Accounting Assignment

UWBS038g Assessment Briefing for Students

Academic Year	2013/14
Module Code:	7AC002	Module Title:	Accounting and Financial Management	Block 2
Subject Area:	Accounting	Module Leader:
Other (please state): none

Assessment Brief:	100% of overall assessment on module
Hand Out Date		Hand In Date
Preferred Hand In Location:
Departmental Administrator:		Room No.:		Telephone

Re-sit Details:

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Assessment Title:	Company Analysis	Weighting	100%
Notes on requirement to pass	Minimum 50%
Mode of Working	Individual
Presentation Format	Individual report
Length of Assessment	6,000 words
Detail of tutorial Inputs	There will be student briefings about the coursework throughout the module

Assignment Brief/Task

You are to select a PLC that has a listing on a recognised stock exchange of your choice and agree this with the module tutor. The company is seeking to raise 10% of its Net Assets Employed and as an investment analyst you have been asked to produce part of an overall assessment of whether it would be a good investment. You have been asked to produce a Financial Analysis of the company based upon the following ratios for the company for the years 2012, 2007 and 2002;- Return on Capital Employed Asset Turnover Operating Profit Margin Gross Profit Margin Return on Equity Gearing Interest Cover PE Ratio (you will need to show all relevant workings and supporting documentation). Your analysis will be based upon the ratios calculated but is also is to include an analysis of the company’s industry and a comparison of company performance with industry averages for the same years. The second part of your report is to analyse whether it would be better to purchase ordinary shares or debentures in this company, based upon the company performance and capital structure.

Learning Outcomes Tested

LO1: Analyse and interpret financial statements from the perspectives of different stakeholders LO2: Critically analyse the role and function of financial information in the management of a business LO3: Critically analyse the issues and debates concerning the financing and investment decisions of firms

Assessment Criteria	The proportions of the assignment should be 1. An analysis of the industry of which the company is a part (15%) 2. Comparison of company performance with industry based upon ratios calculated (50%) 3. Analysis of the two sources of finance and how it might apply to the chosen company (25%) 4. Summary and choice of financing (10%)
	The grading of the assignment will be based upon the following

Warning

Collusion and plagiarism are both very serious offences that can result in a student being expelled from the University. Those found guilty of cheating in this way steal someone else’s ideas or words and try to deceive the reader into believing it is their own work.

To avoid collusion always work on your own in order to complete your individual assessments. Do not let fellow students have access to your work before it is submitted and do not be tempted to access the work of others. Refer to your module tutor if you do not understand or you need further guidance.

You must use available and relevant literature to demonstrate your knowledge of a subject, however to avoid plagiarism you must take great care to acknowledge it properly. You should therefore always use of the Harvard style referencing system in all cases. (See <http://www.wlv.ac.uk/lib/Tipsheets/Harvard2005N.doc>)

Self Assessment Briefing Checklist for Students. Detail of issues for the student self-review before submission.

A. General: (Completeness, word length, special requirements, etc)

Construction: Structure, introduction, conclusion, visual presentation, etc.

· Have you provided an introduction for each item?

· Have you concluded by summarising your argument at the end of each item?

· Is the work well presented visually in terms of layout, fonts, and spacing, etc?

Intellectual Argument: (Evidence used, clarity and structure of argument, etc.)

· Intellectual argument

· Have you supported your statements with appropriate "evidence"?

· Is the argument clear and structured?

Source Materials: (Please refer to guidance you have received in Module Guide and Induction. Proper acknowledgment, correct identification of authors, etc, complete references or bibliography, use of Harvard system standards)

· Are the materials you have used properly acknowledged in your work? Does the main body of your work correctly identify authors and other detail (dates and where appropriate page references) as specified in the Harvard system standards?

· Can all your references be traced to your bibliography?

· Has the bibliography been prepared to Harvard system standards?

B. Overall Review: (Re-read, assess impact, etc.)

Self-assessment briefing checklist: worked example

· Re-read the assignment brief. Have you answered the brief set? Have you addressed every aspect of it?

· Refer to the previously issued grade descriptors and decide (realistically) the grade you want to achieve. (Honestly now) do the descriptions associated with that grade correspond with your work? If not what adjustments do you need to make?

Assignment Structure

· Table of Contents

· Executive Summary

· Introduction

· Section Overview of the Company (The easiest source you can find is the accounts of company- its website for example. BUT I want you to see from OTHER DIFFERENT sources-e.g. analysts’ reports about the company. In other words, do some research about the company that arise some issues as its website always mention only how wonderful that company is). Give a story/range of information about the company including your views.

· Section Ratio Analysis(what is the ration supposed to be telling you? What is the purpose of liquidity/ current ratios…? All the ratios you are asked for. Show me that you know what are these ratios for (i.e. spell out what are the ratios for/ their meanings and interpretations somewhere in your report- either in the main body or in the appendices).

· Write Ratio Analysis in the main body (what is a ratio doing?(good or bad, what is the norm for this type of company or its competitors? Compare 2012 with the past 3 years for the same company AND also with other competitors/similar companies just for 2012. You can find Industry Ratios in investors’ reports.) The comparison should answer the following questions:

*Is it better? Is it worse?

*Reasons?

*how can it be improved?

-Cross Reference some of the ratios. Try to link the ratios together.

-Think about the connection between the ratio and stocks (are they both high? If this is the case, what can you do to solve this problem-e.g. discounts?)

· Section Overview/Summary of the company: key issues (either to be addressed or mentioning what this company is good at?

Selected company is Sainsburys of UK - http://www.sainsburys.co.uk

Authorised: DoS

Owner: DoS

SQC: July 2005

Revision: 1

Ref: UWBS038g