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Those students preparing to sit the F2 paper will know that question 7 has always been a 25-mark analysis and interpretation question. The examiner expects candidates to include some ratio [...]

What experience? Area 1--Basic Accounting contains such items as: Coding of transactions Journal entries preparation Account reconciliation Ledger maintenance Trial balance preparation Area 2--Management Accounting contains: Contributions to systems design [...]

By the case writer for paper T4 part B Recommendations are a crucial part of any business report. A report that fails to make sensible (or indeed any) recommendations would [...]

Question 4 of the November 2011 Performance Operations paper presented a scenario in which a company needed to decide between two replacement computer systems that had different lifespans. Many candidates [...]

Perhaps the most interesting case study of risk and control strategy last year was that of Northern Rock. In September 2007 the bank was one of the top five UK [...]

Recent examiner's reports have highlighted the application of knowledge and the use of scenario information as key skills for answering questions in the P3 paper. The ASAP approach - explained [...]

By the examiner for P1 The section on common errors in each P1 post-exam guide is a great resource. It helps students to see where past candidates have gone wrong [...]

The introduction of CIMA's new syllabus has brought some important changes to the way the Financial Strategy paper is examined. F3 differs from the old P9 exam in key aspects [...]

It would be easy to assume that arbitrage does not form part of the P3 syllabus, as it involves making a profit from exploiting market price differentials. But performance strategy [...]

Section D of the Financial Management syllabus relates to developments in external reporting. Constituting ten per cent of the syllabus, it includes a range of topics concerning non-financial environmental and [...]

What is it about the term 'financial instruments' that makes the average student panic? Many accountants simply need to know what a financial instrument is, when to recognise it in [...]

In recent years a large proportion of candidates have scored low marks when asked to describe the characteristics of various business methods and their associated costing systems. Each approach has [...]

Financial managers have traditionally appraised new investment projects by discounting the after-tax cash flows to present value at an entity's weighted-average cost of capital (WACC). The formula for calculating it [...]

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is included in the E1 syllabus under the 'Global business environment' heading and covers a key syllabus objective: 'Explain the principles and purpose of corporate social [...]

The UK's revised guidance on corporate governance matters came into force for accounting periods starting on or after 29 June 2010. The most obvious revision is that the document's full [...]

Candidates taking paper P3 should understand the central role of risk management in every organisation, whether it's a business, a public-sector body or a charity. Risk management is sometimes thought [...]

Decision-making is a big part of most accountants' jobs. They regularly have to take, or provide the information for, key business decisions, both on a day-to-day basis and for the [...]

Most managers look no further than two or three years into the future. This is the usual amount of time they spend in one post and, after that, it becomes [...]

Much of the risk that a company faces is determined by its external environment, but risk is also affected by its own decisions, including those on how to finance the [...]

ABC is a small listed company in the service sector. Its board of directors takes its responsibilities to shareholders seriously. Over recent years it has tried to improve its corporate [...]

It's essential to appreciate that a business can use the profit maximising technique only when it's operating in an imperfect market--ie, one in which it can set the prices for [...]

A review of the business media on one day in January revealed headlines including: 'P&G to acquire Gillette in $57bn stock swap'; 'Branson eyes mobile phone firm in Nigeria'; 'Allders [...]

How you lay out your figures when answering questions on project appraisals, for instance, is important for two reasons. First, it makes it easier for you to work through your [...]

CIMA has responded to a key discussion paper from the International Integrated Reporting Committee, asserting that a new approach to corporate reporting is required in a changing global landscape. Formed [...]

'Fact or fiction? The independent business partner: Asia' is a new discussion paper outlining how finance professionals need to move from being the copilot to being in the driver's seat. [...]

CIMA's president, Aubrey Joachim (pictured), presented a new discussion paper from the institute entitled 'Global perspectives on governance--lessons from East and West' at a seminar in Hong Kong on April [...]

As many of you know, CIMA is introducing 20 minutes of reading time before all exams at managerial level and above from this month's sitting. This is a breakthrough for [...]

Reflecting on what you do and don't do can be particularly illuminating when it comes to working out where your time goes. It's the same for your studies. By thinking [...]

The first thing that students sitting any managerial or strategic level paper will encounter is the 20-minute period of reading time. The clear objective for the reading time is that [...]

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's working group on bribery is inviting public comments on its consultation paper, Review of the OECD Instruments on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public [...]

The P8 learning outcome 'identify major differences between IFRS and US Gaap' has been tested twice so far. The November 2005 paper asked candidates to cite examples of the two [...]

CIMA has responded to the Accounting Standards Board's consultation paper, 'IASB ED of a proposed IFRS for SMEs', and to the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) on its proposal to encourage [...]

The 'Case Study' article in April's FM explains how to apply the assessment criteria to maximise your marks, but it's important to read the unabridged version at www.cimaglobal.com/t4article. The new [...]

Changes to section weightings The following three managerial level papers will have new section weightings from the May 2007 diet: P1 Management Accounting--Performance Evaluation; P4 Organisational Management and Information Systems; [...]

The May 2006 question papers are now available to download from www.cimaglobal.com/studyresources. Simply click on the relevant subject name on the left-hand side of the screen and then choose the [...]

The European Federation of Accountants (FEE) has published the findings of its discussion paper on EU risk management and internal control. The new report concludes that, while Europe should learn [...]

The concepts of fixed and variable overheads, overhead absorption and contribution and marginal costing can be found in a number of CIMA papers. They are indispensable tools for any management [...]

CIMA has responded to consultations on the future role of the Accounting Standards Board; the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group's discussion paper 'Achieving consistent application of IFRS in the EU'; [...]

It's easy to get carried away with all the models covered in the paper P6 syllabus and forget why it's there in the first place. The syllabus is at the [...]

The value chain was designed by Michael Porter in 1985 as a systematic way to examine how competitive advantage develops and to identify where value is added in an organisation. [...]

Imagine that you've just passed your finals and want to celebrate by buying a new car. You might have received a big bonus for completing the exams, so you could [...]

In response to questions and comments from TOPCIMA candidates and tutors, the CIMA panel that prepares the case studies for the exam has produced guidance on how the assessment criteria [...]

The pensions green paper has received a mixed response from employer bodies and pensions experts. Although the CBI welcomed the government's plans for simplifying the system, Mercer Human Resource Consulting [...]

IFAC has issued a paper calling on directors to develop an internet reporting policy that ensures they provide high-quality transparent information on the web. The policy should include: * the [...]

There are a number of changes in the law contained in the Finance Act 1998 which are potentially examinable in the papers set in the May and November 1999 examinations, [...]

The ASB has published a discussion paper, Business Combinations, which is unusual in that its proposals have not been developed or debated by the ASB. Instead it reprints the text [...]

What is the one piece of information that you can guarantee your employees will study carefully each month? Internal e-mails and the intranet? Notices on the walls of the staff [...]