Download UNIT TITLE: Managing Financial Information CREDIT POINTS: 20

UNIT TITLE: Managing Financial Information
CREDIT POINTS: 20
UNIT CODE: MAR139
FHEQ LEVEL: 4
ACADEMIC SCHOOL: Maritime Science and
Engineering
UNIT DESIGNATION: Traditional
Delivering School: Business and Law
Date validated: February 2013
Date last modified: N/A
Unit delivery model: CD
Max & Min Student No: N/A
TOTAL STUDENT WORKLOAD
Students are required to attend and participate in all the formal scheduled sessions for
the unit. Students are also expected to manage their directed learning and independent
study in support of the unit.
PRE-REQUISITES AND CO-REQUISITES: None
UNIT DESCRIPTION
This unit will consider the types of financial information that a manager may encounter in
any organisation. Consideration will be given as to how this information is produced and
how it can be used to assist managers. The unit will develop the student’s knowledge of
the maritime profession, in line with the other units at Level 4 which will lead into
Maritime Operations at Level 5 and Marine Finance at Level 6.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
On successful completion of the unit, students should be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
K1
Explain how financial information is produced and used by managers.
Cognitive Skills
C1
Use financial information to investigate business situations, processes or issues.
Practical and Professional Skills
P1
Use a range of financial skills and tools, including spreadsheets, to evaluate and
support management decisions.
Transferable and Key Skills
T1
Effectively communicate qualitative and quantitative financial information and
findings.
AREAS OF STUDY
This unit will consider
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
The role, importance and relevance of profit for businesses and how profit is derived.
The calculation of selling prices through cost build-up and problems associated in an
industry where the business is a price taker.

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
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The need for, and production of, financial statements.
The appraisal of businesses from published financial statements, primarily using ratios.
Financial decision making, both long and short term, thereby questioning the role of
profit in the decision making process.
Financial planning including budgeting at all levels of a business.
Use of spreadsheets to develop models that will provide quick and accurate solutions
to problems studied above.
LEARNING AND TEACHING STRATEGY
This is a practice-driven finance unit. Students will be involved in taking a number of
finance related business activities and applying generally accepted practices and
principles to provide relevant internal and external financial reports, together with
comments and evaluation, to support and aid financial management decisions.
The lectures will set out the business practices and principles, to enable conclusions and
recommendations to be formulated by the students in seminar sessions. Practical
activities in seminars will encourage the students to develop their skills in problem solving
and carrying out financial calculations, some of which will take place in IT areas where
students can develop their spreadsheet skills. Suggested solutions will be made available
via the VLE. An initial task using spreadsheets will be used to determine individual skill
level.
ASSESSMENT STRATEGY
The first piece of coursework will require the student to write a report, using industryspecific scenarios, that allows the student to reflect on and use the underpinning theory
to substantiate conclusions and recommendations.
The second piece requires the student to select a company from within the industry and
using publicly available (external) information evaluate the financial performance of the
company over a number of years. This evaluation will be presented as a poster where the
student can develop a creative approach to producing and communicating financial
information. The presentation of the poster will require a short verbal presentation by the
student to the tutor.
Formative feedback will be gained from the exercises undertaken in class where the
students will be able to present completed solutions. Suggested solutions will be made
available via the VLE to allow students to self-check and assess their own progress.
ASSESSMENT
AE1
weighting:
assessment type:
length/duration:
online submission:
grade marking:
anonymous marking:
AE2
weighting:
assessment type:
length/duration:
online submission:
grade marking:
anonymous marking:
50%
Report
2,000 words
Yes
Yes
Yes
50%
Poster
1 x A3 poster
No
Yes
No
Aggregation of marks
The marks for each element of assessment will be aggregated to produce an overall mark
for the unit.
Re-assessment Arrangements
AE1 will be re-assessed in the same manner as the first sitting.
For AE2 a poster will still be required and submitted as a PowerPoint file, and questions
will then be emailed to the student rather than having the student attend for the short
verbal presentation.
Unit Author: Stuart Wrighton
Date of version: February 2013