CIMA Cert in Business Accounting (Cert BA)

Macroeconomic and Institutional Context of Business

• Factors that affect the level of a countries national income
• The impact of changing economic growth rates and prices on business
• Factors affecting a countries trade with the rest of the World

Microeconomic and Organisational Context of Business

• Economic goals of various stakeholders and organisations
• Market forces
• Economic and social considerations on the structure of an organisation and the regulation of markets

Informational Context of Business

• Techniques used to communicate business data as information to business stakeholders
• Using business data and analytics for understanding the business context

The Financial Context of Business

• Functions of the main financial markets
• Financial mathematical techniques used in business decision-making
• The impact of changes to interest and exchange rates when controlling and measuring business performance

The Context of Management Accounting

• The purpose of management accounting
• The role of the Management Accountant
• The role of CIMA as a professional body for Management Accountants

Costing

• Cost identification and classification
• Absorption and marginal costing

Planning and Control

• Preparing budgets
• Applying variance analysis to reconcile budgeted and actual profits in a marginal format
• Financial and non-financial performance measures
• Preparing accounts and reports for managers

Decision Making

• The impact of risk
• Techniques for short-term decision-making
• Techniques for long-term decision-making

Accounting Principles, Concepts and Regulations

• Principles and concepts of financial accounting
• Impact of the regulatory framework on financial accounting

Recording Accounting Transactions

• Preparing accounting records
• Preparing accounting reconciliations
• Preparing accounting entries for specific transactions

Preparation of Accounts for Single Entities

• Preparing accounting adjustments
• Preparing manufacturing accounts
• Preparing financial statements for a single entity

Analysis of Financial Statements

• Identifying information provided by accounting ratios
• Calculating the basic accounting ratios

Business Ethics and Ethical Conflict

• The importance of ethics to society, business and the professional accountant
• Adopting the highest standards of ethical behaviour
• Regulating ethical behaviour
• Ethical dilemmas and their potential resolution

Corporate Governance, Controls and Corporate Social Responsibility

• The role of corporate governance
• The impact of corporate governance on directors and management structures of corporations
• The role of internal and external audit
• Errors and frauds
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its role within company reporting

General Principles of the Legal System, Contract and Employment Law

• Contract law and the legal status of contractual terms
• Employment contracts

Company Administration

• Legal status and administration of business organisations