happy playz cima case study

MJ THE TUTOR

Cima exam support and preparation, the mcs pre-seen for november 2022 and february 2023 is out.

CIMA has released the MCS pre-seen material for the November 2022 and February 2023 sittings. To get your copy of the pre-seen, check out my Home page . The pre-seen company is Happy Playz, a Westaria-based quoted toy retailer with a chain of shops.

NOW is an excellent time to kickstart your CIMA case study preparation. If you need a refresher on the theories covered on the management level, we’ve got the theory series here for you.

My podcast also featured a few tidbits from the MCS pre-seen material for November 2022 and February 2023 sittings. Subscribe and catch the episode from the links below:

Various analyses will aid you in understanding and decoding pre-seen jargons:

• Pre-seen analysis – An in-depth analysis of the pre-seen material. We look at our pre-seen company in detail. We learn about the company background, structure and financial standing.
• Strategic analysis – Hot on the heels of a pre-seen analysis is to do a strategic analysis to help us with perspective. We need to know where the company has been, where it is now and where it is headed.
• Most likely issues – Based on what has been mentioned (and sometimes, not mentioned) on the pre-seen material, we can gather clues to risks, issues, and events that may affect our fictitious company.
• Industry analysis – This puts our pre-seen company in the context of the real world. We look at some real-life examples of companies in the same industry. We highlight problems and circumstances that have made the news, and find out how these companies have dealt with them.

The above analyses are delivered in both written and video formats. If you are unsure about the resources available, check out the  Astranti MCS course page .

Good luck, student!

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Exam Resource

Full post exam materials may /august 2021 mcs and gateway.

This document contains the full post exam supporting materials for the May and August 2021 management case study and CIMA gateway exam containing:

• pre-seen material
• exam variants
• suggested solutions
• examiners report
• marking guidance

• Notice Board
• Study Methods
• Pass Assured
• Human Resources
• Marketing Management
• Management Assistant
• Business Management
• Short Courses
• Certificate Level
• Operational Level
• Management Level
• Strategic Level
• Finance Leadership Programme - FLP
• Fundamentals of Business Economics
• Fundamentals of Management Accounting
• Fundamentals of Financial Accounting
• Fundamentals of Ethics, Corporate Governance and Business Law

Upcoming Courses

Happy playz analysis | ibtc professional business education.

February 3, 2023

IBTC lecturer, Precious Nyamazana, has broken down the Management Case Study Pre-Seen and highlighted some things you should know when preparing for the 2023 February Case Study exam.

Here is what she had to say;

In this scenario, you will fulfil the role of Financial Manager at a fictional toy retailer known as 'Happy Playz'. The organisation sells its products from a chain of leased retail stores, as well as online. Happy Playz was founded about 30 years ago in Westaria, a developed country with a strong economy and a high standard of living.

There are 5 categories of toy retailers in Westaria. Happy Playz falls under the 'Toyshop chains' category, together with their direct competitor 'Gleetill'. This category has a 25% share of the market, which is the largest. Happy Playz currently holds 40% of this share. Happy Playz uses a centralised structure, with key decisions being made at their head office, which is divided into five departments.

Understanding the Pre-seen Material

To build your understanding of the pre-seen material, you need to follow a methodical approach. Among other things, it may be helpful to;

• Review Happy Playz Value Chain and establish how value can be enhanced and where costs may be reduced.
• Employ models such as Porter’s Five Forces & PESTLE analysis to establish the operating environment for Happy Playz.
• Establish the current positioning of Happy Playz through SWOT analysis.
• Use Mendelow’s matrix to categorise the key stakeholders for Happy Playz and think about how they can be managed.
• Absorb as much business news as you can and gather information about the challenges facing the Toy Industry and how these are being addressed.
• Perform financial analysis (figures may tell a different story from the narrative given). You will conclude that overall, Happy Playz is lagging behind its direct competitor, Gleetill, in terms of revenues and profits despite improving. If Happy Playz is to overtake Gleetill, there may be need for it to capture other markets.
• Develop an understanding of Happy Playz business model.

Key Concepts

Having built a thorough understanding of the pre-seen content, several concepts should spring to mind;

• Responsibility centres and performance measurement. Is Happy Playz following a centralised or decentralised structure?
• Accounting for leases, intangibles assets, foreign transactions, provisions, etc.
• HR processes and policies that could be in place. Happy Playz has close to 7,000 employees. Think about the management style of the company.
• Cost management.
• Sources of finance available to Happy Playz – debt vs equity. 
• Think about how the dividend policy for Happy Playz is affecting it’s Gearing Ratio.
• Business intelligence systems and the use of Big Data (digital disruption), protection of clients’ private information, etc.
• Risk management. 
• Investment appraisal as there may be triggers on new market development or an acquisition.

Keys to Exam Success

• ·The key to scoring well is to read and then answer the questions that are asked. Avoid making assumptions or imagining your own question. Relevance and correctness are frequently judged in the context of the scenario, taking into account the nature of the business and the specific issues raised by the trigger.
• The examiner expects you to be able to perform the 5 core activities as indicated in the exam blueprint. These are expressed in the form of “I Can” statements, which you need to be familiar with and be able to apply them to Happy Playz. Ensure that you close all the knowledge gaps.
• During this preparation period, adapt yourself to the position of the Financial Manager at Happy Play,  and aim to understand the business that is portrayed therein. Connect this with the “I Can” statements. As you synthesize the pre-seen, identify possible triggers and ensure that you have sufficient knowledge to address any question around that.
• Even though the pre-seen setting aims to reflect real life, the context is that of a business operating in an environment where current and ongoing global issues have not had an impact. Therefore, for clarity and fairness, candidates are not expected to factor in these changes when responding to tasks even though marks will be awarded for relevant arguments.

