[accastudentofoman]

I must say Part 3 being the heart and core of the project is really quite challenging.

Trephena couldn’t have stressed and emphasized better the importance of analysis and evaluation. https://opentuition.com/obu/tackle-evaluation-analysis-rap-part-1/

A proper investigation of why the ratios move in a certain manner is mandatory in order to get a pass and also to make the project more interesting for the candidate plus the examiner.

It’s a joy seeing Trephena connect the dots and identifies the patterns between news announcements and resulting changes in figures. It’s very inspiring and stimulating and I wish to do the same in my project.

I don’t want my project to be a messy jumble of figures, which makes the head spin and is so tasteless and dull. I want it be thriving with interesting information and inter-connected reasons.

But, it’s so haaard! I’m not able to pick up reasons from the Annual Reports or from the media.

I’ve informed my mentor of my issues and being positive that with his guidance I can improve my approach.

[accastudentofoman]

1.Regarding the second query by accagunner , here are the full form of the abbreviations:
RevPAR: Revenue Per Available Room
ADR: Average Daily Rate (of the rooms)

RevPar is a combination of Occupancy Rate and ADR, and these three are important KPI’s for the hotel industry. I reframe ‘gunner’s’ query: Does RevPar require a separate analysis, when we’ve already done for Occupancy Rate and ADR?

2.You had mentioned that we have to analyze the annual reports for 4 years and not just 3. Why is that so? Should I show the evidence of analysis of the 4th year as well?

[accastudentofoman]

Thanks a ton for your guidance!

[accastudentofoman]

In Part 2 of RAP, I’ll be mentioning ratio analysis under accounting techniques used.

There are various categories of ratios such as profitability ratios, liquidity ratios, etc and each category has got many kinds of rations such as profit margin, ROCE, etc.

Which ratios do I choose, to briefly comment on?

Also when stating limitations, do I mention them in general for Ratio Analysis or specifically for each ratio?

Please note I’ve chosen the Hotel Industry.

[accastudentofoman]

Statements NOT questions: You got that right. Asking the right questions needs skill.

I’m more or less requiring assurance that I’m going on the right track. So I put a statement and a ‘right?’ at the end, to convey my thought process.

There are 38 Hotel PLC. What factors should we consider when choosing the appropriate one?

There is a particular(attractive) brand of hotel. I know under which parent company it is. But, I don’t know under which of the 3 subsidiaries it’s under. Where can I get the information, that which subsidiary owns the particular brand?

When a group of companies has 3 subsidiaries (all 3 of them Hotel PLC) how do we choose the most appropriate subsidiary?

Is it preferable to take the parent company annual reports or subsidiary?

Will I have to reference the news article (mentioning companies fighting for top 3 slots) when I bring in the comparator Hotel company?

I understand that there are no marks for choosing the company and its comparator but the research and analysis is going to be based on them. If down the line we realize that the company is not suitable, it might be too late to turn back.

(Although deliberation is good, it shouldn’t result in paralysis by analysis.)

[accastudentofoman]

The JKH group – John Keells Holding has got 3 hotel subsidiaries namely

Trans Asia Hotels PLC
Asian Hotels & Properties PLC
John Keells Hotels PLC

https://www.keells.com/other-group-company-financial-reports

It’s easy to get the annual reports for the parent company.

There do seem be annual reports for Trans Asia Hotels PLC for atleast 3 years.

There is a brand Cinnamon Hotel which comes under JKH group but I don’t know under which subsidiary.

I searched for a suitable competitor. There was a news article which mentioned that there are few hotel companies fighting for the top 3 slots.
Only 1 is a public company – Aitken Spence.

As discussed earlier, there cant be a perfect comparator and limitations need to be pointed out.

The role of substitutes need to be discussed as well when commenting on business environment.

Hotel- SWOT & PESTEL are good business analysis models, right?
Which ratios are crucial for analysis of hotel trade?

