CIMA E3 case studies
CIMA E3 · Put your knowledge to work in context.
E3 Strategic Management is one of the three Objective Test exams at the Strategic level of the CIMA Professional Qualification, the qualification behind the CGMA designation. The qualification is aimed at finance and management accounting professionals who want to move from operational reporting into strategy formulation, implementation and performance leadership, and the Strategic level is where that shift happens. The subject matter is strategic rather than technical: how organisations analyse their environment and internal capability, choose a direction, structure themselves to deliver it, manage change and risk, and measure strategic performance. E3 rewards candidates who can apply frameworks to a realistic scenario, weigh trade-offs and justify a recommendation, not candidates who can only recite models. The CIMA E3 case studies are 5 cases and about 4,816 words.
1Ravensworth Pumps: margin erosion and the Johor consolidation decision
Ravensworth Pumps Ltd makes industrial centrifugal pumps for water utilities. Revenue is £48m; EBITDA margin has fallen from 11.0% to 6.4% in three years.
929 words, about 5 min2Kestrel Analytics: moving upmarket to fix a retention problem
Kestrel Analytics sells workflow software by annual subscription. ARR is £22m, growing 18%, but net revenue retention is 96% and gross logo churn 14% - both worsening.
939 words, about 5 min3Meridian and Calder Vale: governing a housing association merger
Meridian Homes owns 14,000 social homes across two English counties; Calder Vale owns 6,200, mostly in one city. Both are G1/V2 rated by the regulator.
943 words, about 5 min4Harlow & Sons: funding a digital response in a family retailer
Harlow & Sons is a third-generation family retailer with 34 stores in the north of England, revenue £62m and EBITDA £4.1m. Like-for-like sales fell 5.8% last year; online is 4% of revenue while comparable competitors run at 18–22%.
971 words, about 5 min5Brackenwell Foods: entering Vietnam by acquisition or joint venture
Brackenwell Foods makes instant noodles and cooking sauces, with £410m revenue, almost all in the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands. Growth has stalled at 1.2% and the board has approved a 'Vietnam first' Asia entry.
1,034 words, about 5 min