The CIMA SCS May/August 2021 pre seen materials were released earlier this month – it’s based around a scenario called “Arrfield” – you can find the full official pre seen materials from CIMA here.
I passed the CIMA SCS exam first time in 2019 and you can read all about my experience here.
If you are looking for that final piece of motivation, then please check out my CIMA journey where I talked through how I found each level and the ups and downs in becoming CIMA qualified.
CIMA SCS Arrfield: Top 10 Issues
Astranti do a great job in analyzing the pre seen materials and identifying the issues raised that can act a trigger point for a question on exam day.
If you have already spent hours and hours pouring over the pre seen for Arrfield and are now looking to focus your sights on specific areas, then the top 10 issues preview video will give you an idea on how to approach it.
The video gives you the first two issues that have identified around “Ethics” and “Funding” but perhaps more importantly it gives you the tools or framework on how identify issues yourself based on the pre seen materials.
CIMA SCS: Astranti Case Study Course
The full Astranti SCS case study course has recently been revamped and contains more resources than ever to help your pass the MCS exam first time.
Pre seen materials pack (analysis, top 10 issues, industry examples & 30 questions)
The CIMA SCS pre-seen materials were released last week for the May SCS exam, it’s based around a healthcare company called “Denby Healthcare” – you can find the official pre-seen materials from CIMA here.
SCS Astranti May 2019 Course
The full SCS course from Astranti is really packed full of resources.
Complete pre-seen pack (pre-seen, strategic, industry analysis and top 10 issues)
3 x Full tuition videos
2 x Study texts
2 x Live Masterclasses (the keys to passing and revision masterclass)
3 x Full Mock Exams (based on Nov 18 scenario)
Detailed marking and feedback
Ethics Pack
Pass Guarantee
Here is an hours preview video of the Astranti pre-seen analysis to whet your appetite.
Pre-Seen Analysis: Denby Healthcare
I’ve gone through the pre-seen analysis a couple of times and found a few interesting areas that caught my eye;
Overseas Revenue
There wasn’t a huge amount of significance in the P&L and Balance Sheet of Denby or their competitors but the analysis of the Overseas revenue did catch my eye.
It dropped from 145m to 103m in 2018 and this is a concern, given that equates to a 30% drop in revenue in that segment.
There is also a link or indicator as to how to combat this decline in revenue.
The Keeland Daily News article mentions a football player who flew to Cornopia to have specialist care that was not available.
“The club’s doctor had recommended the hospital because it could offer specialist care that was not available in Keeland.”
Denby should start looking towards specialist care that is not available in other areas to increase their own overseas revenue. Identifying other regions weaknesses when it comes to private medical care could prove a lucrative avenue of income.
Staffing
It’s mentioned a few times in the pre-seen analysis, staffing is a Critical Success Factor for Denby Healthcare and need to ensure they keep their best staff and attract the best in the medical profession.
“Staffing is most important element of patient care”
And this isn’t just restricted to the head doctors or surgeons but the pre-seen emphasizes the importance of staff at levels. Which makes sense for a private hospital. The competition is fierce so any added extra value that can be given to the patient will have an impact on the reputation of the hospital.
However, there is some reassurance that this recognized and actions are in place to help mitigate those risks.
There is also an opportunity here for Denby to take advantage of the increase in applications for Nurisng Degree’s mentioned in the news article at the end of the pre-seen.
Denby should be thinking of working alongside the tuition providers to provide a stream of qualified nurses straight into Denby before a competitor private hospital does.
Share Price Plummet
The share price drop in the last six months will be a major concern to shareholders and will need to be addressed.
The share price in November 2018 was around K$4 but now it’s closer to K$2 – what has caused the share price to drop so dramatically?
The geared and ungeared beta’s are both below 1.0 so the market sees a below average risk with Denby Healthcare, so what has caused the markets to react the way they have?
Furthermore, there will be increased scrutiny from the shareholders as there is a widespread shareholding that will need to be re-assured the company is heading the right direction and plans are afoot to increase the share price in the coming months and years.
The final round of pre-seen materials for the November 2016 CIMA case study exams were published yesterday and the SCS students will focus on a company called ADF (Anderson Dairy Farming).
This SCS exam signals the end of the CIMA journey for those students who face it next so the next six weeks represents the most important in your CIMA studies!
With this in mind, the pre-seen video analysis provided by Astranti is the perfect starting point for getting to grips with the materials published by CIMA yesterday.
Good Luck!
ADF: Pre-Seen Video Analysis
SCS students will be taking on the role of Senior Manager in the Anderson Dairy Farming Company (ADF). So the tasks and questions you will face will be of a strategic nature as opposed to the more operational and mid-managerial level.
But first, we must get to grips with the pre-seen materials for ADF.
I would recommend going through the materials yourself, make notes and highlight the key information – then watch the pre-seen analysis from Astranti and align your notes accordingly.
Below is a pretty big preview video (57 minutes) of the full pre-seen analysis.
By now, you should know the pattern we are going to take!
The strategic analysis of ADF should be under-taken so you get a firm grip on the strengths and weaknesses of the company and their overall strategy.
What markets are they operating?
What customers are they targeting?
What gives them their competitive advantage?
What are their competitors doing?
The ideal model to use is the SWOT analysis – Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Anyhow the Strategic Analysis video will give you a great platform for understanding the strategy behind ADF.
You can find the full set of videos (including Strategic Analysis) on the November SCS here.
