Free BCS BAPv5 Practice Exam with Questions & Answers

 A stakeholder management strategy is a plan for how to engage and communicate with stakeholders based on their level of interest and influence in the organisation or project. A stakeholder management strategy can vary depending on the stakeholder’s position on the power/interest grid, which has four quadrants: high power, high interest; high power, low interest; low power, high interest; and low power, low interest. Therefore, option C is the correct answer, as it represents appropriate stakeholder management strategies for Harvey based on his position on the grid before and after his role change. Watch means to monitor the stakeholder’s level of interest and influence and keep them informed of relevant developments. This is suitable for when Harvey was in the low power, low interest quadrant, as he had little authority or concern over the project. Constant active management means to involve the stakeholder closely in the project and seek their input and feedback regularly. This is suitable for when Harvey moved to the high power, high interest quadrant, as he became the sponsor and owner of the project. Option A is not a correct answer, as keep informed means to provide the stakeholder with sufficient information and updates to maintain their interest and support. This is more suitable for when Harvey was in the low power, high interest quadrant, not the low power, low interest quadrant. Option B is not a correct answer, as ignore means to disregard the stakeholder’s views and needs and exclude them from communication. This is not a good strategy for any stakeholder, especially one who has some power or influence over the project. Option D is not a correct answer, as constant active management means to involve the stakeholder closely in the project and seek their input and feedback regularly. This is more suitable for when Harvey was in the high power, high interest quadrant, not the low power, low interest quadrant.

References: BCS Practitioner Certificate in BAP Specimen, page 21.

 An investment appraisal calculation is a technique for assessing whether a proposed business change or solution is financially viable and worthwhile. It helps to compare the costs and benefits of different options and select the best one based on objective criteria. There are different types of investment appraisal calculations, such as payback calculation, net present value, internal rate of return and discounted cash flow. Therefore, option A is the correct answer, as payback calculation is the simplest investment appraisal calculation that considers the tangible costs and benefits of a project, as well as showing when it will have saved as much money as it has cost. Payback calculation measures how long it will take for a project to recover its initial investment by comparing its cumulative cash inflows with its cumulative cash outflows over time. It helps to show how quickly a project will break even or generate profit. Option B is not a correct answer, as net present value is not the simplest investment appraisal calculation that considers only tangible costs and benefits. Net present value measures how much value a project will add or subtract from an organisation by comparing its present value of cash inflows with its present value of cash outflows over time. It helps to show how profitable a project will be in today’s terms. Net present value requires discounting future cash flows using an appropriate discount rate, which adds complexity to the calculation. Option C is not a correct answer, as internal rate of return is not the simplest investment appraisal calculation that considers only tangible costs and benefits. Internal rate of return measures how efficient a project is by calculating its annualised effective compounded return rate or rate of growth over time. It helps to show how attractive a project is compared to other investment opportunities. Internal rate of return requires finding an unknown discount rate that makes net present value equal to zero, which adds complexity to the calculation. Option D is not a correct answer, as discounted cash flow is not an investment appraisal calculation itself, but a method for estimating future cash flows by applying an appropriate discount rate to reflect their present value. Discounted cash flow can be used in other investment appraisal calculations, such as net present value or internal rate of return.

References: BCS Practitioner Certificate in BAP Specimen, page 31.

Marketing is primarily concerned with the 4Ps: product, promotion, price and place. These are the elements of the marketing mix that an organisation can control or adjust to influence customer demand and satisfaction. Therefore, option B is the correct answer, as it identifies which of these activities would reflect the business perspective of the Marketing Manager of the IoA. Option A identifies ‘b’ (upgrade the website), ‘d’ (register candidates) and ‘e’ (analyse website activity) as activities that would reflect the business perspective of the Marketing Manager of the IoA. These are incorrect examples of activities that would reflect the business perspective of the Marketing Manager of the IoA, as they are not related to any of the 4Ps. Option B identifies ‘a’ (agree new qualifications), ‘b’ (upgrade the website) and ‘e’ (analyse website activity) as activities that would reflect the business perspective of the Marketing Manager of the IoA. These are correct examples of activities that would reflect the business perspective of the Marketing Manager of the IoA, as they are related to some of the 4Ps. ‘A’ (agree new qualifications) is related to product, as it involves developing and offering new qualifications that meet customer needs and expectations. ‘B’ (upgrade the website) is related to promotion, as it involves improving and communicating the features and benefits of qualifications to potential customers. ‘E’ (analyse website activity) is related to place, as it involves monitoring and evaluating how customers access and purchase qualifications through online channels. Option C identifies ‘a’ (agree new qualifications), ‘c’ (recruit new examiners) and ‘d’ (register candidates) as activities that would reflect the business perspective of the Marketing Manager of the IoA. These are incorrect examples of activities that would reflect the business perspective of the Marketing Manager of the IoA, as ‘c’ (recruit new examiners) is not related to any of the 4Ps. Option D identifies ‘b’ (upgrade the website), ‘c’ (recruit new examiners) and ‘e’ (analyse website activity) as activities that would reflect the business perspective of the Marketing Manager of the IoA. These are incorrect examples of activities that would reflect the business perspective of the Marketing Manager of the IoA, as ‘c’ (recruit new examiners) is not related to any of the 4Ps.

