Professional English Coursework

Project Instructions & Guide 2024-25

1. Introduction

The project is marked as equal to 60% of module formal assessment. This document provides the basic instructions and guidance on what is required. Please comply with these instructions.

The project is intended to provide the opportunity for you to show your ability to apply appropriate accounting theories to explain, interpret and evaluate corporate voluntary disclosure choices within a context of real-life case study. You are expected to demonstrate your ability to:

a)  Specify an aim and objectives.

b)  Identify, analyse and critically appraise relevant accounting theories, academic and/or professional literature as appropriate.

c)  Identify, analyse and evaluate collected data.

d)  Interpret data analysis results with relevant accounting theories.

e)  Systematically and creatively apply critical thinking, problem solving, research skills and communication skills when state, explain and justify your findings and conclusion.

f)   Organise and present information clearly and succinctly in the required format.

2. Requirements

Climate change is one of the most discussed political, societal, and business issues globally nowadays. Corporate water stewardship is becoming a critical issue in a wider socio-political context. In recent years, a number of companies have started to voluntarily provide water management information in their annual reports, especially for firms that consume a large quantity of water in their business operations and activities. Corporate water disclosure falls into the realm of corporate environmental disclosure, which is one of the central focuses of corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting. You are tasked to conduct a research project to explore and understand the emerging practice of corporate water disclosure in annual reports.

The title of your project is:

A critical analysis of Company X plc’s water disclosure in annual reports in the past three-year period.

The aim of this project is to apply appropriate voluntary disclosure theories and literature to explain and interpret the selected company’s water disclosure motives  and  practices. Select ONE  global public company that you are interested in (e.g. companies from water intensive industries such as energy, materials, food, beverage, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, life sciences, and utilities etc.). Analyse the quantity and quality of water-related disclosure in its annual reports for the past three-year period. Select ONE voluntary disclosure  theory and use your selected theory to critically evaluate the extent to which this reporting, in terms of quantity and quality, is effective in serving the companies’ voluntary disclosure motives.

3. Length

The project should be a minimum of 1500 words in English excluding tables, references, and appendices. +/-10% either side of the word count is deemed acceptable. Any text that exceeds an additional 10% will not attract any marks.

4. Structure/Organisation

The project should be presented with a clear aim and objectives. It must have a logical sequence of sections. It should not be a personal narrative and must not be purely subjective or descriptive in content. Your project will normally have the following format:

•    Introduction

•   Current knowledge and views on selected voluntary disclosure theories and literature

•    Brief company and sector overview

•    Presentation and analysis of data

•    Discussion and evaluation

•   Summary

•    References (using the Harvard Referencing System)

•   Appendices (for example: extracts of reports and your calculations)

5. Format

The project must be word processed using Times New Roman 12 point font for the body of the text on A4. There must be sufficient space between each line of type to ensure  legibility  (i.e.  normally double or one-and-a-half spacing). A margin of at least 2.5 cms should be left on both sides and at the top and bottom of the page. The bottom margin should include a page number. Quotations of more than a few words should be indented and single spaced; shorter quotations should be shown in quotation marks.