AAF043-6 Management Accounting and Financial Planning Business Report Brief

What am I required to do in this assignment?

“Organizations provide increasingly detailed reports on corporate sustainability to external stakeholders. A large stream of research examines the relevance and performance outcomes of such reporting. The purpose is to connect and extend research by examining how organizations internally manage sustainability issues, which planning and control practices are most effective in improving social and environmental performance, how managers balance financial and sustainability objectives, how sustainability performance is measured, and other related topics important both for theory and practice.”

Your line manager has also asked you to prepare a report to be presented to the company board of directors that discusses (for a company from the Real Estate Sector in the UK):

I. How small business manages the trade-offs between social, environmental, and financial performance in real estate industry 
II. How real estate firms apply sustainable management accounting practices 
III. What are the main financial challenges of sustainable management accounting? 

You must support all your arguments and analysis with sound academic evidence and cite the academic materials properly using the Harvard reference system.

What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)

To pass Assessment 2, you will need to:

Apply appropriate management accounting and financial planning techniques to investment opportunities or performance measures in a given situation and concerning extant literature, evaluate the limitations of these techniques and suggest how alternatives might improve their effectiveness.

How do I produce high quality work that merits a good grade?

• Develop a consistent and logical argument that shows deep analysis and clarity of thought. It could be based on an excellent grasp of Management Accounting and Financial Planning e.g. Cost Decisions, Management Control Systems, and sustainable management accounting practices.
• Develop and present a good synthesis of relevant theoretical analyses and examples
• Demonstrate a comprehensive analysis of recent, relevant literature
• Think carefully about and reflect on the topic with some practical examples
• Ensure that all arguments presented are cogent and coherent
• Demonstrate a strong awareness of academic theories and apply that knowledge fully
• Present your answers to a high standard of academic writing and referencing

How does this assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?

The sessions are about thinking strategically and making strategic judgments about both the changing world around us and the capabilities of all sorts of management accounting decisions and management control system (see study material on BREO).

Learning outcomes

Demonstrate the following knowledge and understanding

1. Demonstrate a deep and systematic understanding of management accounting and financial planning concepts, techniques, methods and approaches to judge the effectiveness of management decisions.
2. Demonstrate the ability to review, criticize and evaluate concepts, techniques, and developments of management accounting and financial planning, their links to other management disciplines and their contribution to business success.