MAC3701/104/S2/2024

Tutorial Letter 104/S2/2024

APPLICATION OF MANAGEMENT
ACCOUNTING TECHNIQUES
MAC3701

Semester 2

Department of Management Accounting

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

This tutorial letter contains important information about this module’s

2024 Semester 2 examination.
 MAC3701/104/S1/2024
CONTENTS

Page
1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 3
2 PURPOSE OF TUTORIAL LETTER .............................................................................................. 3
3 FORMAT OF THE EXAM ............................................................................................................... 3
4 FORMAT AND SCOPE OF THE EXAM QUESTION PAPER (EQP) ............................................ 4
5 STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS/DISABILITIES .................................................................... 4
6 INVIGILATOR APP ........................................................................................................................ 4
7 DOWNLOAD THE EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPER AND UPLOAD YOUR ANSWER FILE . 5
8 COMPLETING YOUR EXAM ANSWER PAPER ........................................................................... 6
9 MATTERS NOTED FROM PREVIOUS EXAMINATIONS ............................................................. 7
10 EXAMINATION TECHNIQUE....................................................................................................... 12
11 FORMULAE ................................................................................................................................. 14
12 GENERAL ADMINISTRATION ISSUES ...................................................................................... 14
13 CONCLUSION .............................................................................................................................. 15

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Dear Student

1 INTRODUCTION

The June 2024 examination is fast approaching, and we hope you are preparing yourself fully and
comprehensively. This tutorial letter is to be used as part of your examination preparation. In addition to
this tutorial letter, you must carefully read the MAC3701 guide provided as a link to your examination
timetable on myUnisa, all the communication about the Invigilator App, the October/November 2024 online
examination rules and the information contained in the following link: Your step-by-step guide for
successful online examinations.

2 PURPOSE OF TUTORIAL LETTER

The purpose of this tutorial letter is to provide you with information regarding the format of the October
2024 examination.

3 FORMAT OF THE EXAM

The examination will be conducted online as follows:

3.1 The examination will be conducted as a take-home examination based on an examination question
paper.
3.2 This is a closed-book examination; hence, you may not refer to any of your study material, notes,
internet sources, third parties, artificial intelligence (AI) software, etc. during the examination.
Failure to adhere to these requirements will amount to a breach of the Policy on Academic Integrity
and the Student Disciplinary Code, which may be referred to a disciplinary hearing. Unisa has zero
tolerance for plagiarism and any other forms of academic dishonesty.
3.3 The examination will be managed on the myExam platform.
3.4 Please refer to your examination timetable provided by the Student Assessment Administration
Directorate for the final examination date and time. Any queries relating to this date should be
directed to exams@unisa.ac.za.
3.5 All online assessments will be conducted as indicated on the examination timetable at South
African Standard Time (SAST), irrespective of where in the world the Assessment is written.
3.6 The exam paper will be available for download 15 minutes before the exam starting time.
3.7 The examination duration will be three hours (scheduled examination time) plus an additional 30
minutes for uploading the take-home answer file. You must successfully submit your single PDF
file before the submission cut-off time. Please do not wait until the last minute to submit; instead,
submit your file as soon as the scheduled examination time ends. You will be marked absent from
the examination if you do not successfully submit it before the cut-off time.
3.8 You need to go online to download the question paper and again to upload your answers in one
PDF file.

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4 FORMAT AND SCOPE OF THE EXAM QUESTION PAPER (EQP)

4.1 The examination paper format will be one question totalling 100 marks, consisting of five parts.
4.2 You will be provided with company information that will apply to all five parts of the question.
However, the additional information provided in each Part is only applicable to that specific part of
the exam question paper.
4.3 For each sub-question, please remember that you must:
• Clearly show all your calculations in detail because marks are awarded for calculations.
• Where necessary, indicate irrelevant amounts/adjustments with an R0 (nil-value).
• Round all your workings to two decimals, except where otherwise stated.
• Ignore the time value of money and all taxation implications.
4.4 All learning units covered in the MAC3701 tutorial letters 102 and 103 and the indicated sections
in the prescribed textbook are examinable. The assumed prior knowledge covered in the MAC2601
study guide is also examinable. The MAC2601 study guide can be found on myModules under
Additional Resources. Each Learning unit in the MAC3701 tutorial letters lists all the required
assumed prior knowledge.
4.5 Additional notes, videos and a question bank are available on myModules under Additional
Resources and may assist you in mastering the module content.

