ACCA P3 Business Analysis - the most popular models

I'm preparing for ACCA P3 exam. It seems Business Analysis is the best and most interesting subject in the ACCA qualification!!! The only problem is that there are a lot of models we need to remember)) I try to find the most popular models and focus on them while I'm studying P3.

Model # 1   PESTEL    Macro environment, strategic position analysis (evaluation)

Political  -  tax policy, labour law, environmental law, trade restrictions, tariffs, and political stability
Economic -  economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and the inflation rate
Social -  health, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety
Technological -  R&D activity, automation, technology incentives and the rate of technological change
Environmental - weather, climate, and climate change
Legal -  discrimination law, consumer law, antitrust law, employment law, and health and safety law

The summary of ACCA F8 Audit and Assurance

Quick look at ACCA F8 Audit and Assurance.

Assurance

Audit is the process, assurance is the product.

Agency theory: secondary agent (auditor) delivers the aussurance to principal (shareholders) that the report (FSs) provided by primary agent (director) shows T&F view.

Objective of EA is assurance, purpose of EA is delivery confidence of FSs to shareholders.
Reasonable assurance is a high degree of confidence, but NO guarantees!

5 elements of assurance engagement:

(1) 3 parties relationships:

• practitioner (auditor)
• responsible party (director)
• intended users (shareholders)

(2) subject matter
(3) criteria (standards)
(4) audit procedures to form opinion
(5) audit report

Positive assurance - high level, but not absolute, a lot of testings to form opinion, FSs show T&F view
Negative assurance - medium level, a smaller amount of testings to form opinion, we have no evidences that CF forecast does not provide T&F view.

Statutory audit is an audit of annual FSs.

Auditor & AC - matters to discuss:

• scope & timing of audit
• significant findings during audit
• independence issues
• modification of audit report (opinion)
• man-t representation requested
• fraud cases

Corporate governance (CG) - systems by wich the company directed and controlled.
Rules of CG:

• global - OCDE Code
• national - The US - SOX, The UK - The UK CG Code
• other - Stock Echange Rules

Underlying concepts of CG:
HAIR DRIFT

The summary of ACCA P1 Governance, risk and ethics

Governance

Agency theory - directors act as agents of shareholders
Potential problem - strategy to benefit directors, not shareholders, different attitude to risk (not their investment), short-termism
Goal congruence - incentives to align interests (profit related pay and share option schemes)

Rules or principles-based approaches
Rules - SOX, legally enforced, section 404 ICFR penalises SMEs
Principles - UK Combined Code of CG, comply or explain, SMEs more leeway, not legally compulsory, market benefits or penalties for non-complier

CG concepts - HAIR DRIFT
Honesty- truth, not misleading
Accountability - directors accountable to shareholders, stakeholders
Independence - NEDs free from conflict of interests
Responsibility - directors responsible to stakeholders
Decision taking - improve wealth of an entity
Reputation - ability to comply with CG concepts
Integrity - honesty and balance, trustworthy
Fairness - take into account legitimate interests
Transparency - full disclosure of material matters

CG purposes -PIGCREW

Practice methods - governance provides practice methods to aid those who are managing a company
Investment - governance creates assurance and trust thereby attracting investment
Growth - governance creates conditions for growth of the economy
Control - it is set in place to control excessive behaviour in the organisation
Rules - it creates rules within which the organisation is operated
Employment - it creates employment as well as deals with several employment issues
Wealth - it supports a wealth-creating capitalist system

Chairman - role (Higgs report) - RAISE DIP
Run the board
Active engagement by board members
Induction programme
Sufficient time for complex decision
Effective communications with shareholders
Development needs for directors
Information provided accurately and timely
Performance evaluation

Useful Mnemonics for ACCA P1 Governance, ethics and risks

Preparing for exams, I have noticed that such enormous amount of new information is not able to be retained in my mind (!) How to improve the memory? The answer of this question is given by mnemonics. Many of teachers at Opentuition, BPP & LSBF use this technique in their lectures to improve the memorizing of their students.

I have collected some useful mnemonics for ACCA P1 Governance, ethics and risks. Hope it facilitates you to remember the relevant. :)

Ethical principles
PrOFIT

Probity
Openness
Fairness
Integrity
Transparency


Internal controls - categorisation
OPA SPAMS

Organisational Controls

• Control over the organisation structure including managers having specific responsibilities and delegations tasks.

Authorisation

• Controls to ensure that transactions do not proceed until an appropriate individual has given approval.

Physical

• Protection of assets against theft, unauthorised access or use.

Supervision

• Oversight of work of other individuals to ensure tasks are carried out correctly.

Personnel

• Controls in place to ensure the suitable people are employed.

Arithmetic Accounting

• Checking accounting transactions for accuracy, includes use of accounts and reconciliations (e.g. bank reconciliation).

Segregation/rotation

• Different people for each transaction to – Authorise, Record, Maintain physical custody of any assets (i.e. petty cash), pay for it.

Management Controls

• Control actions taken by management depending on the contents of reports received. Managers should be involved in the day to day supervision of staff.

Internal control - objectives

SCARE

Safegard Assets

Comply with Laws&Regulation

Accurate Financial Information

Reduce Fraud

Efficient Business

Corporate governance - concepts

HAIR DRIFT

Useful mnemonics for ACCA F8 Audit and Assurance

Preparing for exams, I have noticed that there are an enormous amount of new information to memorize. My mind explodes. How to improve the memorizing? Mnemonics is an answer. Many of lecturers on Opentuition use this technique to improve the memorizing of their students.

Art of memory was very important in preliterate times when priests, shamans and the teller had to memorize vast amounts of information. The first texts about Mnemonics were written by the ancient Greeks. In the Renaissance, the knowledge was especially valued, so the ability to keep the knowledge in mind was the key to success. Giordano Bruno has published a book on mnemonics "The shadows of ideas." He was invited by the French King Henry IV, who tried to find out - how he had so much knowledge) And in our time interest in mnemonics is not waned.

I have collected some mnemonics to memorize the information of ACCA F8 Audit and Assurance and ACCA P1 Governance, ethics and risks.

Financial statements assertions
ACCA COVER

Accuracy
Completeness
Cut off
Allocation

Classification and understandibility
Occurence
Valuation
Existance
Rights and obligations

Sources of evidence
AEIOU