BABM1003 Accounting and Budget Management Assignment 1 Brief 2025-26 | DMU

BABM1003 Assessment Information

This assignment is a group assessment.

Palace Co. is a manufacturing company based in country Z, whose functional currency is Z£. Extracts from its most recent financial statements are shown below:

Corporation tax is charged at 30%.

Palace Co has Z£ 8 million of long-term borrowings, on which it paid interest of 10% last year, and it has 50 million Z£ 1 shares in issue. Palace Co. expects its interest rate to rise by two percentage points next year (to 12%). Also, a strengthening of the currency in Palace Co’s main export market will cause the Z£ value of Palace Co’s gross profit to rise to Z£ 70million next year. Operating expenses are forecasted to rise by 10% due to inflation, and a potential tax reformation is anticipated to reduce tax to 25%.

You would agree that changes in economic variables such as taxes, interest rates, inflation, and exchange rates etc. can have impacts on a business’s ability to achieve its objectives as well as the economy in many ways.

Now write a report discussing the potential impact of changes in economic and business variables on the financial objectives of Palace Co. and the economy in general, assuming everything else remains the same, and provide recommendations based on the likely challenges and opportunities from these changes.

Criteria for Assessment - How you will be marked

Task / Criteria Weighting

1. Analytical and evaluative skills – The report should provide a clear demonstration of the group’s sophisticated analytical and evaluative skills, 50%
2.  Evidence of critical application to the group case study – The report should provide a clear demonstration of critical application to the group case scenario    25%
3. Recommendations – The report should recommend strategic actions the company can take to mitigate risks and leverage opportunities in a global context, 10%
4. Presentation of the report (structure, coherence, clarity, and references) – The report presented should demonstrate an understanding and application of advanced communication skills    15%

Detailed marking criteria are on the Learning Zone. Further information on university mark descriptors can be found here. 
This assignment is designed to assess the following learning outcomes: 1 and 5.

1. Associate the relationship that exists between economic variables and business challenges in a global context.
5. Demonstrate academic research, writing & referencing skills

BABM1003 How to Submit Your Assessment

The group assessment must be submitted by 11:59 am (GMT/BST) on 22nd March 2024. No paper copies are required. You can access the submission link through the module website.

Your group case analysis – Assessment 1 will be given a zero mark if you do not submit a group copy through Turnitin. Please take care to ensure that you have fully submitted your groupwork as a group with all group members' details included in the submission as stated in the group agreement form. Only one submission by the group leader for the group is required.

Please ensure that you have submitted your groupwork using the correct file format; unreadable files will receive a mark of zero. The Faculty accepts Microsoft Office and PDF documents, unless otherwise advised by the module leader.

All group work submitted after the submission deadline without a valid and approved reason will be subject to the University regulations on late submissions.

• If an assessment is submitted up to 24 hours late, the mark for the work will be capped at the pass mark of 40 per cent for undergraduate modules or 50 per cent for postgraduate modules
• If an assessment is submitted beyond 24 hours late, the work will receive a mark of zero percent
• The above applies to a student’s first attempt at the assessment. If work submitted as a reassessment of a previously failed assessment task is submitted later than the deadline, the work will immediately be given a mark of zero percent
• If an assessment, which is marked as pass/fail rather than given a percentage mark, is submitted later than the deadline, the work will immediately be marked as a fail

The University wants you to do your best. However, we know that sometimes events happen which mean that you can’t submit your coursework by the deadline – these events should be beyond your control and not easy to predict. If this happens, you can apply for an extension to your deadline for up to five working days, or if you need longer, you can apply for a deferral, which takes you to the next assessment period (for example, to the re-sit period following the main Assessment Boards). You must apply before the deadline for your assessment. You will find information about applying for extensions and deferrals here.

Students MUST keep a copy and/or an electronic file of their assignment.

Checks will be made on your work using anti-plagiarism software and approved plagiarism checking websites.

Group Agreement Form

We, the undersigned members of this group, undertake to be bound by the following agreement:
1. If you have a problem, you MUST contact your seminar tutor immediately.
2. To attend all group meetings on time, except when agreed by other group members in advance, or where a documented excuse is provided.
3. To be well prepared for each meeting, ensuring that all relevant materials are adequately researched and presented.
4. To be actively involved in the work of the group by contributing to the best of our abilities.
5. To participate in the editing and preparation of the final written report.

We agree that if a group member breaches these undertakings, then the group has the right to recommend a reduced mark for the individual concerned, below the group grade. In this eventuality, the group would submit reasons in writing to the seminar tutor.

We accept that the seminar tutor may require further information before making any penalty mark adjustments. We accept that the seminar tutor’s decision is final in these matters.