ACF149 Introduction to Accounting and Finance Assessment Brief 2025-26

ACF149 Standard Assessment Guidance

1)Word count includes the title page, contents page, in-text references and citations but excludes tables, reference list and appendices.
2)Your work should include references to relevant journal articles and other good quality information sources and should be properly laid out using the Harvard system of referencing. More detailed guidance is available in the ‘Ulster University’. We encourage you to make good use of all the support services offered by your Faculty Subject Librarian, further details are in the Learning Support Services Section.
3)You should refer to the assessment criteria to provide fuller details of the marking criteria for each classification band.
4)In addition, you should refer to the standard assessment guidelines as presented in your Course Handbook/Support Area, this includes guidance and policies on referencing style, plagiarism, etc.
5)We recommend the use of Studiosity which offers constructive feedback on draft written submissions within 24 hrs.
6)Coursework must be submitted by the dates specified. Coursework submitted after the deadline, without prior approval, is not normally accepted. For further guidance on the late submission of coursework, please see the course handbook.
7)Non-compliance with the word limit will result in a penalty being applied in accordance with the University Word Limit Policy which can be found on your Course Support Area in Blackboard.

ACF149 COURSEWORK 1

Assessment Task – Individual Submission

Report – Financial Performance (2,500 words; 70% of total module marks) Case Study: Marie Debre

Marie Debre came to N. Ireland from France 5 years ago to study at university. After graduating, she worked as a sales manager for a local company (selling detergents and household cleaning products) and saved hard to build up the capital she needed to start her own business. Marie recently became aware that a small dry-cleaning business, located in her neighbourhood, was being offered for sale. ‘DryClean’ was set up 2 years ago and seemed to be quite successful. As well as having premises on a busy main street, it also operated a ‘click and collect/return’ service enabling customers clothes to be dry cleaned without the customer having to leave home. Marie enquired about ‘DryClean’ even though she had no expertise in providing such a service. The owner (Mary) provided her with the financial information relating to the most recent financial year ended 31 March. This is shown Table 1 below:

Table 1: Financial Data:

Marie is also aware that modern, remotely operated (using e-commerce, apps and online payment technology) washing/drying machine facilities have also been installed at 2 local petrol stations by a company called Zero Drying Time and considers this to be her main source of competition. Mary is asking Marie for £125,000 in order to acquire the business.

You are required to prepare a report which answers the following questions:

1.Explain the following terms and state one example of the impact on the business:
a.Total Assets    (10 marks)
b.Owner’s Capital    (10 marks)

2.Using appropriate information from Table 1, construct a Statement of Financial Position for the most recent financial year.    (30 marks)

3.Calculate and explain the following four accounting ratios using the data from Table 1, which might guide Marie’s decision making in relation to the proposed acquisition of DryClean:
a.Return on Capital Employed
b.Net Profit Margin
c.Current Ratio
d.Asset Efficiency Ratio (using total non-current assets only).    (20 marks)

4.Discuss the usefulness of the financial information in Table 1, in helping Marie decide whether to buy DryClean (you should consider the issue of the £125,000 asking price and perceived influence of any economic or accounting regulations).    (30 marks)

Coursework 1 – BRIEF

The assignment takes the form of an individual:
i)word-processed report, of up to 2,500 words
Completed assignment must be submitted in MS word format via your Blackboard Module Area by the specified date and time outlined in the Summary Assessment Information table on page 1 above.
All submitted assignments should have the file name:
ii)"Surname First NameBNumber"
iii)e.g. BrownJohnB00001234_AssignmentOne.

Coursework 1 – FEEDBACK

[Written and/or class] feedback on the assessment will be provided via Blackboard on within 20 working days post submission date.

Coursework 1 – ASSESSMENT RUBRIC/MARKING PROFORMA (70%)

To aid student understanding, it is advisable to explain the rubric/marking proforma to your students in an assessment preparation session.

ACF149 Coursework 1 – ASSESSMENT RUBRIC/MARKING PROFORMA (70%)

COURSEWORK 2

Assessment Task – Individual Submission

IN-CLASS ONLINE TEST/QUIZ – (30% of total module marks)

This individual piece of assessment is used to encourage students to become familiar with issues related to management accounting and finance. The test will comprise up to 30 multiple choice questions (MCQs) and up to 90 minutes will be allowed for completion. It will be carried out using BlackBoard Ultra. This assessment is completed by the end of class, in week 12.

Assessment Guidelines

1)The online test/quiz takes the form of a mixture of true/false statements, yes/no answers, calculations (calculators are required) and/or other short answers. Only one attempt permitted.

2)This element of coursework accounts for 30% of the overall assessment. All MCQ’s correctly
answered are awarded 1 mark; incorrect answers are awarded a mark of 0.

3)The Online Test will be held in week 12 during normal teaching period. This date & time is final, and a late submission will NOT be accepted unless you have an approval under an extenuating circumstance.

4)All answers must be saved by candidates on the system.

5)View additional ‘Standard Assessment Guidance,’ for further guidance applicable to all
coursework elements.

Coursework 2 FEEDBACK

Feedback on the assessment will be provided via Blackboard within 20 working days from the submission date.

Standard Assessment Guidance

The following guidance is applicable to all coursework items.

1)Marks are awarded for content, quality of discussion and effective use of referencing. To achieve high marks, students will be expected to demonstrate a familiarity with the wider literature in the subject area, and not merely an ability to re-produce the lecture notes. Higher marks will also be awarded to students who provide strong evidence of analysis and critical evaluation of the various concepts and techniques identified and their application to real world situations.
2)Work should include references to journal articles and other relevant publications, and should be properly laid out using the Harvard system of referencing as indicated below:
Buzzell R., (1968) ‘Can you standardise multinational marketing’, Harvard Business Review, (Nov-Dec) 46, pp102-113.
Jeannet J.P. and Hennessey H.D., (2004) Global Marketing Strategies. 6th ed. Houghton Mifflin.
More detailed guidance is available in the ‘Guide to Referencing in the Harvard Style’. We encourage you to avail of the Academic Support via the Library’s Support Service, further details in the Library Support Services Section.
3)Marks will be deducted for incomplete or inaccurate referencing.
4)Students may make multiple submissions in advance of the due date to receive feedback via Turnitin on their academic writing style (similarity score) and any potential plagiarism issues. A similarity score of less than 20% is acceptable.
5)Students must adhere to the word limit policy so as to avoid penalties as follows:
+10% - no penalty
+>10% - 20% - 5% penalty
+>20% - 30% - 10% penalty
+>30% - 40% - 15% penalty
+>40% - 50% - 20% penalty
+>50% - maximum mark of