Finance and Accounting Course

We can define accountancy as: "the identification, measurement and communication of economic information to enable the users of that information to form sensible opinions and make sensible decisions".

Accounting is surrounded by mystique and "jargon", and, as a professional skill, it requires a high degree of technical expertise. However, it is a very "common-sense" activity and addresses some very basic issues and questions about the nature of businesses and the real-life events, people and activities that make them work.

One of the problems with accounting is that many people focus on the "count" component of the word, and believe that it is no more than counting or "doing the numbers". Nothing could be further from the truth! Look at the complete word! Very few people when asked to give an account of themselves, will express themselves in quantitative terms - shoe size, IQ, height and weight.

Rather, they offer information in qualitative terms - where they live, what they do, their background, likes, dislikes, family, occupation and so on. Indeed they will "tell a story" - which is what accounting strives to do for an organisation - albeit, today largely in financial terms.

Part 1: Financial Accounting

Unit 1: Introduction to Accounting

Introduction

Objectives

1. What is accounting?

2. Organisations, objectives and management

3. Financial and managerial accounting

4. Profit, profitability and cash

5. Accounting conventions, concepts and policies

6. Capital and sources of finance

7. Capital structure - limited liability company

Unit Summary

Unit 2: Financial Statements

Introduction

1. Objectives

2. Content of financial statements

3. The "big three"

4. The balance sheet

5. Measurement of profit

6. The income statement

7. Bookkeeping and books of account

8. The trial balance

9. Judgement

10.The cash flow statement - profit versus cash

Summary

Review activities

Unit 3: Interpretation and Analysis of Published Financial Statements

Introduction

Objectives

1. The analysts

2. Analytical techniques

3. The key issues

4. The principal ratios

Summary

Part II: Management Accounting and Financial Management

Unit 4: Cost and Management Accounting
Introduction

Objectives

1. Introduction to management accounting

2. Costs and historical costing

3. Controlling costs

4. Total absorption costing

5. Marginal costing

6. Break-even analysis

Summary

Appendix: examples of cost units

Unit 5: Budgetary Control

Introduction

Objectives

1. The household budget

2. Benefits of budgeting

3. Rules for budgeting and budgetary control

4. Cash budgets

5. Behavioural implications of budgeting

6. Control though comparative statements

7. Fixed and flexible budgets

Summary

Unit 6: Capital Investment Appraisal and Project Evaluation

Introduction

Objectives

1. Capital investment appraisal

2. What is investment?

3. Evaluation - alternative approaches

4. Judgement

5. Non-financial aspects of capital investment appraisal

Summary

Further reading

On completion of your course, you will receive two qualifications:

Qualification 1: Finance and Accounting Diploma

Finance and Accounting Diploma issued by Stonebridge Associated Colleges, entitling you to use the letters SAC Dip after your name.

Qualification 2: Level 4 Finance and Accounting Award

This Course leads to an NCFE Level 4 Award Certificate for successful learners. That means that it is independantly accredited at a level of learning equivalent to level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) for England, Wales and Northern Ireland (in which case GCSE's are at levels 1 and 2 and A Levels are at level 3). In accrediting the programme at level 4, NCFE attests that its learning outcomes are at an equivalent level to a level 4 national qualification.

This award has been designed by Stonebridge Associated Colleges to meet specific learners' or employers' requirements. Accreditation by NCFE is a guarantee of quality. It means that this learning programme has been scrutinised and approved by an independent panel of experienced educational professionals and is quality audited biannually by NCFE.

This course is an online course. With online study you have access to your entire course from the start of your studies. You can access your course materials, and submit all of your question papers to your personal tutor, online from anywhere in the World using your unique student account.

If you do not have Internet access, or would prefer to study this course via the traditional paper/postal based study method, you can find more information on the course by clicking on the link below.

With this course you will have unlimited access to your own personal tutor who specialises in their field of study. It is your personal tutor's role to ensure that you receive constructive feedback and to deal with any queries you may have. You are more than welcome to telephone, fax or email your personal tutor.

You will also have access to a dedicated and friendly team of administrators and course advisors who offer sound and professional guidance and advice when you need it. This ensures that you will never feel neglected and that you will always succeed!

There is no experience or previous qualifications required for enrolment on this course. It is available to all students, of all academic backgrounds.

This is only an approximate figure and is dependant upon how much time you can dedicate to your studies and how well you grasp the learning concepts in the course material. Furthermore, at the end of each lesson there is a question paper that needs to be completed and returned to your tutor. You should allow at least 1 - 2 hours of study to complete each question paper.

The approximate amount of time required to complete the course is: 90 hrs.

Assessment Method

After each lesson there will be a question paper, which needs to be completed and submitted to your personal tutor for marking. This method of continual assessment ensures that your personal tutor can consistently monitor your progress and provide you with assistance throughout the duration of the course.

What's Included

• All study materials
• Study Guide
• Full Tutor and Admin support
• The course fee includes the awarding body registration and certification fee (valued at up to £30.00).

Below you will find a list of courses that previous students have taken to complement their course. We hope that this list will give you some idea of the types of progression courses we offer, or alternative course options that may be of interest to you.

• Business Accounting - Accounting has become an essential part of business life, and the knowledge and skills that you will learn in your studies will give you a broader and more experienced view of business life. The course ...
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• Accounting - Accounting is designed to help those with an interest in a business, or other organisation, to assess its financial position and performance. It aims to communicate relevant economic information to interested parties and, as a result, ...
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• Accounting With Computers (Skills Course) - This course requires no previous knowledge of accounting or finance. This course is a guide to how computers can help you with your accounting. ...
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• Annual Accounts and the Inland Revenue (Skills Course) - How your accounts are prepared. What they mean to you, your creditors and the Inland Revenue. ...
  Read More »
• Book-keeping (Skills Course) -  The aims of this Business Skills Bookkeeping Course are to: understand why book-keeping is important examine a wide variety of book-keeping options and select the ...
  Read More »
• Business Finance - This programme is designed for people seeking to understand and apply the principles of finance and financial control of a business. The course is particularly suited to the general manager with responsibility for a small organisation ...
  Read More »

To help you broaden your skills, update your expertise in a particular field or get a competitive edge on that job you're after, we have also included all the resources below absolutely FREE for you to use when you register for your course! Click title below for more details.

This course comes with a series of FREE online videos. The normal price per series is £50.00, however, enrol on this course through Elearnuk and you will have FREE and unlimited access to the series for one year.

PLEASE NOTE: These videos are purely supplemental and are for information purposes only. They will have no bearing on your programme outcome.

The series of online videos that accompanies this course is as follows: