MN6068
Module Title : Financial Decision Making for Managers
Assessment details
1.1 Background
The impact of the global pandemic has shown that it is vital for a company to have a strong financial base in order to survive. Internal management teams and external analysts and interested parties will use a range of financial tools and ratio analysis to examine and evaluate the financial health of a company. Management teams need this information in order to plan for the future of the company and make appropriate strategic and business decisions
2.2 Your task
You are required to prepare a report analysing and evaluating the financial performance of a company listed on the London Stock Exchange. Your chosen company should be taken from the following:
- J Sainsbury Plc 52 weeks ended 1 March 2025
- Tesco Plc 52 weeks ended 23 February 2025
- Marks & Spencer Plc 52 weeks ended 29 March 2025
If you wish to choose a different company contextually in line with your specific course, please discuss this with your tutor who will approve this. If you do not get approval your submission will not be accepted
You should review the two most recent Annual Reports of the company and critically assess the information provided to the world at large by this company. You should wear the hat of an external user of this company’s financial statements and identify which relevant information will be useful in evaluating performance.
You are also expected to search the literature to find out what scholars have said and are saying about companies in the sector and consider other relevant news sources about the company.
The annual reports selected should be for the year ends stated above, the latest on FAME database.
1.3 Report structure
Using an appropriate structure, you should include:
- Introduction to your report
- Introduction to the company you have chosen and their market, products, strategy, geography etc.
- Analysis, comparison and interpretation of your company’s performance using appropriate financial tools. This should consider the financial health of the businesses and your interpretation should be specific to the business. You should also consider non-financial metrics.
- Recommendations to improve financial performance.
- Appendices to show more detailed calculations.
The report should be structured as a professional report that you would present in a work environment. You can illustrate your findings using graphs and charts.