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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2013/2014 -
- ARCHIVE as at 1 September 2013 for reference only
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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Business School : Common Courses (Management School)

Postgraduate Course: Financial Analysis (CMSE11108)

Course Outline
SchoolBusiness School CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Course typeStandard AvailabilityAvailable to all students
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) Credits15
Home subject areaCommon Courses (Management School) Other subject areaNone
Course website None Taught in Gaelic?No
Course descriptionFinancial Analysis is an important skill for all those in management positions who deal with financial statements as part of their understanding of a business. This includes those outside the business such as investment analysts and those responsible within the business for financial analysis and for relations with outside stakeholders including investors and banks. Financial statements do not exist in a vacuum but are a reflection of business activity. To understand financial statements it is necessary to understand business activity and vice versa. The course therefore is as much about business as it is about accounting.

The course contrasts traditional accounting ratio techniques rooted in old economy perspectives of fixed asset utilisation and cost control, with financial analysis as a tool for assessing the performance and development of intangibles. This new economy perspective is particularly appropriate for knowledge companies in areas such as pharmaceuticals, consultancies, and software. Case studies are drawn from these industries and the Enron case is also covered as company which transformed from the old to the new economy.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: Accounting and Financial Management (CMSE11104)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements For Business School PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Please contact the course secretary.
Additional Costs None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus?No
Course Delivery Information
Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1) Learn enabled:  Yes Quota:  None
Web Timetable Web Timetable
Course Start Date 13/01/2014
Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 150 ( Lecture Hours 19, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 8, Formative Assessment Hours 2, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 3, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 116 )
Additional Notes
Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) Written Exam 70 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 30 %
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours:Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)Financial Analysis2:00
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding:

At the end of this course, the student should be able to analyse a set of financial statements in conjunction with an annual report, identifying the key business issues so as to advise either investors or management on the financial performance and prospects for the business.

Cognitive Skills:

The course deepens and develops the numerical skills, analytical skills and skills of synthesis and presentation, the foundations of which are provided by core ideas in Accounting.

Key Skills:

On completion of the course, students should be able to give a presentation and/or written report on a company, based on its Annual Report and Accounts.
Assessment Information
: 30% is given to a group project, which dependent on student numbers on the course, will be either a group presentation or a group written report.

70% is given to an unseen written examination which takes the form of an individual report analysing a business on the basis of excerpts from its annual report and accounts.
Special Arrangements
None
Additional Information
Academic description Not entered
Syllabus Not entered
Transferable skills Not entered
Reading list Not entered
Study Abroad Not entered
Study Pattern Not entered
KeywordsFinAnalysMSc
Contacts
Course organiserMr Tom Brown
Tel: (0131 6)50 8333
Email: T.Brown@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Rachel Allan
Tel: (0131 6)51 3757
Email: Rachel.Allan@ed.ac.uk
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