ACCTG 371 : Financial Statement Analysis
Business and Economics
2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)
Course Prescription
Course Overview
Capabilities Developed in this Course
| Capability 3: | Knowledge and Practice |
| Capability 4: | Critical Thinking |
| Capability 5: | Solution Seeking |
| Capability 6: | Communication |
| Capability 7: | Collaboration |
| Capability 8: | Ethics and Professionalism |
Learning Outcomes
- Distinguish the business strategies adopted by different businesses to create value for their shareholders (Capability 3 and 4)
- Apply financial statement analysis to assess a business's financial performance (Capability 3, 4 and 5)
- Apply financial models for predicting business failure and recognise the limitations of these models (Capability 3, 4 and 5)
- Develop forecasting assumptions and prepare a forecast of future performance for business valuations (Capability 3, 4, 6.2, 7 and 8)
- Apply the free cash flow and residual income valuation models to business valuations (Capability 3, 5, 6.2, 7 and 8)
- Formulate a framework for valuation using the multiples method and illustrate its relation to the free cash flow and residual income models for valuation (Capability 3, 4 and 5)
Assessments
| Assessment Type | Percentage | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | 30% | Group & Individual Coursework |
| Mid-semester Assessment | 20% | Individual Coursework |
| Final Assessment | 50% | Individual Examination |
| 3 types | 100% |
| Assessment Type | Learning Outcome Addressed | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |||||
| Coursework | ||||||||||
| Mid-semester Assessment | ||||||||||
| Final Assessment | ||||||||||
Workload Expectations
This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.
Delivery Mode
Campus Experience or Online
- Pre-recorded lectures and learning materials of each module will be released in advance for students’ preparation. Lecturers discuss and apply theory and techniques with examples for each module in the pre-recorded lectures.
- On-campus live workshops will be offered to work through additional examples, problems, and cases. Attending these workshops is important for practising the application of theory and techniques to solve problems. They also provide opportunities for group work, which many students find to be a valuable part of their learning experience.
Learning Resources
Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).
Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.
The prescribed textbook for this course is Financial Statement Analysis and Valuation 6th ed., by Peter D. Easton, Mary Lea McAnally, and Gregory A. Sommers (Cambridge Business Publishers, 2021).
Student Feedback
At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.
Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.
Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.
Students appreciated the course’s well-structured format, which combined pre-recorded lectures and live workshops to support flexible learning. The interactive workshops were particularly valued, providing practical problem-solving opportunities and preparing students well for assessments. Both the individual and group assignments reinforced course material, enhancing students' understanding and engagement. The pre-recorded lectures were especially beneficial for those with commuting challenges or different learning preferences, enabling them to revisit materials conveniently. We remain committed to sustaining and enhancing these strengths to provide a continually enriching learning experience for all students.
Academic Integrity
The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.
Class Representatives
Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.
However, in the first instance, if there are any problems/issues, you should contact any of the teaching staff with your concerns or the course coordinator before going to the class representatives, because in the majority of cases we should be able to fix whatever the problem is.
Inclusive Learning
All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.
Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz
Special Circumstances
If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.
If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.
This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.
Learning Continuity
In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.
Student Charter and Responsibilities
The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.
Disclaimer
Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.
In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.