5 STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS/DISABILITIES

Only students with disabilities/special needs whose application for additional time has been approved by
DSAA will be granted additional time during the examination. The applicable additional time will be added
to the students’ myExams submission platform, and the due date and time will include the additional time
awarded.

6 INVIGILATOR APP

You must carefully read all the announcements and notices about the Invigilator App (IA) and the
examination rules. The use of the IA is compulsory for this examination, and students who have not
utilised the IA or are outside the IA for a total of 10 minutes during their examination session will be
deemed to have transgressed Unisa’s examination rules and will have their marks withheld. Please take
note of the following:
• You must activate the QR code, which is available for activation 15 minutes before the start time
of the examination and 30 minutes after the official start time of the examination. If you do not
successfully activate the QR code within the available 45 minutes, you will be deemed not to have
used the invigilation tool and will have your final mark withheld.
• You should activate flight mode on your phone or switch off your network/Wi-Fi after scanning the
QR code on the IA to prevent background applications from overriding the running of the IA during
their examination session. After completing the examination, the network/Wi-Fi should be switched
back on to enable you to upload your answer script to myExams.
• You have 10 minutes after the scheduled examination time ends to upload your script/script photos
on the IA. Failure to upload within the stipulated 10 minutes will result in the IA being non-
responsive. In such cases, you are advised to stop attempting to upload your answer script to the

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IA and immediately submit it on the myExams platform. You must submit your answer scripts
on both the Invigilator App (within the first 10 minutes) and then on the myExams platform
within the remaining 30 minutes allocated for uploading after the official examination time.
• You have 48 hours from completing the examination session to upload your IA pending uploads.
Failure to do so will result in you being deemed not to have used the IA, and your final mark will be
withheld. Please check your IA dashboard to ensure your upload was successful.

7 DOWNLOAD THE EXAMINATION QUESTION PAPER AND UPLOAD YOUR ANSWER FILE

Please refer to the information in the following link: Your step-by-step guide for successful online
examinations. Please do not leave reading the information in the link until the last minute. Familiarising
yourself with this information will assist in reducing unnecessary stress and challenges on the examination
day. Furthermore, it is recommended that you practice uploading your file by partaking in the mock
examination, the information of which is contained in the following link: Mock exam site.

Take note of the following regarding the submission of your answer file:
• You are advised to preview your submission (answer script) to ensure legibility and completeness.
The mark awarded for an incomplete or illegible submission will be your final mark, and no
opportunity for resubmission will be granted.
• Please review your submitted file and ensure you have uploaded the correct answer script file.
Lecturers cannot replace the file you have submitted. Incorrect submissions on myExam Unisa will
be awarded 0% irrespective of the correct submissions made on alternative platforms.
• You must upload your answer script in a single (one) PDF file. This file must not be password-
protected or uploaded as a “read-only” file. You may resubmit your answer script on myExams
should your initial submission be unsatisfactory, but only within the stipulated upload time. The last
file uploaded and submitted during the permitted upload time will be marked.
• Submissions will only be accepted from your registered student account.
• NO e-mailed scripts will be accepted.
• If you experience technical challenges submitting on myExams, you must immediately send an
email from your myLife email account to CASExams@unisa.ac.za and MAC3701-24-
S2@unisa.ac.za within the 30-minute upload time. Queries received after the official 30-minute
upload time will not be responded to. Please note ONLY communication from your myLife account
will be considered. Your email should include:
➢ Your student number.
➢ Your module course code.
➢ A description of the problem.
➢ Include a print screen of the problem if there is time.
➢ The date and approximate time of your submission or occurrence of the issue.
• You must acknowledge compliance with the Unisa examination rules and confirm that the answer
file you are submitting is entirely your own work by ticking the honesty declaration box when
submitting your answer script. Students suspected of academic dishonest conduct during the
examinations will be subjected to disciplinary processes. Academic dishonesty is a violation of
academic integrity, and students who communicate with any other person, request assistance from
any other person, or use their study material, notes, internet sources, or artificial intelligence (AI)

