‘OBU Marker-Speak’ - What the Marker Feedback really meant…

Thanks alot for taking the time out to reply to my query. Regards

Dear Trephena One more query, my mentor is saying that i need to change Q1 and 2 from the SLS as well as. But i thought the reflection on meetings with mentor due to project failure will be highlighted on the resubmission statement itself. Also I am further consdering, that since my SLS is a pass, any changes i make will have it be evaluated again. So please suggest in this case Thanks alot

Just remove the final word 'statement' from the above feedback and it makes better sense: "As evidence of this you must submit a copy of your presentation in your Skills and Learning" [section] You need to submit an appropriate presentation -usually PowerPoint slides - that set out your key findings and conclusions. The written statement and the slides collectively are known as the SLS

Deleted my earlier enquiries, i have found the answer when i read tru the Forum comments

What does the marker mean? Also, do I have to edit my analysis completely? In your financial analysis and evaluation you consider each ratio for each year relating to Jetblue separately, and then provide a fairly brief comparison with Delta over the 3 year period. Try more to identify trends in the Jetblue ratios over the period and use your business analysis to explain the movements. What policies and strategies explain the trend? What political, economic and business environmental factors have impacted on the performance of Jetblue over the 3 year period? You have 7 pages of references. Make better use of the material you have gathered to provide a more robust critique of Jetblue performance over the 3 year period. You must provide your readers with suitable conclusions drawn from and substantiated by your analysis and evaluation.

Companies do not make decisions on the first day of the financial year and implement them on the second day! Neither does the impact of any decisions end on the last day of the financial year! What the marker was trying to tell you was to get real about about how companies operate in the real world and look at the continuous trend in the data rather that breaking it up on a year by year basis. I always advise students to read the CEO and Directors' reports starting with the ones that actually precede the first year of study for both companies to get an idea of strategic direction and what the major policies for the future are. These will be closely linked to the PESTLE and SWOT factors so start your analysis with a good application of the models. Markers look for evidence that students have identified the factors from the business environment (i.e the models) that have influenced performance via the strategic decisions and how successful or otherwise the major decisions and policy changes have been. So yes I think you do need to edit your analysis thoroughly unless you want to waste the GBP 300 submission fee on something that might fail again unless you do!

Hello @trephena There are comments from the marker. 3. Evaluation of information, analysis and conclusions You have made a very good start on your RAP submission however there is an over dependence on the financial reports throughout your Financial analysis. This is a very important source however wider reading is required either to confirm your findings or to establish alternate views on the company and the benchmark company. This will enable you to lift your submission to a new level which will allow you to add more critical reflection rather than description. You write clearly, it is more facts which are required. Overall Technical and Professional Skills MODERATOR: Although you started your analysis with the application of PESTLE analysis you are advised to bring in the application of both models at the beginning of the findings as these models are intended to guide the subsequent financial analysis and not be an exercise done in isolation to everything else. It is therefore worth devoting a lot of effort to producing a good application of the models. To help with this and your financial analysis you really need to find more sources relating to your company from articles in the business and trade press / online business pages to add more depth to your analysis. Try to identify the strategic management decisions the company management may will have taken on the basis of the factors present in the business environment (i.e. observe how decisions have may been influenced by the factors present in the application of the SWOT and PESTLE). Consider for example how the company may have built on its strengths and how this may have led to increased growth (you have touched upon this at the end however it needs to be better integrated into the evaluation of financial performance) You should then track through and see how management decisions have impacted on financial performance as this will strengthen your financial analysis. 6. Information gathering and Referencing You need to 1. carry out deeper research to support the changes required in your Financial analysis . the second improvement is 2. to increase your referencing and sources within your financial analysis. You seem to be referencing appropriately but do not overlook this with your submission and consult Appendix 3 of the Information Pack if you need any help with this. Remember that every time you use a source, make a statement of fact or state the opinion of others you must provide a reference (including stating sources for your graphs, table and charts) ______________ I have some questions: 1. Is it true that the market want me to focus to revise the financial analysis? I perform the RR in the following order: PESTLE - Financial analysis - SWOT. Do I need to revise into the new order: PESTLE - SWOT - Financial analysis? 2. I passed the SLS element, however, should I do nothing with the SLS but still submit together with the RR on the next submission? 3. Does I need to modify another areas? As I understand that the marker want to focus on the financial analysis, but if I keep another parts, the Turnitin would state that the remaining areas are the same with my first submission and this is not acceptable? And I must also upload all the appendices again? 4. As I choose food industry and use a milk company to perform the RR, is it important that I must find a milk competitor to benchmark or just a company in food industry? 5. As I submit in Nov 2017, I used 2014, 2015 and 2016 financial statements. I'm not sure that should I update it by using 2017 financial statement or just revise based on those I have used? 5. I've read your advises above, could you please give me some more advice that I can improve for the next submission. Thank you so much.

