2021年上海市ACCA考试成绩查询时间

正确答案：
(b) Criticisms
The audit committee is chaired by an executive director. One of the most important roles of an audit committee is to review
and monitor internal controls. An executive director is not an independent person and so having Mr Chester as chairman
undermines the purpose of the committee as far as its role in governance is concerned.
Mr Chester, the audit committee chairman, considers only financial controls to be important and undermines the purpose of
the committee as far as its role in governance is concerned. There is no recognition of other risks and there is a belief that
management accounting can provide all necessary information. This viewpoint fails to recognise the importance of other
control mechanisms such as technical and operational controls.
Mr Hardanger’s performance was trusted without supporting evidence because of his reputation as a good manager. An audit
committee must be blind to reputation and treat all parts of the business equally. All functions can be subject to monitor and
review without ‘fear or favour’ and the complexity of the production facility makes it an obvious subject of frequent attention.
The audit committee does not enjoy the full support of the non-executive chairman, Mr Allejandra. On the contrary in fact,
he is sceptical about its value. In most situations, the audit committee reports to the chairman and so it is very important
that the chairman protects the audit committee from criticism from executive colleagues, which is unlikely given the situation
at Gluck and Goodman.
There is no internal auditor to report to the committee and hence no flow of information upon which to make control decisions.
Internal auditors are the operational ‘arms’ of an audit committee and without them, the audit committee will have little or no
relevant data upon which to monitor and review control systems in the company.
The ineffectiveness of the internal audit could increase the cost of the external audit. If external auditors view internal controls
as weak they would be likely to require increased attention to audit trails, etc. that would, in turn, increase cost.

正确答案：
(c) The introduction of ERPS has the potential to have a significant impact on the work of management accountants. The use of
ERPS causes a substantial reduction in the gathering and processing of routine information by management accountants.
Instead of relying on management accountants to provide them with information, managers are able to access the system to
obtain the information they require directly via a suitable electronic access medium.
ERPS integrate separate business functions in one system for the entire organisation and therefore co-ordination is usually
undertaken centrally by information management specialists who have a dual responsibility for the implementation and
operation of the system.
ERPS perform. routine tasks that not so long ago were seen as an essential part of the daily routines of management
accountants, for example perpetual inventory valuation. Therefore if the value of the role of management accountants is not
to be diminished then it is of necessity that management accountants should seek to expand their roles within their
organisations.
The management accountant will also control and audit the ERPS data input and analysis. Hence the implementation of ERPS
provides the management accountant with an opportunity to change the emphasis of their role from information gathering
and processing to that of the role of advisers and internal consultants to their organisations. This new role will require
management accountants to be involved in interpreting the information generated from the ERPS and to provide business
support for all levels of management within an organisation.

正确答案：
(a) To: Helen Bradshaw
From:
Entry strategies for ‘Helen’s cakes’
Your choice of market entry strategy is a crucial one for you and one which will have significant consequences for the
operational side of the business. Your choice of distribution channel will determine the customers you reach, the volume of
sales you will achieve and ultimately the level of profitability attained. Key questions will include – is there a market for my
cakes, how big is this market, what segments of the market will I reach and is this the most appropriate channel for accessing
my customers? These are key questions that will influence your marketing strategy and its implementation through the
marketing mix detailed below. This choice of channel will effectively position your cakes in the market.
Your intention to produce ‘distinctive quality cakes’ suggests you are intent on differentiating your cakes from those of your
competitors. I have provided an assessment of the implications of choosing a particular entry strategy. Each entry strategy
will have a different combination of costs and benefits and involve different levels of risk. Although you will be supplying
basically the same product into each market, each market is very different and will require a different marketing approach.
Premium cake market
Here there is the opportunity to establish your brand and develop your reputation for meeting the demands of discerning
customers. There is also the opportunity to obtain premium prices based on the exclusivity of your cakes. New quality brands
are likely to be welcomed by the specialist cake shops and cafes and there is the advantage of relatively few brands with
which you have to compete. Entry barriers are therefore relatively low and the product range can be developed in a planned
way. Volumes, at least initially, are likely to be low and your existing capacity should be able to cope. However, entry into this
premium market may have some disadvantages. Clearly, for a premium product, commanding premium prices, quality is an
absolute must. Therefore, rigorous quality systems must be in place to ensure customer satisfaction. Equally, the demand will
be for fresh cakes with a short shelf life and this again will require small batch production and careful scheduling and
planning. Your distributors are likely to want many varieties of cakes, but in small volumes again has cost implications and
your ability to make-to-order may be an important factor in generating sales. As you are likely to be supplying a large number
of outlets spread over a wide area, this is likely to lead to high distribution costs per unit sold. Opportunity should be taken
to supply cakes to any chains of cake shops or cafes and thus lower the costs of distribution. You will clearly have to work
out the break-even position for each customer so as to avoid having large numbers of small customers who order insufficient
quantities to cover costs.
Supermarkets
Here there is the advantage of generating high volume sales and achieving some economies of scale. Equally, if you are able
to convince the buyers to stock your product using your brand this will gain you excellent exposure in the market. The fact
that you are supplying to a small number of large customers will also have a beneficial effect on your distribution costs.
Supplying the supermarkets with your cakes will bring some problems however. Here the attention to quality will be
considerable and the product must be consistent to prevent product rejection. You are likely to have to meet demands for
recipe change and price variations may also be required. Above all, the buying power of the supermarkets will put extreme
pressure on your prices and is likely to result in small profit margins. Equally important is the likely pressure to make cakes
to be sold under the supermarkets’ own label brands. Again the pressure on costs is likely to be intense and there is no
opportunity to develop your brand. Getting space on the supermarket shelves is likely to be expensive – you may be under
pressure to reduce prices to support in-store promotions. Also, the power of electronic point-of-sale equipment means that
underperforming products are soon deleted from the product list and removed from the shelves. Overall this is a high
volume/low margin market entry and getting your product accepted may take considerable time and effort.
Catering market
Here, typically, supplying catering wholesalers who in turn supply catering establishments. Volumes are likely to be
significant, with large bulk orders being placed. The product range is likely to be less extensive than with the other two
markets and there will be less need to offer recipe variations. This market is likely to be less quality conscious provided the
cakes meet the demands of the caterers. There is less pressure to produce cakes under the caterer’s own brand and therefore
the opportunity to build your own brand. Barriers to entry would be relatively low with the caterers having little brand or supply
loyalty. Batches of cakes are likely to be large with lower production costs as a result. Distribution costs are also likely to
benefit from delivery to a few large wholesalers.
The downside of supplying this market segment is meeting the particular demands of the caterers – they may be more
interested in products that can be stored as opposed to being fresh. As wholesalers operate on narrow margins, there will be
pressure on prices. The volume demands will also place pressure on your ability to deliver the right sort of cakes from the
limited capacity at your disposal. Also, having your brand associated with a mass catering market with its modest reputation
for quality may limit your ability to move the brand into higher quality segments of the market.
From the above analysis you can see that each distribution channel has particular demands. It is unlikely that in starting your
business you will be able to supply all three outlets. It is important that you choose your distribution policy carefully with a
view to where you want to be in the future. Each route to market will have a significant impact on the whole of the companyand place different demands on you.