MBA403 Assessment 2 Sample Financial Management Report
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The sample structure below is provided as a guide. Students do not need to follow this strictly. You may tailor your
report where you feel it is appropriate to do so and according to the nature of the business and your own
independent research.
For selecting your ASX listed company, https://www.listcorp.com/asx/sectors/ and https://www.asx200list.com/ are
useful.
Please note that the KBS Library is a valuable resource. Publications including IBIS World reports, Morningstar reports
and the Australian Financial Review can be great sources of information on your company. A video is available
explaining how to make great use of the Library.
Executive Summary [approx. 10% of word count]
• The executive summary provides an outline of:
➢ the company background,
➢ the stakeholder the report is aimed at and the purpose of the report, and
➢ a brief statement of your key conclusions and recommendation(s).
Note that an Executive Summary enables the reader to capture the key aspects of the report without having to read
the full report.
Key Performance Indicators
• Present and discuss the key financial results and trends.
• Calculate and present relevant financial ratios. Note that the ratios chosen will depend upon your stakeholder.
If the stakeholder is an investor, include sharemarket ratios. If the stakeholder is management, you may want to
focus on other ratios. You may also wish to include ratios not covered included in the Workshop slides.
• Present and concisely discuss non-financial and sustainability indicators. These may come from the company’s
annual report or sustainability report or from sources external to the company (identified through your
research).
• Your key data series should be presented in summary tables (see examples below).
• Your data will typically involve horizontal analysis (minimum of 3 years) but may also involve vertical analysis
• Charts can also be a useful visual tool.
• Extensive data tables, including the financial statements, can be provided in an Appendix.
Table 1 – Financial Statement Summary
(A$’m) FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21
Income Statement
Sales
Gross Profit
Net Profit
Balance Sheet
Assets
Liabilities
Equity
Cashflow
Operating CF
Investing CF
Financing CF
Net CF
MBA403 Assessment 2 Sample Financial Management Report
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Table 2 – Trend Analysis
FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21
Profit
$ Change
% Change
Sales
$ Change
% Change
Table 3 – Ratio Analysis
Ratios FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21
Financial Stability Ratio(s)
Efficiency Ratio(s)
Profitability Ratio(s)
Investment Ratio(s)
Table 4 – Non-Financial and Sustainability Indicators
Ratios FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21
Non-Financial Indicators
Sustainability Indicators
Interpretation and Insights
• Explain the causes of the changes in the company’s financial performance.
• Interpret your financial ratios – what do they tell you about the status of the business?
• Analyse the non-financial indicators and the company’s sustainability and/or ethical performance.
• Consider the company’s strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.
• Alternatively, consider the company’s business strategy, competitors and outlook.
• Reach insights on which to base your recommendation(s).
Conclusion and Recommendation [approx. 20% of word count]
• Present the significant outcomes from your analysis.
• Clearly state an actionable recommendation(s) for your stakeholder. For example, if the report is written for a
potential shareholder, recommend a decision to invest or not invest in the company. Alternatively, if the report
is written for an internal manager, make a specific recommendation in order to improve the financial
performance of the company.
• Justify your recommendation(s) based on the analysis and research you have conducted.
Bibliography
• The Academic Integrity and Conduct Policy requires the appropriate use of in-text citations and a bibliography.
You must correctly cite all references (information sources) and comply with the expectations for academic
writing.
• References external to the company are expected.
• The bibliography and citations are excluded from total word count.
Appendix
• Includes extensive data, tables or calculations to avoid unnecessary volume in the main report.
MBA403 Assessment 2 Sample Financial Management Report
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Video Presentation
• Please refer and adhere to the Help with Kaltura video upload link for information regarding how to record and
submit the video.
• Your video should be a summary of your report. As such, the key areas to focus on should be:
➢ providing background information on your chosen company,
➢ outlining the recommendation to your stakeholder, and
➢ providing the rationale for that recommendation, based on your research.
