Module Directory

This module is designed to bring together the knowledge gained through the MSc program and permit students to demonstrate mastery of a variety of competencies.

Students are expected to apply and integrate a variety of skills, tools, and knowledge to assess the performance of a real-world business and arrive at recommendations for change and/or improvement.

The aims of this module are:

• To provide a range of critical and technical skills appropriate to the analysis of "real life" cases that
  help illustrate accounting issues and/or principles that are likely to be encountered in the
  current business environment, especially in more complex accounting transactions.


• To provide a range of analytical and synthetic thinking skills in relation to evaluating the
  performance of companies.


• To provide a better understanding of the importance of applying professional skepticism and critical
  thinking when making judgments and decisions in difficult accounting contexts.


• To provide a better understanding of the importance of exercising high quality professional
  judgment and an opportunity to develop an appropriate mindset for decision making.


• To provide transferable skills related to the capacity for independent research, the analysis of both
  financial and textual data, and public presentations.

By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:

1. The ability to identify and pursue relevant research on a real-life company.


2. The capacity to exercise a range of research skills and methods in order to produce relevant business report.


3. To demonstrate analytical and critical thinking in relation with real-business problems.


4. A series of transferable skills including those related to access data, analyse information, and synthesise knowledge.


5. Integrate technical knowledge and professional skills.

Skills for your Professional Life (Transferable Skills)

By the end of this module, students will be expected to develop a variety of personal transferable skills by encouraging students to:

1. Identify and distil key features in writing business reports.


2. Communicate effectively orally and in writing, in poster presentations, essays and research reports.


3. Discriminate between relevant and irrelevant information for the purposes of doing and evaluating research lead projects.


4. Apply analytical skills and critical judgment as required to handle business problems.


5. Develop coherent and well-structured lines of argument supported by relevant analysis and concepts.


6. Develop the ethical awareness required in research and professional life.


7. Participate in group discussions.


8. Work under pressure and meet deadlines.

This module aims to enable students to develop an understanding of accounting for organisations through developing an ability to reflect on the use and effects of published accounting information. This module will also give students an opportunity to develop selfdirected learning strategies. The use of a number of tools and techniques including content analysis, advanced ratio analysis and basic statistical analysis will support students to develop the ability to think critically and self-assess their work, and the ability to communicate their findings.

This module will be delivered via:

• One 1-hour lecture per week.
• One 2-hour interactive seminars per week.
• Meetings with the module leader.

In the Spring/Summer term, students will meet with the module leader to go through the requirements for the module. At least one of these meeting should be on a one-to-one basis.

Students will also be given support, tailored according to their individual needs, on how to conduct basic statistical analysis of company performance. Students should start selecting the company for the coursework and drafting the report plan during the Spring/Summer term.

In the Summer term, students will be submitting their first piece of coursework, the report plan, and writing up their final report.

Sessions will be devoted to probing, extending and applying the material in the readings. It is the students' responsibility to be prepared for each session as detailed in the module handbook.

Students are expected to contribute to class discussions. To do well, they should actively participate in presentations and class discussions, which means making well supported, cogent comments and criticisms about the concepts and analyses that are being presented.

Students are required to read the appropriate reading materials for each session prior to the class, prepare for any exercises given and attend the sessions.