The University of Johannesburg’s senior lecturer, Mr Benjamin Mogapi from the Department of Accountancy has secured an exceptional result in the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants’ (CIMA) Strategic Case Study exam, which was written in December last year.
The Case Study exam is essentially a virtual business role-play. According to CIMA it examines, among other things, each candidate’s ability to provide strategic leadership at board level.
The exam, which was written by candidates from all over the world, is based on real world business and industry scenarios to provide a more realistic and rigorous experience.
“I’m really glad about the outcome of the exam and hope that this achievement will in some way inspire my own students who are also aspirant ACMA/CGMAs,” he says.
Mr. Mogapi is the first lecturer at UJ to complete the CIMA qualification through the SAICA-CIMA membership pathway agreement. He has worked at senior executive level with a major focus on strategic and corporate management, leadership, policy analysis, financial accounting and reporting, risk management, financial management, organisational restructuring and review, market research, project management and evaluation amongst others.
In addition to being a CA (SA) and holder of a MCom (Finance) degree, Mr. Mogapi is now also a qualified Associate Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).
Speaking about why he chose CIMA he says, “CIMA has evolved over the years from a body of management accountants and now resides over members with the aptitude to provide strategic leadership to an organisation. I felt that the qualification would enable me to contextualize my technical skills within the broader business context and therefore improve my understanding of how value is created and preserved”.
“CIMA does not only make you a numbers person or by extension an accountant, but positions you as a strategic business partner at the highest level of an organisation.”
His decision to choose CIMA, was driven by the fact that the CIMA syllabus focuses on developing skills beyond knowledge-based learning to application and analysis in resolving emerging problems.
“It was refreshing to be examined as a practitioner using the theory as a means to solving business problems as opposed to regurgitating rote learned bits of information”.
In spite of his professional and academic background, Mr. Mogapi admits that it was challenging to make the shift from technician to strategist, which is required to be successful in the exam but claims that he enjoyed the process.
UJ celebrates the success of its staff and is proud of the confirmation of the Institution as a leader in accounting education, as well as its reputation as an excellent teaching and learning facility.
