AC114: Business Insight and Performance

Module code: AC114

Module provider: Finance and Accounting; Henley Business School

Credits: 20

Level: 4

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Mrs Clare Bentata, email: clare.bentata@henley.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2025/6

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 17 November 2025

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The module aims to provide students with an understanding of the techniques, principles and underlying concepts relating to the analysis of management accounting information, insights into the business’ operations and performance of the organisation. The module aims to provide an overview of the techniques used in the examination of costs, revenues and profits. Additionally, the Business Insight and Performance module aims to introduce students to the elements of ethics and professional scepticism. Students will gain experience of using the types of approaches used in today’s businesses and an understanding of how these fit together to provide an overview of a business’s performance. Additionally, students will be able to analyse the macro-economic variables and sustainability elements that drive corporate performance and drive management decisions.

The module lead at the University of Reading Malaysia is Ammselaxmy Manickadass.

Module learning outcomes

1. Explain the role of management accounting in providing information to managers for decision-making, planning and control.
2. Produce effective solutions to practical decision-making, planning and control problems by analysing and interpreting information and evaluating options using management accounting concepts and techniques.
3. Recognise the qualitative aspects, including behavioural aspects including ethical considerations, of decision-making, planning and control. To appraise qualitative aspects in relation to management accounting problems.
4. Use selected academic and professional literature relevant to management accounting so as to demonstrate the ability to analyse, think critically and synthesise differing perspectives.
5. Specify the impact on a business of the external environment in which it operates including the extent to which the concept of sustainability drives management decision-making;
6. Specify key issues in relation to data and its collection, visualisation and analysis, and identify key features, benefits and risks of different technologies

Module content

• The role and nature of management accounting
• Understanding cost classification and cost behaviour
• Identifying relevant costs and revenues for decision making
• Applying cost behaviour to inventory valuation and overhead costing
• Using and interpreting cost-volume-profit analysis (break even analysis) 
• Limiting factor analysis and marginal costing techniques for short term decision making 
• Application of full (absorption) and marginal costing
• Reconciliation of profits under marginal and absorption costing 
• Application of marginal, absorption and market-based approaches to pricing decisions and profitability analysis 
• Budgeting and forecasting including their impact on employee behaviour 
• Preparation of function and master budgets with evaluation of working capital management 
• Application of investment appraisal techniques including NPV, IRR, ARR and payback period in evaluating a project. 
• Analysis of macro-economic factors and internal factors impacting corporate performance and management decision-making.
• Understanding the over-arching concept of sustainability and why people and planet are strategically important to business
• Understanding the ethical considerations that accountants and management need to comply with whilst discharging their duties and responsibilities.
• Understanding the key risks and benefits associated with using data and current digital platforms and technologies such as machine learning and AI in the accounting profession and in business operations

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

This module is delivered through a combination of interactive lectures which introduce students to topical areas and practical workshops or seminar sessions where students will consolidate their understanding through guided question practice and discussion. Students will also be set work and questions for self study.

This module may be taught in a different semester if you are studying at our campus in Malaysia.

For students studying at our campus in Malaysia: This module may be taught in a different semester and the breakdown of study hours may differ to those set out in the Study Hours table (please refer to the Module Handbook for the correct breakdown). In addition, you will be required to complete an additional 40 hours of study, taking the total number of study hours to 240 for this module. This is to comply with the Malaysian Quality Agency (MQA).

Study hours

At least 40 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module. Students on BSc Accounting and Business need to achieve 50% to progress on this programme. 

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Formative feedback is available throughout the course in lectures and workshops and may take the form of response to questions and activities, feedback from marked independent study and in-class tests. Exam style questions will be practised in workshops and additional material made available for independent study. Marking guides and feedback are provided where appropriate so that students can assess their own performance.

Reassessment

Additional costs