Study Zone

CIMA EXAM TIPS for May 2009

May we help you out with our tips? The examiners don't like it but we know you want them! So here are our top tips for the May exam from BPP.

P1 PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
* Variance analysis - calculations and interpretation (including mix/yield and planning/operational)
* Budgeting - preparation and discussion of behavioural impacts
* Transfer pricing - particularly the impacts on divisional performance
* Activity based costing - possibly compared with absorption costing
* Performance evaluation in the modern environment (TA ratios, balanced scorecard, JIT/TQM)

P2 DECISION MANAGEMENT
* Optimal pricing
* Learning curves
* Investment appraisal - NPV & IRR
* ABC
* Risk & uncertainty
* Relevant costing

P3 RISK & CONTROL STRATGEY
* Identification of risks
* Evaluation of, and improvement to, controls currently in place
* Risk management systems
* Internal audit process and work to review controls
* Costs and benefits of a particular internal control system including management accounting control systems
* Information strategies – systems, technology and management and the risks and controls inherent in this process
* Interest rate risk management (discursive as well as numerical)

P4 ORGANISATIONAL MANAGEMENT & IS
* Hardware and software feature regularly in section A – possibly also changeover methods and systems development
* Change management with change triggers
* Within operations management quality is regularly examined, inventory management could feature
* HR planning, recruitment and selection feature regularly across all sections of the paper
* Marketing covering marketing mix, segmentation and buyer behaviour are key topics

P5 INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT
* Managing conflict
* Stages of project management
* Critical path analysis
* Control issues
* Organisational goals and stakeholders Management skills and their importance in an organisational context
* Project management, possibly with a focus on the benefits of using tools such as software and appropriate techniques
P6 BUSINESS STRATEGY

* NPV or some type of cost benefit
* Strategic choice question approached via Johnson and Scholes 'Suitable, Acceptable and Feasible' framework. Your numerical analysis will support the acceptable element of this analysis.
* The role and potential impact of IT/IS on an organisation
* Performance management featuring techniques such as RI and ROI, Economic Value Add and Shareholder Value Analysis
* Internal analysis – how and why this would be performed by an organisation

[«all Studies]