Thursday 21 November 2013

ACCA P3 Business Analysis - examiner's reports

There is no any individual feedback for ACCA students from an examiner about their exam work sheets. The ACCA offers to find an examiner's report about all students exam performance.





We can find these reports on www.accaglobal.com.
To download them click the link P3 examiners reports

I'm preparing for P3 in December 2013. Thus, I try to analyse the recent report of performance in June 2013.

The pass rate of P3 is about 50%. Therefore, this exam is slightly easier than F8. How to join to the group of successful candidates? I'm looking for the clues in the examiner's recommendations.

Question 1
Section A MidShire Health - 50 marks

Part a) i) 18 marks +2 prof.marks - Project management concerns
Performed well




Identify and analyse mistakes made by the CEO in the project management process (initiation, conduct and termination) in his attempt to introduce strategic planning, and an associated information system, at MidShire Health.

Part a) ii) 18 marks +2 prof.marks - organisational culture and configuration
Performed not so good as part a) i)


Explain how an understanding of organisational culture and organisational configuration would have helped the CEO anticipate the problems encountered in introducing a strategic planning system, and an associated information system, at MidShire Health.

The examiner was upset because there was the same question 1 part b (20 marks) in December 2008. The failure of strategy was explained by the failure of understanding of organisational cultural issues at the National Museum.
So we should practice as more past papers as we can to pass our exam well and do not upset an examiner :)))

Part b) 10 marks  - performed poorly (many candidates < 3 marks)


Evaluate the strategic planning project at MidShire Health through each of these three strategy lenses: design, experience and ideas.

Section B


Questions 2 and 3 are more popular among students than question 4.

Question 2 NESTA - 25 marks


Part a) 15 marks - Porter's five forces
Performed very well


Use Porter’s five forces framework to assess the attractiveness, to NESTA, of entering the discount 
fixed-price retail market in Eurobia.

The examiner was upset by some candidates who didn't use financial data. They couldn't find the key things like size of three companies in the market were very similar and the market was growing. 

Part b) 10 marks - new market entering discussion
Performed poorly


Discuss the potential use of scenarios by NESTA’s managers as part of their analysis of NESTA’s possible entry into the discount fixed-price retail market in Eurobia.

The examiner explained that there are two possible scenarios: Best-case and Worst-case.
But students do not watch TV interviews and do not read the newspapers and BPP study text. That's the reason, under examiner's opinion, of wrong using of inappropriate models (Porter's diamond, SAF criteria and SWOT analysis).

The case study scenario will always concern global industries, which are frequently the subject of articles in the business press, and so candidates are encouraged to continually read business supplements to help them prepare for this exam. 


Question 3 Chemical Transport (CT) - 25 marks


Part a) - 15 marks - Harmon's process-strategy matrix
Performed well (Many candidates 13+ marks)


Use Harmon’s process-strategy matrix to analyse the characteristics of each of the three process areas defined above and suggest how each should be sourced and implemented at CT

Part b) - 10 marks - CRM
Performed poorly


Evaluate how CT could use a CRM system to acquire and retain customers.

Common mistakes were using e-marketing and 6 I's which were only partly relied on scenario of CT (B2B) or suggestions for B2C (not CT case).


Question 4 Sully Truin & Academic Recycling Company (ARC) - 25 marks


Part a) 15 marks - leadership style analysis
Performed well (not popular)


Analyse Sully Truin’s leadership style before and immediately after the training course and explain why the change of leadership style at ARC was unsuccessful.

Part b) 10 marks - job enrichment scheme
Perfomed poorly


Describe the principles of job enrichment and evaluate its potential application in the Contracts Office at ARC.

The students couldn't provide enough the relevant points. The concept is usually considered as good thing (job enrichment), but the scenario of ARC tells us there is a difficult to apply it.

In conclusion, the examiner told us that there were some good answers in parts a) of every questions and not good in parts b). So, time management was probably a main reason of such performance. We should allocate enough of time for both parts of sections to perform well)) and be carefull with scenario and appropriate models))


To know more how to gain the professional marks in acca p-level exams

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