1. AMCS Module of the CIMA BA (Hons) Sustainable Performance Management
Degree
Week Four Review 21st October 2012
From: David C Roberts - Course Tutor
To: All Participants in the course
Hello Everybody (especially those who havee just joined us).
I think that we are all here now  and I have decided to circulate this week’s
newsletter via email. For those just joining the course I have also included copies of
the first three newsletters.
This week’s newsletter introduces us to the assignment task and acts as an
opportunity to start to answer any questions you may have around assessment. I am
very aware of the diversity of our student base and the diverse reasons for entering
this course; I am very aware that many of us have not studied in a University setting
before; and I am also very aware that distance learning/ on-line learning can be, for
some, challenging as it lacks the social interaction that a face to face course offers.
Introduction to the Assessment
Before I introduce the assignment/assessment I want to do some scene setting. At
University level your assessed work is seen as an opportunity to demonstrate your
learning about the specific context (i.e. the course that you are studying) and it is
also seen as an opportunity to demonstrate your wider skills as a University
Graduate. It is the combination of these two measures (we call them subject
relevancy and academic rigour) that make university degrees so valuable. It is also
important to remember that we are very early into the course and it is almost
impossible at this stage for you to complete the assessment!
At this stage then I will concentrate on the format of the assessment, the philosophy
behind the task that has been set, and start to make some suggestions about how
you might commence your research.

2. Format of the Assessment
The assessment is in two parts. You will be required to produce a written piece of
around 2000 words and then make a video recording of yourself talking to camera
for no more than 10 minutes. The video recording can be made in private as if you
were presenting to a group of fellow practitioners – there is no requirement to
present to an audience.
Your video recording will be supported by a set of four slides.
You will need to have completed both parts of the assessment and uploaded your
files on or before the 4th of March 2013. Your provisional results, which will still be
subject to external examination, will be returned to you on the 2nd April 2013 or
sooner.
In learning session 4 we run through some comprehensive instructions about the
assessment – can I ask you to go to this section (or for those of you galloping
through the course please return to this section) and familiarise yourself with its
contents.
Relevancy and Rigour
The assignment draws on the HSBC money laundering case which emerged this
summer -- highly relevant -- and asks you to consider the work of Kaplan and Norton
and their balanced scorecard. In the written piece the assignment asks “Would
Kaplan’s Balanced Scorecard have helped?” It is for you to decide if the balanced
scorecard would have helped or would not have helped – there is no right or wrong
answer to the question!
You answer gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your learning on the course,
your academic rigour, in the way you explain your answer and bring together your
research.
Planning
At this stage your main job is to understand what the assignment is about. A
suggestion may be to undertake research about the HSBC money laundering case.
See what you can find in the media, in professional magazines, on the HSBC
website etc. Research is an interesting word - look it up and see what definitions you
find.
As we work through the course and as you get further into the reading matter many
ideas will spring to mind about how you might answer the detail of the assignment. It
is too early at the moment to have an answer.

3. University Library and Academic Databases
As students of the University you have access to a near unlimited amount of
research material. This material is stored on a myriad of publisher’s data bases.
A skill that a University student needs to develop in the ability to find and access
relevant pieces of research and data. In addition to the time that you are spending in
the specific course material please also visit the University web site and browse
through the many library guides around navigating research databases.
Next week my intention is to look more closely at the available research data bases
and share some guides about how to use them.
Next Steps
I have set up a forum thread called “questions around assessment.” Once you have
worked through lesson four please do post any, and every, question that you have
there and I will attempt to answer them. If you would rather write to me privately
about assessment questions then please do so. Can I ask though that before you
post or write please can you read the questions from the other students and check
that a similar question has not already been asked?
Student of the Month Award
The forums are very busy and to newcomers to the course they can sometimes be a
little bit confusing. Deep within the forum threads though there is some hidden
treasure in the form of comments and contributions from your fellow students. These
hidden gems (and there will be more) can be used as research material for your
assignment, they can stimulate your thinking, and in some cases they can offer very
practical help. Take some time to read through the different threads and the
comments on the posts. Please do add a comment to a post that you think is
interesting (even if it’s just an “I like this!”).
If there is a particular student who you feel that has been helpful, provided useful
information, insightful, or interesting then please nominate her/him for our student of
the month award.
Technical Issues

4. I recall my period as Managing Director of an organisation that was contracted by
pharmaceutical companies. In this role I learned that technology came with two
hands. In the first hand there was a gift and in the second hand there was also
challenge/issue/problem to be faced. Sometimes the challenges were technical,
sometimes cultural, and sometimes socially constructed.
Technology has given us the gift on on-line learning and access to an affordable
degree course that can be completed in less than a year and as your module tutor it
has given me the opportunity to interact with a considerable number of practitioners
from around the world who have an interesting Accounting and Management control
systems.
Technology is also giving us some minor -- yet irritating -- challenges around web
browsers/ pop up screens and exit buttons. I know that our engineers are working to
resolve these difficulties. Please keep reporting issues in the appropriate thread and
accept my apologies.
And Finally
Can I draw you attention to a discussion that is emerging in the forum around
Barclays and the Libor Scandal? The discussion is taking place in the general forum
and the thread is titled “What Happened? Cultural, Personnel, Action or Result?”
Thanks to Issy and Paul for starting this one off.
Have a great week and see you in the forums.
David