UNDERGRADUATE/POSTGRADUATE DEGREES
COURSEWORK FRONT SHEET
| Learning outcomes and pass attainment level:
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The assessment for this unit is this one coursework assignment. The required mark has been set at 50%.
This is an individual assessment requirement. There is no objection discussing the content and approaches to be adopted in the final submission you must make 100% your own work. Plagiarism and copying will not be tolerated and may lead to subsequent penalties being imposed.
There are three separate questions. All three questions should be attempted and submitted together on numbered pages. Your answers should be prepared and submitted in Word format. Excel spreadsheets may be used but must be pasted into the Word document and not submitted separately. This should be carefully checked before submission for the use of appropriate and acceptable grammar. The correct use English spelling is to be employed throughout and no other. All submissions must be page numbered and contain your student ID number.
When determining the amount of effort and words for each section of the assignment it will be advisable to examine the weighting of the marks allocated to each question. If any part of the assignment is ignored then this reduces the maximum marks that could be potentially earned.
The word limit to any potential narrative question in the third section will be a maximum of 1,500 words excluding the bibliography.
The assignment will require a considerable personal investment of time and effort. This is an individual assignment and all calculations, analysis and narrative submitted must be your own work.
The following matrix has been included to help guide you.
| Section A (50%) | Section B (30%) | Section C (20%) | |
| 1i. Financial Analysis | 2.i Marginal Cost
Statement |
research academic essay |
|
| Fail | Lack of breadth and depth of financial analysis techniques
Accompanied by incorrect formulae, calculation without explanation and failure to follow the layout taught on the course |
Failure to presenting the financial information in the multi-product and total marginal cost statement format required and not identifying contribution achieved, profit per procedure, contribution per procedure and contribution per hour. | Failure to identify the antecedence, definition and purpose and objective budgets that is underpinned by a range of credible professional and academic citations.
Absence of major criticisms and alternatives to traditional budgets underpinned by professional citations. Absence of 21st century references. |
| Bare Pass | Evidence of some financial analysis techniques but with errors of formulae and calculation with insufficient explanation and adequate presentation | Unclear financial information presented in an inadequate multi-product and total marginal cost statement and inaccurately identifying contribution achieved profit per procedure, contribution per procedure and contribution per hour. | Some budget contextualisation offered with partial explanation of purposes and objectives with some limited citations with dubious origins.
Partial explanation of credible criticisms of traditional budgets though underpinned by dubious sources.
Partial reference to credible contemporary sources |
|
Above Average Pass |
Wide range of financial analysis techniques evident supported by full disclosure of formulae and accurate calculation in clear format as taught on the course. |
Presenting the financial information in accordance with the method and the multi-product and total marginal cost statement taught on the course and accurately identifying contribution achieved, profit per procedure, contribution per procedure and contribution per hour |
Identification of budget contextualisation offered with full explanation of purposes and objectives with a range of credible citations.
Identification and explanation of criticisms of traditional budgets underpinned by credible sources.
Full reference to credible contemporary sources |
| 1ii. Narrative Analysis (12%) | 2 ii Revised Marginal Cost Statement | ||
| Fail | Not presented in business report format with no supporting appendices. Descriptive rather than analytical. Poor narrative structure and inadequate grammar lacking an overall knowledgeable synthesis | Failure to present the financial information in the multi-product and total marginal cost statement format required and inaccurately re-apportioning the fixed overheads to derive inaccurate product performance and total profits.
Failing to make to rational financial decision based on the calculated management accounting data. |
|
| Bare Pass | Attempt at a business report format with some supportive appendices. Mainly descriptive with some attempt at synthesis. Grammar and structure being adequate. | Some inaccurate and partial attempt to present the financial information in the multi-product and total marginal cost statement format required and partially accurately re-apportioning the fixed overheads to derive inaccurate product performance and total profits.
Some attempt to make the rational financial decision based on flawed calculated management accounting data and incorrect methods. |
|
| Above Average Pass | In business report format and coherently structured and supported by referenced appendices. Effectively synthesises the calculative narrative into an informed narrative | Accurate multi-product and total marginal cost statement with accurate reapportionment of the fixed overheads. And making the correct decision based on marginal cost accounting principles. | |
|
2iii Proposed Contract |
|||
| Fail | Inaccurate evaluation of the proposal by failing to employ marginal cost accounting to the decision-making process and drawing the wrong conclusion | ||
| Bare Pass | Partial but inaccurate evaluation based on marginal cost accounting leading to misleading conclusions. | ||
| Above Average Pass | Accurate evaluation based on marginal cost accounting techniques to derive the financially rationale decision. |
Q1
Vodafone Group Plc is a British multinational which is one of the world’s largest mobile telecommunications companies with over 404 million subscribers. Vodafone owns and operates networks in over 30 countries and has partner networks in over 40 additional countries. Vodafone also owns 45% of Verizon Wireless, the largest mobile telecommunications operator in the USA. Vodafone has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index. It had a market capitalisation of £89.323 billion as of 5th April 2013 when its share price stood at 182.6p
(2012-07-06)[update]Presented below are its financial statements for the period 2008-2012.
