Critically evaluate the uses and limitations of the financial statements in relation to decision making. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the nature and purpose of the three major financial statements including accounting conventions that underpin these statements.

Business Finance and Accounting

AIMS
• To provide understanding of the key roles played by financial managers and accountants in helping corporations make effective investment and financing decisions.
• To provide you with knowledge and understanding of finance and accountancy within the wider context of global corporations and their goals.
• To provide you with a supportive environment which enables you to become highly proficient at solving accounting and finance problems.
• To encourage you to acquire deep analytical skills which you can apply to real world finance decisions.
• To know what financial information is for and how it is controlled by government, the stock exchanges and other institutions.
• To give you an ability to understand current financial issues from a theoretical and an applied perspective.
• To give you the opportunity to understand the specialist skills accountants use that are relevant for the financial manager.

INTRODUCTION
Managers across the world depend upon a team of professionals to provide them with knowledge and specialised information. Key members of this team include the financial manager and the accountant. Understanding the framework of business finance and accounting principles means you develop skills and knowledge essential to becoming a skilled leader in the managerial marketplace. This course gives you the opportunity to explore business finance principles and conventions including understanding risk and return, financial statement analysis and the calculation of key metrics used daily by global corporations. These skills are key to engaging and following the justification for real investment and financial decision making put forward by your colleagues and business partners.

Programme Learning Outcomes
The Business Finance and Accounting course covers the following learning outcomes:
1.1 Understand the principles of investment and financing decisions that are made by financial managers and accountants and be able to apply these principles to practical problems.
1.2 Critically evaluate the uses and limitations of the financial statements in relation to decision making.
1.3 Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the nature and purpose of the three major financial statements including accounting conventions that underpin these statements.
1.4 Be able to calculate future values and present values and understand the time value of money.
1.5 Demonstrate how to value bonds and stocks using applications.
1.6 Be able to use net present value to analyse key problems that involve competing real investment projects, using the concepts of risk, return and the opportunity cost of capital
1.7 Develop a reflective approach to an understanding of key concepts in finance through using personal development and career experiences to create a narrative.
1.8 Intellectual skills relating to;
a) Location, extraction and analysis of data from multiple sources, including acknowledging and referencing sources;
b) Numeracy, including the processing and analysis of financial and other numerical data and the appreciation of statistical methods;
c) Using contemporary information and communications technology for the acquisition, analysis and communication of information.
1.9 Communication, including the presentation of quantitative and qualitative information in a form appropriate to the intended audience.
1.10 An ability to understand current financial issues from a theoretical and an applied perspective.

STUDY HOURS
This is a 15 credit course which corresponds to 150 hours of guided learning time. Each course is made up of eight weeks of learning. Guided Online Directed Learning Online activities provided in your learning path. 80 Guided Independent Learning Self-directed, independent study which includes 70 research, reading learning materials, communicating
with your tutors and fellow students, and fulfilling assessment requirements.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT
You will carry out two assessments for this course, which will cover the learning materials you study. Along with your summative assessment submissions, you are requested to submit a Turnitin similarity report. This would ensure that the work that you have submitted is your own and that your writing complies with all academic conventions
requested at this level of study. Both assessments should be submitted by Friday 12 midday (UK time) in Week 8 of this course.

LEARNING OUTCOMES COVERED
Submission Requirements:
• A 2,000 word Analytical Report (+/-10%)
• A Turnitin Similarity Report
For the analytical project you are required to select two companies from the same sector that are listed on the FTSE 100. You may select any two companies from a sector of your choice. Your analytical project should outline the real investment goals of your selected companies and offer a summary analysis of their financial position through an examination of the financial statements. Using measures of corporate performance, effectively compare and contrast the two companies. You may also refer to other companies in the same sector when making your comparisons.

Key Specifications and Requirements
You may use any of the materials and tools introduced on the course but must:
• Discuss goals and real investment decisions of a corporation.
• Evaluate financial statements.
• Give evidence of knowledge on methods for measuring corporate performance.
• Include an interpretation of financial ratios.
• Analyse financial ratios and liquidity.
• Include an interpretation of the cost of capital.
• Include an interpretation of market value and book value.
• Present data in a clear and precise manner.
• Set your work out as a report with an abstract and titled sections.
• Ensure that you compare and contrast your findings, and show evidence of evaluation.
• Label any diagrams used (eg. Figure One), give the diagram a title and credit the source.
• Make use of graphs and charts to support your analysis.
• Use Harvard referencing appropriately and accurately.
• Write 2,000 words (+/-10% not including references).

Grading Criteria
Your analytical project assessment should display the following criteria:
• Your ability to source and use a variety of types of material.
• Your ability to analyse key financial information in a concise and clear manner.
• Your ability to compare and contrast and reach objective and impartial conclusions.