The secret is in studying consistently. Case study exam skills can only be mastered through practice, and these skills require practice to maintain them. Create a workable study plan and steadily practice lots of questions under exam conditions.

Please start believing in yourself as we believe that you can excel in this exam. We wish you the very best in your Management Case Study Exam!

Looking for more? Read our blog on The Four Reasons Why Students Fail Case Study Exams.

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CIMA Management Case Study

No matter how well you know the theory and the pre-seen, unless you can use your knowledge in an exam situation, all of your revision is worthless!

To make sure you pass first time , you need to prepare yourself for even the most challenging of questions under exam conditions. That’s why we create 5 brand new mock exams for each case study, each tailored to the latest pre-seen and based on topics we think you are most likely to see in your exam.

Our case study mocks will:

• Test your overall knowledge of the syllabus and the latest pre-seen
• Highlight your weaknesses to focus on in your remaining revision
• Improve your time management skills in an exam environment

FREE CASE STUDY MOCK EXAM

Start your free CIMA management level membership to access our free MCS mini mock, which is just half the length of our full mocks and the final exam, and includes detailed solutions, plus the accompanying debrief video.

We know how important your privacy is. That’s why we do not share any details that you give us.

Get exam ready

Questions designed to challenge you, just like the real thing

Interactive timed experience to test you under exam conditions

7 new mocks for every pre-seen – all the practice you need

Learn from your mistakes

Comprehensive solutions for every question

See how high-scoring answers are structured and written

Expert marking available for even more learning

Our expert marking and feedback

Happy Playz Pre-Seen Analysis

10th Nov 2022

In this scenario, you will fulfil the role of Financial Manager at a fictional toy retailer known as 'Happy Playz'. The organisation sells its products from a chain of leased retail stores, as well as online. Happy Playz was founded about 30 years ago in Westaria, a developed country with a strong economy and a high standard of living. 

There are 5 categories of toy retailers in Westaria. Happy Playz falls under the 'Toyshop chains' category, together with their direct competitor 'Gleetill'. This category has a 25% share of the market, which is the largest. Happy Playz currently holds 40% of this share. Happy Playz uses a centralised structure, with key decisions being made at their head office, which is divided into five departments. 

Understanding the Pre-seen Material

• To build your understanding of the pre-seen material, you need to follow a methodical approach. Among other things, it may be helpful to;
• Review Happy Playz Value Chain and establish how value can be enhanced and where costs may be reduced. 
• Employ models such as Porter’s Five Forces & PESTLE analysis to establish the operating environment for Happy Playz. 
• Establish the current positioning of Happy Playz through SWOT analysis. 
• Use Mendelow’s matrix to categorise the key stakeholders for Happy Playz and think about how they can be managed. 
• Absorb as much business news as you can and gather information about the challenges facing the Toy Industry and how these are being addressed. 
• Perform financial analysis (figures may tell a different story from the narrative given). You will conclude that overall, Happy Playz is lagging behind its direct competitor, Gleetill, in terms of revenues and profits despite improving. If Happy Playz is to overtake Gleetill, there may be need for it to capture other markets. 
• Develop an understanding of Happy Playz business model. 

Key Concepts 

Having built a thorough understanding of the pre-seen content, several concepts should spring to mind; 

• Responsibility centres and performance measurement. Is Happy Playz following a centralised or decentralised structure? •Accounting for leases, intangibles assets, foreign transactions, provisions, etc. 
• HR processes and policies that could be in place. Happy Playz has close to 7,000 employees. Think about the management style of the company. 
• Cost management. 
• Sources of finance available to Happy Playz – debt vs equity. 
• Think about how the dividend policy for Happy Playz is affecting it’s Gearing Ratio. 
• Business intelligence systems and the use of Big Data (digital disruption), protection of clients’ private information, etc. 
• Risk management. 
• Investment appraisal as there may be triggers on new market development or an acquisition. 

Keys to Exam Success

• The key to scoring well is to read and then answer the questions that are asked. Avoid making assumptions or imagining your own question. Relevance and correctness are frequently judged in the context of the scenario, taking into account the nature of the business and the specific issues raised by the trigger. 
• The examiner expects you to be able to perform the 5 core activities as indicated in the exam blueprint. These are expressed in the form of “I Can” statements, which you need to be familiar with and be able to apply them to Happy Playz. Ensure that you close all the knowledge gaps. 
• During this preparation period, adapt yourself to the position of the Financial Manager at Happy Play, and aim to understand the business that is portrayed therein. Connect this with the “I Can” statements. As you synthesize the pre-seen, identify possible triggers and ensure that you have sufficient knowledge to address any question around that. 
• Even though the pre-seen setting aims to reflect real life, the context is that of a business operating in an environment where current and ongoing global issues have not had an impact. Therefore, for clarity and fairness, candidates are not expected to factor in these changes when responding to tasks even though marks will be awarded for relevant arguments. 

The secret is in studying consistently. Case study exam skills can only be mastered through practice, and these skills require practice to maintain them. Create a workable study plan and steadily practice lots of questions under exam conditions.