AIM OF THE COURSEWORK:

This assessment aims to provide you with an opportunity to reflect on the concepts you have learnt during the course of Accounting and Finance for Managers lectures and seminars. It will assist you in developing your ability to apply concepts to practice in the light of your experience while qualifying for the master’s degree.

You are required to write a report analysing the financial performance of a selected publicly listed company (please refer to submission guidelines for the choice of the company) for the latest THREE consecutive years, as a minimum. The report should include the following:

REQUIREMENTS:

a) Evaluate the company's business dynamics, its strategies, and the market prospects along with any associated risks.           (10 marks)

b) Calculate at least three profitability ratios of your choice to support your analysis. Critically evaluate the profitability position of the company.                       (25 marks)

c) Calculate at least three efficiency ratios of your choice to support your analysis. Critically evaluate how the resources of the business are managed. (25 marks)

d) Calculate at least three investment ratios of your choice to support your analysis. Critically evaluate the current investment position and potential opportunities of the company. (25 marks)

e) Creative accounting refers to imaginative ways to present accounts. Referring to recent real- life examples, critically evaluate whether and how companies have been using creative ac- counting techniques to manipulate financial statements. (15 marks)

[TOTAL: 100 MARKS]

Submission Guidelines:

Please carefully follow the coursework submission guidelines.

. This work should be presented as a report type – i.e. guiding the reader effortlessly through the arguments you present (e.g. introduction, development, final considerations

– all that making use of subheadings, again, to guide the reader (shareholders, in this case). The purpose of the guideline offered below is to help you to organise your report (rather than to limit your creativity); and also, to provide you with a marking scheme. That is to say,you do not need to actually indicate the letters (a,b,c,…) when presenting the report. Consider that you are providing information to the shareholders to make financial decisions.

. Read updated literature on concepts, methods and tools for “Analysis and interpretation of financial statements” .

. You are expected to choose ONE COMPANY from the ones below in analysing fi- nancial statements:

1. Premier Foods PLC https://www.premierfoods.co.uk/Investors/Results- Centre/2023-2024.aspx

2. Senior PLChttps://www.seniorplc.com/investors.aspx

3. Future PLC https://www.futureplc.com/investor-results/#annualReports  4. Hunting PLChttps://huntingplc.com/investors/results-and-reports?tab=2 5. Sirius PLChttps://www.sirius-real-estate.com/investors/reports/

. Annual reports are available under the heading of ‘Investor Relations’ .

. The financial information you need should refer to, at least, THREE (03) consecutive years of the company’s operation; to allow you to compare/analyse/comment on the business financial trend.

. A ‘0’ (ZERO) mark will be awarded if you do not select a case company from above mentioned list.

. An online copy (e.g., a screen shot) of the most recent company’s financial state- ments (not a web link), which served the basis for the requirements above, should be submitted as part of this coursework. Your coursework will be assessed (e.g., ratio calculations) based on the provided financial statements. Failure to submit an ex- tract of your financial statements will impact your grades as we are unable to verify the calculations.

. Clearly show the ratio calculations and any assumptions made during the analysis.

. Word  limits  and  assignment  length: 2,000 words  (excluding list of references, ta- bles/pictures and appendices). However, 10% above or below this word limit is ac- cepted (E.g., Acceptable range: from 1800 to 2200 words).

. The report must be typed with 12pt Arial or Times New Roman font, 1.5 spaced.

. University rules on plagiarism apply (please refer to postgraduate information on Moo- dle for further details). All materials used to prepare this coursework need to be accord- ingly referenced.

Important notes and instructions:

1.  Details are available on Moodle and in your student handbook.

2.  More information concerning late submission of coursework or absence from in-class tests, can be found here:

Late submission of coursework | University of Essex

3. Note that this coursework invites you to reflect and provide your own opinion/argument on the topic, which means that there is no right or wrong answer. You are advised to refer to materials from the relevant lectures plus recommended readings to get a basic understanding on the topic. You should then carry out additional research by searching for relevant research articles, practitioner literature, published case studies, and news and media reports that can help you develop an opinion/argument on the topic. There is no minimum requirement regarding the number of references that you must use but essays that are well-researched will normally attract a higher mark than those that are not. All sources used must be properly cited in-text and referenced (Harvard referencing style is required).

4. The overall quality of your writing may affect your mark. You should therefore aim to present your ideas in an organised manner and demonstrate coherence in your argument. A basic essay structure should normally consist of an introduction, body, and a conclusion.

5. The assessment will follow the criteria indicated in the EBS Marking Scheme with a view to the structure, coverage, and analysis developed in the assignment.

6. University Regulation 6.21: It is an academic offence for a student to engage in unfair academic practices or to cheat in any examination, or in any other submitted part of his or her University work,whether or not such work is formally assessed. A student maybe found guilty of an academic offence whether or not there has been intention to deceive; that is, a judgement that negligence has occurred is sufficient to determine guilt. See more information of academic offences here:

What is an academic offence? | University of Essex

7. Students requiring support may contact EBS learning team:ebslearn@essex.ac.uk

MARKING SCHEME