Top tips for the ACCA December 2008

Top tips from people in the know for the upcoming exams – tutors at Kaplan and FBT

F4 CORPORATE & BUSINESS LAW
*English legal system – delegated legislation/interpretation of statutes.
*Obligations – formation and terms of a contract. Duty of care in tort or professional negligence.
*Employment – dismissal.
*Company law: incorporation procedure or articles; maintenance of capital; termination of directors office and directors powers; types of meetings and resolutions; and fraudulent behaviour – money laundering.

F5 PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
*Budgeting.
*Learning curve.
*Performance appraisal.
*Transfer pricing.
*Risk and uncertainty.
*Throughput accounting.
*Variances, including mix and yield.

F6 TAXATION
*Income tax – sole trader with adjustment to profit.
*Corporation tax – 12-month period straddling two financial years, possibly with a loss.
*Partnerships.
*Benefits in kind.
*VAT.
*Company tax losses.
*CGT – shares and relief.
*Overseas.

F7 FINANCIAL REPORTING
*Consolidated statement of comprehensive income and consolidated statement of financial position for a parent and a subsidiary company.
*Published accounts from a trial balance and notes.
*Ratio analysis and interpretation of accounts.
*Constructive contracts/IASB framework.

F8 AUDIT AND ASSURANCE
*Planning – risk assessment (two big questions in June and December 2005, only 10 marks since then).
*Controls Q1 purchases or payroll (sales last time).
*Substantive testing Q1 – stock (only a few marks recently, high risk, compliance and sub tests), creditors.
*Ethics – conflict of interest/ confidentiality.
*Review – overall review, checklist (probably not g/c!).
*Reports – scenario question, what sort and why (types tested last time).
*Internal audit – question tested last two sittings so less likely this time.

F9 FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
*Investment appraisal.
*Sources of long-term finance.
*Re-gearing and de-gearing betas.
*Working capital management.
*International risk management.

P1 PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANT
*Transaction cost theory.
*Performance appraisal.
*Shareholder dialogue.
*Audit committee.
*Ethics theory.
*Internal audit.
*Stakeholder categorisation.
*Board structure.
*Corporate social responsibility (CSR).

P2 CORPORATE REPORTING
*Group cash flow.
*IFRS 3 Business combinations revised.
*Impairment.
*Financial instruments (again).
*Non-financial reporting.
*Related party transactions.
*Ethics.
*Cash flow statements.

P3 BUSINESS ANALYSIS
*Analysis-type question – PESTEL or on risks.
*Product choice use of BCG.
*SWOT, Ansoff and change management.
*Opportunities and problems of different growth strategies, eg acquisition and organic growth.
*CSF and PI – relate to a scenario.
*Ethics – business benefits of being socially responsible (short question).
*Quality – six sigma linked in with the CMMI model (possibly technical).
*Project management – stages of the project with stakeholder mapping of project members.
*Supply chain management.
*IT – general question relating to the benefits of e-commerce. Also use of the internet and development of a niche strategy.

P4 ADVANCED FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT
*Investment appraisal – overseas investments (FDI).
*Business valuation.
*Option pricing – Black Scholes Model.
*Interest rate hedging – futures and options.
*Stakeholders and conflict of objectives.
*Bond pricing and credit spreads.

P5 ADVANCED PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
*Divisional performance and benchmarking.
*Transfer pricing.
*Activity based management.
*Profit calculation.
*Modern developments.
*Corporate failure.
*Environmental management accounting.

P6 ADVANCED TAXATION
*Corporate tax.
*Income tax.
*Inheritance tax question – this is the only question that is likely to be largely numerical and therefore require lots of calculations. Written parts, if any, are likely to be on trusts, deeds of variation or interaction with CGT.
*Incorporation of a business (lifecycle of a sole trader style).
*Share for share exchanges, perhaps to create a group of OMBs.
*Tax efficient 'remuneration' planning for a director.
*Industrial buildings allowances, specifically on a building being sold.
*Controlled foreign companies.
*Gift relief and lifetime gifts.
*Car and loan benefits.
*Business property relief.

P7 ADVANCED AUDIT & ASSURANCE
*Ethics/professional issues.
*Planning/risk assessment (audit risk).
*Forensic auditing.
*Prospective financial information.
*Evidence gathering.
*Reporting.
*Corporate governance.

Source: p-q-accountant

Use these tips in conjunction with a full programme of revision!