There are 38 PLC Hotels in Sri Lanka. How do we select the appropriate one?
Number of Hotels,
Number of years since incorporation
Detailed annual reports
Suitable competitor
– might be possible factors

[accastudentofoman]

Topic 9 seems to be involving more of describing. Evaluation and analysis seems to be tricky.

Kindly note that I’ve sent email to your id regarding OBU markers in the mentors list.

[accastudentofoman]

{P.I = primary information, S.I = secondary information}
Thanks for clarifying once again about P.I and S.I.
P.I needs appointments, lot of patience and approvals. Additionally, we will have to choose a company we have access to (friends/relatives).

S.I is available in newspapers, journals, magazines, and websites which are accessible through internet + good library.

Well done S.I is better than messed up P.I , in short.

There was another suggestion by the CEO of DataMation when we realised that they are not a suitable organisation for ‘marketing strategy’.
They are engaged in finding business software solutions for over 400 clients. Topic 9 “Implementation of IT system” seems apt.
But of course, implementation of ERP is done at the client’s place. If I select one well known
clients, then I can get the information about the implementation from Datamation itself and maybe can also arrange meetings with relevant personnel of the respective client.
But Topic 9 is quite technical.

I’ll choose one well known client of DataMation, get some basic ideas of the implementation and see whether it is interesting enough to go on. Otherwise, I’ll put my trust in S.I, select a well known company and go ahead with marketing strategy. If I can gain access and get some corroborating P.I, well and good, otherwise proper evaluation should get me through.

I appreciate what you are doing. With due respect my mentor, I’m able to get quicker and more detailed guidance from you. Hats off!

Keep up the good work! (All the more reason for me to donate to OT once I start earning)

[accastudentofoman]

“Dear Yahya,

Thank you for your emails. I am afraid that in the interests of fairness we are unable to provide names of mentors who are also markers. To name them individually would demonstrate favoritism and that would not be fair to our other Mentors. ”

That’s what OBU said. So, how do I reach them? OBU won’t tell. Markers themselves won’t advertise. Hmmm.

[accastudentofoman]

😉

Of course not.
Thanks for your reply!?

[accastudentofoman]

You’ve highlighted the improper way in which students go about collecting primary information.

More over, getting the information is a hassle. You need permission + the other person should give their time.

My mentor stressed that primary information scores more marks as it shows that the student has done bit of work rather than just taking the ‘lazy’ approach of using secondary information.
I feel that just copying/describing secondary information is the ‘lazy’approach which won’t score marks but evaluating & analyzing is the hard part which is mandatory.
Even beautifully collected primary information is not going to help you if you don’t do proper evaluation.

So, either primary or secondary information, we need to collect sufficient of them, analyze (why & how) and maybe get corroborating evidence from the other.

Some topics demand primary information. Hopefully this topic is not one of them.

Thanks for elaborating how marketing applies in many aspects of our life. We don’t actually think we are marketing but the core elements of a seller, a buyer and a product (it maybe even selling yourself) are there. This makes it more interesting and pushes to think creatively.
The PowerPoint presentation is another way of ‘marketing’ your RAP!

This can help me in SLS when I justify choosing marketing as a topic.

That was a wonderful example of a dating site. I feel the ‘ordinary’ guy is catering to a niche market ? when everyone else is promoting themselves.
Maybe he should make it clear, how ‘ordinary’ he is in comparison with the other ‘ordinary’. Talk about ‘extraordinary’! ?

My mind is getting stimulated and filled with creativity by these wonderful discussions with you.

I want this kind of motivation and engagement when I’m going through articles/theories. Some are so massive that you get overwhelmed by the loads of information. Some are so boring, filled with technical terms and with barely little real life examples, that it just tires us out.
Also reading excessively strains the eyes. I try to overcome this issue by summarizing, putting things in a nutshell and having the big picture approach. You feel less nervous and have a better grasp of what is being said. Anyway learning how to learn is vital, otherwise you lose out on the joy of learning.

Let me get back after making some solid progress. Cheers till then!

[accastudentofoman]

Virtual mentor: Is the name Masood Ahmad Qureshi? ?