References: BCS Practitioner Certificate in BAP Specimen, page 39.

A SWOT analysis is a technique for identifying and evaluating the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that affect an organisation or project. It helps to assess the internal and external factors that influence the performance and potential of the organisation or project. Therefore, option B is the correct answer, as a SWOT analysis would be the most valuable technique for enabling the organisation to fully explore the concerns and understand if any further intervention is required. A SWOT analysis would help to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation’s current situation, such as the gaps in staff training, the state of the stores and warehouses, and the cash flow issues. It would also help to identify the opportunities and threats that arise from the external environment, such as the market trends, customer preferences, competitors’ actions, and regulatory changes. A SWOT analysis would provide a comprehensive picture of the organisation’s situation and help to prioritise the areas that need improvement or attention. Option A is not a correct answer, as a resource audit is a technique for identifying and evaluating the resources that an organisation has or needs to achieve its objectives. It helps to assess the availability and quality of the organisation’s resources, such as human, physical, financial and intangible resources. A resource audit would not be sufficient to fully explore the concerns and understand if any further intervention is required, as it would only focus on one aspect of the organisation’s situation and not consider the external factors that affect it. Option C is not a correct answer, as a PESTLE analysis is a technique for identifying and evaluating the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors that affect an organisation or project. It helps to assess the opportunities and threats that arise from the external environment. A PESTLE analysis would not be sufficient to fully explore the concerns and understand if any further intervention is required, as it would only focus on one aspect of the organisation’s situation and not consider the internal factors that affect it. Option D is not a correct answer, as Porter’s Five Forces model is a technique for analysing the competitive forces that shape an industry or market. It helps to assess the attractiveness and profitability of an industry or market by examining five forces: rivalry among existing competitors, threat of new entrants, threat of substitute products or services, bargaining power of suppliers, and bargaining power of buyers. Porter’s Five Forces model would not be relevant to fully explore the concerns and understand if any further intervention is required, as it would not address the issues that affect the organisation internally.

References: BCS Practitioner Certificate in BAP Specimen, page 26.

A consensus Business Activity Model (BAM) is a diagram that shows the high level activities that an organisation performs or delivers and the flow or sequence of the activities. It helps to understand what an organisation does, how it does it, who does it, where it does it and why it does it from a common or shared perspective of all relevant stakeholder groups. Therefore, options A, C and D are true statements about a consensus BAM. Option A is a true statement, as a consensus BAM is a conceptual model that represents a business situation or problem at a high level of abstraction. It helps to simplify and clarify the complexity and ambiguity of the business situation or problem. Option C is a true statement, as a consensus BAM shows the logical sequence of process steps that the organisation follows or performs to achieve its objectives and outcomes. It helps to identify the order and dependencies of the activities and how they are connected or related. Option D is a true statement, as a consensus BAM forms the basis of subsequent gap analysis that compares the current and desired situations or problems and identifies the differences or gaps between them. It helps to determine what changes or improvements are needed to bridge the gaps and achieve the desired situation or problem. Option B is not a true statement, as a consensus BAM does not show who undertakes the business activities, but what the business activities are. The actors or performers of the business activities are shown in another technique, such as RACI chart. Option E is not a true statement, as a consensus BAM does not describe a stakeholder’s perspective on what the business does, but a common or shared perspective of all stakeholder groups on what the business does. A stakeholder’s perspective on what the business does is described in another technique, such as CATWOE.

References: BCS Practitioner Certificate in BAP Specimen, page 45.

The elements of PESTLE that are identified in this email are Economic, Environmental and Legal. Economic factors are related to the costs and prices of the business and its competitors. In this email, Nastya mentions that their competitors have lower costs and that they need to secure a better component price and negotiate with their energy supplier (B). Environmental factors are related to the natural resources and sustainability of the business and its impact on the environment. In this email, Nastya mentions that she wants a full review of the biodegradability of the packaging of all their products and that she is mindful of the costs of renewable power (E). Legal factors are related to the laws and regulations that affect the business and its operations. In this email, Nastya mentions that their employment regulations need revisiting due to changes in pension rules and paternity/maternity rights (L).

