ACCOUNTING - BUSINESS PLAN

Students are required to write a report on how they intend to finance their business during the first two years of trading. The report will also include recommendations on whether it is feasible to finance expansion overseas. The report should include, as a minimum, the following:  A brief introduction to the business (including the current sources of finance)  Mission and Values  Finance aims and objectives  Structure of the business  Assessment of the demand, market and price  Financial statements (including the start-costs, income statement and balance sheet, cash flow statement and Break Even analysis)  Analysis of potential profitability and financial viability of the business.  Finance control mechanisms (scenario and sensitivity analysis)  An analysis of whether or not it is feasible to finance expansion to the countries/markets identified in the business plan. If overseas expansion is feasible, recommendations on how the business will finance such a move should also be included. The word limit for the report is 4,200 words. All reports should be written in third person and accurately Harvard referenced within the report and also included in your References. A Bibliography should also be included. Your report should include a Contents page. Each section of the report should be accurately numbered (e.g. 1.0: Introduction; 2.0: Findings; 3.0: Conclusion and 4.0: Recommendations – if required). This is not an essay and therefore, sub-headings should be included throughout the report (e.g. 2.0: Findings: first sub-heading 2.1, second sub-heading 2.2 etc.). Your report MUST NOT include any unaltered, ‘cut and pasted’ diagrams/tables/charts. All diagrams, tables and charts must be amended by you to reflect the context of the organisation, sector or case study. The original diagrams/tables/charts must be sourced (e.g. adaptation of author, date). Any information/figures included in the table/chart/diagram must also be sourced). The prevalent use of tables to avoid exceeding the word count will be penalised. Assessed Learning outcomes: The assessed learning outcomes for this assignment are as follows: L2. understand the key elements and resource demands of the entrepreneurial process L3. integrate cross-discipline learning by its application to problems of small firms, e.g. using strategy, marketing, general business, finance and accounting skills to develop a credible business idea L4. transform an idea or concept into a well-argued and supported business case L5. develop the necessary skills to formulate a strategy for a new venture through the identification of a market opportunity and the presentation of a Business Plan and supporting Finance report. Assessment Criteria: The assessment criteria for this assessment are as follows: • Enquiry and use of sources • Knowledge and understanding of subject matter • Critical judgement and analytical ability • Written communication • Your work should be word processed, using font 12 for text, 14 for sub-headings/headings and 1.5 line spacing. • The word count for Appendices should not exceed 2,000 words. • A word count total must be provided on the front page for each course work submitted. An inaccurate word count may be dealt with as cheating (an attempt to obtain an unfair grade.