ACC4043-N Contemporary Management in Operations and Finance ECA Jan 2026 | Teesside

ACC4043-N Contemporary Management in Operations and Finance ECA

Teesside University International Business School

Contemporary Management in Operations and Finance (ACC4043-N)  

End Course Assessment (ECA)

The deadline for Submission is Friday, 09 January 2026 at 4pm 

Word Count for this ECA Assignment is 4500 (Part A: 2000 words and Part B: 2500 words which should not exceed or fall short of +/-10% of the required words) 

Part A - Financial Analysis – 40 Marks

Produce an informal report not exceeding or falling short (+/- 10%) of 2000 words (excluding cover page, table of contents, references and appendices) which: 

Select a company (not a financial institution) and evaluate their performance using at least the most recent two years’ financial statements.

1. Describe its operating context within its industry.  
2. Using at least most recent two years’ figures from your chosen company’s annual report, calculate key ratio categories, namely liquidity, solvency, efficiency, profitability, and market performance, depicting their performances. 
3. Evaluate the performance of your chosen company against a key competitor (s), including their sustainability performances.  

(Data from the LSEG/Fame database or other information sources for comparative data can be used provided a formula of how each ratio was calculated necessary to be demonstrated in your work).

The report

An informal report style should be used, and the following areas should be addressed: 

1. A brief description of the market in which the organisation operates, including key features of differentiation, and a brief analysis of its industry / operational activities. To support this section, SWOT or PESTEL analysis or both can be used.
2. A calculation from the annual reports of your company of appropriate financial ratios. The calculation of the ratios and formula must be fully and clearly shown. Where you get the ratios from the LSEG/FAME database, you must still show ratios and formulas before your explanations. 
3. Compare your chosen company’s performance with your selected competitor (s). Ensure your comparison covers all five areas of performance required as well as sustainability performance and suggest for improvement (if any).  

IMPORTANT

You can calculate ratios for your selected company from the annual reports, and or from the LSEG/FAME database. The source of the figures used must be clearly and explicitly shown and referenced. Ensure the annual report of your chosen company, and that of your competitor company has a minimum of two years period to facilitate trend analysis and comparative analysis. (Financial Institutions such as banks, insurance companies etc CANNOT be used for this assignment).

Sources of information

Select a company from LSEG/FAME database, who has published their 2023/24 annual report/financial statements and MUST be used as the basis of the evaluation of your chosen company’s performance. Extracts from the Annual Report which you used MUST be submitted (only the used components) with the report within the appendices. FAME database or a similar site can be used to obtain comparable data BUT must be referenced and extracts shown in the appendix section. As this is an academic writeup, we expect a minimum of 20 references (use the Harvard Style for referencing) for this section

Part B - Managing Operations – 60 Marks

TEES VALLEY PARKERS (TVP) is a large conglomerate and manufacturing company, with great potential and operating in large scale in textiles, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, marine food, information and communication technologies, financial services, and energy. The company has already undertaken some policies to enhance including modifications of 5-years corporate strategies and conducted a survey to measure the pulse of the customer regarding the satisfaction in terms of product and services and scored 3.0 out of 5.0 of satisfaction measure. Now, it is currently not sure about its reported performances and is wondering what areas of its operations require improvement, what proposals to be chosen and if necessary, how performance can be improved and controlled the inventories. You are required to develop your own ideas and recommendations for the effective operation of the organisation. You are required to produce a 2,500-word report that evaluates the role of operational, financial and performance management in the case study organisation.  

Students are required to employ a range of analytical techniques, communicate effectively and demonstrate a both theoretical and practical understanding of the key issues addressed by the module. 

Detailed requirements are as follows:

1. Critically discuss the importance of management accounting to enhance the ability of the top-level managerial decision making and identify the major differences between management accounting and financial accounting. Mention at least three techniques which can be used effectively in operational activities in management. 
2. Employ capital investment appraisal techniques (i.e., Payback Period, Accounting Rate of Return, Net Present Value, and Internal Rate of Return) in selecting projects and critically discuss the techniques in making investment decisions (use rank table based on applied techniques).
3. Critically discuss the role of the Business Plan and Budget in the operational management of the case study organisation. Recommend the areas of improvement and prepare a new report to illustrate this, using the information provided in the case study.  
4. Critically analyse and employ the different techniques (at least two) to identify the value of closing inventories and identify the optimal reorder quantities and provide policy suggestions for the areas of improvement and control.
5. Critically discuss the usefulness of the Balanced Scorecard Approach and prepare an example of a Balanced Scorecard for the case study organisation.  
6. As this is an academic writeup, we expect a minimum of 20 references (please use the Harvard Style for referencing) for this section.

