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ACCA P3 Business Analysis

Sample Study Note

For exams in DEC2014

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© Lesco Group Limited, April 2015

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written

permission of Lesco Group Limited.

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Sample Note Content:

Main study note content [Total Pages: 162] ...................................................... 4

Product Summary .......................................................................................... 4

Live online course timetable: ............................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Live online note sample plan ............................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Corporate strategy ....................................................................................... 10

E Business .................................................................................................. 15

Please note:

This is just the sample study note extracted from the main study note in your tuition study

[This tuition study note is consistent in basic/super/gold package]. There would be more

chapters in the main study note covering the whole ACCA syllabus.

You can also take a look at the content within the main study note below:

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Main study note content [Total Pages: 241]

Chapter 1 Before setting up Strategies Error! Bookmark not defined.

Corporate governance ......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Culture ................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Stakeholder analysis: ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Ethics: ................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Absolutism VS Relativism ..................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Relativism ............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Corporate social responsibility ............................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Chapter 2 Strategy Error! Bookmark not defined.

WHAT IS A STRATEGY? Error! Bookmark not defined.

Definition of strategy ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Johnson and Scholes looks at classification of strategy using another way:3 lenses Error! Bookmark

not defined.

Johnson and Scholes has classified strategy into 3 levels(types): ....... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Corporate strategy Error! Bookmark not defined.

Business strategy (How) Error! Bookmark not defined.

Step1: review your current strategic position ..................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Step2, Make strategic choices ............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Generic strategic options ..................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Ansoff’s growth vector matrix ............................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Step3, Strategic evaluation .................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

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Integrated reporting ............................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Operational strategy Error! Bookmark not defined.

Project management: Error! Bookmark not defined.

Stages for project management: [IRBPPP]........................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Business case in detail.......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Costing techniques: .............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Forecasting ........................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Ratios: .................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

investment decision ............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Change management Error! Bookmark not defined.

Lewin’s three steps .............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Factors affecting whether people would accept change: .................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Turnaround Strategy: ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

How to manage change? ..................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Facilitate the change: ........................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Business processes Error! Bookmark not defined.

Business process resign options: ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Business process re-engineering (BPR): ............................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Harmon’s process-strategy matrix ....................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Business change lifecycle[AIDID] ......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Supply Chain ......................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

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E Business Error! Bookmark not defined.

E-business and E-commerce ................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

E-commerce forms: .............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Benefits and drawbacks of using E-business: ...................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Information & IT security ..................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

IT Security ............................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

People Error! Bookmark not defined.

Management & Leadership ................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Job Design ............................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Knowledge management system Error! Bookmark not defined.

Data, Information and knowledge ....................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Knowledge flow systems ...................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

knowledge management strategy: ...................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Knowledge management comment: ................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Organizational structure: Error! Bookmark not defined.

Types of structures: ............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Power structure: .................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Mintzberg: ............................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Marketing Error! Bookmark not defined.

Definition of marketing ........................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

Market segmentation .......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Marketing mix (7p’s) ............................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.

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Video Revision: Error! Bookmark not defined.

Product Summary

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Live online course timetable

Timetable: [Super+Gold package-additional revision would

be agreed between tutor and student]

