FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING IN SERVICE INDUSTRIES - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module is intended to provide an introduction to financial accounting. It is aimed at students who are not majoring in accounting or finance but who are studying an introductory level of accounting and finance as part of their programme in management and is particularly focused on students specialising in the Hospitality, Tourism and Events sectors.

Module provider

Surrey Hospitality & Tourism Management

Module Leader

KNOX Dan (SII DUFE)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 4

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 2

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None

Module content

 Indicative content includes:

• Introduction to financial accounting – users; purpose; principal accounting structures


• Accounting principles and concepts


• Understanding equity and shares


• Understanding of key information in a company’s annual reports


• Measuring and reporting financial performance


• Preparation of key financial statements – Statement of Profit and Loss, Financial Position and Cash Flow


• Analysing and interpreting financial statements

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of both the theoretical concepts of financial accounting and their practical application in the service industry. A midterm test consists of multiple-choice questions and exercises. The final exam will assess students’ understanding of the key principles and concepts of financial accounting, equity and share and ability to prepare and analyses financial statements, covering all the weekly topics of the module.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• A class test (Mid Term)


• A closed-book final exam during the examination period

Formative feedback will be provided through in-class discussions and short and long problem solving exercises, examples of multiple-choice questions in capture content videos, and SurreyLearn discussion boards during the course of the module. Numerous questions are set for completion in tutorials and additional questions are given for independent learning.

In doing these, students are not only gaining invaluable practice in preparation for the summative assessments but are also given an opportunity to show their workings and receive additional explanation and help from tutors where needed. Through online interactions through discussion boards and in class interactions, students can recognise their agency with using and applying feedback to progress learners.

Module aims

• Understand the principal types of accounting structure including for profit, not-for-profit, sole proprietorship, partnerships and limited companies
• Understand the relevance of financial reports and analysis
• Know how and why data is recorded
• Prepare and interpret financial information
• Enable students to use financial information to make strategic, technical and operational business decisions in the service industry
• Serve as a foundation for further financial studies to help students succeed in their undergraduate studies and future careers

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to facilitate active blended (offline and online) learning and to support students in achieving the learning outcomes.

The learning and teaching methods include:

• online captured content (lecture) to illustrate the principles of financial accounting and practice their applications to the service industry


• offline live lecture to extend the understanding of the principles and their applications in the service industry through further discussions


• offline live tutorial to apply the learnt theories and principles through in-class interaction and short and long problem solving


• Independent learning to extend the understanding and application of the financial accounting principles with the support of additional learning material and reading


• Support of lecture/tutorial materials by directed reading and exercises


• SurreyLearn, which will be used as an information portal and will contain captured content videos, lecture notes, practical exercises, solutions to practical exercises, mock exam papers and relevant reading


• On-going feedback in-class on an individual and group basis


• online discussion boards for students to raise questions and discussions on weekly content

Students are expected to take responsibility for their own learning within a supportive environment (e.g. online discussion board, in-class tutorial discussion and help, dedicated student consultation and feedback hours), developing self management skills along the way, and thus building their resourcefulness and resilience.

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MAN1110

Other information

The School of Hospitality and Tourism Management's Curriculum Framework is committed to developing postgraduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills and capabilities in the following areas:

Digital Capabilities: Learning to navigate the VLE, SurreyLearn, is an essential part of the module. Teaching and learning materials are provided in a number of formats (e.g. captured content, documents, mock test/exam), and students are encouraged to use discussion boards for communication.

Employability: This module provides students with a working knowledge of key conceptual foundations for critically analysing and interpreting financial statements, equipping students to use financial information to make strategic, technical and operational business decisions in the service industry. This knowledge and decision making skills will naturally be developed over time with more experience in their career but also will be useful when conducting a business plan in the MAN3169 Business Plan module later in the programme.

Sustainability: This module equips students to use financial information to make strategic, technical and operational business decisions for long-term sustainable growth. This expands students’ knowledge on sustainability, challenging to acknowledge and consider the issues of sustainability in a business setting and financial perspective.

Resourcefulness and Resilience: This module equips students by using practical examples and exercises to critical analyse and interpret business financial information that is key to understanding the financial performance and management of any service business and making strategic, technical and operational business decisions. This allows students to build resourcefulness and resilience in developing a problem-solving mindset through financial accounting problems and risks in the context of service businesses. The module will support students to develop these capabilities by reflecting on real-life and latest case studies in the context of hospitality, tourism, events and transport.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.