Assignment Brief 23/24 5FC004 Managing Finance and Accounts

Assignment Brief 23/24 5FC004 Managing Finance and Accounts

Topic Detail

Academic year / semester 2023/24 Semester 2

Module code and title 5FC004 Managing Finance and Accounts

Module Leader Samia Mahmood

Assignment name Portfolio

Assignment type Portfolio

Assignment weighting and size 100%, No more than 3000 words excluding appendices and references

Assessment unpacking video location Canvas, 5FC004, Home page and Modules, Assessment Information & Support Canvas Page

Whats my assignment? unpacking date (if applicable) Canvas 5FC004, Modules, Task one -Week 3, Task two- Week 6 and Task three Week 10

Formative submission date (if applicable) Week 7

Formative submission method (if applicable) Students bring the draft assessment in Week 7 in the class

Formative feedback date (if applicable) To be discussed in the class during Week 7

Summative (i.e., final) submission date 7th May 2024 before 2 pm.

Summative submission method Online in Canvas

Assignment requirements Students are required to complete three Tasks. Task one covers Finance theme (LO3), Task two covers Financial reporting and analysis theme (LO2) and Task three covers Managing Budget theme (LO1). Please provide a complete reference list at the end of each task. Guidance on word allocation for each task is below. The number of words for each task excludes the reference list.

Task 1 [1000 words]

You are a financial analyst for a start-up company in the technology industry that has experienced rapid growth over the past years. The company's CEO has asked you to recommend future financing options.

Required:

Using the information provided above , prepare a report that answers these questions:

What are the potential financing options available to the company, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of each option?

What factors should the company consider when choosing between different financing options?

Based on your analysis, what financing option would you recommend for the company?

Task 2 [1000 words]

In the table below is some data extracted from the accounts of three companies, all of which are in the wholesale dog food business:

For the year ended 31 December 2022

PuppyUsKiddo Charlie Foods

000 000 000 000 000 000

From income statement Sales 8,200 6,200 9,500

Opening inventory 1,450 900 1,480 Purchases 6,170 4,568 5,840 7,620 5,468 7,320 Closing inventory 1,820 880 960 5,800 4,588 6,360

Gross Profit 2,400 1,612 3,140

From the statement of financial position Trade receivable 2,220 1,020 2,980

Trade payables 1,678 730 930

Required:

Calculate and comment on these three ratios of three companies: Gross profit margin, Trade payables days and Trade receivable days and suggest to management where improvement in performance may be possible.

Would your commentary be different if you knew that:

Charlie Foods had an exceptionally large turnover in December 2022

PuppyUs purchased a substantial amount of inventory in December 2022 at an advantageous priceTask 3 [1000 words]

Keva Ltd. is a manufacturing company that has been in operation for over 30 years. The company has been using traditional budgeting methods to manage its finances, but recently, the management team has been exploring alternative approaches to budgeting. The management team is interested in implementing a beyond-budgeting approach to improve the company's financial performance and responsiveness to changing market conditions.

Required:

Compare and contrast the traditional budget and beyond-budgeting approaches, highlighting the differences in their features, benefits, and limitations.

Evaluate the suitability of the beyond-budgeting approach for Keva Ltd., highlighting the potential benefits and challenges.

Learning outcomes LO1: Know how to set budgets and use them to monitor and control organisational activity.

LO2: Assess and comment on financial statements.

LO3: Understand finance within an organisation

Assessment criteria(see rubric below for performance criteria) Understanding corporations and the use of finance (35%)

Interpreting companys financial statements and analysing its performance (30%)

Knowledge and application of budgeting, control, and performance management systems (35%)

Characteristics of a good submission Answer the requirements of each task completely.

Use the information/material from Canvas to develop an understanding of the topic and then do some research from various resources (books, journal articles etc.) to build your knowledge of the subject.

Use texts and articles from the reading list to support your work as well as a range of wider reading.

Write the answers in your own words by applying the key concepts/theories and engaging with the case study/questions to each assessment task.

Use a reasonable range of academic sources to support your ideas wherever possible in each task using Harvard reference Style and provide a complete reference list at the end of each task.

Additional instructions All submissions must be uploaded via Canvas; paper and email submissions will NOT be marked.

Reference lists and appendices are NOT included in the word count.

Always keep a copy of your work and a file of working papers, as there may be circumstances where it is difficult to arrive at a mark for your work. If this is the case, you may be asked to submit your file and possibly meet with your tutor to answer questions on your submission.

