The Specialist Diploma in Business Administration programme consists of 8 modules and can be completed in 9 months. Please find out more from ACPE on the next available entry date.


Strategic Management Principles and Practice

The strategic management advantage is crucial to organisational success. Strategic competitiveness is achieved when an organisation develops and exploits a sustained competitive advantage. Attaining such an advantage results in a very high return of investment. This module looks at strategic formulations, strategic implementation, strategic leadership and global strategy.

Financial Management

The module aims to provide students with both a theoretical and practical understanding of the key elements of finance through a more strategic view in business. It will provide students with an understanding of the principles governing financial management of a business and equips the student with the knowledge of evaluating financial performance and financial needs, identifying possible sources of that finance and of determining the most effective course of action to obtain that finance. At the end of the module, students will appreciate the role of the finance function in business.

Organisational Behaviour

This module aims to provide students with an insight into the key determinants of individual and group behaviour in an organisation. Students would learn to assess the underlying values of these theories and how to apply them to improve personal, interpersonal and group interaction skills with internal and external stakeholders. Managing organisational behaviour is critical as it will determine the cohesiveness of an organisation which translates into service values. Topics include personality, individual perception, group dynamics, motivation, leadership, communication and interpersonal skills.

Principles of Economics

This module is designed to give students a basic understanding of the organisation in relation to the economy. This subject will provide the basic tools of economic analysis and demonstrate how they can be used to analyse specific economic issues and problems. Areas include the concepts of supply and demand, production costs, pricing of economic resources, income distribution as well as introduction to fiscal and monetary policies.

Business Information Systems

This module is designed to enable students with no previous business computing background to grasp the fundamentals of a business, and understand the essentials of business information to business survival and the need for a corporate plan in a dynamic environment. A brief overview of the systems development life cycles followed by a detailed study of the preliminary investigation and analysis stages. The functional, structural analysis approach employing data flow diagrams and entity relationship diagrams is adopted.

Business Law

This module provides a disciplinary foundation for the study of law in the context of Singapore’s business environment. The subject would provide students with an appreciation of the law as a legal framework for commercial activities, together with knowledge of legal concepts, principles and procedures as they apply to business. The broad principles learned at the beginning of the course will be progressively applied to particular aspects of business law. This would assist students in formulating appropriate solutions and strategies for problems arising in the business environment.

Business, Government and Society

Managers are required by both corporate culture and the legal system to incorporate environmental variables into their decision making processes. The purpose of this module is to stimulate student thinking about issues concerning the ways businesses interact with their environments. This module would assist students in developing an appreciation of the concepts and methods for incorporating social responsiveness and public policy analysis into the strategic decision making of the firm.

Research and Data Analysis Techniques

This research module provides students with a basic understanding of the research process and with the relevant skills necessary to produce a literature survey on their particular research areas. In particular, this module discusses on how to design questionnaires, ways of collecting data, sampling methods, data analysis, interpreting and effectively delivering a presentation.


The Advanced Diploma in Business Administration programme consists of 8 modules and can be completed in 9 months.


Entrepreneurship and Intrapreneurship

This module will introduce the framework of business management from an entrepreneurial perspective. This module enables students to evaluate trends in thinking about core entrepreneur qualities like risk management, making accurate corporate decisions and managing growth. The emphasis will be on how new economic, social and technological trends can be turned into opportunities through a process of critical thinking and innovation.

Innovation and Product Development

Students would learn to envision, develop, launch and manage new products, services and intellectual properties. The module guides them along the different stages of transforming an idea or concept into an innovation, invention or a business proposition. Topics include concept testing, market potential evaluation, product design and development, market testing, as well as issues relating to intellectual properties.

Operations and Quality Management

The module aims to help develop an understanding of its history, tomorrow’s challenges and the major factors likely to shape the structure of tomorrow’s production systems. Students would be exposed to the different frameworks of studying operations management and production as organisational functions. Topics covered include the survey of forecasting methods, quality control, material requirement planning, JIT manufacturing, and so on.

Strategic Marketing in Practice

The development of strategic marketing skills is essential for business success. This module provides a realistic perception of what a marketing strategy can achieve and when a business needs to reformulate its strategy. Strategic tools for environmental and organisational analysis are introduced and the formulation of strategies is practiced. Techniques for successful strategy implementation will also be identified. Contemporary and persuasive issues such as the increased globalisation of markets, the role of the Internet, as well as of product and service quality are recognised and integrated into the subject.