| Vodafone Group Plc | Year ended | Year ended | Year ended | Year ended | Year ended | |
| Statement of Comprehensive | 31st March | 31st March | 31st March | 31st March | 31st March | |
| Income | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | |
| £m | £m | £m | £m | £m | ||
| Revenue | 46,417 | 45,884 | 44,472 | 41,017 | 35,478 | |
| Cost of sales | -31,546 | -30,814 | -29,439 | -25,842 | -21,890 | |
| Gross profit | 14,871 | 15,070 | 15,033 | 15,175 | 13,588 | |
| Selling & Distribution Costs | -3,227 | -3,067 | -2,981 | -2,738 | -2,511 | |
| Administration Expenses | -5,075 | -5,300 | -5,328 | -4,771 | -3,878 | |
| Share of result in associates | 4,963 | 5,059 | 4,742 | 4,091 | 2,876 | |
| Impairment losses | -4,050 | -6,150 | -2,100 | -5,900 | 0 | |
| Other income and expense | 3,705 | -16 | 114 | 0 | -28 | |
| Operating profit | 11,187 | 5,596 | 9,480 | 5,857 | 10,047 | |
| Finance income | 456 | 4331 | 716 | 795 | 968 | |
| Finance costs | -2,094 | -429 | -1,522 | -2,463 | -2,014 | |
| Profit on ordinary activities before taxation | 9,549 | 9,498 | 8,674 | 4,189 | 9,001 | |
| Income tax charge | -2,546 | -1,628 | -56 | -1,109 | -2,245 | |
| Profit for the year | 7,003 | 7,870 | 8,618 | 3,080 | 6,756 | |
| Vodafone Group Plc | 31st March | 31st March | 31st March | 31st March | 31st March |
| Comprehensive Statement of Position | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 |
| £m | £m | £m | £m | £m | |
| Assets | |||||
| Non-current assets | |||||
| Goodwill | 38,350 | 45,236 | 51,838 | 53,958 | 51,336 |
| Intangible assets | 21,164 | 23,322 | 22,420 | 20,980 | 18,995 |
| Property, plant and equipment | 18,655 | 20,181 | 20,642 | 19,250 | 16,735 |
| Investments in associates | 35,108 | 38,105 | 36,377 | 34,715 | 22,545 |
| Other investments | 791 | 1,381 | 7,591 | 7,060 | 7,367 |
| Deferred tax assets | 1,970 | 2,018 | 1,033 | 630 | 436 |
| Post Employment Benefits | 31 | 97 | 34 | 8 | 65 |
| Trade and other receivables | 3,482 | 3,877 | 2,831 | 3,069 | 1,067 |
| Total Non Current Assets | 119,551 | 134,217 | 142,766 | 139,670 | 118,546 |
| Current assets | |||||
| Inventory | 486 | 537 | 433 | 412 | 417 |
| Taxation recoverable | 334 | 281 | 191 | 77 | 57 |
| Trade and other receivables | 10,744 | 9,259 | 8,784 | 7,662 | 6,551 |
| Other investments | 1,323 | 674 | 388 | 0 | 0 |
| Cash and cash equivalents | 7,138 | 6,252 | 4,423 | 4,878 | 1,699 |
| Total Current Assets | 20,025 | 17,003 | 14,219 | 13,029 | 8,724 |
| Total Assets | 139,576 | 151,220 | 156,985 | 152,699 | 127,270 |
| Equity | |||||
| Share capital | 3,866 | 4,082 | 4,153 | 4,153 | 4,182 |
| Share premium account | 154,123 | 153,760 | 153,509 | 43,008 | 42,934 |
| Treasury Shares | -7,841 | -8,171 | -7,810 | -8,036 | -7,856 |
| Retained profits/losses | -84,184 | -77,661 | -79,655 | -83,820 | -81,980 |
| Other Reserves | 10,971 | 15,545 | 20,184 | 130,857 | 120,763 |
| Total equity shareholders funds | 76,935 | 87,555 | 90,381 | 86,162 | 78,043 |
| Non-controlling interests | 1,267 | 6 | 429 | -1,385 | -1,572 |
| Total Equity | 78,202 | 87,561 | 90,810 | 84,777 | 76,471 |
| Liabilities | |||||
| Non-current liabilities | |||||
| Long-term borrowings | 28,362 | 28,375 | 28,632 | 31,749 | 22,662 |
| Taxation liabilities | 250 | 350 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Deferred tax liabilities | 6,597 | 6,486 | 7,377 | 6,642 | 5,109 |
| Post employment benefits | 337 | 87 | 237 | 240 | 104 |
| Provisions | 479 | 482 | 497 | 533 | 306 |
| Trade and other payables | 1,324 | 804 | 816 | 811 | 645 |
| Total Non Current Liabilities | 37,349 | 36,584 | 37,559 | 39,975 | 28,826 |
|
Current liabilities |
|||||
| Short-term borrowings | 6,258 | 9,906 | 11,163 | 9,624 | 4,532 |
| Taxation liabilities | 1,898 | 1,912 | 2,874 | 4,552 | 5,123 |
| Provisions | 633 | 559 | 497 | 373 | 356 |
| Trade and other payables | 15,236 | 14,698 | 14,082 | 13,398 | 11,962 |
| Total Current Liabilities | 24,025 | 27,075 | 28,616 | 27,947 | 21,973 |
| Total liabilities | 61,374 | 63,659 | 66,175 | 67,922 | 50,799 |
