Tag: Accounting

  • The November 2024 OCS – BackOffice

    It’s now been a week since new pre-seen for the November 2024 and February 2025 OCS exam was released. This time, the pre-seen business is BackOffice, a manufacturer of workplace backpacks with a focus on style and sustainability. If you’re sitting the OCS this November or February, I hope you’ve already had a chance to…

  • The Benefits of Studying CIMA

    Why is CIMA becoming more and more relevant in industry today? Well, it’s a subject I have been giving lots of thought to recently as I embark on the strategic level. I say embark, the reality is I have yet to open a P3 text book but the plan is start after I’ve finished writing…

  • The Week Ahead – 18th April 2016

    It’s been a tough of couple weeks for me personally in terms of getting back on track with my CIMA F2 studies after failing at the beginning of the month. The Kaplan exam kit arrived so I could start revising again but I’ve yet to open it. But nevertheless a new week brings new hope!…

  • E2: Useful Links and Resources

    E2: Useful Links and Resources

    E2 Project and Relationship promotes an integrated approach to managing organisations from an internal and external perspective. It takes the knowledge you have gained from the E1 paper and builds on it by looking at the concept of strategy and how it can be implemented by people, projects, processes and relationships. Here are a come…

  • The Week Ahead – 1st February 2016

    It’s the beginning of February and the case study exams will soon be upon us. Feb 2016 Case Study Exams The OCS students are in their final week of preparation for the exam and should be making sure they have every angle covered (not just the theory). So this means, you should be brushing on…

  • Social Media Accounts to Follow!

    It’s almost the end of the working week and the perfect time to brush on your social media accounts to follow. I have researched, short-listed and drawn up a list of people and accounts you should be following on twitter. Here they are (in no particular order). @CIMA_News – the official CIMA twitter account is…

  • The Week Ahead – 18th January 2016

    Last week was a much more productive week for me personally in regards to my F2 studies. I managed to catch up on some slack from week one as well the week two topics I planned to cover. Here is what to expect for the week ahead on The CIMA Student. CIMA News There was…

  • Budgeting and Beyond!

    Budgeting and Beyond!

    While studying for the operational case study I was revising the budgeting section of the P1 syllabus and the idea of Beyond Budgeting really struck a chord with me. Traditional budgeting methods, in my opinion, are becoming outdated and counter-productive. The idea that departments will needlessly spend in the final months of the year to ensure…

  • Integrating Work Experiences and CIMA

    Integrating Work Experiences and CIMA

    Finding different techniques to revise for exams can be difficult. Trying to recall pages and pages of notes and study text in the exam isn’t ideal. So speaking as an older CIMA student (over 30) it makes sense to try to think about the practical experience you have gained and apply to your CIMA studies…

  • F1: Useful Links and Resources

    F1: Useful Links and Resources

    The operational level of the CIMA qualification covers the implementation of strategy as well as reporting on the implementation of the strategy. It’s focus is purely on the short term. The main area of the F1 syllabus revolves around Financial Accounting and Reporting. However, you shouldn’t neglect business taxation as it represents a quarter of…

  • Outsourcing: A False Economy?

    The E1 paper (and the Operational Case Study) could throw up a question on outsourcing. It’s a topic I am really quite familiar having worked in a couple of environments where the company were outsourcing services. In some instances, it felt like the cost savings made by the company by outsourcing their finance function was…

  • CIMA Exams – one at a time?

    CIMA Exams – one at a time?

    The new CIMA 2015 syllabus, in my eyes, has changed dramatically when you consider the examination structure. The objective tests can be scheduled at any time and have been reduced to 90 minutes with several smaller questions covering the whole syllabus. It’s a welcome relief not to have face the 180 minutes hand written exams…

  • Traditional Study Materials v Online Materials

    Traditional Study Materials v Online Materials

    When I started my CIMA studies last year I automatically purchased all of the study materials from Kaplan without giving it much thought. I ordered the E1 and F1 books – so the study text, exam questions kit and revision guide – and was generally pleased with them in terms of content. Especially the exam questions…