AAF001-6 Financial Analysis

ASSESSMENT 2 – Semester 1 (60%)

The main task is to explain how management accounting can supply information to assist the management of an Airline company (for example Easy jet, Emirates airline, British Airways etc) of your choice. You are not required to investigate and report on the organisation’s actual management accounting system (even if you can do this). 

The report should focus on just one airline Company.

Students are required to write a management accounting report, ON A STRICTLY INDIVIDUAL BASIS. This means no copying from other students or other published sources. The work that you submit through BREO will be plagiarism tested for copying from each other and from the internet and published sources.

You are to write a 1500 word report as though you were a management consultant writing to the board of directors.

1 Background to the company – its products, processes, competitors, policies, but most of all its information needs based on the above - showing good reading of appropriate sources (a needs analysis if you like). The reason for this is that the background will reveal that kind of problems that the organisation faces and must therefore make decisions about – a relevant background! We do not want the history of the organisation.

2 Review of management accounting – what is it, what needs does it fulfil, what are its key techniques. This is what you have been studying of course. We do not advise that you introduce advanced management accounting techniques that you do to understand – you only have 1500 words and cannot do justice to these.

3 The key techniques and methods that you would recommend to the company based on (1) and of course the justification for your choice(s). This should include some examples of decisions that could result from the new information.

4 The strengths and weaknesses of your analysis – for example the additional information you would have liked in order to improve your analysis. This is not a SWOT analysis of the company it is a self analysis of your work! 

The marking is as follows;

Background to the organisation showing good reading of appropriate sources 25% Review of the nature and role of management accounting 10%

An analysis of the organisation, showing its information needs, the management accounting techniques it might use and decisions it could then make. 50%

The strengths and weaknesses of your analysis – for example the additional information you would have liked in order to improve your analysis. 15%

Mitigating Circumstances

Mitigating circumstances are normally allowed only for reasons clearly outside the control of individual students (computer failure would not be seen as one of these reasons). In order to apply for mitigating circumstances you should arrange an appointment at SID (student information desk in the new G Block)

Mitigating circumstances may not be awarded by your tutors under any circumstances. Do not ask us.