Question 1

TeamClothing sells clothes through its shops based around the country If a customer in a shop cannot
find the item they wish to buy. a sales assistant can order it for them online and when it arrives, the
customer can then collect the item from the shop
Customers may also order directly from TeamClothing's website Orders from the website are usually
delivered to the customer's home address Online customers also automatically receive a monthly
catalogue from the firm, which lists current offers
Three events are of particular interest:
Shop sales assistants ordering items for a customer online Customers ordering through the website
Sending a monthly catalogue to website customers
How would these events be classified'?

Accepted Answer

B

Explanation: Business events are classified by their trigger. An external event is initiated by an actor outside the business system, such as a customer. A time-based (or temporal) event is triggered by the passage of time. 1. Shop sales assistants ordering for a customer: The ultimate trigger is the customer's request. Since the customer is external to the organization, this is an External Event. 2. Customers ordering through the website: The customer, an external actor, directly initiates this event. This is also an External Event. 3. Sending a monthly catalogue: This event is explicitly scheduled to occur "monthly," making it a Time-based Event. Therefore, the correct classification is two external events and one time-based event.

Question 2

An overseas bank is currently undertaking a feasibility study looking into the possible launch of a
new bank in the UK
Preliminary findings suggest that the market is saturated, customers have a lot of choice and it is
easy for them to switch from one bank to another.
In which area of Porter's Five Forces model would these preliminary findings be documented'?

Accepted Answer

B

Explanation: The preliminary findings describe a market where customers have significant influence. The facts that the market is saturated, customers have extensive choice, and switching costs are low are all classic determinants of high "Bargaining Power of Customers" (also known as Buyer Power) in Porter's Five Forces model. When customers can easily switch between competitors, they can exert pressure on banks to provide better services, lower fees, or higher interest rates, thereby reducing the industry's overall profitability.

Question 3

A group of stakeholders at FlyMe travel operators are in a meeting to discus the Business Activity
Model (BAM) for a new subsidiary business. They are planning to launch a new offering, which will
offer flight bundle’ packages for organization that regularly need to send their staff overseas. The
following activities have been identified so far:
a) Monitor flight bundle' sates
b) Sell "night bundles*
c) Determine demand amongst existing customers
d) Identify potential airline earners
e) Determine 'flight bundle' locations,
f)
Define bundle pricing.
Although the Operations Director for FlyMe is supportive of the new business proposition, she is not
entirely convinced there is a gap in the market, nor is she confident that the idea will be profitable.
With these concerns in mind, which planning activities will she be keen to ensure are discussed
before the meeting ends?

Accepted Answer

A

Explanation: The Operations Director's concerns are about the fundamental viability of the new business proposition, specifically the market demand ("gap in the market") and financial return ("profitable"). These are strategic concerns that are addressed during the initial planning phase of a business activity. According to the Business Activity Model (BAM) framework, activities are categorized. The director would focus on the planning activities that validate the business case. c) Determine demand amongst existing customers: This is a core planning activity that directly investigates the "gap in the market." f) Define bundle pricing: This is a crucial planning activity that directly impacts the revenue side of the profitability calculation. Activities (a) 'Monitor sales' and (b) 'Sell bundles' are monitoring and doing activities, respectively, which occur after the business is launched. Activities (d) and (e) are also planning/enabling steps, but (c) and (f) most directly address the director's stated concerns about market demand and profitability.

Question 4

A report has been created into improving the scheduling of physio appointments at a major hospital
An extract reads
'The scheduling team have a strong set of skills that will not need to be updated However, the team
should be split into two. one dealing with inpatients and one with outpatients The introduction of a
new telephony software and an online booking system will also require changes to the process'
How might these changes be BEST presented to communicate with the scheduling team'?

Accepted Answer

C

Explanation: The scenario describes a multifaceted business change impacting four distinct areas: People (skills assessment), Organisation (team structure split), Process (procedural changes), and Information Technology (new software). The POPIT model is a holistic framework specifically designed to analyze and communicate changes across these four interconnected dimensions. Using POPIT would allow for a clear and comprehensive presentation to the scheduling team, showing how the new technology, revised processes, and new organisational structure fit together, ensuring all aspects of the change are understood. It is the most suitable tool for presenting this complete picture.

Question 5

A company has decided to change one of its financial Key Performance indicators (KPIs). It has
traditionally measured profit through its gross profit margin, however, it now wishes to measure It
through it Return on Capital Employed (ROCE).
The following activities are on the consensus Business Activity Model (BAM)
a) Take control action
b) Monitor performance targets
c) Define performance targets.
d) Define target customers
Which of these would the event 'amend KPI’ affect?

