Posted: September 16th, 2017

Your group should write a report of 3,000 words (excluding references) that covers the following:

Report

Your group should write a report of 3,000 words (excluding references) that covers the following:

(i)    Provide a brief synopsis about the company performance and background.                    200 words
(ii)    Define and calculate appropriate financial ratios for both 2014, 2013 and 2012 (using year-end figures for balance sheet terms):
PROFITABILITY RATIOS
1.    Return on capital employed
2.    Operating profit margin
3.    Gross profit margin

LIQUIDITY RATIOS
4.    Current ratio
5.    Acid test ratio

EFFICIENCY RATIOS
6.    Settlement period for trade payables
7.    Settlement period for trade receivables

MARKET RATIOS
8.    Stock turnover
9.    Earnings Per Share
10.    Return on equity

(iii)  Your group should discuss the performance of your selected company to a potential investor or bank that wants to invest £1million into the company using the ratios calculated in (i) above.
1500 words
(iv) Your report should also comment on the performance of the company from the viewpoint of a business which is considering supplying or buying a substantial amount of goods to or from your selected company on usual credit terms.
1000 words

(v) Briefly discuss the auditors’ opinion on the financial statements used for your calculations.
300 words

Total: 3,000 words

Assignment Instructions

Notes on Group Work – Evidence of individual contribution

The group should comprise of four (4) students.

Groups of four are formed voluntarily by the students who register the group members with their seminar tutor/module leader as soon as possible. To register, please send me an email stating the name, student number and UEL’s email address of the group members. Only in exceptional cases that groups with less than four or more than four members will be considered, and it is within the discretion of the seminar tutors/module leader to decide. Those who are not in any group after 02 February 2015 will be allocated randomly in a group.

The division of duties is a matter for negotiation between group members. The following is merely a suggestion:
•    Two people might be responsible for identifying a suitable company and calculating ratios.
•    Two people could undertake the task of analysing the financial statements (part c). One could concentrate more heavily on the financial statements themselves while the other could search the internet or library for background information on the company and its industry.
•    Regardless of the division of duties, each team member must make use of the materials provided by the others. For example, the authors of synopsis about your company and analysis will have to work together, but they should also check the calculations of ratios provided in the appendix. All group members should spend some time reading through the draft before it is submitted and all should ensure that they are happy with it.
•    You must keep minutes of meetings and these must include attendance records.

Structure
Your group have been asked to produce a report. The report should contain the following:
•    Title Page, including the given title in full.
•    Abstract (No more than 100 words)
•    Contents Page
•    Introduction.
•    Main body, which should also be organised under appropriate headings.
•    Conclusion.
•    Appendices, which should be numbered.
•    Make sure you refer your reader to them as required.
•    Word count 3,000 words; excluding appendices and reference list.

Presentation
Your work should be word processed in accordance with the following:

•    Font style, Lucida Sans, font size 12
•    1.5 line spacing
•    The page orientation should be ‘portrait’
•    Margins on both sides of the page should be no less than 2.5 cm
•    Pages should be numbered
•    Your name should not appear on the script.
•    Your student number should be included on every page.

Skills Advice
Refer to your material provided in your skills modules to make sure that you have conformed to academic conventions.  Pay particular attention to:
•    Your introduction,
•    Your conclusion,
•    The use of headings and/or signpost words
•    Paragraph structure
Do refer to Info skills at http://writeitright.uelconnect.org.uk/home/
and http://infoskills.uelconnect.org.uk/

Referencing

The university expects students to use Harvard referencing as specified in the book Cite them Right.
•    Refer to http://www.uel.ac.uk/lls/support/harvard.htm for further advice and a link to an online version of Cite them Right
•    You should be careful to include citations within your work as well as a reference list at the end. Unreferenced work will fail.

Word Count
Your word count should not include your abstract, contents, reference list or appendices. You should provide your word count at the end of your report.
Exceeding the word count by more than 10% will result in a penalty of 10% of your marks for your work.
If your work is significantly shorter, then you will probably have failed to provide the level of detail required.

Submission to Turnitin of Work Submitted for Assessment

Our policy on the use of Turnitin recognises the educational desirability that all of our students should enjoy the opportunity to self-submit their work to Turnitin (before submitting for assessment).  We also recognise that Turnitin Originality Reports will sometimes assist in the identification of plagiarised work submitted for assessment.

Work that is submitted to Turnitin generates a Turnitin originality report, showing which parts of it have been reproduced from which sources. The system compares submissions to material that is to be found: on the world-wide web; in its database of previous submissions; and in its growing number of databases of published articles. You should not assume that a Turnitin originality report with a low similarity index is evidence that the piece of work concerned is free from plagiarism.

Our policy provides that a Module Leader may decide, in accordance with the policy of RDBS, that all student submissions for a particular component of assessment should be submitted to Turnitin, provided that the relevant Module Guide includes a notice to that effect.

Notice is hereby given that all submissions of reports for this Module must be submitted to Turnitin.  Detailed guidance on how to submit your work to Turnitin will be made available on this Module’s
If you fail to submit your report to Turnitin, in accordance with the guidance on the Moodle site, you will be awarded a mark of 0 for the component.

If you have any questions about Turnitin, you should go to “Frequently Asked Questions” at http://www.nlearning.co.uk/faqsearch.php?sol=turnitin.  If you have any further questions, please email the Head of Student Compliance and Responsibilities, Toby Grainger ([email protected]).

Submission
The material that you submit to Turnitin will be marked.  The deadline applies so you are advised not to submit after 11.00p.m, because it could take some time for your submission to upload, and the delay could cause the work to be received after 11.59.  A late submission will receive a mark of 0.

Please be aware that the Turnitin site will advise you that late submissions are accepted.  This is only for the purposes of allowing students who are claiming extenuation to submit their work.

Please read the material in the submission folder and make sure that you attach the feedback sheet as requested and save the document using the format for the name of the document as specified.

Extenuating Circumstances

Extenuating Circumstances are circumstances which:

•    impair your examination performance in assessment or reassessment, or
•    prevent you from attending for assessment or reassessment, or