BUSINESS114 Accounting for Decision Making
The Complete Exam Bible · S2 2026BUSINESS114 Overview
- The University of Auckland
- Semester 2, 2026
- Stage I (first-year) undergraduate, Level 7
- 15 points (≈150 hours of study)
Within University of Auckland Business School — Faculty of Business and Economics, taught out of Management & International Business, with the commercial-law modules delivered by the Department of Commercial Law, BUSINESS 114 walks one New Zealand small business through its whole life — building an operating and cash budget, working out what spare cash is worth over time, choosing where the next dollar of funding comes from and what it costs (WACC), picking a legal structure (sole trader, partnership, company, trading trust, franchise or joint venture), then recording transactions into a balance sheet and income statement and reading the resulting performance — so that accounting, finance and NZ commercial law arrive as one connected decision rather than three separate subjects.
- BUSINESS114 grading 50% Final Exam, 10% Test (Online), 10% Quizzes, 10% Assignment 01, 10% Assignment 02, 10% Assignment 03
- BUSINESS114 task mode Mode is deliberately not fixed in advance: Exam timetables are normally published online during the mid-semester break of the relevant semester. At that point, you will also learn the mode for each of your exams, e.g., if it will be a remote/online exam, or an on-campus exam, and The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online… Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. Interest Factor Tables are supplied in the Test: Note: these will be provided to you in the Test.
- BUSINESS114 mark trap Walking into the workshop cold. Because every lecture is pre-recorded, the workshop assumes you already did the videos, the pre-workshop quiz and the practice questions. The second trap is the Module 5-6 switch into commercial law, which the coordinator flags as a different mode of reasoning: Legal problems often have areas of uncertainty, which are open to interpretation, debate or differences of opinion. Over the next two weeks, we encourage you to embrace this ambiguity.
- BUSINESS114 rule check Treat the BUSINESS114 hurdle status as unconfirmed. Check the current official course outline for any component-level pass rule before relying on the overall mark.
How BUSINESS114 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Quizzes | 10% | Individual coursework; current catalogue does not publish the number or timing |
| Assignment 01 | 10% | Individual coursework; retrieve the current Canvas brief |
| Assignment 02 | 10% | Individual coursework; retrieve the current Canvas brief |
| Assignment 03 | 10% | Individual coursework; retrieve the current Canvas brief |
| Test (Online) | 10% | Individual online test; current conditions are not in the retrieved catalogue |
| Final Exam | 50% | Individual examination; date, duration and permitted materials are not published in the retrieved catalogue |
The 2026 catalogue lists six assessment weights totalling 100%. It does not publish a hurdle statement, detailed task briefs or the final-examination conditions; silence is not evidence that no hurdle exists.
What BUSINESS114 covers
Start with Assessment Map and Decision Workflow; use Annuities and Investment Decisions as the turning point; finish by bringing the course together in Integrated Cases and Final-Assessment Strategy.
Assessment Map and Decision Workflow
six weighted components · Canvas task control · decision-ready communication · build one ledger that separates published weights from missing operational detailsAssessment Map and Decision Workflow frames a decision through six weighted components, Canvas task control and decision-ready communication.
- six weighted components
- Canvas task control
- decision-ready communication
- Applying six weighted components
- Limits of Canvas task control and decision-ready communication
Accounting Information and Professional Communication
financial and non-financial information · stakeholder purpose · professional email structure · turn a mixed evidence pack into a concise recommendation emailAccounting Information and Professional Communication frames a decision through financial and non-financial information, stakeholder purpose and professional email structure.
- financial and non-financial information
- stakeholder purpose
- professional email structure
- Applying financial and non-financial information
- Limits of stakeholder purpose and professional email structure
Operating Budgets and Planning Logic
sales and activity assumptions · linked operating schedules · cash timing · construct a small operating budget and trace how one changed assumption moves through itOperating Budgets and Planning Logic frames a decision through sales and activity assumptions, linked operating schedules and cash timing.
- sales and activity assumptions
- linked operating schedules
- cash timing
- Applying sales and activity assumptions
- Limits of linked operating schedules and cash timing
Cash Budgets, Control and Variance Questions
cash receipts and payments · opening and closing cash · variance diagnosis · identify whether a cash shortfall comes from timing, volume or an omitted cash flowCash Budgets, Control and Variance Questions frames a decision through cash receipts and payments, opening and closing cash and variance diagnosis.
- cash receipts and payments
- opening and closing cash
- variance diagnosis
- Applying cash receipts and payments
- Limits of opening and closing cash and variance diagnosis
Time Value of Money: Single Sums
present value · future value · discount rate and period · compare money at two dates before choosing between alternativesTime Value of Money: Single Sums frames a decision through present value, future value and discount rate and period.
- present value
- future value
- discount rate and period
- Applying present value
- Limits of future value and discount rate and period
Annuities and Investment Decisions
ordinary annuity timing · present-value comparison · sensitivity to rate and term · evaluate a repeated-payment decision with a timeline before selecting a factorAnnuities and Investment Decisions frames a decision through ordinary annuity timing, present-value comparison and sensitivity to rate and term.
