Corporate Reporting

Unit Learning Outcomes.
Learning Outcome 4: Analyse and interpret corporate reports and other financial information and draw appropriate conclusions in a variety of business situations

Early Career/ World Class Professional Skills (PLOs) assessed.

1. Apply critical thinking to practical and theoretical problems.
2. Will be effective communicators using a wide range of media.
3. Will demonstrate an awareness of ethical, corporate social responsibility and Covid-19 issues appropriate to the level of study and the discipline context.

AOL Programme learning outcomes Assessed

1. 4.1.1 Identify and explain professional and commercial/corporate issues
2. 4.1.2 Critically evaluate professional and commercial/corporate issues
3. 4.1.3 Critically reflect upon own development as a current or future professional
4. 4.2.1 Identify and explain debates in their global and/or international context
5. 4.2.2 Critically discuss the global and/or international context

Assignment Details and Instructions.

For the purpose of this assignment, you are a financial journalist working for the online investment magazine ‘InvestIt!’ You have been asked to analyse a selected listed company in the FTSE 100 London stock exchange, and write an article that explains whether you would advise investing in this business. The specific areas for consideration are:
• Overview of the business sector in which your chosen company operates in, and an introduction to your chosen company within it.
• Analysis of the performance of your chosen company for the most recent financial year end, and in comparison to the sector/ previous year.
• Analysis of investor information of your chosen company for the most recent financial year end, including share price movements to 30 June 2021, and comparison to the sector/ previous year.
• A discussion on the sustainability reporting of your chosen company, and how this compares to competitors; and
• A conclusion on whether you would recommend investment in your chosen company.

• The article should be 3,000 word maximum in length, and suggested word counts for each area are as follows:
o Sector/company introduction – 500 words
o Performance analysis – 750 words
o Investor analysis – 1,000 words
o Sustainability- 500 words
o Investment decision – 250 words

• The article should be in a style suitable for publication in a magazine, using proper business English and presented appropriately.

• All sources must be suitably referenced.
• An executive summary is NOT required.
• Marks will NOT be awarded for calculations, but rather the quality of the analysis.
• Marks will be split over the parts of the article as follows:

Section	Marks
Introduction	15 marks
Analysis of financial performance	20 marks
Analysis of investor information	25 marks
Sustainability	15 marks
Conclusion	5 marks
Presentation	20 marks

Resources

Alexander, D., Britton, A., Jorissen, A., Hoogendoorn, M. & Van Mourik, C. (2020), International financial reporting and analysis, 8^th Edition, Cengage Learning, Andover.

eISBN-13: 9781473726444 

Cottrell, S. (2013) The Study Skills Handbook, 4^th Edition, Palgrave Macmillan.

ISBN 978-1137289254

Linked In Learning:Fundamental Analysis of stocks (Michael McDonald)

Writing articles (Starshine Roshell)

Databases:

FAME

Mintel

Business Source Premier

FT.com

Articles published by Global Professional Accounting Institutions (such as CIMA, ICAEW, ACCA, etc.)