Accounting and Finance for Decision Making

The module focuses on the use of accounting information for management planning and control. It also reinforces the dynamic nature and rapid developments in the financial system, as well as providing students with an understanding of the cash flow statements, management of capital expenditure and short and long-term sources of finance. Areas covered include elements of costing, absorption and marginal costing, cost-volume-profit analysis, standard costing, performance evaluation involving return on investment, transfer pricing and budgetary control.

Information and Knowledge Management

The module would be useful for students who need to manage information effectively for knowledge-based businesses, service companies, or corporations where information is an integral part of business strategy. Students would gain an understanding of the relationship between individuals and public/ private recorded information, as well as tactic/ explicit knowledge, and how these can be identified, captured, structured, valued and shared for use. Students would also understand contemporary issues, trends, innovations and forces for change in information practice, as well as the broader political, policy and technological contexts, and are able to respond to these in adaptable, flexible and creative ways. Henceforth, building the ability to operate with integrity, rigour, self-reliance and cooperation in professional contexts; demonstrate creative, critical, reflective problem-solving capabilities in the context of their professional roles.

Business Strategy

The module focuses on how managers develop business strategy under conditions of uncertainty. Business strategy development, formulation and implementation are key issues for organisations in developing a sustainable competitive advantage. Students would be introduced to a wide range of strategic issues faced by modern organisations, as well as techniques and tools which are applied to formulate, implement and evaluate strategies. The module would build on the knowledge gained in other subjects studied and would provide links with cognate areas such as marketing, human resource management, operations and economics.

SME Development

The module focuses on the planning, development and management of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This module aims to integrate what students have learnt from other areas such as venture creation, product development, accounting and finance, marketing, management skills and human resource management. Students would also learn how environmental factors such as government policies and economic development would impact the development and growth of the business. Lastly, the future trend of SMEs would be examined.


For Students who are unable to gain entry into the ACPE's diploma, they are required to complete the Certificate in Business Administration. It consists of 6 modules and can be completed in 6 months.


Computing Skills

This module covers the skills and knowledge required to select, use, and maintain business technology. This technology includes the effective use of computer software to organise information and data. It also covers preparation and production of short routine letters, notes, memos and records using word processing software.

Business Communication Skills

This module seeks to equip students with the basic communication skills. It deals with the skills and knowledge required to manage business relationships with customers or suppliers. It focuses on the relationship building and negotiation skills required by specialised sales and marketing personnel and managers in the industry. It also deals with the skills and knowledge required by operators, supervisors and managers to prepare and produce a range of business documents in different workplaces and contexts. The module focuses on the preparation of documents which may express complex ideas and required varying formats.

Research and Study Skills

This module provides students with a basic understanding of the research process and study skills. It aims to expose participants to various methods of learning and knowledge retention. Relevant skills necessary to produce a literature survey on their particular research areas will be included. In particular, this area discusses on how to design questionnaire, ways of collecting data, sampling methods, data analysis, interpreting and effectively delivering a presentation; finally, this module also aims to develop participants’ proficiency in both interpersonal and written communication skills.

Customer Relations and Service

This module seeks to provide students with customer service skills required for a career in the new millennium. This module underpins all the diverse interactions with customers - at all levels and sectors of the service industry. It also aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge required to handle difficult interpersonal situations with customers. Finally, this module examines the conflict resolution proficiency needed in the volatile service industry to address the conflicts, which may arise in day to day work activities.

Maths and Statistics

This module will build participant’s confidence to incorporate mathematical thinking into business environment. Students will deal with commercial problems involving simple interest, discounts and markups, partial payments and commuting a series of obligations. The elements of statistics used in business will also be covered. The course content includes frequency distribution, measure of central tendency and dispersion, probability distributions (discrete and continuous), sampling, sampling distributions, estimations, regressions, correlation and elementary hypothesis testing.

Fundamentals of Management

This module provides an introduction to concepts and foundations of management. Students will be introduced to the theory and practice of management and to consider the contemporary applications of management ideas. Content consist of the role of the Manager, including Planning and Decision Making, Leadership and Motivation, Organising, Control/Power, Group Dynamics and Organisational Culture.