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ACCA Business Planner
ACCA Business Planner
ACCA has launched its new business management tool, ACCA Business Planner. This exciting new product has been developed by ACCA and Val Steward (VS Consultancy Limited) to assist members involved in the world's largest industry - tourism. It is not country-specific, and can be applied irrespective of where your business (or your client's business) is based.
The product takes the form of a CD-ROM from which the user may install modules relating to any of three specific areas - leisure facilities, attractions, and pubs, restaurants and hotels - and is designed to be intuitive, so that no training is needed. There is a detailed help facility, as well as a comprehensive user guide. It is a toolkit, which helps with risk analysis, planning and implementing identified changes, performance measurement and the communication of the results.
Although the product was originally conceived with a view to assisting ACCA members in business, it will also be of value to those members in practice who wish to provide consultancy services to clients operating in the tourism sector.
ACCA Business Planner takes the user through the following stages:
- Setting up the business details: Several businesses or branches may be set up. Each holds its own contact details for its different locations, and the user defines the period ends and the income streams relevant to the particular entity.
- Assessing risk and addressing concerns: A system of questionnaires assists in prioritising the concerns of the stakeholders in the business. The user may select work programmes in respect of those concerns that are high priority. The risk assessment may be undertaken in respect of individual income streams or the business as a whole.
- Analysing the performance of the business: The business performance analysis should first be undertaken before any of the work programmes are embarked upon, and then at regular stages in order to measure progress. Data may be entered manually (each week or each month), or imported from (and exported to) Excel. The user then chooses which graphs are required to be generated in order to communicate progress. (Background help notes explain the significance of each graph.) The data is likely to include both target figures and actual results.
- Assessing the sensitivity of targets and results: Sensitivity analysis may be performed on the actual results or the target figures. The user may analyse individual months or a year at a time. Having selected the required period and the income streams, a range of scenarios may be considered, and the effect of changes to absolute figures or margins assessed. This area of the product is also capable of generating graphs and fuller reports.
The risk assessments, performance analysis and sensitivity analysis can all be carried out for the business as a whole, or can be performed for each of the business's different locations or income streams. In this way, ACCA Business Planner provides total flexibility for the user.
ACCA Business Planner is available at a cost of £275 plus VAT. You can request a demo CD of this product by sending an e-mail to planner@valsteward.com.
Orders can be placed with ACCA Connect by telephoning +44 (0)141 582 2000 or e-mailing members@accaglobal.com