CPFM Module II

Integrated Case Study flashcards

Read the question, say the answer to yourself, then turn the card to check. The first 10 of 46 cards are free; the rest come with the subject.

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Complete Flashcard Reference

Review every card in this deck. Open any card to reveal its answer. The first 10 are free; the other 36 come with the subject.

What makes a fact in an integrated case salient?

It directly bears on the problem or decision the case asks you to address. The test: if the fact were removed, the analysis would change.

A case issue is about the budget or cash. Which paper's knowledge applies, and which concepts?

Budgeting, Revenue and Cash Management. The budget cycle, MTEF, cash planning and imprest rules.

Against which three criteria should a proposed solution be evaluated?

Suitability, acceptability and feasibility: the strategic-choice criteria of Strategic Management in the Public Sector, applied to case recommendations.

What is a sessional paper?

A formal document through which government presents a policy position to Parliament for debate and endorsement. It is the standard vehicle for major, cross-cutting national policy positions.

Which four competencies does the integrated case assess, in order?

1. Analyse the case and identify the salient issues. 2. Relate the issues to the knowledge of the earlier papers. 3. Propose practical solutions. 4. Draft the government policy document the situation calls for, in its prescribed format.

How should a case be read systematically?

Read it once for overall context before looking for detail. Identify the entity, its mandate and the stated problem or decision it faces. Note the timeline, key figures and any numbers given (budget, revenue, debt). Read it a second time, noting which facts relate to which paper's subject area.

Why does naming a framework, such as 'this is a SWOT issue', earn little on its own?

Marks are earned by applying the framework to the case's specific facts, working through its own structure. For SWOT, that means actually identifying the case's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, not describing the framework in the abstract.

What four elements should a well-structured recommendation include?

1. The recommendation stated clearly and specifically. 2. Why it addresses the specific issue identified, not just that it is good practice. 3. Who would be responsible for implementing it. 4. Any real constraint or risk in implementing it, and how that risk would be managed.

What is a cabinet memo?

A concise document submitted to Cabinet requesting a decision on a specific matter. It is short, decision-focused and addressed to a specific decision-making body rather than to the public or Parliament generally.

What does the examiner reward as integration in the case?

The links between issues: the governance failure that explains the procurement breach, the procurement breach that produced the audit finding, the audit finding the budget must now fund, and the strategy the policy document must serve. Write the links as sentences in the analysis and carry them into the options in the document.

What does the integrated case paper synthesise?