ADF: Top 10 Issues
Once you have understood the strategic analysis and performed the pre-seen analysis, you should have an idea of the kind of questions that will come up on exam day.
However, this can be very subjective and given the amount of information you need to digest it’s an almost impossible task to identify all of the syllabus areas and likely issues that could come up on exam day.
This is where the Top 10 Issues video gives you a focus and advice from a CIMA tutor on what they believe will come up on exam day regarding the ADF case study. It’s a great way to focus your studies in the lead up to exam day.
You can find the full set of videos (including the Top 10 Issues) on the November SCS here.
Astranti SCS Pass Guarantee
Finally, the full SCS course for the ADF case study covers all of the resources you will need for exam day – ranging from the videos mentioned above to online revision classes with mock exams and tutor feedback and marking.
It’s finally here. The SCS pre-seen material for the August sitting of the strategic level case study has been released by CIMA.
This, the final exam for many students, will be arguably the toughest exam you will face in becoming qualified. So get started now on your revision and exam preparation – I have put together below a series of video previews from Astranti will set you on the road to becoming CIMA qualified!
You can find the official pre-seen material for the August 2016 SCS from CIMA here.
AEN: Pre-Seen Video Analysis
Understanding the pre-seen material is crucial to achieving a pass mark on exam day. It makes up the basis and platform for the questions and topics you will face when sitting the exam, make sure you are 100% comfortable with the material.
Below is a preview of the pre-seen analysis for AEN.
You can find the full set of videos on the August SCS here.
AEN: Strategic Analysis
The strategic analysis of the SCS scenario AEN is up next, here you will begin to understand and think about the mission and strategic goals of the company.
Finally, the top 10 issues video goes through the most likely topics to be examined in the strategic level case study. It looks at the company and pre-seen materials and pin-points syllabus areas which could well be examined. It’s a great way to get some focus when preparing for the SCS.
The pre-seen material for the May 2016 CIMA case study exams have been released for a good few weeks now, so you should have a good understanding of the case study scenario.
However, it’s crucial you complement your knowledge on the case study by researching the industry in question. To pass the CIMA case study exams you must be able to give full and comprehensive answers that cover the pre-seen material, unseen material, technical knowledge AND the real life industry analysis.
By ticking all of these boxes when writing your reports and email replies in the case study exam you’ll give yourself the best chance of passing.
See below for some useful links that will help you prepare for exam day. Meanwhile, Astranti have spent hours and hours doing the research for you, you can also find the industry analysis preview videos below.
Good Luck for those preparing for the May case study exams!
OCS May 2016 Case Study: Sanchez Navarra
Here are some useful links on the beauty and bath products industry that will help you understand the real life situation around Sanchez Navarra.
The opticians industry is an industry most of the population can relate to. If you don’t wear glasses then someone in your family usually does, so you should know something at least on how the industry works. Even if it’s just the expensive price lenses and frames cost!
Here are some useful links of the industry analysis and further down you will find a preview of the industry analysis from Astranti.
Finally, the Strategic level case study exam is focused on the theme park and amusement industry. Here are a few links on the trends and market reseach associated with Dreem Park – you can also watch a preview of the industry analysis that has been compiled by the guys at Astranti.
The final batch of pre-seen materials have been released for the May 2016 CIMA case study exams. DreemPark is the company in question for the next Strategic Case Study (SCS) – you can find the official pre-seem material from CIMA here.
You’ll need to login to your CIMA connect account to access the pre-seen material.
Another resource that is worth looking at is the pre-seen SCS pre exam kit. You can find it here and it covers the following points.
How to use the pre-seen material.
Details of the “Ask a Tutor” session.
Student webinar: student exam success
Previous SCS post exam kits and feedback
Much, much more.
Meanwhile, Astranti have also released their pre-seen video series on the May 2016 SCS DreemPark. You can watch previews of the videos below, they will give you a great insight to the scenario and provide a good platform of knowledge when tackling the SCS.
DreemPark: Pre-Seen Analysis
The below video focuses on the May 2016 SCS pre-seen material page by page and highlights the key points you should be thinking about.
The May 2016 SCS will represent the final exam for students and to achieve a pass mark you will need to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the company in question. This video focuses on the strategic analysis of DreemPark and is a must watch for SCS students.
Astranti are so sure you will get a pass mark by taking their full case study course, that if you don’t pass they will give you the next full SCS course for free.
Here is what is included in the course.
SCS study text (part 1 and 2)
Pre-seen analysis (video and text)
Strategic analysis (video and text)
Top 10 issues (video and text)
Industry analysis (video and text)
2 x online master classes – each class is a full day revision (recorded and live)
3 x online mock exams – answered with detailed tutor feedback
The final set of links and resources for the February 2016 case studies are here. The Strategic level students have been given a company in the fashion retail industry called Rio.
CIMA released the Strategic Case Study pre-seen material last week and it’s available in full here.
A reminder that SCS exam sittings begin on the week of Monday 23rd February and the results will be released on 7th April 2016.
Alongside the pre-seen and strategic analysis of the Feb 2016 SCS, there are a set of SCS masterclasses videos that tell you the keys to passing.
Astranti also offer a pass guarantee on all of their SCS Courses – which means if you fail the exam you will get the complete course free charge for the following sitting until you pass the exam.
If you have any other resources or links you would like to share then please leave them in the comments below so other students can access them.
the cima student 