INU3128 : Financial Analysis
INU3128 : Financial Analysis
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Michael Cheng
- Co-Module Leader: Mrs Helen Grinsell
- Lecturer: Mr Alexander Fender
- Owning School: INTO Newcastle University
- 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 | |
Pre-requisite
Modules you must have done previously to study this module
Pre Requisite Comment
N/A
Co-Requisite
Modules you need to take at the same time
Co Requisite Comment
N/A
Aims
This Financial Analysis module helps students to interpret the key financial accounts of businesses, to learn key financial ratios used by financial analysts to assess the financial performance of businesses, and to learn key Investment Appraisal techniques used to assess and compare investments.
• To read, utilise, and interpret key financial documents used by businesses when conducting financial
analysis: Income Statement, Balance Sheet, Cash Flow Statement
• To judge the financial performance of a business over time
• To compare the financial performance of two different businesses
• To assess a potential business investment or project using different Investment Appraisal methods:
Payback, ARR, and NPV
Outline Of Syllabus
• Legal Structures
• Sources of Finance
• Costs
• Income Statements
• Balance Sheets
• Cash Flow Statements
• Break-Even Analysis
• Budgets and Variances
• Ratio Analysis
• Investment Appraisal: Payback, ARR, NPV
Learning Outcomes
Intended Knowledge Outcomes
• Define and describe the 4 main legal structures in the UK: Sole Trader, Partnership, Private Limited
Company and Public Limited Company
• Define and describe the 3 main financial documents used to assess the financial performance of a
business. Explain the main benefits and problems of constructing Income Statements and Balance Sheets.
• Define and describe different types of budgets: Incremental, Zero-based, and Flexible. Explain the
benefits and problems of each type of budget.
• Explain the benefits and problems of a business using break-even analysis.
• Define various key financial ratios used to assess the financial performance of businesses. Interpret
what each ratio means for a business.
• Define and describe Payback, ARR and NPV. Explain the benefits and problems of each type of Investment
Appraisal.
Intended Skill Outcomes
• To read and utilise financial data from key financial documents: Income Statements, Balance Sheets, and
Cash Flow Statements.
• To calculate various key financial ratios used in financial analysis
• To analyse the financial performance of a business using financial ratios
• To assess the financial performance of a business over time
• To compare and evaluate the financial performance of two different businesses
• To judge the viability of a potential project or investment using approved investment appraisal
techniques
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 18 | 1:00 | 18:00 | Lectures |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 35:00 | 35:00 | Total time expected for Revision, preparation and Completion of the Semester 2 Financial Analysis Exam. |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 35:00 | 35:00 | Total time expected for Revision, preparation and Completion of the Semester 1 Financial Analysis Exam. |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 28:00 | 28:00 | Total time expected for revision, preparation, and completion of formative assessments. This may include formative Canvas Quizzes set weekly, the Semester 1 Mock exam, and the Semester 2 Mock exam. |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 40 | 1:00 | 40:00 | Seminars |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 4 | 1:00 | 4:00 | 4 Study Clinics in total. Two Study Clinics at the end of Semester 1 and two Study Clinics at the end of Semester 2. Study Clinics may be used to give feedback from the Mock Exams, giving advice on exam technique, and answering any questions or problems. |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 40:00 | 40:00 | Total time expected for Revision of Financial Analysis lecture notes across Semester 1 and Semester 2, which may include revision from a Financial Analysis Semester 1 Core Notes Booklet, and Financial Analysis Semester 2 Core Notes Booklet. |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
• Lectures will cover topics included in the Module Outline. The Lecture introduces students to the 4 key Learning Objectives for that week, a mixture of Knowledge, Application, Analysis and Evaluation. The Learning Objectives are designed to help students achieve both the Intended Knowledge Outcomes and Intended Skills Outcomes for the Module.
• Two seminars each week are used to complete tasks which are designed to help students to meet the Learning Objectives and to prepare for Section B and Section C in their exams.
• Canvas Quizzes set as homework each week are multiple choice questions to help students prepare for Section A in their exams.
• Formative assessments are mock exams which are in a similar style and format to the real exams to help students to focus and prepare for their exams.
• Exams for this module are designed to test whether students have met the Learning Objectives set each Semester. Each exam is in 3 sections. Section A is multiple choice questions, Section B is short answer questions and calculations, and Section C is longer evaluative questions.
• Revision videos and Further Reading from textbooks are set to as revision to help students to meet the Learning Objectives.
• Study Clinics are used to develop exam technique and give advice and feedback
Reading Lists
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Exams
| Description | Length | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 120 | 1 | A | 30 | A combination of multiple choice questions, short-answer questions and calculations, and longer-answer questions. |
| Written Examination | 120 | 2 | A | 70 | A combination of multiple choice questions, short-answer questions and calculations, and longer-answer questions. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written Examination | 1 | M | Semester 1 Mock Exam. Set at the end of Semester 1 but before the main Assessment period. A smaller version of the real exam in terms of marks available and time allowed for completion, but in a similar format to the real exam. |
| Written Examination | 2 | M | Semester 2 Mock Exam. Set at the end of Semester 1 but before the main Assessment period. A smaller version of the real exam in terms of marks available and time allowed for completion, but in a similar format to the real exam. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
• The Semester 1 and Semester 2 Exams assess whether students have broadly met the Learning Objectives set at the start of each lecture in Semester 1 and Semester 2. The exams seek to assess if students have met the Intended Knowledge Outcomes and Intended Skills Outcomes for the module. The exams assess a combination of different exam skills: Knowledge, Application, Analysis and Evaluation.
• The exams are in 3 different sections with differing formats. Section A is multiple choice questions (mainly assessing Knowledge), Section B is short-answer questions and calculations (mainly assessing Application and Analysis), and Section C is longer-answer questions (assessing a combination of Knowledge, Application, Analysis and Evaluation).
• Semester 1 is weighted at 30% and Semester 2 is weighted at 70%. This is because the module includes students who have not studied Financial Analysis before, relatively weaker English writing skills, and also students who have little experience at demonstrating evaluation skills. Students tend to improve over time due to improvements in their knowledge, gaining experience with this exam format, and improvements their English writing skills. So the weightings are designed to increase the chances of achieving higher progression results.
Formative Assessments include weekly Canvas Quizzes to check progress. Quizzes are set as homework and 30 minutes are allowed for each quiz. Also the Semester 1 and Semester 2 Mock Exams are formative assessments which also help students to focus their revision and preparation for their summative exams.
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- INU3128's Timetable
Past Exam Papers
- Exam Papers Online : www.ncl.ac.uk/exam.papers/
- INU3128's past Exam Papers
General Notes
N/A
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