Live Online Revision

Live revision1 Live revision2

F5 Performance management 25th Oct 7:00a.m.-14:00 22nd Nov 6:00a.m.-13:00

F7 Financial Reporting (INT) 2nd Nov 6:00a.m.-13:00 29th Nov 6:00a.m.-13:00

F8 Audit and Assurance (INT) 18th Oct 7:00a.m.-14:00 19th Oct 7:00a.m.-14:00

F9 Financial Management 4th Oct 7:00a.m.-14:00 5th Oct 7:00a.m.-14:00

P1 Governance, Risk and

Ethics 1st Nov 6:00a.m.-13:00 30th Nov 6:00a.m.-13:00

P2 Corporate Reporting (INT) 26th Oct 7:00a.m.-14:00 9th Nov 6:00a.m.-13:00

P3 Business Analysis 11th Oct 7:00a.m.-14:00 12th Oct 7:00a.m.-14:00

P4 Advanced Financial

Management 8th Nov 6:00a.m.-13:00 23rd Nov 6:00a.m.-13:00

P5 Advanced Performance

management 15th Nov 6:00a.m.-13:00 16th Nov 6:00a.m.-13:00

P7 Advanced Audit and

Assurance (INT) 27th Sept 7:00a.m.-14:00 28th Sept 7:00a.m.-14:00

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Last minute revision

Last minute revision Tutor

F5 Performance management 28th Nov 12:00-14:00 Ian

F7 Financial Reporting (INT) 1st Dec 12:00-14:00 Steve

F8 Audit and Assurance (INT) 22nd Nov 14:30-16:30 Alan

F9 Financial Management 22nd Oct 12:00-14:00 Steve

P1 Governance, Risk and Ethics 30th Nov 13:30-15:30 Alan

P2 Corporate Reporting (INT) 16th Nov 14:00-18:00(4hrs) Kieran

P3 Business Analysis 18th Oct 14:30-16:30 Alan

P4 Advanced Financial Management 19th Nov 12:00-14:00 Steve

P5 Advanced Performance management 21st Nov 12:00-14:00 Ian Janes

P7 Advanced Audit and Assurance (INT) 23rd Nov 13:30-15:30 Alan

*Please Note: This Timetable may be subjected to future changes. Kindly check regularly for any possible updates.

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Corporate strategy

Within corporate strategy there are 4things:

1. Vision, mission and values

Vision: final destination of company, ie, be a leader in the industry.

Mission: how to do that? Ie, provide high quality services.

Values: core characteristics, ie, fair.

The mission would usually be documented with a mission statement:

A mission statement will commonly contain the following:

- Purpose of the organisation.

- Overall strategy of the organisation.

- The core values of the organisation.

In order to realize the mission, company would usually set lots of objectives to

ensure it can meet with the mission. Objectives are more specific and seek to

translate the mission into a series of mileposts for the organization to follow. So

company should firstly identify what are the most important things for company to

succeed(CSF) before setting any specific objectives(KPIs).

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Critical success factor(CSF):

Critical success factors are those elements that an organization must perform

properly in order to succeed. These often link with competences. For example,

punctuality for train. Customer satisfaction.

We often use balanced scorecard to help us generate into ideas of what CSFs that

company should maintain:

Financial

Non-financial

Customers

Internal

Innovation and learning

Key Performance Indicator(KPI)

KPIs are set to measure the CSR.

Objective[KPI] setting criteria:

(SMARTIE)

Specific – clear statement, easy to understand;

Measurable – to enable control and communication down the organisation;

Attainable – It is pointless setting unachievable objectives;

Relevant – appropriate to the mission and stakeholders;

Timed – have a time period for achievement.

Innovative – come up with new ideas

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Environmentally friendly

2. which industry should company go into or leave

3. portfolio of company:

Parental company [step by step teaching sub; allow sub to use parent’s resources]

Synergy creator

Portfolio manager[hands off approach]

4. possible strategies:

Hold

Build up

Harvest

Divest

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But the above strategies are based on 3 theories:

1. Lifecycle theory

2. BCG matrix

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3. Ashridge Portfolio theory

High

Feel

Low

Low Benefits High

Ballast Heartland

Alien Value trap

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E Business

E-business and E-commerce

E-business means we are doing business using internet.

This would not only include automation of processes within organization using

internet, but also include e-commerce.

E-commerce means buy or sell goods using internet.

E-commerce forms:

Business to Business – B2B

Business to Consumer – B2C

Consumer to Business – C2B like freelancer.

Consumer to Consumer – C2C like in Ebay.

E-business means we are doing

business using internet.

E-commerce means buy or sell

goods using internet.

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Benefits and drawbacks of using E-business:

Benefits:

Increase sales revenue by marketing online;

Decrease costs by linking with suppliers closely;

Better information from internet to analyse data to improve further performance;

Drawbacks:

Security issues;

No experience;

Cost of set up.