Coursework for Financial Reporting of 2011 Final

Financial Reporting 1 Coursework

Significance of the coursework

This coursework contributes 50% of the marks available for the double module, Financial Reporting 1 & 2 (MAC-3-BFR/PFR). For ACCA students seeking exemption from Paper F7, this coursework contributes 30% of the overall marks available for the module.

Specific instruction relating to the coursework

Please do not exceed the word limit for this coursework.

The report should include the following:

Title/cover showing your name, student number, module reference number, the name of the module and the date submitted to the School Office.
Contents page
Main body of your work
References & bibliography (using the Harvard style of referencing)
Appendices, as appropriate.

It is not necessary to bind your coursework but it should be placed in a folder (not the type with the holes down the side!)

The attention of every student is drawn to the warning in the course guide on late submission of coursework, extenuating circumstances and plagiarism.  For guidance on copyright and referencing see below.

Guidance on referencing
(Supplied by Academic Misconduct Officer)

Correct referencing is an academic skill that you will be assessed on.

Correct referencing demonstrates that you have read appropriately on the subject, shows that you are acknowledging the sources you have used (that you are not trying to cheat) and provide information on useful sources of information to your reader.

Doing it correctly demonstrates professionalism.  Doing it incorrectly will lead to reduced marks and possibly to disciplinary action, which includes the possibility of having your studies terminated.

I do see cases where the student has clearly deliberately attempted to cheat. These are dealt with very firmly. However, most cases I see are where students have either referenced poorly or not bothered with referencing at all. Otherwise good work often fails in these circumstances.

Guidance on referencing itself is available from the resources listed at the end of this sheet.  If you have any concerns about your referencing ask for help before submitting.
Checking your referencing
You are required to upload your coursework to the Financial Reporting Blackboard site (FR BB site): 11/12 Financial Reporting MAC-3-BFR . Use this site for checking your work for matching text. This will reveal where you have not fully referenced. You will need to reference correctly or remove the matching text from your final submission. The matching source given by the check may not be the one that you used. Make sure you use the Library Help sheets to guide you on correct referencing (style: Harvard).
When you submit your coursework you must submit a copy of the latest matching Turnitin report. So long as your work has been uploaded to the FR BB site there is no need to submit a further electronic copy on disc with your printed coursework.
The version to submit is the ‘Show highest matches first’ version (the one with numbers in the boxes) as this is the easiest for you to check your work.  When you look at your report (use the ‘Show highest matches first’ version) you will see that there is a list of sources on the right that match (numbers in boxes) to the highlighted text on the left.
Remember, the point of this exercise is not to remove all matching text, but to make sure that it is properly referenced.

If you have a match of 1% or less, this will almost certainly be because of coincidence.  We are not concerned about matches of 1% or less. You do not have to do anything about these.

You need to look at all matches of 2% and above.  Where there is such material that is matching you must ensure it is referenced or remove it from your work.

Points to note:
The source given in Turnitin may not be the source you used. Reference where you got the material.

If it is a quote make sure you have used quotation marks and give the page number from the source in your reference too.

If you have rewritten somebody’s words (this is called paraphrasing) you must reference the source. You may see this in your report as bits of matching text in a paragraph.

If the match given is to another student (either at LSBU or another University), you have probably both used material from a textbook. Make sure you have referenced the material correctly to the textbook you have used.

If it matches to another student because you have worked together you are almost certainly going to have to remove it. In an individual coursework this would be seen as academic misconduct, in a group coursework it may be appropriate, but check your submission requirements.

If you have used material from a source and the Turnitin check does not show it you still must reference it. Thousands of new sources are added to Turnitin every day.

You can find online help-sheets by using the following link:
http://www.lisa.lbs.ac.uk/002_bcim/business/general/helpsheets_bm.htm

In particular you should look at:
HS4 Plagiarism
HS30 How to do your Referencing (1): an introduction to the Harvard
System (Printed Sources)
HS31 How to do your Referencing (3) Web Sites, Electronic Journals and the Internet
Further help is available on all academic matters from the ‘Academic Assistant’ at http://www.blc.lsbu.ac.uk/aa/aa/
BA (Hons) Accounting & Finance/ BA (Hons) Professional Accountancy,
BA(Hons) Accounting & ACCA Professional Accountancy Course

Coursework for Financial Reporting
Date Issued Out: 11 October 2011
Date Due In: 13 December 2011

Download the latest annual report and accounts (and Interim report, if applicable) for the company assigned to you by the Unit Co-ordinator.  Submit this download, on a CD Rom, as Appendix A to your report.

Task 1:

Based on the *financial statements, industry statistics, information obtained from **peer companies and other market and company information, prepare a financial statement analysis report.  Your report should include:

An executive summary of the company and its industry.

A detailed evaluation of the firm’s:
Operating return on equity
Cash generating ability, uses of cash and financial adaptability
Investor ratios

Your analysis should yield inferences for each of the three areas mentioned above. Marks will be awarded for report presentation and clarity.
40 marks
        Word limit: 1500 words
*If a group of companies use the consolidated financial statements
**Peer companies = competitors

Note: You may find the following databases useful in completing this coursework, available online through LSBU Library Services:
FAME
Proquest
Thomson One Banker

*If a group of companies use the consolidated financial statements
**Peer companies = competitors

Note: You may find the following databases useful in completing this coursework, available online through LBS Library Services:
FAME
Proquest
Thomson One Banker

Task 2
Recent high profile corporate collapses have been attributed to laxities in the regulatory framework of financial reporting. Predictably, some commentators and interest groups have called for more regulation. However, financial reporting is arguably one of the most heavily regulated areas of business activity.

Required
Critically discuss the arguments for and against the regulation of financial reporting. Cite relevant academic literature to support your answer.

Word limit: 2500 words
60  marks