For ECA assessment parts A and B, you are to demonstrate:

• A depth of knowledge of the topics, supported by evidence of extensive and relevant reading. 
• The ability to apply theories or techniques in practice.  
• A critical understanding of your topics. 
• An awareness of topical and other significant developments.   
• A conclusion that is logically derived and cohesive. 
• Minimum reference requirement for this ECA assignment is 20.  
• For this ECA assignment, you MUST submit only one Microsoft WORD document containing both Sections A and B. For your ease, a format outline is also available on your blackboard. 
• For this assignment work, you MUST provide your detailed computations along with the main file as appendix.
• For part B, the TEES VALLEY PARKERS (TVP) case study is provided as a separate document for ease of understanding; see the assignment folder.  
• For the financial analysis part, A of the ECA, students can choose companies from any other database provided the company(s) chosen meets the requirement of this assignment. 

Guidelines for Presentation of Assessed Work

Assignment Format

The detailed format can be found in the support outline in your learning material section. It includes sections such as: 

• Title Page. 
• Assignment. 
• Reference List. 
• Appendices (if applicable).

Title Page

This should contain the following information: 

• Name of programme (and pathway if applicable). 
• Your name, preferably in a larger font and highlighted. 
• Module title (exactly as identified in your module guide or specification). 
• Module code (exactly as identified in your module guide or specification). 
• Module leader or group tutor. 
• The assignment title. 
• The date of submission. 
• The word count of your report

The Assignment 

This should be presented as follows: 

• Text should be in a minimum of font size 12 in Arial.   
• Line spacing of 1.5 (one and a half) as a minimum. 
• Margin sizes should be the default ones used in Microsoft Word (usually 2.54 cm left and right, 2.54 cm top and bottom). 
• A clear gap should be left between paragraphs to make it clear where they start and end. 
• Each page should be numbered as a minimum standard.  As you become more skilled in word processing, you are encouraged to include a header or footer that includes your name and the module code. 
• All work must be proofread, and spell checked to rectify spelling and typographical errors. 
• You should use an appropriate academic writing style. 
• Part a and Part b clearly outlined.  

The Reference List This should: 

• Start on a new page entitled ‘Reference List’ rather than ‘Bibliography’. 
• Not include a separate bibliography. 
• Be presented with a clear gap between references. 
• Be presented following the University standard style format.  For guidance see
• References information on the  Learning Hub site.

Appendices

These should be clearly numbered and appropriately referred to in your assignment and should not include information that is essential for the main body of the assignment.  Appendices should not be used as a device for getting around the word limit.

You are to submit your ECA assignment in the prescribed format to the Blackboard Ultra on or before Friday, 4 pm (UK Time), on January 09, 2026, as highlighted in the assessment section of the CMOF Ultra blackboard VLE. No extensions are planned.  The submission link will be made available by week 12.

Assessment Criteria

The ECA assessment will be graded using the module ACC4043-N rubrics already uploaded to your blackboard in conjunction with the Generic University Level 7 Criteria included below.

Main Learning Outcomes addressed:

1. Develop a strategic understanding of the impact of a dynamic and challenging resource environment. 
2. Develop the ability to select and apply appropriate operational and financial management techniques. 
3. Examine the role of financial information in demonstrating accountability and performance. 
4. Evaluate and appraise approaches to the management control of operations.  
5. Critically apply theoretical perspectives to practical problems.
6. Analyse the role of finance and operations management and evaluate how they impact upon the main functional activities of an organisation and their management. 
7. Demonstrate awareness of the legal and professional framework that governs financial management practice. 
8. Demonstrate an ability to apply operations and financial models to assist organisational management and control. 
9. Successfully apply a range of appropriate approaches to learning. 
10. Select and apply appropriate computational skills. 

Submission date: Submit electronically to the Blackboard by Wednesday, 09th of January 2026, 4 pm UK Time. Please do not plan for an extension. 

Feedback would be provided within 20 working days from the submission date.