Units

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Sample subject outline - 6 Week Teaching Period - 4 2013

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

Rationale

The financial health and long-term financial sustainability of entities are recognised as being fundamentally important in today's highly competitive operating and investing environment. Accounting information plays a critical role in providing business owners, managers and potential investors with timely, accurate and useful information on which informed business and investment decisions can be made.

As such, it is essential that managers and investors are able to read and evaluate the financial reports of a business entity and understand the messages that are contained within them. Additionally, to maximize business performance, business owners and managers need to have an understanding of accounting techniques and principles that assist in the planning, evaluation and control of business activities.

This unit has been included in the MBA program to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to undertake budgeting and cost control accounting activities that support the broader operational decision making processes. The unit will also assist students to assess and understand the financial position and performance of an entity, and to make informed predictions about its future directions, based on the information contained within published accounting reports.

Accounting for Decision Making is taught in the early phases of the MBA program to help students to broaden their knowledge and understanding of business that will lay a solid foundation for later units in the program that rely on an analysis of financial data.

Aims

The mission of the MBA and associated programs is to provide world class, graduate business education and stimulating real world learning opportunities to develop current and future business leaders and managers to confidently lead in complex environments.

The aim of this particular unit is to provide managers with an understanding of accounting techniques that are useful for managerial decision making and an understanding of financial statements.

Objectives

Course Learning Goals (Postgraduate)

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.

Have knowledge and skills pertinent to a particular discipline (KS)

1.1 Well-researched knowledge and critical understanding applied to issues at the forefront of a specialised discipline area
1.2 Ability to select and use effectively a range of tools and technologies to locate and/or generate information appropriate to the disciplinary context

Be critical thinkers and effective problem solvers (CTA)

2.1 Apply logical, critical and creative thinking and judgement to generate appropriate solutions to problems in the disciplinary context

Be professional communicators in an intercultural context (PC)

3.1 Ability to create and present professional documents and/or reports using high levels of analysis/synthesis/evaluation for a range of contexts and audiences
3.2 Ability to orally communicate and justify ideas and information, at a professional level, for a variety of contexts and audiences, including peers and discipline specialists

Be able to work effectively in a Team Environment (TW)

4.1 Operate effectively and with flexibility to achieve common goals in collaborative settings, using a range of skills, including leadership, negotiation, reflection, proactivity and support for team members

Have a Social and Ethical Understanding (SEU)

5.1 Apply knowledge of the ethical, social and cultural dimensions relevant to business situations, including appropriate standards or codes of practice, to provide courses of action

The specific course learning goals that apply to this unit are shown in the assessment section of this unit outline.

Unit Objectives:

Upon completion of this unit, you should be able to:
1. Prepare basic costing and budgetary control reports using both standard and flexed budgets. KS1.1, (MBA 1, 7), KS 1.2 (MBA 4)
2. Explain the role costing and budgetary control reports have in management decision making process. KS 1.1 (MBA 1); CTA 2.1 (MBA 4)
3. Analyse and interpret the financial statements of business's to determine the business management implications. KS1.1 (MBA 1, 7) CTA 2.1 (MBA 4)
4. Make informed recommendations and strategic decisions based on an analysis of available accounting information for a given organization. KS1.1 (MBA 1, 7), CTA 2.1(MBA 4)
5. Prepare management briefings and written reports that analyse the financial health of an organisation. PC3.1 (MBA 3)

The specific course learning goals and unit objectives that apply to this unit are shown in the assessment section of this unit outline.

Content

In keeping with QUT's commitment to the internationalisation of its programs, the issues covered in Accounting for Decision Making are techniques practiced both in Australia and overseas.

• Role of cost and budgeting control reports in management


• Product and service costing


• Standard and Flexed Budgets


• CPV analysis and Variance analysis


• Budgetary control and performance management


• Making decisions based on accounting information


• Analysis of financial statements

- Profit and loss statement
- Balance sheet
- Cash flow statement

• Preparing management briefings and written reports on the financial health of an organisation

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

This unit adopts a blended learning approach and as such, includes a variety of teaching and learning approaches.

Three hour face-to-face class sessions are supplemented by a textbook and a range of online materials that are designed to support and extend learning prior to, during and after class sessions. Online materials are available in the unit Blackboard site. Given the importance of the unit Blackboard site to the teaching and learning strategy used in this unit a computer or tablet device with internet access is strongly recommended for all students.