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software during the examination will violate the Policy on Academic Integrity and the Student
Disciplinary Code and may be referred to a disciplinary hearing. Unisa has zero tolerance for any
other form of academic dishonesty.
• Students are provided 30 minutes to submit their answer scripts after the scheduled examination
time. In line with the examination regulations, submissions made after the official upload time will
be rejected and not marked, and the students will be indicated as absent from the examination.
• Non-adherence to the examination upload processes will not qualify a student for any special
concessions or future assessments.
• Challenges that are beyond Unisa’s control include the following:
➢ Personal network or service provider issues.
➢ Load shedding.
➢ Limited space on a personal computer.
➢ Crashed computer.
➢ Using a computer that blocks access to the myExams site (employer firewall challenges)
➢ Unlicensed software (e.g., license expires during exams)
• Please make a screen capture of your submission status screen, which indicates that your file was
successfully submitted. Ensure this screen capture includes your computer’s date and time.

8 COMPLETING YOUR EXAM ANSWER PAPER

8.1 Examination answer file format

• Students may type or handwrite their answers.
• Typed answers: You can type your answer on your laptop/tablet/PC in Microsoft Word/Excel. You
need to convert your document (from Word/ Excel format) to one PDF file before submitting it.
Ensure all your pages and calculations are included and visible on your PDF file/document,
especially if you are using Excel, because we will only be able to mark what we can see and hence
cannot mark detailed calculations you performed within a cell.
• Handwritten answers: Use a traditional black pen on a ruled paper (For example, an examination
pad), and please ensure you write neatly and legibly. Then, scan your answer sheets clearly to one
PDF file, for which you can use a cellphone/tablet app to assist you. Please number your pages
and scan them in the correct order.
• For both handwritten and typed (Excel/Word) answers:
➢ You do not need to insert a cover page.
➢ You must write or type your student number (in Excel/Word, include your student number in
the header/footer) at the top of each page. You must also clearly number your pages (1,2
etc.). It is recommended that you do this before the exam so that you are prepared when the
exam time starts.
➢ Start each question on a new page and write the question number at the top of each page.
• The scanned hand-written and typed answers must be converted to a single (one) PDF file
because only one PDF file will be accepted for upload. If you try to upload multiple files/ pages,
only the last file uploaded will be received for marking.

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• Ensure your scanned PDF document is clear and legible. We cannot allocate marks if we cannot
read your scanned document.

8.2 PDF file requirements

• Before submitting your answer file, you must ensure that your answer file is in a PDF document
and that all your answer sheets (including workings) are legible and included in this single PDF
document/file. NB: Only PDF files are permitted on the online exam submission platform. During
submission, you will be restricted to this format.
• You must convert your file to a PDF document; you cannot only rename the file to make it appear
to be a PDF document. Renamed files cannot be opened and marked. Only true PDF documents
can be marked.
• Ensure your PDF file is not corrupted, contains no viruses, and is not password protected because
such files cannot be marked.
• Make sure you submit the correct file. Lecturers or any other person will not be able to replace
your submitted file.
• Practice before the examination converting your handwritten or typed answers into one PDF file
that can be submitted online.
• The file name of your PDF document must be in the following format: Student number, space,
MAC3701 Exam. For example, 33445566 MAC3701 Oct 2024 Exam.
• Ensure your file size is no larger than 20MB.
• You can use a website such as https://www.ilovepdf.com/ to reduce your file size, combine multiple
PDF files into one PDF file, and convert different file formats to PDF. Some versions of Adobe
Acrobat will also enable you to reduce the size of a file. In addition, refer to the “How to Reduce
the File Size or Compress a PDF” document available on myModules/Additional Resources/
Examination documents.

9 MATTERS NOTED FROM PREVIOUS EXAMINATIONS

After scrutinising previous examination scripts, the lecturers have identified common mistakes and
knowledge gaps. The items below aim only to address or highlight some problem areas and errors
frequently made by students; however, only studying the items listed below is insufficient for examination
purposes.

GENERAL • All the topics and all the study units are equally important; hence, do not
“spot”.
• Attempt all questions in the paper to improve your chance of succeeding.
• Do not copy the “Required” section, i.e., the actual question being asked,
onto your answer sheet.
• Read the required carefully – if the question asks you to base your
calculations on budgeted information – do not base your answers on actuals.
• Do not duplicate calculations or qualitative factors.

