Question

　　1.Who should set directors' reward and incentive packages, according to corporate governance provisions?

　　A. The nomination committee

　　B. A remuneration committee made up of independent non-executive directors

　　C. A remuneration committee made up of a balance of executive and non-executive directors

　　D. The board of directors

　　2.The following, with one exception, are areas in which an integrated accounting software package has advantages compared to a series of separate (stand-alone) dedicated programs.

　　Which is the exception?

　　A. Data integrity

　　B. Specialised capabilities

　　C. Efficiency in updating data

　　D. Flexibility in preparing reports

　　3.Only allowing purchasing staff to choose suppliers from an approved list is an example of what sort of fraud prevention measure?

　　A. Appropriate documentation

　　B. Limitation control

　　C. Check control

　　D. Segregation of duties

　　4.Which of the following writers is NOT a member of the school of management thought to which the others belong?

　　A. FW Taylor

　　B. Abraham Maslow

　　C. Elton Mayo

　　D. Frederick Herzberg

　　5.Which of the following is a disadvantage of a large panel or selection board interview compared to individual or one-to-one interviews?

　　A. Specialists can ask a questions about technical areas of the work

　　B. Questions tend to be more varied and more random

　　C. A number of people see the candidate at one sitting

　　D. There is less opportunity for personal rapport with the candidate

　　Answer

　　1.B

　　Rationale: Only this option fulfils the requirement for full independence of the body that sets directors' remuneration (to avoid directors' awarding themselves unjustifiable rewards!). A nomination committee has the separate task of overseeing board appointments.

　　2.B

　　Rationale: An integrated package is expected to do everything, so it may have fewer facilities than specialised modules (especially as it also requires more computer memory). The other options are advantages of integration: ability to update multiple records from one data entry; ability to extract data from all relevant sources to compile specified reports; and less likelihood of discrepancies in different records.

　　3.C

　　Rationale: Limit controls limit opportunity for fraud: another example is limiting access to the computer network by means of passwords. Segregation of duties means ensuring that functions which together facilitate fraud are performed by different individuals: eg separating the cheque signing function from the authorisation of payments. Appropriate documentation involves recording, authorising and tracking transactions through purchase requisitions, orders, invoices and so on.

　　4. A

　　Rationale: Frederick Taylor is associated with scientific management. The other writers are associated with the human relations school, focusing on the role of 'higher order' needs (such as challenge and interest in the work) in human motivation.

　　Ways in: You could halve your options by realising that Maslow and Herzberg belong to the same school: therefore the 'odd one out' must be one of the other two.

　　5.B

　　Rationale: This is a disadvantage because there may not be a clear interview strategy, and candidates may have trouble switching from one topic to another.

　　'A number of people see the candidate at one sitting' is an advantage, because it reduces individual bias, and saves time in sharing assessments (eg compared to a series of one-to-one interviews).

　　'Specialists can ask a questions about technical areas of the work' is an advantage, because a single interviewer may not be able to spot candidate weaknesses in technical areas.

　　'There is less opportunity for personal rapport with the candidate' is an advantage, because personal rapport may lead to favourable bias on the part of an interviewer.