The principle purpose of the lectures and readings is to build upon the key concepts that were introduced through the Preparation for Class activities and readings. Class sessions will be divided between lectures and problem solving individually and small groups. The purpose of case study work, experiential learning tasks and all assessment tasks is to help the student develop their understanding of the concepts and enable them to be applied within a range of business contexts.

There is an expectation that the student will participate in class sessions, to take advantage of the opportunity to discuss important issues with their instructor and their peers in an informal environment. These sessions also provide students with an opportunity to hone important generic skills that are in high demand in the business.

It is expected that students have completed all Preparation for Class activities and readings identified in the unit Blackboard site prior to coming to class to be able to maximise the learning opportunities of the class sessions.

A variety of learning activities designed to engage students in their learning will be incorporated into the lectures/workshops. Such learning activities may include short lectures, class discussions, debates, role plays, group work, guest speakers, student presentations, simulations, case study analysis, videos, readings, wikis, media/current events reports, web searches etc.

There is a commitment to critical inquiry and intellectual debate in regard to the material covered. Students are encouraged to relate the theories and research discussed to situations known to them and will be encouraged to share their experiences relating to the topics explored in this unit with the class to enrich the overall learning experience of all students..

Expanding the awareness of Australian management policies and practices into intercultural and international perspectives is fostered within this unit. Typically, students enrolling in this unit have extremely varied backgrounds. There is diversity of professional background and socio-cultural background. Students are reminded that this is to their advantage and they have much to learn from one another. To this end, students are strongly encouraged to be sensitive to cultural, gender-related and international issues.

Assessment

A further Guide to the Assessment Items is available from the unit Blackboard Site: http://blackboard.qut.edu.au

At the end of the teaching period the Faculty Academic Board determines students' grades. The Unit Coordinators provide the detailed assessment results to the Board, working through the relevant School. These results are advisory in nature and do not necessarily constitute the final grades awarded by the Board. In its decision the Board compares results both within units and programs, using as a guide a set of standard distribution criteria. These criteria enable the Board to systematically compare student performance, but are not applied in a prescriptive fashion.Students will receive a variety of feedback throughout this unit.
Informally, feedback will be given verbally in class through class discussions and during the debriefing of learning activities.
Direct feedback will be available to those students who request a private or group consultation session with the lecturer.
Formal feedback will be received on both formative and summative assessment tasks through a Criterion Reference Assessment sheet which will also include written feedback on the assessment task. The Criterion Reference Assessment Sheet will be available in the unit Blackboard site at the commencement of the unit. Students will receive feedback on their formative assessment task prior to their summative assessment task being submitted.

Assessment name: Management Briefing
Description: You will be given a case study related to a problem/issue that has been identified in a particular organisation. You are required to analyse the problem/issue and prepare a briefing report including recommendations to senior management. The assessment item is a case study which addresses problems/issues identified by management. The case requires students to prepare a brief to management.
Length/Duration Max 2000 words
Formative or Summative: Formative and Summative
Relates to objectives: Unit Objectives 1, 2, 4 and 5
AOL goals KS 1.1, 1.2, CTA 2.1, PC 3.1
Weight: 50%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 5

Assessment name: Examination (written)
Description: You are required to analyse the financial reports of a particular organisation and to write a balanced report to senior management regarding the financial health of the organisation and making recommendations to senior management based on your analysis. The final examination is an open book exam. You will be permitted access to your laptop or tablet device, but no internet access or other electronic connections are allowed.
Formative or Summative: Summative
Length/Duration 2 hours plus 10 minutes perusal
Relates to objectives: Unit Obejctives: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5
AoL Goals: KS (1.1, 1.2), CTA (2.1)
Weight: 50%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 7

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 texts:

Bazley, M. and Hancock, P. (2010). Contemporary Accounting (7 Ed). Cengage: South Melbourne

This publisher also has an eBook version of this textbook available through their Cengage Brain or Vital Source platform. This platform is currently available for IOS and Android devices, Mac and PCs. Before purchasing this book as an eBook, please be aware that this publisher only allows a 2 year license for this textbook in eBook format. Individual chapters of the book can also be purchased.

Other Resources:

GSN404 Blackboard site

QUT Cite|Write http://www.citewrite.qut.edu.au/

Any contemporary introductory financial accounting or financial analysis texts, and any contemporary introductory management accounting or accounting for managers texts may be used as supplementary reading.

General reading:
Students are strongly encouraged to regularly read the Australian Financial Review throughout the duration of this unit. It is likely that frequent reference will be made to issues reported in that newspaper.

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: 18-Mar-2013