This degree aims to equip you with the personal and professional skills and knowledge for a career in the worlds of business, accounting and finance. The ability to apply theory to practice, placing accounting and finance problems in a real-world context is a distinctive feature of this course. As well as simulation and practical exercises, such as preparing accounts or assessing financial investment options, you will be expected to apply theory to real-life scenarios that you might encounter on a day-to-day basis as a professional. In the past, students have analysed the detail of corporate accounts from retailers such as Next plc and Marks and Spencer; they’ve also looked at the competencies and skills of Easyjet in comparison to its competitors to try to ascertain what has contributed to its financial success. The benefits of this course are, Designated Employment Personal Tutor (EPT) to work with you throughout your course. All our EPTs have previously worked in industry and have experience of being a recruiter; they understand the labour market, the skills employers look for and the processes used by employers to select candidates; Exemptions from multiple papers of the professional qualifications from the UK’s leading professional accounting bodies, whose representatives have visited our students in the past to speak about the professions and give advice and guidance on how to secure a job; Facilities include our Trading Floor featuring 42 dual screen Bloomberg terminals; Practical focus includes preparing and analysing corporate accounts, as well as studying the impact of finance on real businesses through case studies of a diverse range of organisations, from sole trader partnerships to large corporations like Easyjet, Ryanir and Ben and Jerry’s; Opportunity for hands-on experience of using market leading accounting and business software packages, from SAGE for small and medium enterprises, to SAP for international companies; Access to academic staff with relevant professional backgrounds and industry experience. On completion, you should have knowledge of: The fundamental functions of and contexts in which accounting and finance operates. The impact of statutory and regulatory legislation and their impact. On completion, you should be able to: Evaluate contemporary theories and empirical evidence concerning the operation of accounting and finance in the wider contexts of capital markets, business and society. Communicate accounting and finance concepts, models and techniques in a clear and precise style through written and oral work. Analyse and draw reasoned conclusions concerning structured and unstructured problems from sets of data drawn from a range of sources. Analyse and discuss contemporary accounting and finance issues using appropriate accounting and finance principles and conventions. Synthesise and critically evaluate relevant qualitative and quantitative data in the areas of accounting and finance from a range of sources. Record and summarise transactions and other economic events in accounting systems for presentation and decision-making purposes. Prepare and analyse financial statements through the use of recognised accounting conventions, statistical methods and computer-based techniques. Analyse and produce financial solutions to complex business decisions.