Background on Briscoe Group NZ The company I have been allocated for this assessment is Briscoe Group New Zealand, a well-known and long-established retail group operating across the homeware and sporting goods sectors. The firm owns and manages three major retail brands: Brisoces Homeware, Rebel Sport, and Living & Giving, across New Zealand these brands have strong national visibility with their two primary retail brands having 90+ physical outlets, as well as supplements b

The past is fixed, the future is uncertain- accounting assists in preparing options and resilience for volatility. Weak commodity market, unpredictable weather events, and equipment breakdown, can flip profit margins on a dime. Recognising that our accounts show where we have been, but cannot predict what is ahead, has pushed me to consider risk buffers- flexible/seasonal labour, or spreading contract types between grain, cattle and earthworks. Learning to read our financial

Assets + Expenses = Equity + Revenue + Liabilities – a model linking what we own and spend to how we fund and earn. This is not just a formula; this reflects the business reality we choose to record. For us, the trucks, trailers, earthmoving gear, and workshop gear represent Assets, while diesel, tyres, wages, and maintenance are Expenses. Together, these factors contribute to our equity and profitability. The extended equation reflects that everything, from diesel use to con

Understanding is derived from the use of accounting data to make and review decisions- learning by involvement, not by rote. Typically at the onset of harvest, forecasting of fuel and service costs are estimated- at the competion of harvest we then compare the actual consumption of consumables used, or as our local bean counter would call them ‘expenses’. For example, if diesel was budgeted at $50,000 but ended up costing $65,000, the analysis would pose the question: Were th

Moving cash around is not value creation. Only when revenue exceeds true all-in costs are we creating value for the business. When hauling grain, invoices may appear favorable on paper, with monthly accounts averaging $32,000 per client. However, once expenses such as diesel, wear insurance, driver wages, and repayments are considered, what is the actual value left? Chapter one’s focus on “value” provided a moment for pause and reflection, prompting reconsideration of what pr