- ordinary annuity timing
- present-value comparison
- sensitivity to rate and term
- Applying ordinary annuity timing
- Limits of present-value comparison and sensitivity to rate and term
Business Funding Across the Lifecycle
internal funds · debt and equity · risk-return trade-offs · match a funding source to an organisation's stage, control needs and repayment capacityBusiness Funding Across the Lifecycle frames a decision through internal funds, debt and equity and risk-return trade-offs.
- internal funds
- debt and equity
- risk-return trade-offs
- Applying internal funds
- Limits of debt and equity and risk-return trade-offs
Cost of Capital and Financing Choice
required return · weighted financing cost · qualitative risk · explain why a financing recommendation can change when business risk or capital mix changesCost of Capital and Financing Choice frames a decision through required return, weighted financing cost and qualitative risk.
- required return
- weighted financing cost
- qualitative risk
- Applying required return
- Limits of weighted financing cost and qualitative risk
New Zealand Business Structures and Legal Reasoning
sole trader and partnership · company and trust · liability and governance · select a structure by mapping control, liability, continuity and finance to a scenarioNew Zealand Business Structures and Legal Reasoning frames a decision through sole trader and partnership, company and trust and liability and governance.
- sole trader and partnership
- company and trust
- liability and governance
- Applying sole trader and partnership
- Limits of company and trust and liability and governance
Integrated Cases and Final-Assessment Strategy
issue spotting · calculation-to-recommendation chain · source and assumption control · combine budget, time-value, finance and structure evidence in one defensible decisionIntegrated Cases and Final-Assessment Strategy frames a decision through issue spotting, calculation-to-recommendation chain and source and assumption control.
- issue spotting
- calculation-to-recommendation chain
- source and assumption control
- Applying issue spotting
- Limits of calculation-to-recommendation chain and source and assumption control
It is Stage I (first-year) undergraduate, Level 7.
It carries 15 points (≈150 hours of study).
It is positioned as Compulsory Stage I course in the BCom/BProp horizontal Core (alongside BUSINESS 111, 112, 115, INFOSYS 110 and STATS 100/108).
A flipped, workshop-only course: every lecture is pre-recorded and the sole timetabled class is a 2-hour workshop where you sit in a 'Table Team' and work scenarios (Phantom Boutique budgets, Buying a Car TVM, Cannasouth/Greenfern financing, Neeta's Beauty Business structures).
Half the grade sits in one final exam and the other half is spread thin across five 10% pieces, so no single coursework item can rescue you. Calculations are done off printed Interest Factor Tables, not a financial calculator, and the tables are supplied in the Test.
It is also two ways of thinking in one paper: the accounting half rewards a single right number, the commercial-law half explicitly does not — 'Law is not black and white'.
Assessment in BUSINESS114 is distributed as follows: 50% Final Exam, 10% Test (Online), 10% Quizzes, 10% Assignment 01, 10% Assignment 02, 10% Assignment 03
The operational assessment conditions matter here.
Mode is deliberately not fixed in advance: Exam timetables are normally published online during the mid-semester break of the relevant semester.
At that point, you will also learn the mode for each of your exams, e.g., if it will be a remote/online exam, or an on-campus exam, and The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online… Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used.
Interest Factor Tables are supplied in the Test: Note: these will be provided to you in the Test.
What makes BUSINESS114 demanding is concrete: Walking into the workshop cold. Because every lecture is pre-recorded, the workshop assumes you already did the videos, the pre-workshop quiz and the practice questions.
The second trap is the Module 5-6 switch into commercial law, which the coordinator flags as a different mode of reasoning: Legal problems often have areas of uncertainty, which are open to interpretation, debate or differences of opinion. Over the next two weeks, we encourage you to embrace this ambiguity.
Treat the BUSINESS114 hurdle status as unconfirmed.
Check the current official course outline for any component-level pass rule before relying on the overall mark.
For enrolment planning, No prerequisite listed.
Restriction: must not have completed ACCTG 101
Start with Assessment Map and Decision Workflow; use Annuities and Investment Decisions as the turning point; finish by bringing the course together in Integrated Cases and Final-Assessment Strategy.
Coverage note: only Modules 1-5 are covered in detail; Modules 6-12 are mapped by their published titles only from the published course material and the Getting Started narrative (items 7-12).
Worked example · free
Worked example: Accounting for Decision Making integrated response
- 1Mark the starting condition or object represented by financial and non-financial information.
- 1Write the change, rule or mechanism supplied by required return as a verb-led link.
- 1Show how that link reaches present value; do not skip an intermediate actor, quantity or stage.
- 1Answer the task with the completed chain and preserve this limit: Rates and periods must use the same time unit and a named cash-flow date.
Key terms
- Operating budget and cash budget
- An operating budget forecasts revenue, purchases and operating costs for a period, while a cash budget schedules the resulting cash receipts, payments and closing cash balance.
