Part 1: Project Objectives and Overall Research Approach
For my Research and Analysis Project for BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting of Oxford Brookes University, I will do an analysis of the financial and business performance of F J Benjamin Holdings Ltd (FJB) for the period of three years, from 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2009.
1.1 Reasons for Choosing the Topic
Financial and business analysis is an important part of evaluating a business’ performance and its ability to survive. In particular, the financial analysis reveals how well the company is performing and the business analysis assesses its ability to maintain performance in the future. Such evaluation conveys valuable information to various stakeholders of the company for many purposes.
For an employee, the company’s performance and prospect are important for making decisions on choice of employers. For an investor, it is the basic consideration before making investments. For suppliers and financial institutions, the company’s ability to meet interest payments and repay debts is important for making credit decisions. For the management, it is also an essential process in developing a business plan and monitoring its success. For an accounting student, this covers some of the most important concepts of the major which he or she needs to fully understand.
Therefore, I chose to write my research report on topic 8, which is both informative and practically relevant.
1.2 Reasons for Choosing the Company
First of all, I would like to briefly introduce FJB. FJB is a mid-size fashion retailer and distributor for international brands in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Australia. The Group is headquartered in Singapore, represent over 20 brands and has four core businesses:
1) Fashion and lifestyle retailing and distribution