Professional Body requirements This module is mapped against CMI L5 Diploma

University regulations Universitys Academic RegulationsAcademic Integrity PolicyLevel and Mark DescriptorsSupport Student Support and WellbeingStudy GuidesSkills for Learning Introduction to Academic Study SkillsAcademic English Language SkillsYou should also refer to your Course and Module Guides

Date by which feedback will be provided Within the University of Wolverhampton current guidelines

Feedback format Written feedback on Canvas

Resit details The Resit requirement for this assignment is to provide a rework of the original submission, with additions and amendments highlighted, to indicate where you have applied the feedback received.

The resit opportunity will be in the Semester 2 resit period, and the actual date will be available on Canvas approximately six weeks after the submission of the first assessment submission.

Assessment Rubric

Assessment criteria for each task A (70-100%)

Outstanding

B (60-69%)

Very good

C (50-59%)

Good D (40-49%)

Sufficient E (30-39%)

Insufficient

F (0-29%)

Poor

Understanding corporations and the use of finance (LO3)

Work of excellent standard, showing an in-depth understanding of corporations and the use of finance. Evidence of independent reading outside the module list and beyond classroom notes using a variety of references from creditable sources. Complete answers to all questions of the task. An excellent application of the key concept of finance; and the use of appropriate sources of entrepreneurial/corporate finance. An excellent structure with a logical sequence of the material and clear layout. Coherent argument excellently supported with appropriate supporting evidence/material. An excellent use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Few errors /virtually free from referencing or grammar errors. Work of a very good standard, generally showing a very good understanding of corporations and the use of finance. Some evidence of reading outside the module list and beyond classroom notes. All essential elements covered, evidence of very good application of finance, and use of appropriate sources of entrepreneurial/corporate finance. A very good structure with a logical sequence of material and layout. A very good use of relevant material to support the argument. Generally very good use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Some minor repeated errors in referencing or grammar. Work of a good standard showing a generally sound understanding of corporations and the use of finance. Reading based on main texts or material. Content relevant to the task. A good application of finance; and use of appropriate sources of entrepreneurial/corporate finance. A good structure with a relatively easy-to-follow argument, but reading is not always fully utilised in supporting arguments. Some evidence of referencing. Grammatically competent, but some repeated errors in referencing or grammar. Work of a sufficient standard to pass, showing sufficient evidence of understanding the corporations and the use of finance. Some evidence of reading, from class notes or outside. But limited or little use of literature. Demonstration that LOs met. Content broadly relevant but limited or little application of the finance; and use of appropriate sources of entrepreneurial/corporate finance. Presentation is adequate but could be improved upon in terms of organisation and layout. Some assertions are made but not substantiated by evidence. Some attempt at referencing. Sources are usually given but not systematically or consistently. Errors in grammar, punctuation and/or spelling. Work of an unsatisfactory/insufficient standard, showing a lack of understanding of the corporations and the use of finance. Too little evidence of reading from class notes or outside. Material merely repeats taught inputlimited understanding of finance; and limited use of appropriate sources of entrepreneurial/corporate finance. Evidence of sufficient grasp of learning outcomes to suggest that the student will be able to retrieve the module on resubmission. Poorly presented. Little or no linkage of ideas; lacks logical sequence. Assertions lack substantiation. Limited references. Several errors in grammar, punctuation and/or spelling. Possible use of extensively quoted passages. No learning outcomes fully met. No evidence of reading. Little/no attempt to address the assignment brief or to engage with module materialsinadequate demonstration of knowledge or understanding of key concepts. Extremely poorly presented. No clear structure. Inadequate/no analysis of ideas demonstrated. Limited or no references. Huge errors in grammar, punctuation and/or spelling.