| Total equity and liabilities | 139,576 | 151,220 | 156,985 | 152,699 | 127,270 |
Additional Information
| Date | 31st Mar 2012 | 31st Mar 2011 | 31st Mar 2010 | 31st Mar 2009 | 31st Mar 2008 |
| Company share price | 162.44p | 157.83p | 128.19p | 97.10p | 113.39p |
| FTSE100 Share Index | 5,768.50 | 5,908.80 | 5,679.60 | 3,762.90 | 5,702.10 |
Required
Write a business report to the board of directors of the company analysing the company’s financial performance from 2008-2012.
50% Marks
Q2
The Harold Shipman Private Healthcare Clinic Ltd specialises in hip, knee and shoulder replacement operations that it carries out for private health insurance firms and for some NHS Trusts. As well as providing these surgical procedures it offers pre-operative and post-operative care in a fully equipped private hospital for patients undergoing these procedures. Surgeons are paid a fixed fee for each procedure they perform and an additional amount for each follow up consultation which are given if post operative complications arise. No extra fee is charged to patients for follow up consultations. All the other staff receives annual salaries.
The company’s overhead is currently apportioned on revenues to each surgical specialism. The following forecast data for 2014 is made available:
| Medical Procedure | Hip | Knee | Shoulder | |||
| £ Income for 2014 | 4,800,000 | 8,000,000 | 2,400,000 | |||
| £ Cost per procedure | 8,000 | 10,000 | 6,000 | |||
| Av time per procedure in hours | 2 | 1.2 | 1.5 | |||
| £ Surgeons fee per procedure | 1,200 | 1,800 | 1,500 | |||
| % of procedures with complications | 8 | 5 | 10 | |||
| £ surgeons fee consultation 2014 | 300 | 300 | 300 | |||
| £ cost medical supplies per procedure 2014 | 400 | 200 | 300 | |||
| Overheads | £ | |||||
| Theatre preparation | 864,000 | |||||
| Operating theatre usage | 144,9000 | |||||
| Nursing and ancillary services | 5,428,000 | |||||
| Administration | 1,216,000 | |||||
| Other overheads | 923,000 | |||||
| Total overheads | 9,880,000 | |||||
Required
- Prepare a Marginal Cost Analysed Income Statement for 2014 from the above data to identify total and individual medical procedure contributions and profits (apportion the overheads as indicated above to each procedure). Identify the profit and contribution per procedure
- The senior surgeon has voiced the opinion that apportioning overheads on the basis of revenues is misleading and instead should be apportioned on the number of hours incurred on each procedure. Reconstruct the Marginal Cost Analysed Income Statement to reflect this proposed accounting treatment. Also identify the profit and contribution per procedure. Comment on your results.
- The Scutari NHS Trust has approached the clinic to undertake some additional knee operations. This would involve operating on a further 50 patients which the clinic has capacity to handle. The trust is offering to pay £250,000 for fulfilling the contract. Advise the clinic what decision should be made regarding the proposed contract based on financial grounds.
30% Marks
Q3.
You have been appointed as a management intern in the Carbon Neutral Group Plc an international company manufacturing alternative green energy systems. This involves you obtaining a wide company experience by working in different divisions of the company. Currently you have been seconded to the production department.
At a production departmental meeting you hear Richard Head the production manager state that,
“Budgeting is a waste of time. I don’t see the point of it. It tells us what we can’t afford but it doesn’t keep us from buying it. It simply makes us invent new ways of manipulating figures. If all levels of management aren’t involved in the setting of the budget, they might as well not bother preparing one.”
Required:
In an academic essay identify and explain the objectives of a budgetary control system and discuss the concept of a participative style of budgeting in terms of the objectives you have identified supported by credible academic citations.
20% Marks
TOTAL 100%
Last Completed Projects
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