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• Do not only list factors when discussion/explanation is required. When
required to discuss a factor/concern, you must indicate both what the
factor/point/concern is and why it is a factor/concern.
• Do not discuss/explain factors when only listing is required.
• Clearly understand and ensure that you can distinguish between qualitative
factors (non-financial) and quantitative (monetary) factors and pay particular
attention to which factors a question specifically requires you to discuss. No
marks will be awarded for discussing quantitative factors if the question
requires explicitly a discussion of qualitative factors and vice versa.
• Avoid ‘theory dumping’ when it comes to answering discussion questions.
Such questions require applying the information in the scenario, which must
be included in your answer.
• Students' application to the scenario is poor. Students' points are very
generic, and they will not earn marks in an assessment. You need to
include details from the scenario and the company's circumstances in your
answer. Tailor your answer to the facts and circumstances in the given
scenario.
• Remember to conclude when a question requires the student to either
“Advise,” “Recommend,” “Propose”, or “Compare”, etc. Ensure that your
“Advice”, “Recommendation”, or “Proposal” is consistent with the
calculations or discussion that you have provided and that it does not
contradict it.
• When required to evaluate the provided information/working paper critically,
you must indicate if the provided information and amount are correct or
incorrect. You must provide the correct amount and the corresponding
calculation if the amount is incorrect. Furthermore, indicate the applicable
costing principle as it relates to the scenario.
• If a question requires reasons for the inclusion/exclusion of amounts, ensure
that you include such reasons in your answer.
• If a question requires you to provide your answer in the format of a
memorandum or an email, ensure that you adhere to this requirement and
that you provide your answer accordingly. Ensure that you learn the format
for the various means of communication, such as memorandums and
emails. While these format marks are easy marks to earn in assessments,
students often lose them by providing an incorrect format.
• Ensure you can calculate conversions (for example, grams to kilograms,
minutes to hours, millilitres to litres, etc.).
• Pay close attention to the mark allocation for each question, particularly the
discussion questions. Students often lose valuable marks by providing
insufficient details and points. Ensure your answer contains sufficient detail
for the marks allocated to that question.
INVENTORY • Know and understand the mechanics of the economic order quantity (EOQ)
PLANNING AND technique.
CONTROLLING • Some students miss that the purchase price’s opportunity cost should be
included in “H”, that is the holding cost per unit.
• Take note that the total holding cost is based on the average EOQ.

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OVERHEADS • Be aware of the different methods/techniques of allocating overheads to
ALLOCATION products.
• Understand the principle of overhead allocation rates.
• Direct material/labour costs are not variable overheads.
PROCESS • Remember process costing is a cost accumulation system.
COSTING • Know the impact of different completion points/percentages for material cost
and conversion cost on different types of inventories (opening and closing
WIP).
• Know how to calculate normal and abnormal losses and gains, if applicable.
• Know the treatment of proceeds from scrap with a value.
RELEVANT • Irrelevant costs/revenue must be reflected at zero value (R0).
COSTING • Many students struggle with providing reasons for including or excluding
certain costs and revenue. Indicating relevant/irrelevant only is insufficient;
you must indicate the applicable costing principle, e.g. sunk cost differential
costs, etc.
• You must understand what sunk costs, opportunity costs, differential costs,
etc., are.
• Any consideration of qualitative factors should be aligned with the industry
and information given in the scenario.
• Where optimum production units are required, many students tend to only
calculate and stop at the constrained resource. It is imperative to answer
what has been required.
• Remember that depreciation on machinery is always an irrelevant cost as it
is a non-cash item.
• Ensure that you understand how to determine the relevant cost of raw
materials on hand, as these will differ depending on factors such as whether
there is an alternative use for the raw materials.
• Remember that the opportunity cost represents the lost contribution from
selecting another alternative. Ensure that you understand how to calculate
contribution correctly and that you do not include fixed costs in the
calculation.
• Remember that committed costs are irrelevant as these costs are created
by a decision made in the past or a contract concluded in the past and
cannot be changed by a decision to be made in the future. The entity
cannot legally refuse to pay these costs even though these costs will only
be paid in the future.
• Optimisation where there is a limiting factor – In determining the optimum
production mix or allocation of the scarce resource, many students tend to
“rank” in terms of “contribution” instead of “contribution per limiting
factor”. You must always rank in terms of “contribution per limiting
factor”.
BUDGETS • Many students incorrectly confuse an income statement budget with a cash
budget. Remember, an income statement is based on the accrual basis of
accounting, not the actual cash received and paid.

