Table Of ContentS
T
U
D
Y
PAPER F5 T
E
X
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
T
In this edition approved by ACCA
(cid:120) We ddiscuss the bbest strategies for studying for ACCA exams
(cid:120) We hhighlight the mmost important elements in the syllabus and the kkey skills you will need
(cid:120) We ssignposthow each chapter linksto the syllabus and the study guide
(cid:120) We pprovidelots of eexam focus points demonstrating what the examiner will want you to do
(cid:120) We eemphasise key points in regular ffast forward summaries
(cid:120) We ttest your knowledge of what you've studied in qquick quizzes
(cid:120) We eexamine your understanding in our eexam question bank
(cid:120) We rreference all the important topics in our ffull index
BPP'si-Learnandi-Passproducts also support this paper.
FOR EXAMS IN DECEMBER 2009 AND JUNE 2010
First edition 2007
Third edition June 2009
ISBN 9780 7517 6367 6
(Previous ISBN 9780 7517 4726 3)
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library
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Published by
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in
BPP Learning Media Ltd any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
BPP House, Aldine Place photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
London W12 8AA written permission of BPP Learning Media Ltd.
www.bpp.com/learningmedia
We are grateful to the Association of Chartered Certified
Accountants for permission to reproduce past
Printed in the United Kindgom
examination questions. The suggested solutions in the
exam answer bank have been prepared by BPP Learning
Media Ltd, except where otherwise stated.
Your learning materials, published by BPP
Learning Media Ltd, are printed on paper
sourced from sustainable, managed forests.
©
BPP Learning Media Ltd
2009
ii
Contents
Page
Introduction
How the BPP ACCA-approved Study Text can help you pass v
Studying F5 vii
The exam paper and exam formulae viii
Part A Specialist cost and management accounting techniques
1 Costing 3
2a Activity based costing 21
2b Target costing 35
2c Lifecycle costing 41
2d Backflush accounting 49
2e Throughput accounting 55
Part B Decision-making techniques
3 Limiting factor analysis 69
4 Pricing decisions 91
5 Short-term decisions 117
6 Risk and uncertainty 131
Part C Budgeting
7 Objectives of budgetary control 147
8 Budgetary systems 163
9 Quantitative analysis in budgeting 179
Part D Standard costing and variances analysis
10 Budgeting and standard costing 211
11 Variance analysis 231
12 Behavioural aspects of standard costing 259
Part E Performance measurement and control
13 Performance measurement 277
14 Divisional performance measures 303
15 Further performance management 319
Exam question bank 335
Exam answer bank 349
Index 387
Review form and free prize draw
Contents iii
A note about copyright
Dear Customer
What does the little © mean and why does it matter?
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Breach of copyright is a form of theft – as well as being a criminal offence in some jurisdictions, it is
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With current technology, things might seem a bit hazy but, basically, without the express permission of
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You can, of course, sell your books, in the form in which you have bought them – once you have finished
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iv
How the BPP ACCA-approved Study Text can help you
pass your exams – AND help you with your Practical
Experience Requirement!
NEW FEATURE – the PER alert!
Before you can qualify as an ACCA member, you do not only have to pass all your exams but also fulfil a
three year practical experience requirement (PER). To help you to recognise areas of the syllabus that
you might be able to apply in the workplace to achieve different performance objectives, we have
introduced the ‘PER alert’ feature. You will find this feature throughout the Study Text to remind you that
what you are learning to pass your ACCA exams is equally useful to the fulfilment of the PER
requirement.
Tackling studying
Studying can be a daunting prospect, particularly when you have lots of other commitments. The
different features of the text, the purposes of which are explained fully on the Chapter features page, will
help you whilst studying and improve your chances of exam success.
Developing exam awareness
Our Texts are completely focused on helping you pass your exam.
Our advice on Studying F5 outlines the content of the paper, the necessary skills the examiner expects
you to demonstrate and any brought forward knowledge you are expected to have.
Exam focus points are included within the chapters to highlight when and how specific topics were
examined, or how they might be examined in the future.
Using the Syllabus and Study Guide
You can find the syllabus, Study Guide and other useful resources for F5 on the ACCA web site:
www.accaglobal.com/students/study_exams/qualifications/acca_choose/acca/professional/pm/
The Study Text covers all aspects of the syllabus to ensure you are as fully prepared for the exam as
possible.
Testing what you can do
Testing yourself helps you develop the skills you need to pass the exam and also confirms that you can
recall what you have learnt.
We include Questions – lots of them - both within chapters and in the Exam Question Bank, as well as
Quick Quizzes at the end of each chapter to test your knowledge of the chapter content.
Introduction v
Chapter features
Each chapter contains a number of helpful features to guide you through each topic.
Topic list
Tells you what you will be studying in this chapter and the
Topic list Syllabus reference
relevant section numbers, together the ACCA syllabus
references.
Puts the chapter content in the context of the syllabus as
Introduction
a whole.
Study Guide
Links the chapter content with ACCA guidance.
Highlights how examinable the chapter content is likely to
Exam Guide
be and the ways in which it could be examined.
What you are assumed to know from previous
Knowledge brought forward from earlier studies
studies/exams.
Summarises the content of main chapter headings,
FAST FORWARD
allowing you to preview and review each section easily.
Demonstrate how to apply key knowledge and
Examples
techniques.
Definitions of important concepts that can often earn you
Key terms
easy marks in exams.
Tell you when and how specific topics were examined, or
Exam focus points
how they may be examined in the future.
