Top Tips for the RAP + Marking Criteria - Read before starting your RAP

Amazingly very informative about the RAP, many of new things I came to know through this forum. I would like to appreciate the hard effort everyone put in providing the information and knowledge too. Thanks,

hello for topic 8 how many ratios should be calculated for financial analysis ???

@zee90 - It is quality not quantity and how relevant they are that matters. You need to do a good section on gross and net profit explaining the changes in the trends well (not just making statements of the obvious and citing copious numbers). You should do some on liquidity (but the quick ratio is pointless for a service industry), gearing and debt ratios are important and investor ratios are vital. Again it is the explanations for these linked to the SWOT and PEST that are more relevant than the actual total number of ratios in your RAP. The explanations should also extend to some extent to the comparator. Ratios alone will not meet the assessment criteria as they show no critical thought (see the Assessment criteria) but good explanations show that you are introducing thought to the process and are important to pass.

Some basic tech hacks Phew now that I have passed I guess I can suggest some simple and tried-tested ways to help you do your project work more efficiently. - Some of your source documents will be pdf files like the annual report for example. You can use a professional software for pdf like Nitro to easily mark, add notes, highlight, extract pages, navigate through these - Definitely use reference generators. MS office has add-ons. There are other ones online too. - Use the app Evernote for adding and making notes about your project, to brainstorm, for scheduling and creating to-do lists. Its available for your phone, tab or pc so is convenient - If you found important articles online for your project work... & you are using your phone or tab, umm take a screenshot of the titles or main para. Lol statement of the obvious but doing so helps you pin-point the para or article and keep track of where you read it - Alternatively use bookmarks on your browser - MS Visio is lovely if you want to create flow charts or diagrams - Those of you wanting a statistical software for perhaps data analysis Minitab is great! I don't suppose you need this for the popular topic 8. And I don't know if anyone needs to go at such lengths for other project topics. But its a good one if you are looking for something like it - Use Storify to collect relevant posts from social media that will help you with the project. Quite an impressive app!

@trephena....I have started my RAP project under topic 8 but I am abit confused and stuck. I have started part one after I went through a couple of projects but I seem not to progress. Kindly help.

Hey, I failed my RAP and SLS for May 2014 submission since my referencing was not adequate.My presentation was long and so the comments from the examiner was its hould be resricted o 15 minutes but i have mentioned that i obtained permission from the mentor with his guidance. i am really demotivated this time...i chose topic 8 last time i chose topic 16. I want someone to guide my rightly and review my projcet for me..still havent chosen one..im from srilanka. Iam afraid that i would fail thsi time.

Hello, How many factors would you say are ideal for the SWOT and PESTLE analysis? Also is reasoning for the change in each ratio year on year good enough for analysis? Or do we have to decide whether the performance was good or bad? Also what would you suggest as ideal for the referencing (any sites, or help with the correct format), as many of my seniors have failed before due to incorrect referencing, I would not like to repeat their mistakes. Thanks a lot!

Hello. I have a query regarding the Part 3 analysis and evaluation. Is it necessary to explain all the ratios calculated and which are shown in excel? Because, I have calculated about 3 ratios under each component of CAMEL. I think explaining 2 ratios pretty much tells the performance of that particular component.

@fathima and everyone else who has posted above after avian will. PLEASE NOTE this particular forum topic is for Tips NOT Queries!!!! Please post under Queries for Topic 8 OR the relevant topic forum. We have specific ones for T17, T20, T18, T16, T13 etc so please look for the correct one for your topic. If your query relates to something more general to all topics e.g. Harvard Referencing or the Presentation then use that one. The rules for the Presentation are set by OBU and it should last 15 mins - mentors and students CANNOT change the rules to suit themselves!!! So either get yourself a more clued-up mentor or read the OBU Information Pack You do not copy and paste articles and change a few words for if you do, you are likely to be failed on Understanding AND Referencing. Again this tends to imply the need for a good mentor to advise you. @onchabaderrik - you need to be more specific in your question as it is not clear what exactly the problem is so I cannot be specific in my answer except say that you too sound as if you need to thoroughly read the Information Pack and get yourself a reputable mentor

@adeydee - Do not worry about the date not coming up in brackets - OBU recommend but do NOT prescribe Harvard for the RAP. Referencing has to be clear, accurate, complete and systematic and the example you have given as an entry in the list fulfils this requirement. In your reference list you will normally only have one entry per year per company e.g. XYZ plc (2012) - Annual Report to Shareholders XYZ and similarly an entry for 2013 and 2014 etc. However in the text where you are citing a comment from the annual report (as opposed to actual figures) you should write something like (XYZ plc, 2013 p.27). This would then take the reader to the appropriate page in the annual report. With the figures themselves it is not normally necessary to cite the page if they are taken from the Financial statements themselves as you can assume that when mentioning revenue etc. the marker knows this must have come from the financial statements (and you must include extracts of these) so just (XYZpl, 2013) woud be fine. Alternatively figures can be referenced to these extracts in the appendices e.g. (Appendix 2) and the appendices themselves show the overall source of the financial statements - the name of the company and date). There is a lot of information of the Harvard Referencing forum so please go through that and also read my article on Referencing on our homepage www.opentuition.com/obu

