Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

Individuals and businesses may organise their affairs through various legal structures. One of the most common ways to organise a business structure is through incorporation. Accordingly, accountants should have a detailed knowledge about this particular type of business structure.

Aims

The unit is intended to equip students with a sound understanding of the various issues relating to running and organising a business in the form of a company incorporated in Australia.

Objectives

Course Learning Goals (Undergraduate)
The QUT Business School has established the Assurance of Learning (AoL) Goals to meet contemporary industry needs and standards. Achieving these learning outcomes will assist you to meet the desired graduate outcomes set at QUT - aligned with other internationally renowned business schools. Students will develop the following capabilities relevant to a contemporary global and sustainable business enviornment:

Have knowledge and skills pertinent to a particular discipline (KS)
1.1 Integrate and apply disciplinary theory and skills to practical situations
1.2 Incorporate the use of technology appropriate to the discipline and context

Be critical thinkers and effective problem solvers (CTA)
2.1 Identify, research and critically analyse information relevant to a business problem or issue, be able to synthesise that information in order to evaluate potential solutions, make recommendations or otherwise effectively address the problem or issue

Be professional communicators in an intercultural context (PC)
3.1 Communicate effectively through written tasks appropriate to varied contexts and audiences
3.2 Communicate effectively through professional oral presentations appropriate to varied contexts and audiences

Be able to work effectively in a Team Environment (TW)
4.1 Demonstrate effective team skills in order to contribute appropriately to the production of a group output

Have a Social and Ethical Understanding (SEU)
5.1 Apply ethical reasoning, standards or codes of practice relevant to the discipline and make decisions that are informed by social and cultural understanding

Upon completion of this unit, you should be able to:
1. Compare and contrast the different types of Australian corporations and how they operate;
2. Explain the meaning and effect of, and have a competent understanding of, the legislative provisions and decided case law that applies to Australian corporations; and
3. Analyse, discuss and resolve legal issues and problems relating to corporations.
The specific course learning goals and unit objectives that apply to this unit are shown in the assessment section of this unit outline.

Content

This unit looks at the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), registration, the separate legal entity doctrine, types/classes of companies and shares, company constitution, replaceable rules, company register, membership, company meetings, directors, corporate governance and directors' duties, members' rights and remedies, corporate liability, Part IV of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), capital raising, prospectuses, reporting, disclosure, insolvency issues and external administration.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Teaching and learning strategies are designed to facilitate the aims and objectives of the unit. The emphasis in Corporations Law is to give students a fair understanding of the nature of the principal laws relating to companies in the Australian business environment. There are three main elements to the learning and teaching strategies to this unit - lectures, tutorials and an assignment. Before students complete the assignment, they may choose to complete a preliminary skills building exercise. Each of these is explained in more detail below.

Lectures
Students are expected to attend lectures each week. Lecture notes are provided each week for students. You should download the lecture notes each week from the AYB230 Blackboard site and bring them with you to the lecture. You can access on-line units using any computer that has Internet access. The QUT Student Computing Guide contains information on how to access and use the computing facilities at QUT.

Tutorials
Students are expected to attend tutorials each week. Tutorials commence in Week 2. Once allocated to a tutorial, students must remain in that tutorial for the entire semester. After the first tutorial, changes are not permitted unless there are exceptional circumstances and the express consent of the unit coordinator is given. Students are permitted to only attend one tutorial per week. Students are expected to access the tutorial questions from the AYB230 Blackboard site each week, and print and bring them with you to the tutorial.

Tutorials provide an opportunity for you to develop your understanding of key issues and concepts dealt with in lectures. Each week students will need to complete the required readings and to prepare answers for the tutorial discussion questions. Students are expected to engage in and lead classroom discussion. Past experience indicates there is a strong correlation between students who fail the unit and students who do not attend lectures and tutorials.

Skills Building Exercise (Optional)
This is a formative exercise. Students may choose to submit a short answer (maximum of 1000 words) to a legal problem-style question. The exercise has two main benefits: it is designed to give students some practice in applying the relevant statutory and case law to answer a legal problem, and it also enables students to obtain early feedback on their problem answering style, since this is an important skill required for Assessment Items 2 and 3.

Assessment

The assessment in this unit aims to support your achievement of the learning objectives for both Discipline Knowledge and Other Graduate Capabilities. Assessment has been designed in order to allow you to both:
- receive feedback on your learning as you progress toward the development of knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes (formative assessment); and
- demonstrate your learning in order to achieve a final grade (summative assessment).Students will receive feedback in various forms throughout the semester which may include:

• Informal: verbal feedback in class, personal consultation


• Formal: in writing, such as checklists (e.g. criteria sheets), written commentary


• Direct: to individual students, either in written form or in consultation


• Indirect: to the whole class

Assessment name: Mid-Semester Examination
Description: Mid-Semester Examination
This examination involves 30 multiple choice questions covering all (or possibly covering all) topics covered in Weeks 1-5.
Length / Duration: 1 hour plus 15 minutes perusal
Formative or Summative: Summative
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 3 and KS (1.1), CTA (2.1)
Weight: 30%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 7


Assessment name: End of Semester Examination
Description: Final examination may cover any topic from week 6 onwards.
Length/Duration: 2 hours plus 10 minutes perusal
Formative or Summative: Summative
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 3, and KS (1.1), CTA (2.1), PC (3.1)
Weight: 50%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Central Exam Period


Assessment name: Problem Solving Task
Description: This assessment requires each student to submit a short answer to a problem style question. It builds on the skills learned in the skills building exercise and provides an opportunity for further feedback on problem answering prior to the end of semester examination
Length / Duration: 1000 words
Formative or Summative: Summative
Note that, according to the Faculty Assessment Guidelines, a penalty of 10% per day of the total mark will be applied to late submission of assignments without the prior approval of the unit coordinator.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 3, and KS (1.1), CTA (2.1), PC (3.1)
Weight: 20%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 11


Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

Prescribed Text: Harris, Hargovan & Adams, Australian Corporate Law, LexisNexis Butterworths, 3rd edition (2012).

Required References: Australian Corporations Legislation 2013 (available from LexisNexis in bound form, in a pack together with the prescribed text). You may NOT use legislation that has been annotated with case notes (such as the Thomson Reuters Corporations Legislation).
Other References: Li & Riley, Applied Corporate Law: A Bilingual Approach. Butterworths, 1st edition (2009). This is not a prescribed text - it is an aid that might assist Mandarin speakers.

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Risk assessment statement

There are no out-of-the ordinary risks associated with this unit. You should, however, familiarise yourself with evacuation procedures operating in the buildings in which you attend classes and take the time to view the >Emergency video.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 06-Feb-2013