号外！号外！云南省2020年ACCA考试准考证可以打印啦！这些打印流程你知道吗？

正确答案：
(iii) The terms listed may be seen as representative of the dimensions of performance. The dimensions may be analysed into
results and determinants.
The results may be measured by focusing on financial performance and competitiveness. Financial performance may
be measured in terms of revenue and profit as shown in the data in the appendix of the question in respect of TSC. The
points system in part (a) of the answer shows which depots have achieved or exceeded the target set. In addition,
liquidity is another aspect of the measurement of financial performance. The points total in part (a) showed that
Leonardotown and Michaelangelotown depots appear to have the best current record in aspects of credit control.
15
Competitiveness may be measured in terms of sales growth but also in terms of market share, number of new
customers, etc. In the TSC statistics available in (a) we only have data for the current quarter. This shows that three of
the four depots listed have achieved increased revenue compared to target.
The determinants are the factors which may be seen to contribute to the achievement of the results. Quality, resource
utilisation, flexibility and innovation are cited by Fitzgerald and Moon as examples of factors that should contribute to
the achievement of the results in terms of financial performance and competitiveness. In TSC a main quality issue
appears to be customer care and service delivery. The statistics in the points table in part (a) of the answer show that
the Raphaeltown depot appears to have a major problem in this area. It has only achieved one point out of the six
available in this particular segment of the statistics.
Resource utilisation for TSC may be measured by the level of effective use of drivers and vehicles. To some extent, this
is highlighted by the statistics relating to customer care and service delivery. For example, late collection of consignments
from customers may be caused by a shortage of vehicles and/or drivers. Such shortages could be due to staff turnover,
sickness, etc or problems with vehicle maintenance.
Flexibility may be an issue. There may, for example, be a problem with vehicle availability. Possibly an increased focus
on sources for short-term sub-contracting of vehicles/collections/deliveries might help overcome delay problems.
The ‘target v actual points system’ may be seen as an example of innovation by the company. This gives a detailed set
of measures that should provide an incentive for improvement at all depots. The points system may illustrate the extent
of achievement/non-achievement of company strategies for success. For example TSC may have a customer care
commitment policy which identifies factors that should be achieved on a continuing basis. For example, timely collection
of consignments, misdirected consignments re-delivered at no extra charge, prompt responses to customer claims and
compensation for customers.

正确答案：
(e) Control and sub-contractors
Specifically in regard to the maintenance of internal controls when working with sub-contractors, the prominent difficulties
are likely to be in the following areas:
Configuring and co-ordinating the many activities of sub-contractors so as to keep progress on track. This may involve taking
the different cultures of sub-contractor organisations into account.
Loss of direct control over activities as tasks are performed by people outside R&M’s direct employment and hence its
management structure.
Monitoring the quality of work produced by the sub-contractors. Monitoring costs will be incurred and any quality problems
will be potentially costly.
Budget ‘creep’ and cost control. Keeping control of budgets can be a problem in any large civil engineering project (such the
construction of the new Wembley Stadium in the UK) and problems are likely to be made worse when the principal contractor
does not have direct control over all activities.
Time limit over-runs. Many projects (again, such as the new Wembley Stadium, but others also) over-run significantly on time.
Tutorial note: only four difficulties need to be described.

正确答案：
Part (c):
The person specification might be used for a number of purposes:
In recruitment, to provide an illustration of the type of candidate sought prior to the selection stage.
In selection, the most obvious and popular use of this document, is to assess whether an individual’s personality, abilities and
experience match the organisation’s requirements.
For promotion, to evaluate whether an individual has the necessary ability and personality to move within the organisation.
In evaluation of performance to assess whether the person has demonstrated the necessary skills to do the job effectively.
In disciplinary procedures through demonstrating that the person specification required to do a particular job for which some one
was appointed are not evident or being applied. For example, where an employee required to be discrete is discovered to have
disclosed confidential information to third parties.

正确答案：
(b) In many ways Lawson Engineering and its performance explains why Kaplan and Norton developed the balanced scorecard
to overcome the reliance on traditional, and they would argue flawed, financial measures of performance such as return on
capital employed (ROCE). Lawson Engineering as a privately owned company does not have the same pressure to maximise
shareholder wealth, which is the overarching long-term goal of publicly quoted companies. The intangible resources discussed
above – both internal and external – reflect the success of the company in meeting the expectations of the other key
stakeholders in the business, namely customers, employees and suppliers. In terms of the other measures of performance
used in the balanced scorecard the customer perspective seems to be very much a positive area of performance. Lawson
Engineering has developed a clear niche strategy based on the excellence of its products. Market share as a measure of
customer satisfaction is not too relevant as the company has chosen to develop its own markets and is not looking for large
volumes and a dominant market share. The growth of the company suggests that it is both retaining its existing customer
base and acquiring new ones. Clearly there need to be measures in place to show where its growth is coming from. Customer
acquisition is usually an expensive but necessary activity and cutomer retention a more positive route to profitability. Today
there is increasing emphasis on customer relationship management (CRM) and measures to show the share of a particular
customer’s business the company has, rather than the overall market share the company has achieved. Michael Porter has
drawn attention to the fact that having the biggest market share is not necessarily associated with being the most profitable
company in that market. Customer acquisition and retention are both useful indicators of customer satisfaction which many
companies have problems in measuring. Finally, knowing which customers are profitable ones is a key requirement.
Surprisingly there is a lot of evidence to suggest that many companies are unsure which of their products and which
customers actually contribute to their profits.
The third measure in the balanced scorecard is an internal one – the effectiveness or otherwise of the firm’s internal processes.
In turn there are three areas where performance should be measured – innovation, operational processes and after sales
service (where appropriate). Innovation itself is a result of effective internal processes and Lawson Engineering through its
patents and awards has tangible evidence of its success. Many firms are measuring the contribution of products introduced
in the last three or four years – 3M, a global manufacturer of consumer and industrial products looks to achieve 30% of its
sales from products that are less than four years old. Equally important in a company such as Lawson Engineering is the time
taken to develop and get new products to their customers. The strategy of being ‘first to market’ can be a very effective
competitive strategy.
Equally important for the customers are the operational processes that produce and deliver the inputs from their suppliers.
The introduction of JIT and the use of technology to shorten and simplify the links between supplier and customer are ways
of shortening lead times and increasing customer satisfaction. Lawson Engineering has looked to innovate its processes as
well as its products and can look to develop measures of key areas of operational performance. Finally it is worth stressing
that financial performance, customer satisfaction and effective internal processes are all dependent on the people who make
things happen in the firm. Employees and the way they learn and grow in their jobs will determine whether or not the firm
succeeds. Again there is evidence to suggest that Lawson Engineering’s employees are being trained and developed and as
a consequence are well motivated.
The balanced scorecard has been criticised on a number of accounts. Firstly, such a comprehensive set of performance
measures will take considerable time and commitment on the part of senior management to develop. There is a need to avoid
over-complexity and assess the costs and benefits of the process. Secondly, there is the question of whether all the key
stakeholders have shared goals and expectations and whether the measures are focused on short-, medium- or long-term
performance. Thirdly, its focus on internal and external processes may not come easily to firms that have organised themselves
on traditional lines. Most organisations have retained departments within which functional specialists are located, e.g.
production, marketing etc. Changing the way performance is measured may need a radical change in culture and meetsignificant resistance.