PLEASE may I remind everyone that the title of the Forum Topic is TOP TIPS FOR THE RAP ? It is NOT a forum where you should be posting queries so please choose the appropriate forum topic if you have questions and ONLY post TIPS here!!! (If you do not know where to post your query then please post it under: PLEASE HELP KEEP OUR FORUMS TIDY!!!!! and I will move it to the appropriate place and send you an email where you should look for it and your reply) Trephena OT OBU Forum Moderator

Dear Bassaniobroke and Trephena, Thank you very much for your advice. I have 2 answers, could you please answer them? 1. If I have information originated from annual report and an analyst of a bank securities, should I cite both or only one? 2. I do research from 2012-2014. For charts and graphs, I would like to insert 2011 figures to evaluate changes in 2012. Is it OK? (This question was asked in topic: https://opentuition.com/topic/three-years/. However, I wish to have a confirm or an answer from you) Thank you so much

@NTD As indicated several times above you have not used the correct place to post your queries. Please post questions in the appropriate place and and I shall be happy to answer them there. STUDENTS ARE ONCE AGAIN REMINDED that this particular topic is called TOP TIPS FOR THE RAP and is for sharing specific tips and NOT a platform for asking questions. So PLEASE DO NOT post questions here

Trephena, thank you for the useful reply. Any advise on which graphs and charts should be used? Many students just can not decide sometimes...

@M.Iqbal - It rather depends on the topic but if you mean T8 then graphs/charts for all the major ratios are normally appropriate with the comparator figures on the same graph so that the differences in performance are readily apparent. Certainly as I mention many times in my posts: graphs are a far better way of conveying information than words and lots of text and they also mean that students then only have to have a few of the most significant figures in their commentary. This makes the report far more readable. It is however particularly important that students do not over-do the graphs in their Presentation. Doing a graph or chart for every ratio is not feasible for a 15 minute presentation so revenue, gross profit, net profit, liquidity, gearing and one or two for investor ratios will normally suffice. (The same graphs/charts from the report can be utilised there is no need to re-do them)

Hi Trephena, I appreciate your help for students. Please I'm desperate to score at least grade "B" in my Project; never for C. Can you give me some helpful tips on topic 8 which can help me achieve "B" grade. Again, can I use only a parent company Financial Statements in a group setup rather than the group accounts? Thank you for your time.

@favour - no big ask here then?!! :-) Read the assessment criteria - it is clear that your grade will mainly be influenced by the quality of your Evaluation & Analysis - so that is what you focus on. I would read and re-read every single CEO and Directors' Report for the last 4 years. Why 4 years? Because the first year you look at for your 3 years will probably have been influenced by the previous year's factors. Make detailed notes from these reports as they are big clues to the strategies, decisions and policies the company will have pursued. Start the E&A with the SWOT and PESTLE and spend time on researching the key factors that have impacted on the company. Try to trace these via the strategies through the trends for three years and really show the linkages. DON'T put too many figures and percentages in the text - your graphs should do most of the 'talking' in this respect -so only mention key figures for impact otherwise the whole lot becomes a monotonous repetition of numbers and loses all effect. A text-book approach, statements of the obvious and comments that read like the notes to the account (e.g. net profit decreased because administration costs and depreciation charges increased) are likely to result in a fail. With ratios explain profit ratios, gearing and investor ratios in detail. Also remember the relationship between ratios and strategies - if shares have been issued then look for possible changes in gearing - not so much the change in proportion of debt to equity but whether the capital from the shares was used to repay long-term loans or used instead for heavy subsequent investment either in capital equipment or acquisition of a subsidiary. It is showing awareness of how everthing fits into the big picture that will impress the reader/marker whereas just churning out routine comments and formulaic work will bore them to tears. C grade for T8 often means it wasn't particularly informative but met the assessment criteria. A B or above normally indicates a more structured approach and evidence that the student really understood what they were writing about, provided good examples as appropriate and their commentary was based on sound research and sensible reasoning.

As apparently marking and moderation is mostly now done and dusted for P30 I asked one of the moderators if there was anything they could add to my comments above to help students get at least a B grade. Here were some of their main comments: "Somehow it never occurs to students that by the end of the session a marker may have had to read in excess of 80 RAPS on T8 by which time they will be fed up of reading the same-old, same-old comments. What you want as a marker is something that is written clearly and shows depth of understanding. So something that IS fresh really stands out. Sometimes this is when the student has gone 'the extra mile' - everything is well explained, it flows well and makes sense and they surprise you with the depth of their research. If it is a joy for the marker to read then you are going to reward the student by awarding a higher grade than a C. By contrast sometimes I wonder if a student has tried reading through their whole work in one go - like the marker has to do. I am convinced most haven't otherwise they would realise how heavy going some of their work is - far too many generalisations, figures everywhere and so dreadfully repetitious that the marker actually despairs...." Other points they mentioned: - keep your work clear and crisp -nicely laid out with appropriate headings/ sub-headings, adequate line spacing, good graphs - cramped work is harder to read and unappealing - Don't waffle, explain to the marker what they can't see for themselves from the graphs and from the financial statements and show off your Research - aim to impress with your knowledge -use your words well -no one needs primary data usually for T8 so why bother droning on about what primary data is in Part 2? Stick to the point and finally don't forget that a good Conclusion is required so learn how do an effective one. So everyone I hope that helps! - Trephena

Thanks OT for this forum. What are the tips on the research approach..

