ICAS help!!

The Magician

Could someone please help me with some queries........

As a distance learning student, does the project proposal form need to be submitted via AAT Myplus or the allocated tutors email address?

Can the cost benefit analysis be included at part of the appendix?

what else can I palm off in the appendix section? I have a word count of 7,500+ and I do not know what to chop!!

I'm following the BPP text to an extent: is the weaknesses, then recommendations, then benefits format spread over the course of the report OK? I find that I repeat myself to an extent in the recommendations and benefits section?

How many possibilities for fraud did you put on the fraud matrix, is 4-5 OK?

Many thanks for any help!!!

Jo Clark

The Magician wrote: »

Could someone please help me with some queries........

As a distance learning student, does the project proposal form need to be submitted via AAT Myplus or the allocated tutors email address? My proposal was emailed to my tutor.

Can the cost benefit analysis be included at part of the appendix? Yes - If you read the end of Chapter 7 in the BPP book it advises what appendices you should have.

what else can I palm off in the appendix section? I have a word count of 7,500+ and I do not know what to chop!!
Without knowing what you have in the report and what you have in appendices it is difficult to advise. Did you tutor advise you to write the report in full to submit or have you been asked to write sections at a time?

I'm following the BPP text to an extent: is the weaknesses, then recommendations, then benefits format spread over the course of the report OK? I find that I repeat myself to an extent in the recommendations and benefits section?
If you following the BPP structure as I did, you will have weakness and recommendation for several areas e.g. the accounts department in general, the accounting system area that you focused on, fraud etc. etc.

How many possibilities for fraud did you put on the fraud matrix, is 4-5 OK? If I remember rightly, BPP advise 5 - 8

Many thanks for any help!!!

Hello Magician

Please see my comments in red above. This is how I have completed ICAS however I am still awaiting tutor feedback.

Good luck and keep at it!

The Magician

Thanks.

Best of luck! Is this your first submission?

I'm studying with Kaplan.

I've not submitted my project proposal form, but I've already cracked on with the report. Analyzing everything in moderate detail.

I'm doing the Inkwell case study and hope just focusing on one section for fraud is sufficient.

The scope of the case study, I just can't see how I can cover that much and remain within the remit of 4000 words?

Jo Clark

Yes, it is my first submission so know I will have a few (I hope) adjustments to make.

I can't really advise you on what to focus on and the word count. It isn't that I don't want to help you, however these types of questions are those which you should direct to your tutor or on the class forum if you have one with Kaplan,

Spamkebab

How do you present your ICAS project? I mean, do you have to use Word to type it all out or can you write it out and save it as a PDF?

Thanks,

Neil.

Jo Clark

Hello Neil

I typed mine in Word, when I sent to tutor I saved as pdf and then when submitted on LearnPlus I pdf the report and all appendices and then zipped them all up so only need to upload one file. I'm not sure if handwritten is accepted, this is something you will need to check with your tutor.


JC

The Magician

I'm trying to produce an organisation chart for inkwell and I cannot for the life of me see how you can do such a thing.

The accounts chart is logical enough, but I cannot see how you can intergate the purchase manager or any of the retail or warehouse staff into the overall hierarchy?

:001_unsure:

Jo Clark

Hello Magician

I did not have Inkwell as may case study so do not know the company setup. Have you googled organisation charts - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organizational_chart as there are different styles which you could use to approach this task. Does Inkwell have company directors/owners? These could go at the top of an organisation chart depending on your style. Then, for example, each director may be responsible for a particular area of the business and would have the relevant teams/employees 'hanging off' them on the chart. You mention purchase manager, could it be that there is a director/senior manager in charge of this area, who would have the purchase manager reporting to them and then the retail and warehouse staff report to the purchase manager?

Does this help at all?


JC

The Magician

Thanks Jo.

Are you doing the Cookridge scenario?

Nothing really seems to help? A lot of the information is not really mapped out and relies on a lot of guesswork and what-ifs.

The cost benefit analysis feels like a real oddity, just plucking figures out of thin air in a way!

I've cut the report down to 4,900 words and streamlined it as much as possible. I've heard people on here have submitted 5,500 word projects and were deemed competent, so it will have to do.

One thing I am struggling with is how the sales ledger would interface with retail operations?
Paying in slips and till rolls would form the basis for recording cash sales in the accounts and the sales director may issue directives regarding sales target that impact on turnover.

Would you say that was OK?

Jo Clark

No, I did not have the Cookridge Carpets scenario.

The cost benefit analysis shouldn't be too difficult. In my scenario we were given details of staff salary bands, not necessarily the exact salary and left to decide what 'pay point' employees were on. Don't forget you will need to include on costs. Depending on other recommendations you can research the costs and then calculate the savings made. I can't really go into detail as I don't want to get you or myself into trouble.

I can't really say whether what you have done is ok or not, and even if I did, I'm not your tutor and would hate to say it was only for your tutor to say otherwise - sorry

The Magician

Hi Jo,

Yeah that's fair enough.

Could I ask though whether there is a word count limit to the appendices and whether you think I should list every strength, weakness, opportunity and threat relevant to the case study?

Jo Clark

The word count is relevant to the report, the appendices are not included.

With regards to strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threat, you need to include these in your SWOT analysis. I can't comment whether you write about them all in the report as there could be many which would then make you exceed your word count. You really should contact your tutor for further advice and guidance on this.