Accepted Answer

D

Explanation: Changing a Key Performance Indicator (KPI) from 'gross profit margin' to 'Return on Capital Employed' (ROCE) represents a fundamental shift in how business performance is measured and managed. This event affects several related activities in the Business Activity Model (BAM): 1. b) Monitor performance targets: The process for monitoring performance must be updated. Data collection, calculation, and reporting will now focus on ROCE instead of gross profit margin. 2. a) Take control action: Control actions are triggered by the results of monitoring. Since the metric being monitored has changed, the corresponding control actions will also change. For example, a low ROCE might trigger actions to improve asset utilization, which is different from actions to improve a low gross profit margin. 3. d) Define target customers: This change is strategic. A focus on ROCE emphasizes capital efficiency. This may lead the business to re-evaluate its customer segments, prioritizing those that yield higher returns on the capital required to serve them, thus affecting how target customers are defined. Activity 'c) Define performance targets' is the event itself, rather than an activity affected by the event. The question asks what the event would affect, implying consequential changes to other activities.

Question 6

EuroCoach is a holiday coach company that Is reviewing its internal business processes. The following
requirement for improvement has been logged as a business rule:
'EuroCoach Is now legally responsible for ensuring that passengers taking cross-border journeys have
valid passports and visas (If applicable) tor the countries to which, and through which, they will
travel'
Which type of business rule is this?

Accepted Answer

D

Explanation: The business rule originates from an external source—a legal or regulatory authority—not from within EuroCoach. This rule imposes a mandatory limitation on the company's operations, compelling them to verify passenger documentation. It is not a guideline or an internal choice; it is a restriction that must be obeyed. Therefore, it is classified as an external constraint, as it is a rule imposed from outside the organization that limits its freedom of action and dictates how a part of its business must be conducted.

Question 7

A business analyst working for a manufacturing company has been asked to support a new initiative
to review and redesign the company’s
Process, enabling it is increase its production and expand into overseas markets. He is working in a
team of business analytics and has been asked to do the following:
a) Assist in the evaluation of the benefits defined in the benefits plan
b) Lead requirements elicitation and clarification activities
c) Deliver coaching, training and ongoing support for any changes to existing processes.
Once the business analyst has completed these activities, which parts of the Business Change
lifecycle will he have supported-?

Accepted Answer

D

Explanation: The business analyst's activities map directly to specific stages of the BCS Business Change Lifecycle. Leading requirements elicitation and clarification (b) is a fundamental activity within the Design stage, where the future state solution is detailed. Delivering coaching, training, and support (c) is part of the Implementation stage, focusing on preparing the business for the change and deploying the solution. Assisting in the evaluation of benefits (a) is the core purpose of the Realisation stage, which measures the outcomes of the change against the initial business case. Therefore, the analyst has supported the Realisation, Design, and Implementation stages.

Question 8

AlpmeTrails is a company that specialises in offering tailored walking holidays The company was set up by two people, who each own 50% of the business AlpineTrails books hotels, transport and equipment to create bespoke holidays for AlpineTrails customers. An agreement was recently reached with WalkNation. a national walking organisation, for AlpineTrails to provide a number of special holidays for its members These will be branded as WalkNation Holidays AlpineTrails will be responsible for organising the holidays but WalkNation will undertake the marketing and booking of these special holidays for its members As well as customers, which THREE stakeholder groups are represented in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

A, B, C

Explanation: The scenario explicitly identifies three key stakeholder groups besides customers. The two individuals who set up the business and own 50% each represent the Owner group. WalkNation, which has a collaborative agreement with AlpineTrails for marketing and booking, fits the definition of a Partner. The hotels, transport, and equipment companies that AlpineTrails books to create the holidays are its Suppliers. These three groups have a direct interest and influence in the business operations described. The question asks to identify three stakeholder groups, and these are the most clearly represented in the text.

Question 9

George and Laura are responsible for the marking strategy in a company vinyl records and cassette
tapes online.
George feels that the company should focus its marking solely on people aged over 50, who are
nostalgic for these older recording media. He also feels that the company should outsource all
marketing activity.
Laura believes that the business should continue with its target of people aged 30-60. As this age
group are particularly enthusiastic about vinyl records. She believes that marketing is one of their
internal strengths and should remain in house
Which specific areas of CATWOE are they considering?

Accepted Answer

D

Explanation: The scenario presents a discussion about two distinct elements of the CATWOE framework. The debate over the target market—George's proposal for people over 50 versus Laura's for the 30-60 age group—directly concerns the 'Customers' of the marketing strategy, i.e., the beneficiaries or targets of the activity. The second point of contention, whether to outsource the marketing (George's view) or keep it in-house (Laura's view), is a discussion about the 'Actors'—the individuals or groups who will perform the transformation (the marketing work).

Question 10

Which TWO of the following descriptions apply to a Business Activity Model (BAM)'?