[accastudentofoman]

Hi Trephena!
I completely understand your situation and heartily appreciate you taking the time out of such a busy schedule.

I’ve suffered with long posts as well. I’ve managed to overcome this by posting many smaller parts.

Thanks for clarifying the importance of primary & secondary information.

Noted points regarding OBU markers. My current mentor is not too bad.

I do use Google. Thanks to you I can fine tune by using Google scholar. I’ll spend more time with Kottler.

I’m more inclined to choose a well known company, with enough secondary information.

[accastudentofoman]

Thank you Trephena!

It’s really stimulated my thought process. I learnt something new from each of your replies. (Something for my SLS)

Some of them are the
Marketing models
Intangibles/services
Deducing from secondary information
Outsourcing of marketing dept
Company should be well known, so that we have enough quantifiable evidence

A question which I asked earlier, but which I ask again: Is secondary information sufficient to do this topic, if in the case I don’t get access to primary information?

I have some basic knowledge of marketing from P3 studies. Regarding reading around the topic, what books or websites do you suggest?

Regarding OBU markers as mentors I’ll send an email to OBU and get their info.

[accastudentofoman]

Will secondary information be enough, when I choose a company of international repute? Do I need access to primary information?

Are face to face meetings with a mentor mandatory? Will communication through Skype suffice?

Will it be possible to contact the above mentioned OBU mentors? I mean to discuss their terms, fees, timings, frequency of communication etc? Are contact details provided on the mentor list?

I do have a project mentor who charges approx 100 GBP, he is based locally. We communicate through FB messenger. As needed face to face meetings can also be arranged.

I have some basic knowledge of marketing from P3 studies. Regarding reading around the topic, what books or websites do you suggest?

https://www.cim.co.uk/
Is CIM useful?

https://www.virtualmentoring.net/
What’s your opinion regarding the above site?

[accastudentofoman]

Dear Trephena and the rest of the team,

Greetings and best wishes! I commend and appreciate the excellent work which you are doing!

I’ve chosen Topic 18 (Review of marketing strategy of an organisation and it’s effectiveness)

I would like to know which criteria help us determine whether an organisation is suitable for this topic or not.

Let me start guessing some, you can add or eliminate as necessary.

1. Interesting: Obviously, company should be interesting. This applies for all topics.
2. Primary information: You should have permission to access confidential, internal information.
3. Secondary information: There should be lot of stuff written about the company in newspapers, business journals and analyst reports.
4. Size: It should be preferably large (??)
5. Business Model: Retail, selling of products more than services(??)
6. Marketing department: They MUST have this dept (??)
7. Advertising budget: They should spend sufficiently on advertising, promotions, etc.
8. Word of mouth advertising ? marketing
9. Marketing models should be easily applied upon the org.
10. Company should have been in business for atleast 5 years(??)
11. We need comparator (competitors) in order to judge how effective the marketing strategy in comparison with industry and competitors.
12. The more forms of marketing the better (??) for eg. using web, social media, billboards, etc?
13. Company should cater to a large market and not a niche market. (??)
14. Products should be preferably tangible (??)
15. What else?

I’ve chosen a business software solutions company known as DataMation. They have around 400 clients.
https://datamation.lk/

It’s local, not international. I’m confused whether to move forward with this company or choose another, mainly because secondary information is not much.

Please guide me. I have only ONE chance at the Degree. My 10 years time is up!

[accastudentofoman]

Thanks John! Excellent piece of advise.

[accastudentofoman]

Thanks for the suggestions.

What do you suggest for P7?

[accastudentofoman]

Sometimes, when I look at amount of material which needs to covered and how little time I have, I start panicking and worrying.

I calm myself with the idea, that this particular exam session is just a battle. Completing ACCA is winning the war. If in case, I fail at this attempt whatever I’m learning will help me in the next attempt, or the next. In the long term you want to clear ACCA, no matter what happens now.

When you have that healthy attitude, you are able to stop being panicky and jumpy. You relax and concentrate on the stuff and give it your best shot, while enjoying the process. And as the saying goes, the more practice and hard work you put in, the luckier you get. When you enjoy the process instead of fretting about the results you are motivated to put in more. And as a side effect of the above efforts, you do manage to pass.

