BAEcon Accounting and Finance

This course provides a foundational understanding of financial reporting, covering its framework, principles, practices, and role within the broader economic, social, and organisational context. It explores the challenges of recognising and measuring financial elements, including the use of double-entry bookkeeping, and the preparation of key financial statements. The course also introduces techniques for interpreting financial statements, such as ratio analysis, to evaluate an organisation's financial performance and position. 

Only available to students on: BA (Econ) Accounting and/or Finance Specialists, BSc Accounting, BSc Business Accounting and IBFE.

Dependent course units:  

BMAN21020 Financial Reporting & Accountability, BMAN20081 Financial Statement Analysis (if also taken BMAN10522 Financial Decision Making) 

This course aims to provide a foundation knowledge and understanding of the principles and practices of financial reporting and of the role of accounting information within its broader economic, social, and organisational context. The course encourages consideration of how organisations account for their activities to stakeholders.

This course introduces underlying concepts of financial reporting, basic practices involved in the preparation of financial statements and the interpretation of the resulting information. It offers broad coverage of the core financial statements presented and considers the capacity for accounting information to develop in response to changing economic and social needs. Collectively this provides a valuable basis for students contemplating taking more specialist, and advanced, courses in later years.

 

Syllabus (indicative curriculum content):

An introduction to financial reporting, exploring its role and purpose in society and its impact on diverse groups.

An introduction to the recognition and measurement of financial elements, with practical application using double-entry bookkeeping. This culminates in the preparation of non-complex financial statements.  

An introduction to analysing financial statements to evaluate an organisation's financial performance and position, using ratio analysis and other techniques. 

 

• An introduction to financial reporting, exploring its role and purpose in society and its impact on diverse groups.
• An introduction to the recognition and measurement of financial elements, with practical application using double-entry bookkeeping. This culminates in the preparation of non-complex financial statements.  
• An introduction to analysing financial statements to evaluate an organisation's financial performance and position, using ratio analysis and other techniques. 

Teaching is delivered as follows, totalling 25 scheduled activity hours:

10 two-hour lectures and,

5 one-hour workshops  

Lectures and workshops are supported by blended learning material.    

A Piazza discussion board is used to provide supervised peer support and serve as a Q&A space.

Describe, explain, and apply key financial reporting terms, concepts, and principles within the context of an evolving financial reporting framework.

Apply the principles of double-entry bookkeeping to common financial transactions. 

Discuss the purpose of financial reporting in society, focusing on its role in accountability and its ongoing evolution in response to a changing world.

Interpret financial information using horizontal, vertical, and ratio analysis.  

Prepare a statement of profit and loss, a statement of financial position, and a statement of cash flows, recognising the interconnections between the statements.  

In addition, the course also aims to assist the development of personal transferable skills by encouraging students to:    

• Construct, use and evaluate financial accounting data.  
• Use information for the purposes of decision making; analyse evidence and apply judgement.  
• Have an awareness of the nature of contemporary accounting practice.  
• Communicate effectively in writing and participate actively in workshops either by leading discussions or responding to issues raised.
• Intellectual development on Perry’s scale from independent work. 

Examination (100%) 
 

General feedback on the exam will be provided on Canvas once marks have been distributed.

Our core text is: Weetman, P. Jubb, D. (2024). Financial Accounting, An Introduction. 9th edn. Pearson 

Additional notes:
This course is currently accredited with ICAEW and ACCA. For academic purposes the students will need to attain a pass mark of 40%, but to attain the ICAEW exemption a pass mark of 50% is required. The higher pass mark requirement is reflected in the contact hours. The duration of the exam reflects the requirements set out by the professional body. Please note that accreditation is subject to change.  

Programme Restrictions: This course is only available to students taking the following programmes of study - BA (Econ) specialising in Accounting, Finance, Accounting & Finance, Economics & Finance, BSc International Business, Finance and Economics, BSc Accounting and BSc Business Accounting.
 

Enhancement Of Digital Literacy

Digital accounting systems will be explored to explain how accounting records are created, maintained, controlled, and transformed into financial statements. 

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2027 will be £10,050 per annum. Tuition fees for international students will be £34,800 per annum.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

We know that student finance can be complicated. The links below provide further information to help guide you.

Learn more about student finance options for UK students.

Learn more about fees and finance for international students.

As an international student you may be eligible for our Global Futures Scholarships. This is open to students starting their studies in September 2026.