@omz86 Page 79 of the infopack offers you two possible ways to list your references: 1) Alphabetically 2) By the order they appear in your report. I would read the infopack closely. What we advise our students to do is to use the "reference" function found in MS Word. This minimises the risk of poor referencing. I hope this helps! I don't think OBU fails students "just to make money". In any case, referencing is a skill any undergraduate student should get right. I know how annoyed you must be at failing the project for what must appear to be a small mistake. If what is pointed out in the paragraph you have pasted is true, I don't think you would be able to appeal the marker's decision.

Hi LL, thank you for your reply. The thing is it was in alphabetical order since I used endnote! Could I challenge or dispute this in anyway if it turns out that it was in alphabetical order?

@omz86 I think the issue here is that the marker could not trace the in text citation to the reference in the list behind.

@hieund, Trephena is on her break, so we are stepping in to help... 1. I think moving SWOT and PESTEL up front would be a much better idea. 2. You don't have to resubmit your SLS. Please see the infopack on this. 3. You should check the report very carefully to ensure that there are no other possible reasons for failure. I know of a student who failed his second submission even though he had earlier corrected his project for the comments given to him in his first mark sheet. 4. In order for ratios to be comparable, the companies should be as close as possible. I would recommend using a milk company. 5. There is no need to update your financial statements if you are submitting within 4 periods of your initial submission. Again, please see the infopack on this. Remember to link SWOT and PESTEL to the impacts on the company, and how the company reacted. If you can quantify the impacts, that would help a great deal. For example, a recent initiative to use only energy saving bulbs has saved the company $Xm a year. Hope this helps!

I believe I uploaded the incorrect file with regards to the reference list. A very silly mistake on my behalf. Could you please advise me on which files I would have to resubmit and whether three meetings with a mentor is necessary. Thanks!

@omz86 Please see the resubmission guide here: https://www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/ACCA_Global/Students/bsc/Resubmission%20guide%202017_18.pdf In your case, you have failed your RR and passed your SLS. Please see page 2 for your submission requirements. Also, "If you passed your Skills and Learning Statement you do not have to meet your mentor again." Please see page 5 of the resubmission guide regarding mentors.

That makes things a lot easier. Thank you

@tahir OBU has clearly stated that we only need to work on areas that received a FAIL grade. As such, you can keep the report as it is and only make changes that effect: 1) the showing of IT Skills - a spreadsheet has to be done. As you are tackling Topic 20, it is understandable that there isn’t a lot of opportunities to use a spreadsheet. - However, for this topic, you can still use the spreadsheet to show changes in profits, stock price, % of CSR expenditure / Sales etc - do remember to use excel formulas as you do the spreadsheet. Do not calculate them manually in a calculator and then key it into the spreadsheet. - creating graphs based on numbers in your spreadsheet also is counted as IT skills. - finally, if you have to add more numbers/ratios so as to better show your IT skills, you then have to make the corresponding changes/analysis in the RAP as well. 2) the showing of Communication skills - this is simpler. Based on your research findings, you would have had conclusions within your RAP. - place the conclusions in your RAP, in your presentation as well. We hope this answers your questions! Your friendly mentors, Irwin The Learning Luminarium

@learningluminarium said: @hieund, Trephena is on her break, so we are stepping in to help... 3. You should check the report very carefully to ensure that there are no other possible reasons for failure. I know of a student who failed his second submission even though he had earlier corrected his project for the comments given to him in his first mark sheet. 4. In order for ratios to be comparable, the companies should be as close as possible. I would recommend using a milk company.

Thanks @LearningLuminarium for your replies. 3. As I understand that the marker want me to correct the mistake I have made on the first submit, so is it right that I could fail although if I use what I have wrote on the first submission because Turnitin state that copy from another sources? 4. Until now, there is only company I analyse have issues public FS, another companies is not, so the pass rate could be reduced if I only use a food company to benchmark. And dairy industry on my country was combined in food industry so I cannot separate them. Thank you.

Hi, first time poster here. I finished my ACCA studies some time ago and thought I would finally attempt the degree programme. Today I received the news I failed my first attempt and as you can guess disappointed with the news. The trouble is despite reading the markers comments I am unsure where I went wrong. My mentor is great but has not done anything like this before so we are a little unsure what is being asked. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Dave

Hi Dave, Sorry to hear the bad news. I do hope that your next attempt is successful! Actually, this extensive thread has a lot of information based on the experiences of others. We would suggest that you look through it, it will be helpful for sure. If an issue isn’t addressed in this thread, feel free to raise it up, just like how the others did! We will then do our best to give an answer! Irwin The Learning Luminarium

@hieund 3. No, the portions that you leave unchanged, it will not be penalized by OBU. In fact, if the examiner did not criticize them, it means that they generally are fine and can be left as such. Of course, as earlier mentioned, after you made the needed changes based on the examiners comments, you would want to read through the report again and see that it is still consistent in logic. Any big flaws in earlier writings should also be addressed. 4. To use an unlisted firm as a competitor is not encouraged. A milk company will work best as it has the same business model and margins. If one really can’t be found, then a food company (which sells some milk) will have to be a substitute. Cheers, Irwin The Learning Luminarium

Hello, I only got fail on Information Technology(IT). The comment from marker--"It was a requirement from Period 35 onwards that you must upload the actual spreadsheet file with its original xls format extension. Although you have produced graphs in your work these are not supported by the appropriate Excel file in accordance with the latest Information Pack (to which you are referred). The spreadsheet must demonstrate the use of formulae." The comment from moderator--"Moderator agrees with marker comments. You have worked hard and have produced a competent project - well done. A pass cannot, however, be awarded because you have not uploaded a spreadsheet. This is a project requirement. On re-submission you must upload the following files: a spreadsheet, your project, your reference list. You are not required to resubmit your presentation slides or skills and learning statement." I am just curious that most part of their comment is talking about submitting of spreadsheet(even moderator said, i have not uploaded a spreadsheet). But the thing is, I submitted a spreadsheet as appendix. So, here, do you think the reason I failed is because only one sentence which is "The spreadsheet must demonstrate the use of formulae"(which i did not use)....... or do you think there is some problem on administrative procedure in which I might try to appeal, because i submitted spreadsheet. I am just bit confused, because mostly what comments say about is submitting of spreadsheet which i submitted.Thanks! **In the comment from marker "actual spreadsheet file with its original xls format extension". what is the meaning of "original xls"??

Hello Irwin I did not manage to get a pass, I chose topic 6.These are the comments i received from the examiner. 1.To do a successful RAP on this topic you need to tie your results more strongly to the theories you have discussed in Part 2. 2.There is some good work in your report. However, there is insufficient application of the models to the questionnaire results. From pages 14-18, there is some interesting material regarding the working conditions, etc of the workers in the company. None of this is referenced to sources. It might be a better idea to combine this material (but referenced to sources) with the results of your questionnaire in some way. It is not necessary to repeat the results of each question, the reader will see the results when looking at your graphs. Please make it clear in the questionnaire and results whether you mean 'salary', or 'salary increments', which I take to mean 'pay RISES', as a motivator. Please consider: do motivational factors change between roles and grades, do motivation factors change by gender? You state, on numbered page 32, "Most employees fall under the category of theory X. They claim that they disliked their job, had no aspirations and the only incentive that was keeping them from going was salaries they were getting." How do you know this, where is this in your survey? The first two paragraphs of the conclusion are too general, and tend to repeat what has already been said at the beginning of the work. The rest of the conclusion, one paragraph, is too brief, and does not adequately sum up the results of your work. 3.There is no need for an 'Abstract' or 'Literature Review'; these are a waste of word count. 4.There is a lack of referencing, as mentioned in section 3 of the feedback. Information taken from interviews should be referenced as such. A list of questions asked in the interview should be submitted as an appendix. Referencing is an important academic skill. Please apply Harvard referencing to your work - web addresses are not references. You also have a tendency to patch write and paraphrase others. Any direct or near direct quote should be referenced as such. You should avoid writing like this as it is poor academic practice and instead read around a topic and write in your own words. 5. A spreadsheet must be submitted, demonstrating the formulae used. 6.The results of the work should be shown on the slides: please summarize your findings more effectively. The process of completing the report is not required. Am stuck,i dont know the way forward. kindly help

Hi @00kingduem If you have not used any formulae in your spreadsheet, that is a reason for failure. That means that you have not shown that you are capable of using the basic functions of a spreadsheet. You could seek a clarification on why the mark sheet refers to your "lack of a spreadsheet" by emailing them. I don't think your result would be overturned on appeal due to the reason I have mentioned earlier though. Hope this helps! Adrian The Learning Luminarium

Hi @Hieund Trephena is on her break, and we are helping her answer as many queries as we can: 1. Yes, the non-financial analysis should generally come first before the financial analysis. That would mean moving SWOT and PESTEL up front before your ratio analysis. 2. There is no need to make any changes to your SLS. Please see 5.b of the infopack. 3. Even though other areas are not explicitly stated, you should look through to see if you can improve. We know of a student who failed his second submission after adjusting his project only for the problems pointed out in his first mark sheet. 4. A close benchmark is usually good practice. The ratios of a milk company would compare best with another company that makes only milk. 5. If you are submitting within 4 periods of your original submission, there is no need to update your financial statements. Please see 5.b of the infopack. I would consult the infopack and the resubmission information package before working on your project. These are essential readings. Remember to diversify your sources of information - relying largely on the financial statements of the company is a very common reason for failure. For SWOT and PESTLE, showing how the company reacted to the different factors you have identified, and quantifying the impact (wherever possible) would help a lot. For example, if you could show that environmental concerns have led to the company using a larger proportion of renewable energy, which saved them $Xm dollars a year in operating expenses, that would be an attempt for you to link PESTLE with your financial analysis. All the best!

Hi @sonimaina 1.Use the models discussed in Part 2 to analyse your results in Part 3 2. From the quote given, I can deduce at least two possible problems: 1) Your claims are not backed up by any information collected 2) You failed to analyse sufficiently the problems you have presented. Ask yourself: does this apply to ALL employees? Are there differences in motivation for different groups of employees? 3.There is no need for an ‘Abstract’ or ‘Literature Review’; these are a waste of word count. - I think this is fairly self-explanatory. 4. Avoid direct quotations as far as possible. All interviews conducted should be presented in the appendix and cited in your RR as you make reference to them. 5. A spreadsheet must be submitted, demonstrating the formulae used. (to collect your findings. Please read the latest infopack) 6.The results of the work should be shown on the slides: please summarize your findings more effectively. The process of completing the report is not required. (You are only required to present your analysis found in Part 3. Again, please read the infopack. This would have been avoided if you had referred carefully to the latest infopack. Do also read the resubmission guide released by OBU). I hope this helps! Adrian The Learning Luminarium

Hi all. My question relates to the resubmission statement...if I pass my RR and failed the SLS am I required to also write the resubmit statement?

Hi mygenoa, That is a rare situation indeed. To my understanding, as long as you resubmit, a resub statement is needed. The reason is that for the SLS, the examiner would have given reasons for failure. The statement would explain how you addressed the critical points the examiner raised. All the best, Irwin The Learning Luminarium

