About me

Here's a little background info on me:

My name is Matt Lyons and I'm 18 years old. I am studying a Bachelor of Business and plan to major in Human Resource Management and Marketing. One day I hope to be the Chief Executive Officer of my own company and own a suit and matching briefcase for each day of the week. I am a team member at BCF Mackay, I live and breath the outdoor lifestyle! I have strong passion for sport and play both football and golf at a high level. Although I am looking forward to graduating, I am excited to spend the duration of my studies at CQU Mackay!

Flashback to my High School formal!

My KCQ's regarding the Study Guide

Many of the people that I have discussed topics with in the forums find accounting so interesting and have a strong passion for the industry, I however struggled to read these chapters as I simply do not share the same love for accounting. I have to admit however, I did find some of the points in the study guide intriguing.

Chapter 1 – A Way of Viewing Business

What jumped out at me was the style of writing, it may just be me and my lack of interest for the topics however I found it was unnecessary and at times eccentric. Also, I noticed that the same point was made repeatedly, perhaps to emphasize, however I found it to frustrating more often than not. Chapter one did however force me to some extent to picture accounting as figures that tell a story as opposed to just big and boring number on a page as I thought accounting to be, a common misconception I would imagine. However now I view accounting differently, and for that I am thankful. When I was reading the paragraphs which listed numerous businesses I wanted to fall asleep, I found it to be over the top and I think that an emphasis on a small number of companies may have been more effective and engaging.

The information from ‘Two sides to everything’ and onwards I found to be useful, and while it was still quite dry to read to my liking, I understood the information and it started to blur together for me from this point onwards. The main thing I took away from this chapter was the thought that how a company could either build the value of their company or totally diminish it by making the wrong changes in investments or sales in the right or wrong sector.

 Chapter 3 – Introducing Financial Statements

I made a connection with the party scenario and my company’s financial statements; it was daunting and intimidating at first. I had no idea about the company or financial reports and this made it hard to share my work in the forums as I knew most people would have at some background information about this part of accounting… As time went on though, I stated to feel more comfortable both with my reports and discussing in the forums.

I found chapter three to be easier to follow to a certain extent, which in my opinion goes a long way to making the content easier to comprehend and to follow in your head. ‘Trust Relationship in Business’ I found very helpful in regards to step 3 of the assignment task when I was inputting my financial statements. This part of the study guide just clicked with me and I was able to follow the process of my company’s reports to a more effective degree with I loved.

Conclusion

The study guide has reinforced the concept of accounting being about more than just numbers and the fact that, based on these numbers, companies make decisions about how to further their profit, or possibly hinder their profit. I have found that in accounting their isn’t one set way you must operate, the same outcome can be reach through a number of different scenarios depending on the company and how they approach them.

Here's my top 3 blogs! - Do you agree?

Favourite blogs

At first I was extremely unexcited to participate in blogging although I have friends who actively participate in blogs, each to their own I guess. But wow! I don’t know where I would be without this stuff. The blogs of other students in the course helped me so much to understand parts of the assignment, and the world or accounting in general. Although I a Business student and not an Accounting student, aspects of both are a large part of either field, so it was good to gain insight into the world of accounting.

#1

Pru

http://prumountney.blogspot.com.au/

10/10

I found Pru’s blog the easiest to follow, it helped that I had heard of her company, Sportech PLC, previously. Being a big football fan myself, it was easy to follow the financials of her company, and as most 18 year old guys do, I don’t mind having a punt on my favourite teams every now and then. I guess Pru’s company just hit a sweet spot with me! I found it extremely easy to comprehend and it had a nice simple layout to it which I liked… I also found parts to be humorous which I liked, for example Pru says; What are pools in the world of gambling? What is tote betting?!  Surely nothing to do with swimming or handbags, based on my previous experience with these words. Would definitely recommend. My Favourite blog!

#2

Renae

http://ladyofledgers.blogspot.com.au/

10/10

Insanely good blog! I could clearly see how much effort had gone into the blog and her work and it was evident she has a strong passion for accounting. I found her blog to be very informative and that’s what I loved about it! She was always easy to find on the forums also. Morgan Sindall is the name of her company and she clearly stated all of the facts and important information surrounding them, even reinforcing her statements with sources to provide clear information. What a great read!

#3

Beverley

https://accountinginsightsblog.wordpress.com/

10/10

I found Beverley’s blog to be very easy to follow and comprehend, I guess that’s why I liked it so much. In some places she used visual data to represent her points and that was a simple idea that I hadn’t even thought about, loved it! The layout of her blog stood out to me also, something a bit different to other blogs I have read, worth a read!

My Company

The company that I have been allocated is Hutchison Whampoa Limited (HWL).HWL is a renowned multinational conglomerate with strong commitments in the fields of both innovation and technology. Their diverse range of businesses employ over 280,000 people in total, and in over 50 countries throughout the world. HWL is one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange main board. HWL consists of six core business industries - ports and related services, property and hotels, retail, infrastructure, energy and telecommunications. Their diverse array of holdings ranges from some of the world's biggest port operators and retailers, to property development and infrastructure, to innovative and advanced telecommunications and data services.

For the year ended 31 December 2014, HWL reported a turnover of approximately HKD421 billion (USD54 billion). Some of their achievements include being the world's leading port investor, developer and operator, the leading international health and beauty retailer for Asia and Europe, and a pioneer of leading-edge mobile multimedia telecommunications. With roots in Hong Kong in the 1800s, HWL’s operations now range all over the globe.

Due date fast approaching

I am nearing my first assessment due date for the term and am just in the process of wrapping my assignment up.
Fingers crossed I receive some good feedback