Business Analysis Commercial Awareness

Evaluating a Financial Case

Purpose of Building a Financial Case; Techniques used for evaluating a Financial Case

Budgeting, Costing and Pricing

Budgets and Departmentalised Businesses; Cash Flow and Cash Management; Costing and Pricing

Financial Reporting and Analysis

Balance Sheet; Income and Expenditure; Cash Flow Statement; Ratios(formulae and interpretation)

Market analysis and competitive advantage

Analysing the business domain; Analysing the portfolio; Delivering value

Organisationalbehaviour and culture

What is organisationalbehaviour? Organisational effectiveness and the Balanced Scorecard; Understanding and analysing culture

Group formation

Groups and group dynamics; Formal and informal groups

Principles of organisational structure

Organisation structuring; Types of jobs; Line, staff and functional relationships; Formalisation of rules and procedures; Centralisation v decentralisation

Operating models

Organisation structures and their characteristics; Organisational boundaries

• understand three techniques used to evaluate a financial case.
• understand costing and pricing.
• understand cash flow forecasting and budgeting.
• describe the contents of financial accounting documents.
• interpret financial accounts.
• explain specified business performance ratios.
• define the elements and usage of Porter’s Five Forces Framework and Value Chain.
• define the elements and usage of the Boston Consulting Group’s matrix.
• define the performance measures and usage of the Balanced Business Scorecard.
• define the elements of specified cultural analysis approaches.
• explain the different management structures and their characteristics.
• define the different architectures that may be adopted by organisations.

• Those wishing to acquire a basic level of understanding about business finance and behavioural influences.
• Those wishing to attain the BCS Certificate in the Commercial Awareness.

None.

Type: Computer-based or paper-based 40multiple-choice questions

Duration: 60 minutes. Candidates sitting the examination in a language other than their native language have 25% extra time

Pass Score:65% and above(26 Out of 40