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General Comments: @owneSD qN
The December 2010 examination saw a more evenperformance by candidates across all syllabus areas than in previous sessions.Itappears that candidates are now preparing for questions on as many subject areasas possible,and this has resulted in few questions having very low passrates.This is in contrast to earlier papers,when candidates scored higher passrates on accounting and finance questions than those relating to organisationsand human resources management.While pass rates on the latter were generallyhigh,candidates also performed well on topics that have presented majordifficulties in the past. tg/UtE`V
The highest pass rates were on questions relating to the relativeadvantages of computerised systems and manual systems,the use of spreadsheets atwork,time management,purchase ledger,organisational concepts(scalar chain andspan of control)and the Blake and Mouton managerial grid. tNi>TkC}`
Lower pass rates were achieved on questions relating tocontrol,International Accounting Standards,training assessment,the contributionof the accounting function to marketing activities,data protection,security andBelbin’s team roles theory.It should be noted that some of these questions wereworth a single mark,confirming that such questions can still present as manyproblems to some candidates as those worth two marks. >CqzC8JF
Over 70% of candidates answered questions on jobdescription,selection,outsourcing and leadership styles successfully,which isencouraging given the historically lower pass rates on questions relating tohuman resources management.The majority of candidates also answered questions onleadership theory,organisational culture,Honey and Mumford’s learning styles andmulti-skilling successfully. M Irx, d
Inevitably,some candidates guessed the answers to certainquestions,witnessed by the choice of option D for questions with only A,B and Cas available answers,and option C or D for questions with two choices of A orB. qUkM No3
Sample Questions for Discussion =1l6( pJ
Example1 " d_wu#fO)
Question 23 required an understanding of the contribution of theaccounting function to the activities of the marketing department. 8Y?M:^f~
Analysis of costs and revenues of different products would assistthe marketing department in respect of whichactivity? ?FQ#I~'<
A Differentiating the technicalfeatures of products from those of competitors !mmMAsd,
BCalculating the maximum discounts that sales personnel are permitted tooffer J,2V&WuV0r
C Targeting sales efforts towards the mostappropriate socio-economic groups "+F'WCJ-(*
D Determining productionbonuses to be paid " <!U
The correct answer is B.By analysing costs and revenues through the use ofmarginal costing or related techniques,the marketing department will know theextent to which discounts will erode profit margin or contribution. <W"W13*j!
Analysis of costs and revenues cannot help the marketing department todifferentiate the technical features of products from those of competitors,asthe accounting information provided does not identify such information eitherfor competitors or the company itself.Likewise,analysis of costs and revenuesserves little purpose in relation to targeting socio-economic groups,as thisrequires qualitative assessment of customer needs and buyer motivation. 50^ux:Uv+N
Production bonuses are not ordinarily decided by the marketingdepartment.Only 36% of candidates answered this question correctly. * j %x
Question 24 related to data protection. qz-QVY ,
Which of the followingprinciples is usually recommended for inclusion in legislation on dataprotection? WTJ
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A The data user should provide thedata subject with regular and detailed information on the dataheld t<!;shH,s
B All personal data held by data users should beupdated by checking this data with the subject atregular G mz^vpQ]t
intervals - b(DPte
C All personal data held by datausers should be adequate for the purposes of the data user but notexcessive t~) P1Lof\
D All personal data held by data users should bereviewed regularly and automatically deleted after a specified period oftime <x OX+D
The correct answer is C.It is a generally accepted principle thatorganisations should hold only data that is necessary for operationalpurposes,and should not store data that goes beyond such purposes. cu hp4!!
It isimpractical for most organisations to provide regular detail updates on personaldata held,and arguably of little importance to most data subjects,who in manyjurisdictions have a statutory right of access if they wish to obtain suchinformation from a data user.It is also impractical for data users to enter intoregular dialogue with data subjects in order to check and update the data,thoughmany organisations do so for the purpose of marketing.It is undesirable fororganisations to automatically delete all data after a specified period oftime,as it is usually appropriate that some data is held for long periods whileother many be retained for just a single transaction.36% of candidates answeredthis question correctly. z feT>S+
Question 45 related to different types of control in relation to managementof accounting information. =:- fK-d
DEF Co has decided to include in each customer’saccount number a check digit which will have an arithmetical relationship toother digits in the account number. ')y 2W1
This is an example of which ofthe following types of control? ^`&'u_B!+
A Inputcontrol P0m3IH)
B Back-up control HEF
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C Outputcontrol 5?kf E
D Contingency control .-KI,IU
The correct answer is A.Most candidates eliminated distractor C,butresponses were evenly spread across the other three choices. :!%V Sem
In this context,a check digit is usually a number included in an accountnumber that is calculated from the other numbers in it.For example,it could bedigit 2 plus digit 5 divided by digit 3.If an operative makes a transcribingerror,the check digit helps to identify the input error.Check digits are notused for the other three purposes.36% of candidates answered this questioncorrectly. 2%W;#oi?
Conclusions: HL38iXQ(
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The ability of many candidates to answerquestions across all areas of the syllabus confirms that prospects of success inF1 are enhanced by a sound knowledge and good understanding across all areas ofthe syllabus.The questions ask candidates to demonstrate their knowledge andapply knowledge at a basic level.None of the learning objectives are examined ingreat depth,so it is unnecessary to spend many hours on each topic. gxv^=;2C
There is no evidence to suggest that this paper is time pressured,socandidates will always benefit from reading the requirement carefully in orderto arrive at the right answer.In order to maximise use of the timeavailable,candidates should avoid selecting answers too quickly or spending toolong persuading themselves that their choice is appropriate. 35<A :jKS
It is especially important to give due consideration to all answeroptions,as the distractors are all usually quite plausible,but incorrectalternatives.Candidates may sometimes under-estimate the amount of thought theyshould give to a question,and this seems to be backed up by performance oncertain questions in December,where the pass rate was comparatively low ontopics that previously caused little difficulty.Examples include Porter’s valuechain,procurement and assessment of the effectiveness of training. b (Nv`'O
Candidates are encouraged to answer every question on the paper.Even if thecorrect answer is not known,it may be possible to arrive at it by ruling out thedistractors as incorrect.This process of deduction can be practised using thepilot paper and materials produced by learning providers.
