ICAG L3 Strategic Case Study study guide
ICAG L3 Strategic Case Study · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The ICAG Level 3 Strategic Case Study is the capstone written examination of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ghana professional qualification. It sits at the strategic level, after the knowledge and application stages, and asks you to behave like a senior adviser rather than a technician: read a multi-page scenario about a real-feeling organisation, identify the issues that matter, apply strategy, finance, governance and ethics frameworks, and communicate conclusions in a board-ready memorandum or report. The ICAG L3 Strategic Case Study study guide has 5 sections and about 2,872 words.
01Strategic Analysis and Evaluation of the Business Environment
This domain tests how quickly and selectively you can read the external context of a case and convert it into implications for a board decision. Marks sit with evaluation - the "so what" - far more than with framework recall.
489 words, about 2 min02Strategy Formulation, Choice and Implementation
This domain tests the choice between strategic options and the credibility of the plan that follows. Case requirements typically ask you to evaluate two or three options and recommend one, or to critique a plan the board has already committed to.
468 words, about 2 min03Performance Measurement
Performance measurement questions ask you to design or critique a measurement system and to interpret the numbers in the case. The exam tests whether measures link to strategy, whether incentives point the right way, and whether the board can act on what is reported.
464 words, about 2 min04Risk and Governance in Strategic Decision-Making
This domain tests the board's role in a strategic decision: whether the governance arrangements are adequate, whether a director has a conflict, and whether the proposed risk sits inside the board's stated appetite. Typical requirements ask you to advise non-executive directors on whether to proceed, or to identify governance failures in the case.
476 words, about 2 min05Financial Strategy, Valuation, Financing and Investment Appraisal
This domain tests whether a strategic recommendation is financially sound: what it is worth, how it is funded, and whether it clears the required return. Case requirements usually combine a valuation or appraisal calculation with advice on financing mix and the effect on covenants and shareholder value.
975 words, about 5 min