videos are purely supplemental and are for information purposes only. They will have no bearing on your programme outcome.

The series of online videos that accompanies this course is as follows: