P3 exam tips – June 2013 (Bpp, Kaplan, LSBF, First Intuition, Becker)

Exam tips are out! Enjoy but do not rely on them.

Kaplan

Here are some suggestions of key areas which may be tested in June 2013:
• Project management
• Benefits management
• Supply chain management
• Business process change
• Stakeholder analysis
• Decision making techniques

BPP

Whilst we at BPP cannot give exam tips as such the following are areas of focus:
• The three strategic lenses, compared with emerging approach. Note RPM.
• PESTLE, 5 Forces and Diamond.
• Value Chain and Benchmarking
• The Cultural Web
• Stakeholders ( Mendelow)
• BCG, Strategy clock and Ashridge. Parent/SBU
• Ansoff and Lynch
• Minzberg
• Analysis management of change (Balogun and Hope
• Outsourcing and Harmon’s model
• E marketing and E Business
• Financial analysis (F2 and F5)
• Project Management ( All aspects).
Note
There has been a syllabus addition this sitting this says:
“ Evaluate the role and limitations of cost accounting in strategy development and implementation with specific reference to the following:
1. Direct and Indirect costing
2. Overhead Apportionment
3. Activity Based costing.”
These are all aspects that should have been covered in F2 and F5. Of course the verb “Evaluate” means weigh up i.e advantages and disadvantages but the emphasis seems to be on the words Strategy development.
So as an example:
If overhead apportionment is incorrect then you might set wrong selling prices. This might lead to a reduction in profitability or loss of customers, a major negative strategic disadvantage for the company.
Impact could be lower dividends to shareholders or loss of market share.

Opentuition

General business analysis: activity based costing; linear regression; generic strategies

Business process change: Harmon, swim lane diagram

e-Marketing – particular emphasis on pricing, including calculations

People – job design and motivation

LSBF

* Strategic analysis.
* Evaluation of a strategic option using suitability, feasibility, acceptability.
* Project management particularly the initial stages.
* Improvement of business processes.
* Strategic management accounting.

First Intuition

* Environmental Analysis – people with financial analysis.
• Project management.
• Strategic action.
• Information technology – pricing strategy.

Becker

• Project management.
• Environmental analysis, using PESTEL or Porter’s 5 forces and the impact of change on all stakeholders.
• Business process change or improvements.
• Corporate level strategy perhaps involving Boston Consulting Group matrix.
• The role of management accounting in helping to achieve the strategic objectives.
• Strategy and people, perhaps looking at leadership qualities.

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Source: https://www.pqaccountant.com/
https://www.kaplan-exam-tips.com/acca/

Very best of luck with your exams!
ansi