The Business & Financial Performance of Marks & Spencer Plc. over a Three Year Period
THE BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE OF MARKS & SPENCER PLC OVER A THREE YEAR PERIOD
By XYZ ACCA No. 0000000
A Research and Analysis Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelors of Science (Hons) in Applied Accounting at Oxford Brookes University May 20X0
Word count: 6,496
Research Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction Project objectives and research questions Research approach Information gathering Sources used and reasons Methods used to collect information Limitations of information gathering Ethical issues and their resolution Accounting and Business Techniques used Ratio analysis and its limitations SWOT analysis and its limitations Analysis Company overview and strategy SWOT analysis of the company Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats SWOT in a nutshell Ratio analysis Sales Profitability ratios Liquidity ratios Efficiency ratios Gearing ratios Investor ratios Conclusion Appendix 1: References list Appendix 2: Ratios definitions Appendix 3: Ratios calculations and spreadsheet 11 12 13 14 15 17 1 2 3
4 5 6 7
8 10
18 19 23 23 25 27 29 30 33 38
Research Report
INTRODUCTION
The topic that I have chosen for this Research and Analysis Project (RAP) is topic number 8: “The business and financial performance of an organisation over a three year period”. Having to choose this topic among others was a challenge as each of the 20 topics provided by the Oxford Brookes University is not only very interesting but also presents a massive scope for research and analysis. In my opinion the analysis of business and financial performance of a company is one of the most important aspects of the modern day accounting profession and therefore, I decided to opt for this topic (which is the topic number 8). Also, by analysing the performance of a real company, I had the opportunity to apply my theoretical knowledge, which I learned through ACCA exams, into a practical scenario. Moreover, I feel that by
By XYZ ACCA No. 0000000
A Research and Analysis Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelors of Science (Hons) in Applied Accounting at Oxford Brookes University May 20X0
Word count: 6,496
Research Report
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction Project objectives and research questions Research approach Information gathering Sources used and reasons Methods used to collect information Limitations of information gathering Ethical issues and their resolution Accounting and Business Techniques used Ratio analysis and its limitations SWOT analysis and its limitations Analysis Company overview and strategy SWOT analysis of the company Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats SWOT in a nutshell Ratio analysis Sales Profitability ratios Liquidity ratios Efficiency ratios Gearing ratios Investor ratios Conclusion Appendix 1: References list Appendix 2: Ratios definitions Appendix 3: Ratios calculations and spreadsheet 11 12 13 14 15 17 1 2 3
4 5 6 7
8 10
18 19 23 23 25 27 29 30 33 38
Research Report
INTRODUCTION
The topic that I have chosen for this Research and Analysis Project (RAP) is topic number 8: “The business and financial performance of an organisation over a three year period”. Having to choose this topic among others was a challenge as each of the 20 topics provided by the Oxford Brookes University is not only very interesting but also presents a massive scope for research and analysis. In my opinion the analysis of business and financial performance of a company is one of the most important aspects of the modern day accounting profession and therefore, I decided to opt for this topic (which is the topic number 8). Also, by analysing the performance of a real company, I had the opportunity to apply my theoretical knowledge, which I learned through ACCA exams, into a practical scenario. Moreover, I feel that by