Theories in E3

CAUTION - THIS POST RELATES TO THE CIMA 2010 SYLLABUS, SO IS NO LONGER VALID


Anonymous wrote:

With reference to paper E3 Enterprise Strategy and Change Management in particular - based on your past experience in this paper would you say that we need to know all the different theories regarding dealing with change management. I know a few of the theories, ie Unfreeze, Change & Refreeze and Forcefield Analysis however there seems so many other theories and models I really cannot remember them all. Is it likely we would be asked to use one particular model in the exam? I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Good question. Bear in mind that, at the Strategic Level, most questions will be testing skills at the highest levels of the verb hierarchy. Questions of this sort seldom identify specific theories, as they are phrased in a very practical way ('analyse the problems....', 'advise the organisation...'). Such questions allow you to choose the theoretical model(s) that you feel will help. Obviously, the examiners have certain theories in mind, when writing the questions, but there is always a high degree of flexibility in the marking guides, to allow for different approaches. At this level, a practical approach (based in theory) is what is required, rather than a theoretical approach.

Bad handwriting

CAUTION - THIS POST RELATES TO THE CIMA 2010 SYLLABUS, SO IS NO LONGER VALID


Jono asked:

My writing is quite untidy and when I write on both sides of the page, reading is difficult. Are we allowed to leave each alternative page blank in the exam in order to avoid a mess and just have a longer answer?


Yes. It's your paper. You've paid for it. Use it how you wish. If you need another book, just ask.
 
I often recommend that students who press on the paper quite hard do this, as the writing can show through on the other side.
 
Also, as I said in the post below, "think more and write less". This will allow you to write more slowly, and therefore more neatly. Most students write far too much in their exam answers.

Completing T4 in the time

CAUTION - THIS POST RELATES TO THE CIMA 2010 SYLLABUS, SO IS NO LONGER VALID


Anonymous said:

"Do you have any suggestion regarding the preparation of case study T4? Despite my having a timetable, I always find time insufficient for me to develop my ideas, resulting in cutting short to be able to finish on time. What do you suggest?"

Time management in the T4 exam is a nightmare - there are so many things to do. I have the following suggestions, which may help...

1. Practise, practise, practise! The more case studies you do, the faster you can do them. I think you should attempt at least five case study mock exams, under simulated exam conditions, before attempting the real exam.
2. Do not plan to do what cannot be done. You are the only person who knows how fast you think and write in an exam. It is better to complete a report that has slightly less content (fewer issues, fewer options) than might be considered 'ideal', than to fail to complete the report.
3. Try writing less. Never write anything in your report that the recipients already know, or that is 'just commonsense'. Make sure that everything you write adds value. Think more - write less - get more marks!

I hope that helps.

Nov 2010 (and Mar 2011) pre-seen for Strategic Level

Neil asked

Do you have any comments on the pre-seen for November? (Strategic Level)

Well, Neil. Yes, I have lots of comments, but you'll need to be more specific. If you look at the other posts on this blog about the Strategic Level pre-seen, they all apply equally to the new stuff. I'm not going to analyse it, and try to predict what questions may come up, as others have done that (on the CIMA website) and I think it has more value for you to do it yourself. If you have specific questions, I'll happily answer them here. Just comment...

I have a Learning Burst, about how to use the pre-seen.

If the rest of you want to post your comments about the pre-seen here, that's fine, but there are threads on CIMASphere already.

Buying Pass First Time in Africa

Great to see all my African friends again. I'm in Cape Town today, talking to students about T4B and the Strategic Level, and off to Mauritius tomorrow. Several of you (in Zambia and SA) have asked about getting my exam techniques book - If you want a copy of CIMA: Pass First Time!, and you're in Africa, Kalahari books have it.