Formulae that are not given in the exam but which have to
Formula to learn
be learnt.
This is a new feature that gives you a useful indication of
syllabus areas that closely relate to performance
objectives in your Practical Experience Requirement
(PER).
Give you essential practice of techniques covered in the
Question
chapter.
Case Study Provide real world examples of theories and techniques.
Chapter Roundup A full list of the Fast Forwards included in the chapter,
providing an easy source of review.
A quick test of your knowledge of the main topics in the
Quick Quiz
chapter.
Found at the back of the Study Text with more
Exam Question Bank
comprehensive chapter questions. Cross referenced for
easy navigation.
vi Introduction
Studying F5
The examiner of F5 wants candidates to have an ability to apply management accounting in business
environments. The key question you need to be able to answer is 'what does it all actually mean?' Modern
technology is capable of producing vast amounts of management accounting information but it has to be
used to help managers to make good decisions and manage effectively. The emphasis in this paper is
therefore on practical elements and application to the real world. The examiner does not want to trick you
and papers will be fair.
1 What the paper is about
The aim of this syllabus is to develop knowledge and skills in the application of management accounting
techniques. It covers modern techniques, decision making, budgeting and standard costing, concluding
with how a business should be managed and controlled.
F5 is the middle paper in the management accounting section of the qualification structure. F2 concerns
just techniques and P5 thinks strategically and considers environmental factors. F5 requires you to be able
to apply techniques and think about their impact on the organisation.
2 An explanation of the skills you are expected to
demonstrate
(cid:120) You are expected to have a core of management accounting knowledge from your previous studies
eg papers 1.2 (old syllabus) or F2 (new syllabus)
(cid:120) You will be required to carry out calculations, with clear workings and a logical structure
(cid:120) You will be required to interpret data
(cid:120) You will be required to explain management accounting techniques and discuss whether they are
appropriate for a particular organisation
(cid:120) You must be able to apply your skills in a practical context
3 How you can improve your chances of passing this
paper
(cid:120) There is no choice in this paper, all questions have to be answered. You must therefore study the
entire syllabus, there are no short-cuts
(cid:120) Practising questions under timed conditions is essential. BPP's revision kit contains 20 mark
questions on all areas of the syllabus
(cid:120) Questions will be based on simple scenarios and answers must be focused and specific to the
organisation
(cid:120) Answer plans will help you to focus on the requirements of the question and enable you to manage
your time effectively
(cid:120) Answer all parts of the question. Even if you cannot do all of the calculation elements, you will still
be able to gain marks in the discussion parts
(cid:120) Make sure your answers focus on practical applications of management accounting, common
sense is essential!
(cid:120) Keep an eye out for articles as this is a new paper and the examiner will use Student Accountant to
communicate with students
(cid:120) Read journals etc to pick up on ways in which real organisations apply management accounting
and think about your own organisation if that is relevant
Introduction vii
4 Brought forward knowledge
You will need to have a good working knowledge of basic management accounting from 1.2 (old syllabus)
or F2 (new syllabus). Chapter 1 of this Study Text revises costing and brought forward knowledge is
identified throughout the text. If you struggle with the examples and questions used to revise this
knowledge, you must go back and revisit your previous work. The examiner will assume you know this
material and it may form part of an exam question.
The exam paper
The exam is a three-hour paper containing fivecompulsory 20 mark questions. There will be a mixture of
calculations and discussion and the examiner's aim is to cover as much of the syllabus as possible.
Analysis of past papers
Below provides an overview of the syllabus and details of when each element has been examined. Further
details can be found in the Exam Focus Points in the relevant chapters.
Covered
in Text Dec June Dec Pilot
chapter 2008 2008 2007 Paper
SPECIALIST COST AND MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING TECHNIQUES
2a Activity based costing 4 1
2b Target costing 1
2c Life cycle costing 4
2d Backflush accounting
2e Throughput accounting
DECISION-MAKING TECHNIQUES
3 Multi-limiting factors and the use of linear programming and 2
shadow pricing
4 Pricing decisions
5 Make-or-buy and other short-term decisions 4
6 Dealing with risk and uncertainty in decision-making 2
BUDGETING
7 Objectives
8 Budgetary systems
8 Types of budget 4
9 Quantitative analysis in budgeting 3 3
7 Behavioural aspects of budgeting
STANDARD COSTING AND VARIANCE ANALYSIS
10 Budgeting and standard costing 4
11 Basic variances and operating systems 1 3 2
11 Material mix and yield variances 2
12 Planning and operational variances 3
12 Behavioural aspects of standard costing
PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AND CONTROL
13 The scope of performance measurement 1 3 2 4
14 Divisional performance and transfer pricing 1
15 Performance analysis in not-for-profit organisations and the public
sector
viii Introduction
Exam formulae
Set out below are the formulae you will be given in the exam. If you are not sure what the symbols
mean, or how the formulae are used, you should refer to the appropriate chapter in this Study Text.
Chapter in
Study Text
Learning curve
9
Y = axb
Where y = average cost per batch
a = cost of first batch
x = total number of batches produced
b = learning factor (log LR/log 2)
LR = the learning rate as a decimal
Regression analysis
9
y = a + bx
n(cid:166)xy(cid:16)(cid:166)x(cid:166)y
b =
n(cid:166)x2 (cid:16)((cid:166)x)2
(cid:166)y b(cid:166)x
a = (cid:16)
n n
Demand curve
4
P = a – bQ
changeinprice
b =
change in quantity
a = price when Q = 0
Introduction ix
