ACCA paper 3.5, SBPD, is a pet subject for FTC's Sean Purcell
Section A
If you look at the previous papers you will know that this contains a 60 mark compulsory case study on which you are likely to get four questions. These questions are always along a similar theme and you are likely to be required to evaluate the resources or the external environment of the organisation in the scenario.
My suggestion here would be to use the frameworks you have learnt in your studies (e.g. PEST, 5 Forces, 6M's). However do not make the mistake of simply regurgitating the facts of these models as the examiner and markers have commented that this is not only wrong but actually turns them off you! (see previous exam comments on ACCA website). The skill you need to demonstrate here is that you can show the examiner that you know how to apply the models in the context of the scenario. Don't forget the models are meant to act as catalyst for your thought process!
The exam is then likely to ask you to suggest some options, which will enable the company in the scenario to improve its situation. Here again you can use models to help act as a catalyst for your thought processes (e.g. Porters generic strategies, Ansoffs product market). Care should again be taken to make sure that you use the models in an applied way. The other issue to be aware of is that if the exam gives you figures, it is a reasonable assumption that you should use them in your answer. It surprises me how many students ignore them. The key is to behave like a business analyst and comment on the key trends the figures show.
No two sets of figures are ever the same but you should look at the differences in gross margin, revenue growth maybe stock turnover if stock is mentioned. Also remember that you must do theses calculations quickly.Section BHere questions tend to be targeted on a more specific area on the syllabus and there is a choice of 2 from 3. One area that every student should be aware of is the area of innovation and learning (hopefully everyone has taken the shrink-wrap off the Student Accountant magazine and read Ralph Bedrocks article on the role of the accountant in new product development in Jan 2005).
If a question does not come on the exam in the next couple of sittings I will personally do any forfeit PQ chooses. However students need to prepare for a question, which might be quite open and ambiguous and rely on them to create and articulate a strong argument.For other parts of section B It is advisable that students should familiarise themselves with change management, marketing, ethics, international issues and organisational structure. However the key factor that will influence your success in
Section B is that of question selection.
Make sure you read each question (both part a and b if applicable!) and then estimate what realistically you should be able to score. Choose those questions that you feel you can get the highest scores onAlso manage your time and you need to keep a closer eye on the clock than a winning premier league manager in the final few minutes of a game. I would tend to recommend about 1.5 minutes per mark actually writing with the rest of the time (30 minutes) set aside for reading and planning.
Finally remember that it is pointless writing a great answer if it is illegible. Therefore try and get the markers to warm to you by presenting your answer in a logical and legible way. If you do a quick plan and mark focus for each one you should have no problem.Further reading can be done by looking at my articles on the strategic planning process part 1 and part 2 on the ACCA official website
Sean Purcell
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