Unit 10 Project - Working in Practice

sarahhj

Hi,

I am trying to start this unit but am struggling with a topic due to working in practice.

My study provider refuses to let me use a case study. I don't know of any case study based on a practice situtation - which says to me that it is harder to come up with a suitable idea if you work in practice.

Is anyone in the same situation as me? Or have you completed your project? Any help or advice would be fantastic.

Thanks!

Newbie

hi i am also working in practice, my provider is happy for me to use a workplace scenario or simulation, I have chosen a simulation but not sure where to start, any suggestions on simulation vs workbased scenario?

*Jo

Hi,

Im not in practice but could you do something along the idea of analysis the amount of non chargeable hours spent on tasks done by senior staff which could be delegated to more junior employees. Thus creating more time available for billable hours. I used to work in a solicitors years ago. One of the Partners did his own costing but that was silly as he could have earned the company about £150 an hour at the time but it would have only cost around £15 per hour for the costing department to do (with suitable training of course).

sarahhj

Hi Jo,
That's an interesting idea, thank you. I think I am going to try and come up with a few options, this will go on the list!

Hi Newbie,
I am really angry as I spoke to my provider before paying for the course and explained my situation and they said I just needed to ask for the case study after my study pack arrived. Liars. Who is your study provider?

Cheers

*Jo

I was told by Kaplan that work was preferable over case study but I did have the option if I really needed it.

I have decided to attempt to do a work study and if it goes badly I will ask for a case study after.

Monsoon

We have a technician student working in our practice and she used our workplace as a topic. I think she looked at the general accounting function so, sales ledger, purchase leder, credit control etc. I.e. ignore the fact it's a practice and focus on it as a business.

reader

Sarahj, you read my mind!

I was going to start a thread on this a couple of days ago, but I decided to stop procrastinating and start doing PTC revision.

I don't deal with my firms purchase ledger, sales ledger,etc. so I can't do a work place project.

I am seriously struggling to think of a title.

I might do mine on making the production of accounts and tax returns quicker, e.g.
I'll analyse the process of preparing a set of accounts and returns at my firm, and then identify weaknesses, and suggest ways to tackle those weaknesses.

Please let me know if you think of a better idea- working in practice and doing unit 10 sucks!

Monsoon

reader wrote: »

I don't deal with my firms purchase ledger, sales ledger,etc. so I can't do a work place project.

That doesn't necessarily matter. I deal with the above in my firm, but our employee asked me questions to find out the procedures etc and wrote her report on that basis.

Good luck whatever you decide - doing that report sucks, whatever you're doing it on!

Marga

Monsoon wrote: »

We have a technician student working in our practice and she used our workplace as a topic. I think she looked at the general accounting function so, sales ledger, purchase leder, credit control etc. I.e. ignore the fact it's a practice and focus on it as a business.

great! i work as a credit controller so i was thinking about doing mine around it

reader

I've just told one of the directors where I work about the project, and I told him I have to look at one of the accouting systems within the practice, e.g. sales ledger, purchase ledger, stock, credit control, etc. and he said:

"AAT is being a bit nosy"

HAHAHAHA

Shimmy khan

Hi

Just thought i'd give you some idea's i will be looking at outsorcing payroll, as it may be cost effective for us. you could look at training eg staff members are not trained enough, outsourcing some work, credit control needs improving, going to paperless office, or if there is a loss making job how to make it profit making. Theses were some of the idea's i was given, thought i'd help as it can be difficult. and i must say im quite suprised your study provider won't let you do it on the case study

Hope i've helped : o)

coojee

sarahhj wrote: »

Hi Newbie,
I am really angry as I spoke to my provider before paying for the course and explained my situation and they said I just needed to ask for the case study after my study pack arrived. Liars. Who is your study provider?

Cheers

Who is your provider Sarah? They should give you the case study if you really want to do it. They can charge you extra for it though as they have to buy it from the AAT, it's no more than £50 though, I think it's about £35.

reader

Does the project have to be on an accounting system (i.e. an accounting function that fulfills accounting requirements e.g. payroll, purchase ledger, sales ledger, credit control, stock take, etc.) or can it be on something else e.g. analysis of chargeable time, work/job allocation, training needs, etc.

If I do it on something else, e.g. charge out, job allocation, etc. How does this prevent fraud? Do our projects need to mention fraud?

sarahhj

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread.

My study provider is Kaplan. I have now contacted someone higher than my tutor, as I feel I was mis-sold this unit as I explained I worked in practice before signing up, and was told that I would be able to do a case study.

I don't think my practice will take kindly to me poking my nose into the procedures surrounding the practice accounts as these seem to a closely guarded secret and are only handled by the partners and a part-time self-employed person, but hopefully there will be another suitable area I can identify from the other suggestions given above.

Good luck to everyone tackling Unit 10, especially those in my situation!

Rinske

You could alternatively look into computerising the accounts for a customer that does everything by paper or something silly like that.

However you will need permission from your customer for it and from the accountant that deals with the final accounts as well I think. So work and customer need to accept. However as it is a free offer to the customer, most are happy to do it.

sarahhj

Update

Just to update this thread, Kaplan have now sent me a case study - to quote Kaplan, after emailing a different, more senior person...

"When you are in employment we strongly recommend you do the project as it’s a lot more straight forward. However you really wish to do the case study instead that’s OK."

So there we go. Singing off different hymn sheets!