• Offered for Year: 2026/27

• Module Leader(s): Mrs Amy Thompson

• Owning School: Newcastle University Business School
• Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Aims

The module aims to develop students’ skills of analysis and evaluation using real and/or fictional case studies in business, accounting and finance. The case studies will draw on prior learning from across the degree programme and will encourage students to apply knowledge to realistic business situations and draw on a range of disciplines which may include strategic analysis, corporate governance, financial reporting, audit and assurance and business ethics. The skills development will concentrate on understanding and being able to critically analyse the wider business environment as well as risks and issues (and their implications) within the organisation being studied.

Outline Of Syllabus

Students will recap topics including:
•       Strategic analysis
•       Corporate Governance
•       Ethics
•       Business and Audit risks
•       Stakeholder management
•       Corporate reporting

Throughout the course (and interspersed with this content) they will be given guidance on approaching case studies and integrating knowledge. This will be achieved by guiding students through ‘mini’ case studies comparable to sections of the case study to be assessed. These "mock" case studies shall be approached as both group-based exercises and individual exercises and serve as skills practice.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Mini case studies based on real business scenarios will be developed and used across Semester 1 and 2. Teaching and learning will take place in two-week cycles. Week one of each cycle will involve a recap of a particular syllabus area (for example corporate governance) and week two will then focus on skills practice relevant to that area.
Skills practice will be achieved by presenting students with a short ‘advanced information’ document and a question about a business (in the style of the final semester 2 exam).
In this way, students will refresh their knowledge (in the first week) and quickly understand how it is to be examined at this level in the second week (thereby the link between theory and practice is enforced). The second session in each two week cycle will involve a thorough debrief and opportunities for questions.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Exams

Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

This module is not so much about acquiring new knowledge, but about applying it in an interdisciplinary way. Thus it is appropriate to assess the module through an examination containing unseen questions based on a case study which will be made available in advance of the assessment date ( approximately 2 weeks before). Students can prepare, but their ability to think on their feet is still being assessed.

This is consistent with the learning outcomes for the module which are concerned with applying relevant knowledge to a business given its circumstances.

Reading Lists

• AFM4102's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• AFM4102's Timetable