But, when you worry too much about the results, then not only you don’t study for this session and make sure you are failing but you are also reducing chances of passing in the second attempt. Remember you are gaining something each time you put in effort. Nothing goes wasted.

So take that revision kit, smile at it, give it a loving and adoring look, and plough in and read it like a novel. Take a break and come back again. If you’ve done enough reading, start answer plans and see whether you are covering enough points for the marks. (Don’t worry about writing complete answers – just answer plans)

When you are confident, primed and ready to go, do a mock exam under timed conditions. See where you go wrong, and come back again with renewed enthusiasm.

Whether you pass the exam or not, make sure you enjoy the studies so much that you just can’t wait to hit the books! This attitude will help you with further studies and career development, and will give a more positive attitude for resits.

[accastudentofoman]

“Is that a bad thing? Surely that’s exactly where you want to be – not memorising, but at least having your thought processes stimulated so that you can apply those thoughts to the new scenario”

Fantastic point!

“Don’t even begin to think about emulating the length, style nor content of the printed solutions!”

Thanks for the reminder. Puts a smile on my face.

“Try this … read a paragraph in a printed solution and then try in one or two words to identify the KEY thoughts in that paragraph – and remember that not every paragraph has such key thoughts … some have none and some have more than one

But you’re trying to condense, say, 100 words down to 2 or 3”

Excellent piece of advise. Simple but effective.

“Isn’t that brilliant! The tutors love to demonstrate their lexicographic athleticism ?”

Lexicographic athleticism. Nice words although I can’t understand what it means.
🙂

“But none of them understood the expression that internal control and risk management are “inextricably intertwined”

All 10 of those students are now fully qualified associates, so don’t give up hope”

Wow. It does give me hope as I do thankfully understand that expression, although pronunciation is a challenge.

“This could be a bit of a problem – have you re-read the question and the disputed point to see whether your conclusion about irrelevancy is correct or was it you that has mis-interpreted the question / scenario?

Yes. I don’t seem to be interpreting requirements accurately. I feel that the answer for one requirement can apply for another as well. I guess as I practice more I’ll notice the subtle differences. Although I appreciate the difference between ‘evidence’ which is more of nouns, while ‘procedures’ are verbs.

” Immerse yourself in the language and the repetitive nature of the points that are repeatedly raised in answers where questions are relatively similar to previous examination questions.”

I didn’t know studies could be so simple and enjoyable. I just read now ,without fretting about learning, memorizing or whether the stuff goes into my head or not. Just enjoying the process without worrying excessively about the results. Effective and fantastic tip!

“That’s not the nicest compliment that I’ve ever received! ?”

Thanks for receiving my immature comment gracefully, sir!

It’s just that there is nothing on the video for the eyes to lock on, so they get a bit distracted. Maybe if we see your smiling face, it’ll change the experience. 🙂

Calculation/numbers papers like P4 etc, have a lot going on the screen and you have to concentrate. Of course, we can’t expect the same for theory paper.

To be fair, you include anecdotes, jokes and statements which make us smile at your wit and sense of humor . Some of them even stick in the memory even after weeks. Heartily appreciate them.

“Stuff goes into your head as a result of constant and frequent repetition. How do you think actors learn their lines? Or tutors are able to lecture for 1.5 hours with no lecture notes to read from?”

So true. The end result makes it all look so simple and easy but we don’t see the endless hours of toil and practice.

“Er, no!”

Nothing like a healthy dose of sarcasm to knock some sense into my head!! (grinning widely)

“I presume that, with an initial “Y” you are female – there aren’t many English males whose name begins with a “Y”

You assumed wrong. I’m a male. It’s an Arabic name so that explains the ‘Y’.
‘Y’ is the Arabic equivalent of ‘J’ in Hebrew.

“Before I get a stream of angry reactions to these last few comments, yes, there are exceptions – not all members of each gender are the same. My comments are very much generalisations”

I guess I prove the exception. Nice observations!