Hi, Can anyone please assist me on the feedback?' 2. Application of Accountancy/Business Models Fail Very little of your analysis and application is referenced. For the RAP application means researching how for your company it interacts with its commercial environment and how it is shaped by its commercial environment using the models that you have chosen. This research should be evidenced by consistent referencing of the sources that you are using and you are not doing this. * I do not understand this sentence: "For the RAP application means researching how for your company it interacts with its commercial environment and how it is shaped by its commercial environment using the models that you have chosen." On part B, I though I should only illustrate the business model and accounting technique used for the organization and its limitation. The application of these are written in part C?* 3. Evaluation of Information, Analysis And Conclusions Fail You have not understood what is required for analysis. If we look at an example of what you say about gross profit “The gross profit margin of IHH from the financial year 2015 to 2017 remained at a steady level of 73% to 74%, implying decent management of IHH towards its cost of sales, despite of the uprising of inflation and high bargaining power of supplier. Staff cost has been the highest operating cost throughout the financial years. However, staff cost has remained consistent in par of revenue with the range of 0.385:1 to 0.406:1 in the course of 2015 to 2017 which was not the main cause of significant decrease in net profit margin in financial year 2016.” All you are doing here is describing movement in the accounts and using another aspect of the accounts to explain this movement. Much more is required for the RAP. You should be exploring the business decisions and strategies of the company and use these to explain the change in results referencing your findings. *I fully understood this feedback as I read through previous threads.* 4. Presentation of Project Findings Fail Account extracts are also required for your comparator *I think the account extracts refer to my competitor analysis in part C, which I only included the graphs. I have included account extracts in the financial ratio analysis in part C though* Overall Technical and Professional Skills Fail Graduate Skills 6. Information Gathering and Referencing Fail You have not understood what is required for referencing. Referencing is evidence of the research that you have done and is a necessary skill that you must demonstrate on a regular and consistent basis. Although you have done some referencing you are making too many unreferenced statements , especially in your business analysis, which begs the question where did you get the information from? You also need more sources to strengthen your financial analysis *fully understood* 7. Information Technology Fail You have produced a spreadsheet but you now need to go further and use excel to calculate the ratios and also produce a formula sheet showing the cells you have used for your calculations *I truly do not understand this, what does it mean to use excel to calculate the ratios? I have calculated the ratio eg "=('APPENDIX I - IHH SoPF'!B8/'APPENDIX I - IHH SoPF'!B5)" in the excel on every ratios respectively. What about formula sheet? the formulas are visible in the formula bar when clicked onto. Do I need to create another new sheet, copy paste the entire ratio sheet, and click "show ratio" to show as formula instead of calculated ratio?* Please help. Thank you

OK I will attempt -my take on Part 2 (what you call B): The environment a company operates in is key to understanding its operations. You should start Part 3 with an application of the models (usually PEST and SWOT ) but as the marker says you must reference your sources (See the Open Tuition Ultimate Guide to Referencing your RAP which is on the homepage opentuition.com/obu to help you). However as you progress to the financial analysis you need to tie some of the results you find with the business environment conditions i.e. the SWOT and PEST factors -these are linkages the marker is looking for. These linkages can often make a huge difference to the quality of the work. When students come to me for resubmission for Topic 8 the first thing we work on are addressing any issues with the SWOT and PEST and I stress the importance of how management decisions and strategies will have been based on these and how they need to bring this In when looking at performance. For example the marker has informed you that most of your comments described the trend - but they want you to 'get under' the figures researching what pressures and decisions lie behind them. With your IT it does look that although you used formulae to bring in figures from different worksheets the marker was expecting to see some basic numerical formulae e.g. (C21-B21) /B21. I don't see anything wrong with what you have done and had this been the only thing 'wrong' I would have suggested grounds for appeal (it has not been assessed in accordance with the assessment criteria)

1.Evaluation of information, analysis and conclusions Fail Much of your analysis is too descriptive and is unreferenced, particularly the ratio reports. It is not enough to state the ratios, you need to be able to dig deep to provide referenced sources to explain the ratio changes You are advised to put the business analysis first to provide better context and support to the financial analysis. Your conclusions are weak. You cannot leverage strong profitability indicators - you leverage favourable circumstances to achieve strong indicators. Your conclusion of business aspects is largely generic, and it should be written to align with the topic. I think you would be better advised to follow the outline shown in the Information pack. 2. Presentation of project findings Fail I think you would be better advised to follow the outline shown in the Information pack. 3.nformation gathering and referencing Fail Limited and / or irrelevant information sources used, or substantially dependent on a single source. You need to carry out more research to provide reasons and also provide many more in text references Please help

Hello, I am in a processs of writiing the OBU report Q1: Will it be enough if in addition to financial ratios I used SWOT and PESTEL analysis? Q2: When I make the explanation of the business models PESTEL an SWOT what usually and clearly the best methodology of using them . Q3 Can I include the tables and graphs in the Appedeces instead of the body of the report. Thanks for help.