BUS7015 Financial Management Assessment Analysis & Insights 2026 Arden University

Assignment Brief

As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a Financial Management assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments. Learning Outcomes: After completing the module, you should be able to:
1. Critically evaluate a range of technologies in the accounting and financial arena
2. Design and evaluate solutions to contemporary accounting and financial management challenges
3. Assess the accounting and financial management challenges impacting the contemporary business environment
4. Assess the importance of Big Data analysis in modern financial environments
5. (GA) Digitally literate to show confident and critical use of information and digital technologies across a range of professional, personal, and academic contexts. (This may include but is not limited to computer literacy, digital information, digital media, digital communication, and collaboration competencies).

Guidance

Your assignment should include: a title page containing your student number, the module name, the submission deadline and the exact word count of your submitted document; the appendices if relevant; and a reference list in AU Harvard system(s). You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please note that tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work.

You must not include your name in your submission because Arden University operates anonymous marking, which means that markers should not be aware of the identity of the student. However, please do not forget to include your STU number. Please put your STU number in your file name.

Assignment Task

SECTION A

Question 1

The Aviva and Prudential Plc, are top UK companies in terms of capitalization. Please analyse the financial performance (in terms of profitability, liquidity, gearing, efficiency and investment etc.) of the companies in the three most recent consecutive financial periods (e.g. 2021/2022 & 2022/2023 & 2023/2024) using 10 different accounting ratios and future growth opportunities.

You are required to:

a) Calculate the 10 ratios (at least two from profitability, liquidity, gearing, efficiency and investment). You are expected to use charts to compare performance of your chosen company to reveal trends on consecutive financial periods. (Marks 20)

Note: Show your calculations of ratios and the source of financial statements. Please do not copy and paste ratios directly from sources.

b) Interpret the ratios
i. What do the ratio values reveal? – i.e. the significance of the ratios and their strategic implications
(5 marks)
ii. Any reason for the movement in the ratios across the years with respect to changes in business environments and internal
initiatives? (5 marks)

iii. Justify which one of the two companies is a better target for investment with aim of long-term capital appreciation. Industry specific insights are important to include. (10 mark) (1300 words)

Question 2 Analyse how blockchain can mitigate fraud in financial transactions. Criticise the safety of a blockchain finance app of your choice.

Hint: You may begin by identifying and debating about two up-to-date scholarly or practitioner articles. (1000 words) (25 marks) (LOs: 1,4,5)

SECTION B

Question 1 Comprehensive Case Analysis on Investment Appraisal and Financial Theories Case Study Overview X Corp is considering investing in a new project that involves the development of a renewable energy plant. The project requires an initial investment of $5 million and is expected to generate cash flows over the next five years. The company uses a discount rate of 10% for investment appraisals.

Financial Data

Year	Cash Flow($)
0	-5000000
1	1200000
2	2500000
3	1800000
4	2000000
5	2500000

a. Using the financial data provided, calculate the following:

• Net Present Value (NPV)
• Internal Rate of Return (IRR)
• Payback Period
• Profitability Index (PI) (8 Mark)

b. Based on your calculations, assess whether X Corp should proceed with the investment. Justify your decision using investment appraisal theories. (5 marks)

c. Risk Analysis:: Discuss potential risks associated with the project and how they might impact the investment appraisal results. Consider factors such as market risk, operational risk, and financial risk. (12 marks)

d. Capital Structure Theory:: Explain how to determine the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for X Corp. Discuss how changes in the cost of equity and debt could affect the project's NPV and IRR. (10 marks) (700 words) (35 marks) (LOs: 1, 2, 3 &5)

Formative Feedback

You have the opportunity to submit a draft response to receive formative feedback.

General formative feedback will be provided as the students navigate the module. This will take the form of peer assessment in the discussion forums, completion of online exercises, group activities and individual tutor-student feedback.

Specific Formative Assessment:

Opportunities will also be offered for the summative assessment as detailed below: Students will be able to create one-A4 page draft plan of their assignment for tutor comments in week 6 or earlier if agreed by the tutor.

The feedback is designed to help you develop areas of your work and it helps you develop your skills as an independent learner.

If you are a distance learning student, you should submit your work, by email, to your tutor, no later than 2 weeks before the actual submission deadline. If you are a blended learning student, your tutor will give you a deadline for formative feedback and further details.

Formative feedback will not be given to work submitted after the above date or the date specified by your tutor – if a blended learning student.

Referencing Guidance

You MUST underpin your analysis and evaluation of the key issues with appropriate and wide ranging academic research and ensure this is referenced using the AU Harvard System (s)
Follow this link to find the referencing guides for your subject: Arden Library

Here's the assessment criteria table recreated in a clean, readable format.

Grade	Mark Bands	Generic Assessment Criteria
Distinction	80%+	Outstanding analysis of key issues and concepts. Outstanding development of conceptual structures and arguments, with consistent use of scholarly conventions. Demonstrates exceptional intellectual rigour, originality, independence of thought, and creativity. Produces work of publishable quality, extends the discipline, and shows excellent academic/professional skills with strong awareness of ethical considerations.
Distinction	70–79%	Excellent analysis of key issues and concepts. Strong conceptual development and scholarly conventions. Demonstrates independence of thought, high intellectual rigour, and professional skills. Produces original work that extends the discipline and shows excellent awareness of ethical considerations.
Merit	60–69%	Very good level of competence with strong theoretical application. Good analysis of key issues and concepts. Well-developed conceptual structures and arguments with consistent scholarly conventions. Good originality and awareness of ethical considerations.
Pass	55–59%	Good performance with sound knowledge of key issues and concepts. Fairly descriptive but includes some analysis of existing scholarly material. Limited originality, appropriate scholarly conventions, and good professional skills where applicable.
Pass	50–54%	Satisfactory performance with basic knowledge of key issues and concepts. Mainly descriptive with limited analysis and argument development. Uses scholarly conventions consistently but shows limited critical thinking. Demonstrates satisfactory professional skills and awareness of ethical considerations.
Marginal Fail	40–49%	Limited research skills and learning resource use. Significant problems with structure, accuracy, and written expression. Weak academic and professional skills with little use of scholarly conventions. Errors hinder clarity, and ethical considerations are limited.
Fail	39% and below	Poor performance with substantial gaps in knowledge and understanding. Minimal evidence of research, learning resources, or problem solving. Major issues with structure, expression, and academic writing. Professional skills are absent, and there is little or no use of scholarly conventions.