BE167-7-SP Accounting and Finance for Managers Coursework 2025-26 | UoE

BE167-7-SP Aim of The Coursework:

This assessment aims to provide you with an opportunity to reflect on the concepts you have learnt during the course of Accounting and Finance for Managers lectures and seminars. It will assist you in developing your ability to apply concepts to practice in the light of your experience while qualifying for the master’s degree.

You are required to write a report analysing the financial performance of a selected publicly listed company (please refer to submission guidelines for the choice of the company) for the latest THREE consecutive years, as a minimum. The report should include the following:

BE167-7-SP Requirements:

a) Assess the company's business dynamics, strategies, and the market prospects along with any associated risks. (10 marks)

b) Calculate at least three profitability ratios of your choice to support your analysis. Critically evaluate the profitability position of the company.    (25 marks)

c) Calculate at least three efficiency ratios of your choice to support your analysis. Critically evaluate how the resources of the business are managed. (25 marks)

d) Calculate at least three liquidity ratios of your choice to support your analysis. Critically evaluate the current liquidity position and potential opportunities of the company. (25 marks)

e) Corporate transparency and accountability have become increasingly important as organisations continue to face scrutiny from stakeholders, investors, and members of the public. Referring to corporate governance codes and laws, critically evaluate whether and how the disclosure of corporate information in annual reports enables the company (the above selected company) to ensure transparency and accountability. (15 marks)

[TOTAL: 100 MARKS]

BE167-7-SP Submission Guidelines:

Please carefully follow the coursework submission guidelines.

• This work should be presented as a report type – i.e. guiding the reader effortlessly through the arguments you present (e.g. introduction, development, final considerations – all that making use of subheadings, again, to guide the reader (shareholders, in this case). The purpose of the guideline offered below is to help you organise your report (rather than to limit your creativity); and also to provide you with a marking scheme. That is to say, you do not need to actually indicate the letters (a,b,c,…) when presenting the report. Consider that you are providing information to the shareholders to make financial decisions.
• Read updated literature on concepts, methods and tools for “Analysis and interpretation of financial statements”.
• You are expected to choose ONE COMPANY from the ones below in analysing financial statements:

1. Barratt Developments plc 
2. Centrica plc 
3. Diploma plc
4. Elementis plc 
5. Genus plc 

• Annual reports are available under the heading of ‘Investor Relations’.
• The financial information you need should refer to the LATEST THREE (03) consecutive years of the company’s operation, to allow you to compare/analyse/comment on the business financial trend.
• A ‘0’ (ZERO) mark will be awarded if you do not select a case company from above mentioned list.
• A copy (e.g., a screenshot/a photo picture) of the most recent company’s financial statements (not a web link), which served as the basis for the requirements above, should be submitted as part of this coursework. Your coursework will be assessed ( ratio calculations) based on the provided financial statements. Failure to submit an extract of your financial statements will impact your grades, as we are unable to verify the calculations.
• Clearly show the ratio calculations and any assumptions made during the analysis.
• Word limits and assignment length: 2,000 words (excluding list of references, tables/pictures and appendices). However, 10% above or below this word limit is acceptable, but you should aim to keep to the word limit of 2,000 words.
• The report must be typed with 12pt Arial or Times New Roman font, 1.5-spaced.
• University rules on plagiarism apply (please refer to postgraduate information on Moodle for further details). All materials used to prepare this coursework need to be accordingly referenced.

Important Notes and Instructions:

1. Details are available on Moodle and in your student handbook.

2. More information concerning late submission of coursework or absence from in-class tests can be found here:

Late submission of coursework | University of Essex

3. Note that this coursework invites you to reflect and provide your own opinion/argument on the topic, which means that there is no right or wrong answer. You are advised to refer to materials from the relevant lectures plus recommended readings to get a basic understanding of the topic. You should then carry out additional research by searching for relevant research articles, practitioner literature, published case studies, and news and media reports that can help you develop an opinion/argument on the topic. There is no minimum requirement regarding the number of references that you must use, but well-researched essays will normally attract a higher mark than those that are not. All sources used must be properly cited in-text and referenced (the Harvard referencing style is required).

4. The overall quality of your writing may affect your mark. You should therefore aim to present your ideas in an organised manner and demonstrate coherence in your argument. A basic essay structure should normally consist of an introduction, body, and conclusion.

5. The assessment will follow the criteria indicated in the EBS Marking Scheme with a view to the structure, coverage, and analysis developed in the assignment.

6. University Regulation 6.21: It is an academic offence for a student to engage in unfair academic practices or to cheat in any examination, or in any other submitted part of his or her University work, whether or not such work is formally assessed. A student may be found guilty of an academic offence whether or not there has been an intention to deceive; that is, a judgement that negligence has occurred is sufficient to determine guilt. See more information on academic offences here:

What is an academic offence? | University of Essex

7. Students requiring support may contact the EBS learning team: ebslearn@essex.ac.uk

BE167-7-SP Marking Scheme