iv
A note about copyright
Dear Customer
What does the little © mean and why does it matter?
Your market-leading BPP books, course materials and e-learning materials do not write and update
themselves. People write them: on their own behalf or as employees of an organisation that invests in this
activity. Copyright law protects their livelihoods. It does so by creating rights over the use of the content.
Breach of copyright is a form of theft – as well as being a criminal offence in some jurisdictions, it is
potentially a serious breach of professional ethics.
With current technology, things might seem a bit hazy but, basically, without the express permission of
BPP Learning Media:
Photocopying our materials is a breach of copyright
Scanning, ripcasting or conversion of our digital materials into different file formats, uploading them
to facebook or emailing them to your friends is a breach of copyright
You can, of course, sell your books, in the form in which you have bought them – once you have finished
with them. (Is this fair to your fellow students? We update for a reason.) But the e-products are sold on a
single user licence basis: we do not supply ‘unlock’ codes to people who have bought them second-hand.
And what about outside the UK? BPP Learning Media strives to make our materials available at prices
students can afford by local printing arrangements, pricing policies and partnerships which are clearly
listed on our website. A tiny minority ignore this and indulge in criminal activity by illegally photocopying
our material or supporting organisations that do. If they act illegally and unethically in one area, can you
really trust them?
Introduction
v
How the BPP ACCA-approved Study Text can help you
pass – AND help you with your Practical Experience
Requirement!
NEW FEATURE – the PER alert!
Before you can qualify as an ACCA member, you do not only have to pass all your exams but also fulfil a
three year
practical experience requirement (PER). To help you to recognise areas of the syllabus that
you might be able to apply in the workplace to achieve different performance objectives, we have
introduced the ‘
PER alert’ feature. You will find this feature throughout the Study Text to remind you that
what you are
learning to pass your ACCA exams is
equally useful to the fulfilment of the PER
requirement.
Tackling studying
Studying can be a daunting prospect, particularly when you have lots of other commitments. The
different features of the text, the purposes of which are explained fully on the Chapter features page, will
help you whilst studying and improve your chances of
exam success.
Developing exam awareness
Our Texts are completely
focused on helping you pass your exam.
Our advice on
Studying F3 outlines the
content of the paper, the
necessary skills the examiner expects
you to demonstrate and any
brought forward knowledge you are expected to have.
Exam focus points are included within the chapters to provide information about skills that you will need
in the exam and reminders of important points within the specific subject areas.
Using the Syllabus and Study Guide
You can find the syllabus, Study Guide and other useful resources for F3 on the ACCA web site:
www.accaglobal.com/students/study_exams/qualifications/acca_choose/acca/fundamentals.
The Study Text covers
all aspects of the syllabus to ensure you are as fully prepared for the exam as
possible.
Testing what you can do
Testing yourself helps you develop the skills you need to pass the exam and also confirms that you can
recall what you have learnt.
We include
Exam-style Questions – lots of them - both within chapters and in the
Exam Question Bank,
as well as
Quick Quizzes at the end of each chapter to test your knowledge of the chapter content.
vi
Introduction
Chapter features
Each chapter contains a number of helpful features to guide you through each topic.
Topic list
Topic list
Syllabus reference
Tells you what you will be studying in this chapter and the
relevant section numbers, together with the ACCA
syllabus references.
Introduction
Puts the chapter content in the context of the syllabus as
a whole.
Study Guide
Links the chapter content with ACCA guidance.
Exam Guide
Highlights how examinable the chapter content is likely to
be and the ways in which it could be examined.
Summarises the content of main chapter headings,
allowing you to preview and review each section easily.
Examples
Demonstrate how to apply key knowledge and
techniques.
Key terms
Definitions of important concepts that can often earn you
easy marks in exams.
Exam focus points
Provide information about skills you will need in the exam
and reminders of important points within the specific
subject area.
Formula to learn
Formulae that are not given in the exam but which have to
be learnt.
This is a new feature that gives you a useful indication of
syllabus areas that closely relate to performance
objectives in your PER.
Question
Give you essential practice of techniques covered in the
chapter.
Case Study
Provide real world examples of theories and techniques.
Chapter Roundup
A full list of the Fast Forwards included in the chapter
,
providing an easy source of review.
Quick Quiz
A quick test of your knowledge of the main topics in the
chapter.
Exam Question Bank
Found at the back of the Study Text with more
comprehensive chapter questions.
FAST FORWARD