Module manager: Joanna Ye
Email: busyy@leeds.ac.uk
Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable
Year running 2026/27
This module is not approved as an Elective
This module provides a practical, decision-focused introduction to accounting and finance for postgraduate business students. It equips you with the financial literacy needed to interpret organisational performance, understand the numbers behind managerial choices, and communicate effectively with finance professionals and stakeholders. You will learn how the main financial statements fit together and how to analyse them to assess profitability, liquidity, and financial resilience. The module then introduces core management accounting tools - costing and budgeting—to support planning, control, pricing, and performance improvement in real organisational settings. Building on these foundations, you will explore how assets and businesses are valued, how investment decisions are assessed using established appraisal techniques, and how firms select between alternative sources of finance. You will also examine the cost of capital and why it matters for value creation and strategic decision-making. Students take this module because it strengthens employability and leadership readiness. Whether you are aiming for consulting, corporate management, entrepreneurship, or the public and third sectors, it will help you evaluate opportunities, challenge assumptions, and make financially sound decisions with confidence.
This module aims to:
- develop students’ ability to read, understand, and interpret core financial statements, and to use financial information to assess organisational performance, position, and risk;
- build practical competence in using accounting information for managerial decision-making, including costing, budgeting, performance evaluation, and performance control;
- strengthen students’ ability to apply budgeting, variance analysis, and sensitivity analysis to support planning, monitoring, and diagnosis of business performance;
- equip students with an understanding of valuation concepts, investment appraisal techniques, financing choices, and the cost of capital, and to apply these critically in realistic business contexts;
- enhance students’ confidence in communicating financial analysis and recommendations clearly and effectively to non-specialist audiences.
On successful completion of this module, students will be able to:
ALO1. Explain and apply core accounting concepts to understand how business transactions are recorded, how financial statements are prepared and linked, and how published accounts can be interpreted to assess performance, financial position, and risk.
ALO2. Apply management accounting techniques, including costing, budgeting, and variance analysis, to support planning, control, performance evaluation, and managerial decision-making.
ALO3. Evaluate business and asset valuation, investment opportunities, and financing choices by applying appropriate financial methods and assessing assumptions, risk, strategic fit, and implications for firm value.
On successful completion of the module students will be able to:
SLO1. Work-ready skills: Analyse financial information, justify managerial recommendations, communicate financial reasoning clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences, and deliver defensible responses under time constraints.
SLO2. Technical (quantitative problem-solving): Accurately perform and interpret core accounting and finance calculations, and present results with correct units and stated assumptions.
SLO3. Academic (critical thinking): Critically evaluate alternative methods and assumptions, and defend a chosen approach using evidence and coherent argument.
SLO4. Enterprise (commercial judgement): Compare financing and investment options and select an appropriate course of action based on value creation, risk, constraints, and stakeholder considerations.
SLO5. Sustainability (strategic practice): Identify and explain trade-offs between financial objectives and broader organisational responsibilities, and propose financially credible responses.
Indicative syllabus:
Introduction to basic financial statements
Interpretation of accounts
Cash flow statements and forecasts
Valuation of assets and businesses
Investment appraisal and sources of finance
Sources of finance and cost of capital
Principles of costing
Accounting information for planning
Accounting information for decision-making
Accounting information for control
| Delivery type | Number | Length hours | Student hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 11 | 2 | 22 |
| Seminar | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Private study hours | 118 | ||
| Total Contact hours | 32 | ||
| Total hours (100hr per 10 credits) | 150 | ||
The module provides regular opportunities for formative feedback to monitor student progress and support the development of skills. Weekly seminars include guided exercises and mini tests through which students apply techniques introduced in lectures and receive immediate feedback. These activities enable continuous monitoring of technical understanding throughout the semester. Students will also have the opportunity to complete a mock test.
| Exam type | Exam duration | % of formal assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc) (S1) | 2.0 Hrs Mins | 100 |
| Total percentage (Assessment Exams) | 100 | |
The resit for this module will be 100% by 2-hour examination.
Check the module area in Minerva for your reading list
Last updated: 30/04/2026
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