ABE Level 3 Award in
Money Management for Small Businesses
Qualification Syllabus
www.abeuk.com
Introduction to the ABE Level 3 Award in
Money Management for Small Businesses
Many small businesses will not survive their first five years because they have failed to manage money effectively. Of course, there are many
reasons for business failure but financial controls and the application of appropriate money management strategies can significantly increase
the likelihood of a business’ success.
Sound financial management will give business owners day to day control by providing key information on income and expenditure,
cashflow, bank balances and profitability. Understanding and being able to communicate the business’ financial position will help business
owners to engage customers, reassure suppliers and attract investors. In addition, the appropriate use of financial products such as bank
accounts, credit facilities, savings accounts, loans and insurances can significantly support money management and improve the business’
financial stability.
Whilst this award is not intended to develop learners into proficient accountants, it aims to provide them with sufficient knowledge and
understanding of accounting principles to develop appropriate record-keeping systems for control purposes and to meet legal financial
obligations in line with both local and ethical accounting practices.
This qualification is primarily aimed at those who have already completed the ABE Level 3 Certificate in Business Start-up who wish to
extend their knowledge and application of financial controls and money management. The qualification culminates in an assessment of the
financial controls and strategies used in their own business, or a business known to them, and a proposal of improvements that could be
made. It is aimed at a wide range of business sectors and industries.
ABE Level 3 Award in Money Management for Small Businesses (pending accreditation)
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What You’ll Learn
Learning Outcomes
On completing this qualification, you will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Summarise the financial planning needs of a small businesses
Explain potential financial risks and their implications for a small business and its stakeholders
Apply different financial products available to small businesses to support money management
Select appropriate financial and accounting source documents for business needs
Explain how cash transactions are recorded in a small business
Understand the principles and requirements of business accounting systems for small businesses taking into account local custom and practice
Alongside academic learning and development, ABE’s qualifications have been designed to develop your practical skills and capabilities. These capabilities
are highlighted as certain values, knowledge, skills and behaviours that will help you in your professional development.
Below is an overview of the key capabilities, designed to support individuals to manage money and finances when running a small business.
Elements of Learning
Key Capabilities Developed
Element 1
Financial Responsibilities for own
business
Identify effective financial controls key to business stakeholders and outline money management
strategies used in a small business context.
Element 2
Financial products to support money
management
Describe the main financial products of relevance to a small business and explain why they might
be used.
Element 3
Financial and accounting source
documents
Apply the key accounting source documents for use in a small business and create flowcharts to
illustrate the flow of documents between (a) the business and its customers, and (b) the business
and its suppliers.
Element 4
Managing financial information
Manage financial information within a small business context
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Localisation – Understanding the local business environment
It is very important for learners undertaking the ABE Level 3 Award in Money Management for Small Businesses to apply money management strategies
in the context of their local business environment, wherever that might be in the world. Learners should consider the following when analysing financial
and money management strategies in their own business:
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Local culture, identity and the local environment and how it impacts the business
Local social and community agendas
Local accounting, legal and taxation arrangements
Local funding opportunities
Local business rules and regulations
Local employment rules, regulations and legislation
Local currency fluctuations
The aim is that learners undertaking this qualification apply money management strategies relevant to their own local business environment and market.
ABE Level 3 Award in Money Management for Small Businesses (pending accreditation)
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Description of the programme (Regulatory characteristics)
1.
Aligned to the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (OFQUAL) Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF) at Level 3 (pending
accreditation)
2.
A single unit qualification with four elements of learning:
 Element 1
Financial responsibilities for own business
 Element 2
Financial products to support money management
 Element 3
Financial and accounting source documents
 Element 4
Managing financial information
3.
Open entry for those who are 16 years of age and above
4.
6 Credits (a credit being worth 10 hours of learning time)
5.
60 hours Total Qualification Time (TQT) of which there is expected to be 48 hours Guided Learning Hours (GLH) (12 hours per element). The
remaining 12 hours can be unsupervised based on a series of self-study and supported study elements including assessment preparation and will
be specified in ABE’s Tutor Resource Pack for this qualification.
6.
