IBTC | August Management Case Study: Here is a look at the pre-seen

August Management Case Study: Here is a look at the pre-seen

Dated: 09 / 07 / 2019 | 3:37 pm
Category: Latest News

We asked our Management Level Case Study lecturer, Muzi Sithebe, for his thoughts on the upcoming exam.

He said the two most important skills you can develop and practice as a student are (1) to plan your answers, and (2) to ensure you are answering the specific question requirements.

According to Muzi, many students fall into the trap of simply repeating the theory that seems to apply to the questions as opposed to addressing the question requirements and providing responses that show both understanding of the work and application to the given context.

“As with any ICS exam that relates to an industry that students are all somewhat familiar with, it becomes more important that the approach and solutions offered need to align well with the overall strategy of the organization,” said Muzi.
We asked him if there are more areas/topics that students should focus on when preparing for this exam. Take a look at the list below and ensure you cover all these topics:
•    Understanding of life cycles and the product portfolio
•    Marketing strategies
•    Analysing the external environment
•    The organisations value chain and performance management
•    Identifying and managing key risks
•    Stakeholders and managing change
•    Impact of foreign exchange and revenue
•    Ethics

Below is an overview of the August 2019 Management pre-seen.

What is it about and what kind of company is featured?
•    Cruisecalm is company that operates a fleet of holiday cruise ships
•    Cruisecalm is one of the world’s six largest cruise companies by passenger capacity
•    They own 15 ships, making it smaller than its rivals who operate 30 to 110 ships, but it is the largest cruise line in Norland
•    Key direct competitors are Wavelyne (11 ships) and Saildine (9 ships), both based in Norland

What problems does it face?
•    Cruisecalm operates in a highly competitive and mature industry
•    The customer demographic is changing over time
•    There are rapid changes related to the supporting industries, which impact Cruisecalms value offering
•    The market might start to contract, which will require survival strategies or alternative revenue sources

According to Muzi, Cruisecalm has followed a very deliberate strategy throughout its history, and its survival in a competitive (and arguably contracting) market can be attributed to this.

“Understanding of growth strategies in the investment decision can be a key aspect for this sitting,” he concluded.

The Case Study exam is no easy task and with the upcoming syllabus change it makes the situation even more daunting. Don’t do it alone, it’s not worth the risk.

How IBTC can help you prepare for your case study exam:
Exam Prep Classes for the August sitting begin on 20 July for Sandton and Cape Town. To sign up go to www.ibtc.co.za and click on the book now button and secure a seat in one of our classrooms.

IBTC boasts a remarkable pass rate for its Case Study Exam Prep Classes, ranging between 80%-90%.