Noted your instructions regarding technical articles and examiners reports. Will read them casually instead of taking them as a burden.

Thank you sir! Your words have inspired me and encouraged me a lot!

[accastudentofoman]

Removing those words solves the issue but it isn’t easy to identify the words, especially when you have a lengthy post.

Posting bit by bit lets the issue-free paragraphs to be posted.

Thank you so much for your attention and prompt response. I really appreciate it.

[accastudentofoman]

I tried to post bit by bit and was successful.

I can guess that the only reasons why I wasn’t successful in my initial attempts are:

The post contained a website link.
The post contained words written fully in capital letters.

But I got the same error message in other circumstances as well..(?)

If the error message explains more clearly, I can do the needful corrective message.

🙂 A learning experience.

[accastudentofoman]

Finally I resort to reading the answers. Is it a good idea? Won’t I be just recalling the answers next time I answer the question instead of really thinking it out ?

The answers are excessive when compared with the marks. Which part of the answer should be taken and which part ignored? Should we try to make notes in our words to make it easier?
Some of the points in the answer themselves raise questions, as I have no idea what they are talking about. Some of the points don’t seem to have any connection with the scenario or I didn’t get the same ideas when I read the scenario/case study.

I feel very dissatisfied as it takes a lot of time to read the questions, have no clue about the answer, take time to read the answer , still not understand it. Should I just read the questions and the answers, move on, cover a lot of them and come back?

Or it’s better to focus on one part of a question at a time, make notes, try to write the answer without looking? Time consuming indeed.

I do listen to the lectures but sometimes they get a bit boring. I take the OT notes, put on a lecture and follow along. Sometimes I pause when I don’t understand something but apart from that I don’t know whether the stuff really goes into my head. Any suggestion to make effective use of the lecture? Recalling the lecture and making short notes or something?

Please guide me. I have lot of time on my hands but can’t really make effective use of it as I’m just perplexed looking at the questions and the answers. I don’t seem to making measurable progress which can motivate me to further delve into the questions.

Question practice not only sharpens exam technique but also provides knowledge. How do we identify an area needs to be revisited at the textbook/OT notes/lecture to build up the knowledge? Do we need to keep looking for every little thing which doesn’t make sense in the past paper answer? When is reading/studying of the notes enough?

Although I won’t give up and will keep on trying until I clear this paper, it depresses me when I’m just stuck with a question. Too worried to move on as I’ve not understood and learnt the first question. It leaves me shaky, disoriented and hollow. The frustration turns into despondence and gloominess which affects my mood and relationship with others.

I’ll be posting enquiries related to specific questions, more precisely specific parts, stating my issues and how to deal with them.

You have instructed to read 10 technical articles. Again same issue. Overwhelming load of new information, which just puts me into panic mode.

Examiners reports: Make no sense when you have not read the questions.

Your article and P3 examiner article are awesome. I really appreciate them.

Sorry for the confused, muddled up post above. You really do have a wonderful way of making things simple and clear and this post is a shout for help.

Thanks in Advance,
YJ

(Due to technical error I wasn’t able to post it one go. I guess I’ve identified the issue which I’ll mention in the technical forum)

[accastudentofoman]

The textbook at a certain website is really colorful, fun and simple to read. I did cover some areas of it. Although when I leave reading, I come back and re-read the areas I’ve already read.

I start panicking when I can’t recall any of the stuff which I felt I had learnt. This panic and anxiety stops me from being smart enough to choose the challenging areas and focus on them, while just glancing over the not-so important areas.

It feels more satisfying to read the textbook in an order, which never gets completed. At the same time reading the textbook feels burdensome as you put effort into it but nothing really gets stored in memory plus they don’t actually prepare you for the questions.

[accastudentofoman]

The issue now is KNOWING what stuff to write. Forget writing detailed answers, I can’t even come up with an answer plan. Do I have a knowledge issue?
I can’t say that I’ve read the textbook or the OpenTuition Notes completely but I’ve attempted P7 twice and got 34 & 36.

[Author]

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