Assessment: the qualification will be assessed formatively as part of the learning approach, culminating in a summative assignment. The assignment
is designed to allow you to develop money management skills for a small business enterprise, including the analysis of financial and money
management strategies used in your own small business, or a business known to you, and the proposal of improvements to these strategies.
ABE Level 3 Award in Money Management for Small Businesses (pending accreditation)
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Element 1: Financial responsibilities for own business (Weighting 25%)
A business owner is responsible for the financial stability of the business as it progresses through the business life cycle. Failure to focus sufficiently on
financial stability can have a significant impact on the business owner and business’ stakeholders. This element looks at financial planning at the various
stages of the business life cycle and considers money management strategies that can improve financial stability.
Learning Outcomes
Assessment Criteria
1. Summarise the financial planning needs of
a small businesses
1.1
Explain the financial planning needs of a small business
 Financial planning in relation to the business life cycle: start-up, growth, maturity and sustainability,
decline and exit
 Responsibilities for financial stability at different stages of business life cycle: personal, suppliers,
employees, customers
1.2
Apply money management strategies to improve financial stability
 Budget management and cash flow control: income, expenditure (fixed and variable costs),
creating a budget, monitoring and improving cash flow
 Money management strategies: reducing expenditure, incentives for early payment, purchasing on
credit, credit control, reducing debtors, debt factoring, invoice discounting, contracting terms and
conditions, controlling and minimising stock, leasing and asset finance
2. Explain potential financial risks and their
implications for a small business and its
stakeholders
2.1
Outline the impact of poor financial controls on a business and its stakeholders
 Financial risks to a business: vulnerability, reputation, supplier’s continuity, supplier’s liquidity,
changes in interest and exchange rates, customer default
 Business failure: Insolvency, liquidation and bankruptcy
 Impact of business failure on: the business owner, suppliers, employees, customers, lenders,
investors
ABE Level 3 Award in Money Management for Small Businesses (pending accreditation)
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Element 2: Financial products to support money management
(Weighting 25%)
There are a range of financial products available to business owners to support the business’ financial needs at different stages in the business life cycle.
Knowing when and how to use these products can have a significant impact on business success. This element provides learners with an
understanding of these products and how to use them to support money management.
Learning Outcomes
Assessment Criteria
3. Apply different financial products available
to small businesses to support money
management
3.1
Apply a range of financial products used in business explaining why they might be used
 Money management products: current accounts (debit cards, cheques, direct debits, standing
orders), online banking, mobile banking, telephone banking
 Borrowing money: overdrafts (authorised, unauthorised), credit cards (interest, repayment, credit
limits), loans (commercial, friends and family, interest on borrowing, defaulting on repayments,
unregulated borrowing)
 Savings: interest rate (fixed, variable), deposits (initial amount, minimum, maximum), access
(instant, notice), withdrawals, tax status (tax free, taxable), protection and security
 Money transmission: making payments, collecting money in, electronic money transfers
 Insurance: risk and reward, transfer of risk, potential of risk, mandatory insurance requirements
ABE Level 3 Award in Money Management for Small Businesses (pending accreditation)
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Element 3: Financial and accounting source documents (Weighting 25%)
It is essential to introduce systems for recording financial transactions at an early stage of a business start-up. Accurate record-keeping will assist with
day to day control and provide the evidence required to meet legal financial obligations in accordance with ethical accounting and local accounting
practices. In this Element, learners will be introduced to a range of accounting source documents used in business and determine which are most
suitable for their own business use.