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• Remember that a cash budget only consists of cash items. Therefore,
accounting entries such as bad debts and depreciation are excluded.
• Some students struggle to calculate the cost of sales amounts using the
given markup or gross profit. Make sure that you know how this is done.
• Always read the scenario carefully before answering the questions. Some
expenses are often provided and then there is no need to recalculate them,
and you will waste valuable time doing so.
DIRECT & • It is important to know how to calculate “contribution”; this principle remains
ABSORPTION the same irrespective of the topic/study unit.
COSTING • Students often cannot distinguish between “contribution” and “gross profit”.
SYSTEMS
• Students often incorrectly use sales units to calculate production cost and
incorrectly use production units to calculate sales revenue amount.
Assumed
• In a direct/marginal costing system, fixed manufacturing costs are treated as
knowledge from
a period cost and NOT as a product cost.
MAC2601
• Students often forget to include variable non-manufacturing costs in
calculating “contribution”.
• If applicable, students often forget to include opening and closing inventory
values in the income statements (Direct or Absorption costing statements).
• Students often cannot reconcile a direct costing income statement to an
absorption costing income statement.
• A considerable number of students are unable to calculate the under-/over
absorption of the fixed manufacturing overheads in an absorption costing
system.
COST–VOLUME– • Ensure that you clearly understand the formula for calculating the break-
PROFIT even point.
ANALYSIS • Some students struggle to distinguish between calculating the break-even
point for a single product versus the break-even point for multiple products.
Ensure that you distinguish the difference between the two.
• Remember that fixed administrative overheads are included in total fixed
overheads/ costs.
• In calculating break-even units in multi-product scenarios, some students
incorrectly allocate/split the fixed costs to/between individual
products.
• Also, remember to include the target profit in the calculation of the break-
even point if provided.
• When calculating the break-even point of multiple products, ensure that you
use the weighted average contribution margin of the products and that
you can calculate this weighted average contribution margin.
• Remember to use the sales mix when calculating the weighted average
contribution margin of the products.
• Again, remember that the concept of “contribution” will always remain the
same irrespective of the topic being dealt with.

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• In instances where a Part has more than one related sub-section, some
students tend to calculate “contribution” more than once, and of more
concern is that the calculated “contributions” are different for the same
product(s).
JOINT AND BY- • You must be able to distinguish joint products from by-products.
PRODUCTS • Ensure you can explain the different joint cost allocation methods and the
mechanics of their application in allocating joint costs.
• Ensure you can explain which join cost allocation method is suitable or
appropriate for an entity based on its specific circumstances. Such
information will be provided in the question, and you must apply this to the
entity in advising on the selection of a particular method.
• Ensure you know how to treat the net proceeds from by-products. These
must be deducted from the total joint costs before allocating joint costs to
joint products.
• Know how to treat proceeds from scrap with a value.
• You must be able to prepare the income statement.
• Ensure that you are able to correctly calculate further processing costs, as
students generally make a lot of basic errors in this regard, thereby losing
valuable marks.
• You must be able to calculate whether a product should be further
processed.
• When presenting your answers refer to the structure and layout in the
question bank and assignments. Many students duplicate the same
calculation or omit other relevant calculations, resulting in a loss of marks.
STANDARD • No marks are awarded for the standard costing variance formula.
COSTING • Please know how to calculate and interpret (favourable OR
unfavourable/adverse) and explain all the variances.
• Ensure that you learn the correct formulas for each of the variances and that
you are able to apply these. Students often learn a formula but include the
incorrect inputs in the formula.
• Some students do not show whether a variance is favourable or
unfavourable. This will cause you to lose marks in the exam so please
indicate (F) or (U/A).
• Understand why a variance might have occurred and be prepared to give
reasons for a favourable or unfavourable variance.
• Read the REQUIRED carefully. Often, only specific variances are required
to be calculated, and not all the variances. Please do not waste valuable
time calculating variances that are not required.
• Remember that usage variances comprise mix plus yield variances.
DIVISIONAL • In calculating “residual income”, some students incorrectly apply the
PERFORMANCE targeted return on investment to the controllable investment instead of using
MANAGEMENT the cost of capital.
• From the given scenario, identify uncontrollable costs and do not include
these costs in “controllable profit”.