Accepted Answer

A, C

Explanation: A Business Activity Model (BAM) is a conceptual model used within Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) to represent the activities required to fulfill a specific business perspective, as defined in a root definition. It is common practice to develop multiple BAMs, each reflecting a different stakeholder's worldview or perspective (Weltanschauung). This allows for a structured debate about the business system. The ultimate goal of this process is not to select one perspective as "correct" but to facilitate a discussion that leads to an agreed-upon, or consensus, model. This consensus BAM represents a shared understanding that stakeholders can use for further analysis and to identify desirable and feasible changes.

Question 11

Maria and Nelly own a small jewellery shop and are considering whether they should renew the
lease on their shop for another year. They are both thinking about alternative business ventures as
they never intended to run the jewellery shop indefinitely.
They source their jewellery products from an overseas manufacturer and market them in luxury
presentation boxes, made by local craftsmen They employ Maria's son, Darren, in the school holidays
to make up the boxes and keep the stockroom full
Which of the following CATWOE categories CANNOT be identified from this scenario?

Accepted Answer

A

Explanation: The CATWOE analysis requires clear identification of each element. In the provided scenario, the Owner (Maria and Nelly), Actor (Darren), and Environment (the shop lease, overseas manufacturer) are all explicitly mentioned. However, the Transformation (T) is not clearly defined. The scenario describes business activities such as sourcing products, making boxes, and marketing. While these activities imply a transformation process, the core transformation itself—the specific inputs (e.g., unpackaged jewellery) and outputs (e.g., packaged products ready for sale)—is not explicitly stated. Therefore, the Transformation is the category that cannot be clearly and directly identified from the text provided.

Question 12

As pari of a strategic review for a recording company, Exquisite Analogue, Jay has been asked to
undertake a resource audit As a result of him meeting with key stakeholders he has compiled a list of
statements
Which THREE of the following SHOULD be included in the resource audit?

Accepted Answer

A, B, C

Explanation: A resource audit is an internal analysis of an organization's assets and capabilities, which are classified as either tangible or intangible. The two recording studios (A) are tangible, physical assets. The back catalogue of 20,000 recordings (B) is a significant intangible asset, representing the company's intellectual property. The 'Customers Choice Award' (C) is also an intangible asset that enhances the company's brand and reputation. All three are internal resources that contribute to the company's strategic capability and should therefore be included in the resource audit.

Question 13

Paul has been struggling to make his farm profitable for a number of years Recently, an energy firm
has asked him if it can survey his land in order to determine if there is natural gas deep under his
fields If there is. they will pay him for the extracted gas.
Paul has discussed this request with his business partner, explaining that he would like to explore the
possibility as he feels that any subsequent extraction process is safe, will cause minimal damage to
the farm, and will return the farm to profitability. Paul's business partner disagrees, believing that
the process for extracting the gas is dangerous, that the machinery will spoil the landscape and that
it would undermine the vision they had of living off the land.
On which element of CATWOE are Paul and his business partner in disagreement?

Accepted Answer

D

Explanation: The disagreement between Paul and his business partner stems from their fundamentally different beliefs and values regarding the farm's purpose. Paul's worldview (Weltanschauung) is pragmatic and business-oriented; he sees the farm as an asset to be made profitable, viewing the gas extraction as a safe and viable means to that end. His partner's worldview is more idealistic, centered on a vision of "living off the land." From this perspective, the industrial process is dangerous, damaging, and violates the core principles of their venture. This clash of underlying perspectives, which gives meaning to the proposed change, is precisely what the 'Worldview' element of CATWOE is designed to capture.

Question 14

You have been asked to explain divergent and convergent thinking to a colleague How would you describe the purpose of both divergent and convergent thinking to them Select the BEST TWO answers

Accepted Answer

A, B

Explanation: Divergent thinking is a creative process focused on exploration and the generation of a wide range of ideas and potential solutions without immediate judgment. Its primary purpose is to broaden the scope of possibilities. Convergent thinking is the subsequent analytical and logical process. Its purpose is to systematically review, evaluate, and filter the generated ideas to identify the most viable options and decide on a path forward. These two modes of thinking work in tandem, first expanding the solution space (divergent) and then narrowing it down to a final choice (convergent).

Question 15

Halliday Holdings is embarking on a programme to improve its customer experience On joining the
programme. Natasha wants to gain an understanding of how its current brand is perceived
Which would be the BEST source of information for Natasha?

Accepted Answer

A

Explanation: To understand how a brand is currently perceived, it is essential to consult external, independent sources. Independent industry websites, which often feature customer reviews, expert articles, and market comparisons, provide an unbiased and direct view of public and industry perception. This external viewpoint is critical for Natasha to gain an authentic understanding of the brand's reputation and customer sentiment, which is the foundational step for a customer experience improvement programme. Internal sources reflect the company's desired image, not the actual external perception.

Free BCS BAPv5 Actual Exam Questions