Interpreting companys financial statements and analysing its performance (LO2) Work of excellent standard, showing an in-depth understanding of the company's financial statements and assessing companys performance. Evidence of independent reading outside the module list and beyond classroom notes using a variety of references from creditable sources. Complete answers to all questions of the task. Excellent analysis and interpretation of the ratios using the available information and comparing two years' performance and two companies performance. An excellent structure with a logical sequence of the material and clear layout. Coherent argument excellently supported with appropriate supporting evidence/material. An excellent use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Few errors /virtually free from referencing or grammar errors. Work of a very good standard showing a very good understanding of the company's financial statements and assessing companys performance. Some evidence of reading outside the module list and beyond classroom notes. All important elements covered. Evidence of very good analysis and interpretation of the ratios using the available information and comparative analysis. A very good structure with a logical sequence of material and layout. A very good use of relevant material to support the argument. Generally very good use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Some minor repeated errors in referencing or grammar. Work of a good standard showing a generally sound understanding of the company's financial statements and assessing companys performance. Reading based on main texts or material. Content relevant to the task. Good analysis and interpretation of the ratios using the available information and comparative analysis. A good structure with a relatively easy-to-follow argument, but reading is not always fully utilised in supporting arguments. Some evidence of referencing. Grammatically competent, but some repeated errors in referencing or grammar. Work of a sufficient standard to pass, showing satisfactory evidence of understanding of the company's financial statements and assessing companys performance. Some evidence of reading from class notes or outside. But limited or little use of literature. Demonstration that LOs met. Content is broadly relevant but limited or little analysis and interpretation of the ratios using the available information and limited discussion on comparative performance. Presentation is adequate but could be improved upon in terms of organisation and layout. Some assertions are made but not substantiated by evidence. Some attempt at referencing. Sources are usually given but not systematically or consistently. Errors in grammar, punctuation and/or spelling. Work of an unsatisfactory/insufficient standard, showing a lack of understanding of the company's financial statements and assessing companys performance. Too little evidence of reading, from class notes or outside. Material merely repeats taught inputlimited analysis and interpretation of the ratios using the available information and little discussion on comparative performance. Evidence of sufficient grasp of learning outcomes to suggest that the student will be able to retrieve the module on resubmission. Poorly presented. Little or no linkage of ideas; lacks logical sequence. Assertions lack substantiation. Limited references. Several errors in grammar, punctuation and/or spelling. Possible use of extensively quoted passages. No learning outcomes fully met. No evidence of reading. Little/no attempt to address the assignment brief or to engage with module materialsinadequate demonstration of knowledge or understanding of the interpretation of the ratios. Extremely poorly presented. No clear structure. Inadequate/no analysis of ideas demonstrated. Limited or no references. Huge errors in grammar, punctuation and/or spelling.

Knowledge and application of budgeting, control, and performance management systems (LO1) Work of excellent standard, showing an in-depth understanding of budgeting, control and performance management system. Evidence of independent reading outside the module list and beyond classroom notes using a variety of references from creditable sources. Complete answers to all questions of the task. Excellent use of key arguments to discuss and apply the concepts to the scenario. An excellent structure with a logical sequence of the material and clear layout. Coherent argument excellently supported with appropriate supporting evidence/material. An excellent use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Few errors /virtually free from referencing or grammar errors. Work of a very good standard, generally showing a very good understanding of budgeting, control, and performance management system. Some evidence of reading outside the module list and beyond classroom notes. All essential elements covered evidence of very good use of key arguments to discuss and apply the concepts to the scenario. A very good structure with a logical sequence of material and layout. A very good use of relevant material to support the argument. Generally very good use of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Some minor repeated errors in referencing or grammar. Work of a good standard showing a generally sound understanding of budgeting, control and performance management system. Reading based on main texts or material. Content relevant to the task. A good discussion and application of concepts to the scenario. A good structure with a relatively easy-to-follow argument, but reading is not always fully utilised in supporting arguments. Some evidence of referencing. Grammatically competent, but some repeated errors in referencing or grammar. Work of a sufficient standard to pass, showing sufficient evidence of understanding of budgeting, control and performance management system. Some evidence of reading, from class notes or outside. But limited or little use of literature. Demonstration that LOs met. Content is broadly relevant but limited or little discussion and application of concepts to the scenario. Presentation is adequate but could be improved upon in terms of organisation and layout. Some assertions are made but not substantiated by evidence. Some attempt at referencing. Sources are usually given but not systematically or consistently. Errors in grammar, punctuation and/or spelling. Work of an unsatisfactory/insufficient standard showing a lack of understanding budgeting, control and performance management system. Too little evidence of reading from class notes or outside. Material merely repeats taught inputlimited understanding of the balanced scorecard and its application to the scenario. Evidence of sufficient grasp of learning outcomes to suggest that the student will be able to retrieve the module on resubmission. Poorly presented. Little or no linkage of ideas; lacks logical sequence. Assertions lack substantiation. Limited references. Several errors in grammar, punctuation and/or spelling. Possible use of extensively quoted passages. No learning outcomes fully met. No evidence of reading. Little/no attempt to address the assignment brief or to engage with module materialsinadequate demonstration of knowledge or understanding of the interpretation of the ratios. Extremely poorly presented. No clear structure. Inadequate/no analysis of ideas demonstrated. Limited or no references. Huge errors in grammar, punctuation and/or spelling.