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• In calculating the “return on investment” (ROI), some students confuse the
numerator (controllable profit) and the denominator (controllable
investment).
• Be aware of how “allocated head-office costs” should be treated.
• Each uncontrollable item must be reflected as such in both the controllable
profit and controllable investment calculations.
• ROI must always be reflected as a percentage, e.g. 5,7%.
• Take note that controllable investment is controllable assets less
controllable liabilities.
• When comparing the divisional performance of divisions, ensure that you
apply the information provided in the scenario to your answer as opposed to
listing a generic set of potential reasons for the differences in performance.
Application to the scenario is essential.
• Key performance indicators (KPI) must include a measure, e.g., the number
of units rejected due to bad quality.
PRICE SETTING • It is important to understand the basics of transfer pricing and to give this
FOR INTERNAL section the attention it deserves.
AND EXTERNAL • Remember that the concept of “contribution” will always remain the same
PURPOSES irrespective of the topic being dealt with.
• Ensure you are able to establish the impact of idle capacity in a scenario.

10 EXAMINATION TECHNIQUE

Examination technique plays a very important role in a student passing or failing an examination paper. It
is imperative to your success that you focus on the following general examination techniques:

10.1 Presentation
• Your answers should be presented in a logical manner that is easy for the marker to follow.
• Always commence each question on a new page. If you wish to finish a question later, leave
additional pages open for you to use to complete the question.
• Do not “cram” your answers into as few as possible pages. Leave lines open between sub-
questions and calculations.
• Do not write in the margins.
• When referencing the question numbers in the question paper, always use the same format as that
given in the question paper. If the question paper, for example, uses A-a, A-b and A-c, you should
use the same in your answer.
• You must not write the headings of the questions again – this wastes valuable time. Just write ‘A-a’
for example, and start with the question’s answer straight away. Number your questions accurately.
• When you devise your own cross-referencing system to cross-reference your calculations, use a
referencing approach different from the numbering approach used by the examiner in the question
paper. Your cross-referencing approach should be logical and easy to follow, as it will enable you
to score as many marks as possible.

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• Remember that you can start with any question as long as the questions are correctly numbered
and clearly.
• Prioritise the questions from the easiest to the hardest; thus, start with your strongest topic(s).

10.2 Time management

Being able to manage your time properly is crucial. Many students do not complete all the questions,
thereby reducing their opportunity to earn marks. Therefore, always keep to the allocated time for each
question. Move on to the next question when your time for a question is depleted. Remember that each
exam question paper has “easy marks”, so if you attempt all the questions, you significantly improve your
chances of passing. You can always go back and complete questions at the end if there is time left.

It is important to practice your time management skills when completing/practising questions; hence, time
yourself using the time allowed per mark when completing/practising questions.

10.3 Calculations
It is imperative always to show all your calculations because marks are first awarded to the calculations
and then, where applicable, to the final answer as well. Many students fail to show and correctly reference
their calculations and, therefore, lose all the marks attributable to calculations if they only show a final
answer (even if the final answer is correct). Make it as easy as possible for the marker to see what you
did. A marker will not and cannot assume how you calculated an amount.

10.4 Plan properly

Read the REQUIRED part carefully and ensure you fully understand what is expected of you. Adequate
planning is critical before you start writing. We, as lecturers, often see students starting a question only to
cancel and restart the question halfway through the allocated time. Besides wasting your time
unnecessarily, it also affects your confidence in completing the rest of the examination. If you want to
restart a question, leave the original part and only cross it out after you are sure you don’t want to use any
part of it.

10.5 Self-assessment
Several examination-level questions are available in the Question Bank. Working through questions
unaided will help you sharpen your examination skills, get used to examination conditions, teach you how
to manage your time and allow you to identify and address topics you still need to give further attention to.
These questions should not be used to predict what will or will not be asked in the upcoming examination
paper.

It is imperative to practice the questions under examination conditions. This entails physically doing the
question as if you are under examination conditions (including time & without study material) and then self-
marking your attempt against the suggested solution. Do not only review the proposed solution and
assume you would have answered the question similarly. In addition, practice these questions using the
format you will use in the exam, i.e. handwritten, then scanned to PDF or typed in Excel or Word
printed/exported to PDF.

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11 FORMULAE
In the examination, we will provide the following formulae if needed, so you do not have to memorise them.