Learning Outcomes
Assessment Criteria
4. Select appropriate financial and
accounting source documents for
business needs
4.1
Demonstrate the use of accounting source documents and apply their use in the context of
a small business
 The purpose and function of accounting source documents: quotes, invoices, receipts, credit
notes, remittance advice, statements, delivery notes, orders and purchase orders, bank
statements
 Recording financial documents: benefits of good record keeping
4.2
Illustrate the flow of accounting source documents between a business and its customers
and suppliers
 The flow of accounting source documents through a business and its customers and/or suppliers
 Transaction processing systems: manual, electronic
5. Explain how cash transactions are
recorded in a small business
5.1
Outline an appropriate method of recording cash transactions in and out of a business
 Recording cash transactions
 Maintaining a cashbook
 Balancing a cashbook
ABE Level 3 Award in Money Management for Small Businesses (pending accreditation)
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Element 4: Approaches to managing financial information (Weighting 25%)
It is common for small business owners to engage the services of external professionals, for example accountants, to prepare the annual final accounts
required to meet legal obligations. However, sufficient records of the business’ financial transactions need to be available to enable an accountant to
undertake this work. This element provides learners with an understanding of the principles of accounting in order to ensure that systems and procedures
are sufficient to provide financial information for decision-making and to prepare end of year accounts.
Learning Outcomes
Assessment Criteria
6. Understand the principles and
requirements of business accounting
systems for small businesses taking
into account local custom and practice
6.1
Understand the principles and requirements of business accounting systems for small
businesses taking into account local custom and practice.
 The purpose of financial information: internal users, external users, difference between business
accounts and management accounts
 Principles behind the system: accounting cycle, books of prime entry, double entry accounts systems
 Profit and loss account: purpose, structure, gross and net profits, the relationship between costs,
sales volume and profit
 Balance sheet: purpose, structure, assets (fixed, current), liabilities (current), working capital, net
assets
 Forward-looking statements: future cash-flow forecasting, estimated sales growth, profit forecasting
ABE Level 3 Award in Money Management for Small Businesses (pending accreditation)
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Glossary of Qualification Terms
To assist you in your understanding of the qualifications, ABE has defined the following terms:
Assessment criteria
these appear within each of the elements and like the learning outcomes they determine the knowledge and
understanding of your learning and assessment.
Element
An element represents a segment of learning within the ABE Level 3 Money Management for Small
Businesses. Each individual element has its own rationale and content.
Guided Learning Hours
(GLH)
is an element of the Total Qualification Time (TQT) and is an estimate of the number of hours during which
the learner is given specific guidance by their tutor towards the achievement of the qualification, for
example: face to face teaching, e-learning, mentoring etc.
Indicative content
The indicative content is the scope of knowledge required in order to fulfil the assessment requirements and
achieve the learning outcome; it also outlines the technical components of the programme.
Learning outcomes
The learning outcome within an element lays down the expectations of the learner and defines the level of
knowledge and understanding required to complete the ABE assessment.
Qualification
For the purpose of this qualification, upon passing your assessment, you will be awarded the ABE Level 3
Award in Money Management for Small Businesses.
Total Qualification Time
(TQT)
It is an estimate of the total amount of time a learner could reasonably be expected to take to achieve the
qualification.
Weighting
The weightings indicate the level of emphasis on the different parts of the syllabus in terms of teaching,
learner effort and emphasis in assessment.
ABE Level 3 Award in Money Management for Small Businesses (pending accreditation)
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Recommended Resources
Core Text:
 ABE Study Guide for the ABE Level 3 Award in Money Management for Small Business
Supplementary texts:
 Collins, M. (2015) Do it yourself Bookkeeping for Small Business. Robinson, ISBN: 978-1-84528-588-3
 Lymer, A. (2015) Small Business Accounting: The jargon-free guide to accounts, budgets and forecasts, Teach Yourself, ISBN: 978-1-4736-0917-4
Online Resources:
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/78994
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/277045
http://www.plannersearch.org/assets/brochures/fpa_small%20business_web_060315.pdf
https://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/business-failure
http://startups.co.uk/financial-planning-for-first-time-business-owners/
http://www.beginner-bookkeeping.com/double-entry-bookkeeping.html
http://www.smallbusinesscan.com/downloadable-excel-financial-spreadsheets/
http://www.beginner-bookkeeping.com/accounting-source-documents.html
https://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/BUS103-SOURCEDOCUMENTS.pdf
ABE Level 3 Award in Money Management for Small Businesses (pending accreditation)
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www.abeuk.com
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5th Floor, CI Tower, St. George’s Square, New Malden, Surrey KT3 4TE, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 8329 2930 Fax: +44 (0)20 8329 2945