References:

• PESTLE Analysis Explained (With Examples)
• What is a PESTLE Analysis? A Complete PESTLE Analysis Guide - OnStrategy

A business rule is a statement that defines or constrains some aspect of a business situation or problem or its solution. It helps to ensure consistency and compliance with policies, regulations, standards or criteria within an organisation or project. Business rules can be classified into four types: external constraints, internal policies, external procedures and internal procedures. Therefore, option B is the correct answer, as it identifies which types(s) of business rule have been described in this extract respectively. External constraints are business rules that originate from outside an organisation or project and are beyond its control or influence. They help to ensure compliance with laws, regulations, standards or criteria imposed by external authorities or bodies. An example of external constraints in this extract is legislation ensuring protection for the most vulnerable people in our society can affect the criteria, as it originates from outside the local council and is beyond its control or influence. Internal policies are business rules that originate from within an organisation or project and are under its control or influence. They help to ensure alignment with objectives, strategies, values or principles established by internal decision makers or influencers. An example of internal policies in this extract is the criteria are agreed by the council housing committee, who meet on a regular basis and seek to ensure that the criteria continue to enable effective housing allocation, as it originates from within the local council and is under its control or influence. Option A is not a correct answer, as it does not identify which types(s) of business rule have been described in this extract respectively. Internal policies and internal procedures are not the types of business rule that have been described in this extract. Internal procedures are business rules that specify how an activity or task should be performed or delivered within an organisation or project. They help to ensure quality and consistency of performance or delivery within an organisation or project. There is no example of internal procedures in this extract. Option C is not a correct answer, as it does not identify which types(s) of business rule have been described in this extract respectively. External constraints and external procedures are not the types of business rule that have been described in this extract. External procedures are business rules that specify how an activity or task should be performed or delivered outside an organisation or project. They help to ensure compatibility and interoperability of performance or delivery with external parties or systems. There is no example of external procedures in this extract. Option D is not a correct answer, as it does not identify any type of business rule that has been described in this extract.

References: BCS Practitioner Certificate in BAP Specimen, page 41.

A PESTLE analysis is a technique for identifying and evaluating the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors that affect an organisation or project. It helps to assess the opportunities and threats that arise from the external environment. Therefore, options A and B are correct answers, as they are categories of factors that can be included in a PESTLE analysis for a small manufacturing company. They describe different aspects of the external environment that influence the company’s situation and prospects. Option A describes a legal factor, which is a factor related to laws, regulations, standards or policies that govern an organisation or project. An example of a legal factor is an amendment to the Data Protection Act, which affects how information about employees’ payroll can be held by an organisation. Option B describes an economic factor, which is a factor related to money, markets, trade or resources that affect an organisation or project. An example of an economic factor is a change in electricity usage calculation by an electricity provider, which affects how much electricity costs for an organisation. Option C is not a correct answer, as political is not a factor that has been discovered in the investigation for the PESTLE analysis. A political factor is a factor related to government, politics, power or conflict that affect an organisation or project. Option D is not a correct answer, as technological is not a factor that has been discovered in the investigation for the PESTLE analysis. A technological factor is a factor related to science, innovation, invention or discovery that affect an organisation or project. Option E is not a correct answer, as environmental is not a factor that has been discovered in the investigation for the PESTLE analysis. An environmental factor is a factor related to nature, ecology, climate or geography that affect an organisation or project.

References: BCS Practitioner Certificate in BAP Specimen, page 35.

The end users are classified as high interest, low power on a power/interest grid. This is because they are directly affected by the new reporting tool and have a strong preference for not using it, but they do not have much authority or influence to change the project decision or outcome. Option A is the correct answer.

References:

• How To Manage Stakeholders With a Power Interest Grid | Indeed.com UK
• Stakeholder Analysis using the Power Interest Grid - ProjectManagement.com

An enabling activity is an activity that supports or facilitates another activity within a business activity model. It helps to ensure that another activity can be performed or delivered effectively and efficiently. Therefore, option B is the correct answer, as it is an enabling activity linked to this planning activity. Define sales targets is an enabling activity linked to this planning activity, as it supports or facilitates defining marketing strategy. It helps to ensure that marketing strategy can be aligned with sales objectives and outcomes. Option A is not a correct answer, as it is not an enabling activity linked to this planning activity, but a monitoring and control activity. Monitor sales is a monitoring and control activity that measures or evaluates another activity within a business activity model. It helps to ensure that another activity meets quality and performance standards and criteria. Option C is not a correct answer, as it is not an enabling activity linked to this planning activity, but a doing activity. Advertise clothes is a doing activity that produces or delivers value or satisfaction for customers within a business activity model. It helps to achieve customer demand and satisfaction for products or services. Option D is not a correct answer, as it is not an enabling activity linked to this planning activity, but a doing activity. Sell clothes is a doing activity that produces or delivers value or satisfaction for customers within a business activity model. It helps to achieve customer demand and satisfaction for products or services.

References: BCS Practitioner Certificate in BAP Specimen, page 40.