11.1 Cost estimation and cost behaviour

𝑎 = (∑ 𝑦/𝑛) − (𝑏 ∑ 𝑥/𝑛)
𝑏 = (𝑛 ∑ 𝑥𝑦 − ∑ 𝑥 ∑ 𝑦)/(𝑛 ∑ 𝑥 2 − (∑ 𝑥) ²)

r = n Σxy– ΣxΣy

√𝑛Σ𝑥² − (Σ𝑥)² √𝑛Σ𝑦² − (Σ𝑦)²

r2 =rxr

Although you are not expected to memorise the above formulas, you are expected to be able to establish
which item(s) is/are dependent variable(s) (y) and which item(s) is/are independent variable(s) (x) from the
given information/scenario.

11.2 Standard deviation and the coefficient of variation

Standard deviation (σ) =

Coefficient of variation (r2) = standard deviation / expected value

or see (r2) above under section 11.1.

You do not need to know how to calculate standard deviation or the coefficient of variation but must be
able to interpret them when making decisions regarding uncertain future profits.

12 GENERAL ADMINISTRATION ISSUES

12.1 Supplementary/Aegrotat exam
“A student registered for an undergraduate module is entitled to use two consecutive opportunities per
module to take the examination. Except if College rules provide otherwise, a student may write the
examination during either the first or the second examination opportunity.

A student who takes an examination for the first time during the second examination opportunity and fails
is not entitled to an additional examination opportunity. Where a special FI concession was granted to an
individual student for a specific module, the student will not be granted a supplementary examination after
failing the FI assessment.” (Assessment Policy Paragraph 6.6)

Hence, if the October/November 2024 exam was your first exam opportunity (you were registered for
Semester 2/2024), you are awarded an automatic supplementary opportunity if you were absent for any
reason or failed the exam. The supplementary exam will be written during the May/June 2025 exam period.
You will need to re-register for the module if the October/November 2024 exam was your second exam
opportunity.

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12.2 Remark and purchasing of scripts
Only students who obtain 35% - 49% or 68% - 74% may apply for a remark before the dates indicated in
the following link: Re-marking. The online remark application form is available under the Administrative
section in myUnisa/Examination Results tool and must be accompanied by the prescribed fee.

Students may purchase their marked scripts by sending an e-mail to purchasescript@unisa.ac.za. Your
student number must appear in the subject heading.

Please note that remarking or purchasing a script is not possible when the script is flagged for a
disciplinary offence or proctoring tool noncompliance.

12.3 Disciplinary pending exam results

If your examination shows “Disciplinary pending”, please DO NOT CONTACT THE LECTURERS.
Students who have been identified to have transgressed against examination rules through proctoring
tools and other measures have been referred to the Student Disciplinary Office (DSAA).

Where academic dishonesty is suspected or observed, an ACADEMIC DISHONESTY REPORT will be

completed, approved by various Academic integrity committees, and then sent to DSAA. DSAA will contact
the student and request a response within five working days. Based on the student’s response or if the
student does not complete and return the form within five working days, DSAA will proceed with further
disciplinary measures as per the disciplinary code. Enquiries relating to disciplinary processes may be
sent to Examscriptdisciplinary@unisa.ac.za.

Due to the number of reports to be completed, these reports and committee meetings will only be
completed during the 1st semester of 2025. You are advised to re-register for the module while awaiting
the outcome and possible disciplinary hearing, which will be communicated to you in due time by DSAA
once internal university processes have been finalised.

13 CONCLUSION
Please get in touch with the lecturers as per the details below if you experience problems with the content
of this tutorial letter or need any help with your preparations for the examination. We will gladly assist you.
However, be prepared and specific, as we are unable to assist you if you are unprepared. Also, remember
that several additional resources, including videos, are available on myModules to further assist you in
mastering this module. We also recommend that you work through your assignments and the suggested
solutions.

Students experiencing technical challenges on the examination day should email the module lecturers at
MAC3701-24-S2@unisa.ac.za and CASExams@unisa.ac.za. Please note ONLY communication from
your myLife account will be considered. Your email should include your student number, the module course
code, a description of the problem, the internet browser you are using, a screen print of the problem if
there is time, and the date and approximate time of your submission or occurrence of an issue.
We wish you all the best with your examination.

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Regards,
MAC3701 Lecturers

The lecturers responsible for MAC3701 are:

Mr M Lehaba (012) 352 4067
Ms GM Viviers (012) 429 3914

E-mail address for the lecturers: MAC3701-24-S2@unisa.ac.za

© UNISA 2024
All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means without Unisa's prior written permission.

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