@josuns - use a broad range of sources. For T8 this means searching reputable business pages such as Forbes.com, BBC news online, Telegraph etc or the equivalent in your own country for articles relevant to the organisation chosen. You also need to read the CEO and Directors reports for your chosen company for the 3 years and analyse the strategies used. In Part 2 for some topics you need to do a brief literary review e.g Topic 6 review of the classic motivation theories; Topic 17 a brief background history of Corporate Governance - you will find Google Scholar a useful source for this. Good research relies on appropriate sources and these if used well help present balance and add critical thought

Hello ma is it OK to start each paragraph by stating during YE 12 Gross profit fell by 10% due increase in price of raw and also because of rise in price of petrol.( BBc 2015)

Hello ma how do I display judgement In my rap is just saying profit went up 50% due to high demand of products ABC as price fell to reman competitive

@stevr - please can you note that this forum topic is EXCLUSIVELY for top tips for the RAP and NOT for queries? Your queries need to be posted to the most relevant forum topic - one based on 'Topic 8 financial analysis' You need to explain the trends so yes "during YE 12 Gross profit fell by 10% due increase in price of raw and also because of rise in price of petrol.( BBc 2015)" would be appropriate but the marker would expect other reasons too... With your second query this is good as far as it goes but you would need to provide a reference to support your statement that demand has risen and probably also another to support the statement that this was a consequence of a definite decision to remain competitive (such as referring the reader to the page in the CEO / DIrectors' report where the management had made these statement[s]). References show that your comments are based on reliable evidence you found from your research.

Thanks ma u are great

Hi, I have an average of 66,and the only way to get a first class degree is to get an A in my research, can anyone who got an A please tell me what is required of me. Thanks

@nish81 - you need to choose a decent topic and company and go for clarity throughout for starters. You need to blow the marker away with the depth and relevance of your research. If doing T8 really link the SWOT & PESTLE factors to the findings and analyse the impact of management strategies (+ 3 years for competitor analysis). Nice clear relevant graphs, and NO superfluous figures and percentages in the text - just significant ones. Aim to 'thrill' rather than 'kill' the marker (through boredom) - my contacts in the marking team tell me they suffer 'a thousand deaths by numbers' during marking!

@trephena thanks a lot,was just curious though,do you offer mentorship for the research.

No unfortunately it would put me in difficult position as if I were a paid mentor with contacts in the marking team it could compromise both me and the independence of them and might be construed as I am exploiting them for personal gain. Instead I am able to offer advice to everyone. (And I am sure mentors as well as students have also benefited). If you haven't chosen a topic yet then I do recommend T17 as 2 of our students following my advice on the T17 Forum confirmed getting B grades. I think with a bit more critical thought in looking at the pros and cons of CG in general and evaluating that aspect in the context of their company + perhaps using appropriate resources of the website for Applied Corporate Governance to help in their approach then possibly they might have been able to have achieved an A. (I know from their emails and posts they had minimal mentor support so a first rate mentor may have been able to help them lift it through constructive criticism). As you have 5 months you have the time to research well and review your work which are 2 important factors for a higher grade. Good luck! :-)

@trephena I appreciate your help,for any queries and guidance I know who to come to, again thank you.

Hi, nish81, Hope you are well! I am sure that Trephena replies & the top tips must have helped you well. For your help you can see my suggestions below: Firstly, you need to decide topic of your RAP which is key deciding factor of your grade because you need critical evaluation skills for all topics. In addition, if you are not comfortable with analysis and topic, then you unable to exert 100% efforts. Research Analysis Report is a good example of cyclist in a championship. What it means is that you need to do simple things, balance and run bicycle as fast as you can, without doing any tricks or stunts. What OBU require from students is to produce a BALANCED REPORT covering all areas required by topic under its passing criteria which is: 1.Understanding of accountancy/business models (Choice of models, evidence of wider reading, be clear & relevant) 2. Application of accountancy/business models (Insightful & critical application of model) 3. Evaluation of information, analysis & conclusion (Critical thought & rigorous approach) 4. Presentation project findings (Can engage reader in coherent manner, appropriate structure & coherent report) Graduate Skills 5. Communication (Fluent language, grammar and spellings) 6. Information gathering and referencing (Evidence of range of information sources & use of Harvard Referencing System) 7. Information Technology (Use of online sources & use of spread sheet and/or other software) 8. Ethics (This is not required by OBU specifically as a passing criteria but in opinion it is essential) If you need detailed help, please tell your topic and industry also. I will soon be posting a topic on understanding of OBU marking which will help you in understanding how to cover above areas. I hope above helped you. Regards, Hammad Ahmed Qureshi (ACCA & ACA) - BSc Mentor