Module Catalogue

ACC2021 : Understanding Company Accounts

  • Offered for Year: 2024/25
  • Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
  • Module Leader(s): Mrs Gill Holden
  • Lecturer: Mr Donald Halliday
  • Owning School: Newcastle University Business School
  • Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Semester 1 Credit Value: 10
Semester 2 Credit Value: 10
ECTS Credits: 10.0
European Credit Transfer System

Aims

- to enable students to appraise a company's financial condition and performance from its published accounts, paying particular attention to the context of its operating environment and accounting policy choices

- To develop project management skills

- To develop team working skills

- To develop report writing skills

- To develop presentational skills

- To develop computer literacy

Outline Of Syllabus

Analysis of the business environment, ratio analysis, report writing, working in teams, work on presentations.

A 6000 word project and presentation will be carried out in teams of students, analysing a set of company accounts.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion164:0064:00N/A
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesLecture121:0012:00Pip Lectures
Guided Independent StudyDirected research and reading182:0082:00N/A
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching41:004:00PIP Seminars
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study138:0038:00N/A
Total200:00
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Lectures materials and module talks will explain the aims, objectives, structure and operation of the module, students will be placed in teams and a company will be allocated to each team. Lecture material and learning and teaching on team working, self reflection and on the analysis and interpretation of company accounts will provide a framework for understanding the following key indicators of financial performance:
1. level of growth
2. profitability, cost structure and impact of accounting policies;
3. cash generation and liquidity;
4. level of investment as a safeguard for future profitability;
5. structure of a company's finance.

Students are expected to obtain relevant background information for example via the the library, which is well-stocked with periodicals and other relevant sources e.g. Financial Times, industry/economic reports etc. All students have the opportunity to consult with academic staff on a group basis throughout the module. Students are required to take the initiative to arrange team meetings, consultations with staff as required, and to play a full part in the work of the group. Team working, research and report writing skills are thus developed through the project as well as analytical and numerical skills.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Prof skill assessmnt2M2020 minute group presentation + 10 minute Q and A
Reflective log2M20Multimedia self reflection (up to 5 minutes if video or up to 1500 words if written e.g blog, sway, poster)
Report2M60Group project of 6000 words
Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Description Semester When Set Comment
Prof skill assessmnt1MFormative presentations for academic and / or peer to peer feedback (up to 10 minutes)
Report1Mwritten work or video for formative feedback, academic and/or peer to peer feedback (up to two sides A4)
Prof skill assessmnt2MFormative presentations for academic and / or peer to peer feedback (up to 10 minutes)
Report2MWritten work or video for formative feedback, academic and / or peer to peer feedback (up to 2 sides of A4)
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Self and peer review using BuddyCheck, will take place after the group presentations, and individuals will receive the group mark adjusted according to self and peer review i.e. their own and their team members' assessment of each other's contributions to report and presentation.

Each team is to keep a log of its meetings, which should be handed in with the project itself. The Module Leader retains the right to adjust individual marks where it is deemed necessary in the interests of fairness.
Non-engagement with the team and module materials may result in a student being considered as achieving 0 marks for the group part of the module.

The group presentation and multimedia self reflection test the students' knowledge and skills outcomes without exception.

Reading Lists

Timetable