- Planning and control / actual-versus-budget difference
- Planning sets financial and operational targets; control compares actual results with those targets and investigates the resulting favourable or unfavourable variances.
- Time value of money
- The time value of money is the principle that a dollar today and a dollar at a later date are not equivalent because current money can earn a return; compounding finds future value and discounting finds present value.
- Annuity and the Interest Factor Tables (FVIF / PVIF)
- An annuity is a series of equal payments made at regular intervals, while FVIF and PVIF tables supply compound or discount factors for converting amounts between present and future dates.
- Weighted average cost of capital (WACC)
- WACC is the average required return on a firm's debt and equity, weighted by each financing source's share of total capital and normally using the after-tax cost of debt.
- Business financing stages
- Business financing stages match funding sources to a firm's changing risk and cash needs, from start-up and expansion through growth and exit.
- NZ business structures
- NZ business structures are the legal arrangements through which an enterprise is owned and operated, including sole trader, partnership, company, trading trust, franchise and joint venture forms with different control and liability consequences.
- The PAPER model for writing professional emails
- The PAPER model is the course's named five-part method for planning and composing a professional email. Its five letter labels should be reproduced from the taught Canvas lesson rather than guessed from the acronym.
BUSINESS114 FAQ
Is BUSINESS114 hard?
Walking into the workshop cold. Because every lecture is pre-recorded, the workshop assumes you already did the videos, the pre-workshop quiz and the practice questions. The second trap is the Module 5-6 switch into commercial law, which the coordinator flags as a different mode of reasoning: Legal problems often have areas of uncertainty, which are open to interpretation, debate or differences of opinion.
Over the next two weeks, we encourage you to embrace this ambiguity.
How is BUSINESS114 assessed?
50% Final Exam, 10% Test (Online), 10% Quizzes, 10% Assignment 01, 10% Assignment 02, 10% Assignment 03
What is the BUSINESS114 exam or final-task format?
Mode is deliberately not fixed in advance: Exam timetables are normally published online during the mid-semester break of the relevant semester.
At that point, you will also learn the mode for each of your exams, e.g., if it will be a remote/online exam, or an on-campus exam, and The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations online… Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. Interest Factor Tables are supplied in the Test: Note: these will be provided to you in the Test.
Does BUSINESS114 have a hurdle or component-level pass rule?
Treat the BUSINESS114 hurdle status as unconfirmed. Check the current official course outline for any component-level pass rule before relying on the overall mark.
What prerequisites or restrictions apply to BUSINESS114?
No prerequisite listed. Restriction: must not have completed ACCTG 101
Is BUSINESS114 offered in Semester 2, 2026?
This resource is aligned to Semester 2, 2026. Confirm your class and assessment timetable in the current institutional system.
Is this BUSINESS114 resource an official university guide?
No. It is an independent BUSINESS114 study resource; current institutional instructions remain authoritative for assessment operation.
Questions students ask in each BUSINESS114 chapter
- What is the main task in Assessment Map and Decision Workflow?
- Build one ledger that separates published weights from missing operational details. Chapter 01 · Assessment Map and Decision Workflow
- What is the main task in Accounting Information and Professional Communication?
- Turn a mixed evidence pack into a concise recommendation email. Chapter 02 · Accounting Information and Professional Communication
- What is the main task in Operating Budgets and Planning Logic?
- Construct a small operating budget and trace how one changed assumption moves through it. Chapter 03 · Operating Budgets and Planning Logic
- What is the main task in Cash Budgets, Control and Variance Questions?
- Identify whether a cash shortfall comes from timing, volume or an omitted cash flow. Chapter 04 · Cash Budgets, Control and Variance Questions
- What is the main task in Time Value of Money: Single Sums?
- Compare money at two dates before choosing between alternatives. Chapter 05 · Time Value of Money: Single Sums
- What is the main task in Annuities and Investment Decisions?
- Evaluate a repeated-payment decision with a timeline before selecting a factor. Chapter 06 · Annuities and Investment Decisions
- What is the main task in Business Funding Across the Lifecycle?
- Match a funding source to an organisation's stage, control needs and repayment capacity. Chapter 07 · Business Funding Across the Lifecycle
- What is the main task in Cost of Capital and Financing Choice?
- Explain why a financing recommendation can change when business risk or capital mix changes. Chapter 08 · Cost of Capital and Financing Choice
- What is the main task in New Zealand Business Structures and Legal Reasoning?
- Select a structure by mapping control, liability, continuity and finance to a scenario. Chapter 09 · New Zealand Business Structures and Legal Reasoning
- What is the main task in Integrated Cases and Final-Assessment Strategy?
- Combine budget, time-value, finance and structure evidence in one defensible decision. Chapter 10 · Integrated Cases and Final-Assessment Strategy
How to study for the exam
Retrieve the course map, practise the recurring method—translate accounting, finance and legal information into a recommendation for a named decision maker—on changed scenarios, and verify every operational assessment detail in the live institutional system.
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