Units

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Sample subject outline - 13 Week Teaching Period - 1 2013

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

Rationale

Accounting data is the basis for financial decision making in any organisation. Accordingly, it is important for any business professional to have a basic knowledge and understanding of modern financial and managerial accounting theory and practice. An appreciation of accounting should occur at an early stage of the student's academic career.

Aims

The aim of this unit is to provide you with a basic knowledge of modern financial and managerial accounting theory and practice so that you can apply basic accounting techniques and understand how accounting data is used to help make decisions in organisations at various levels.

Objectives

At the completion of this unit students should:

1. Be able to demonstrate your understanding of the nature of accounting as a communication system in the internal and external environment of an organisation
   
   
2. Have developed a satisfactory level of competence in practical accounting skills by the utilisation of a generalised system of recording financial data
   
   
3. Have developed analytical and interpretive skills in the understanding of accounting as a financial data system for planning and control purposes
   
   
4. Be able to critically evaluate accounting information


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. The goals and set learning outcomes listed below will be addressed in this unit:

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.

Content

The underlying theme of this unit is to illustrate how accounting information is used in the real world for decision making. Annual reports, recent real life situations and current events will be covered.

The content chosen in this unit starts with a basic introduction to accounting and accounting processes, before progressing to detail how financial statements are prepared and used to help make decisions (Topics 1-5). This is then demonstrated with skills development in the form of the Accounting Practical Set (Topic 6). This leads into more advanced consideration of the ways in which accounting information is used in business (Topics 7-10). This progression builds to the conclusion of the unit, which focuses on analytical and interpretational skills, which, in turn, acts as a foundation for management accounting (Topic 11). The unit concludes with a re-cap overview (Topic 12).


For more detailed information on content, refer to the Unit Outline and Week 1 Document.

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

The teaching and learning strategies used in this unit have been selected with the specified aim and objectives of this unit in mind. This unit consists of one 2-hour lecture, a 1 hour workshop and one 1-hour tutorial per week. Students should bring the Workbook to all lectures, workshops and tutorials, and the text to all tutorials only.

Lectures:

Lectures are used to provide a basic understanding of the practical and theoretical issues. For lecture weeks 1-12 Lecture Outlines are available in two Workbooks. You will only derive the most out of lectures if you bring the Workbooks with you. While there is no opportunity for lengthy interaction between lecturer and students during each lecture, most students in the past have found great value in attending lectures and workshops because they were able to see problems being worked, rather than just being handed the answers.

Tutorials:

Tutorials commence in week 2 (covering the previous week's work)

The basic understanding provided in lectures and workshops will be developed through the use of tutorial work. To achieve the objectives of the unit it is essential that you complete the assigned tutorial work prior to attendance at the tutorial in the following week.
On a weekly basis, tutorial work is based on lecture material and requires you to work through a series of questions and problems.

Tutors will work through the questions from the set tutorial work and deal with any problems arising from that material.

In preparation for the tutorial you are required to have completed all the weekly tutorial work, including the practical questions prior to attendance at these tutorials. The practical tutorial questions are designed to further reinforce the work covered in the lecture and the workshop, to show how various issues in the lecture material fit together, and to give students the opportunity to see "how" problems are worked, and discuss with tutors "why" something is done a certain way. Attendance at tutorials is essential to your success in this unit.

Proper attention to the teaching and learning strategies should enable students to meet the assessment requirements of the unit. You will be assessed on your developing knowledge, understanding and skills using a range of inter-related assessment methods.

Students who perform well in Accounting are those who attend all lectures, prepare all tutorial questions, attend tutorial sessions and take advantage of Consultation times with unit staff.

Late Assignment Policy

Students will be penalised for the late submission of assignments. Refer to the Diploma Course Guide for details.

Review of Grades or Academic Rulings

For rules on how to apply for a review of grade, refer to the Diploma Course Guide for details.

Consultation

The lecturer will be available for consultation from Week 2. Times will be advised in class and will also be displayed in a schedule at Reception on Level 3, on consultation room doors and on the BSD110 Blackboard site under Announcements section.

Exam Timetable

The exam timetable will be displayed on the Noticeboard on Level 3 by Week 11 of the semester.

Assessment

Summative assessment is any assessment item which is included in the calculation of your grade. Formative assessment provides you with feedback regarding your understanding of the various topics.

This unit may require students to submit their assessment items through SafeAssign.
Please refer to the Week 1 document for this unit.

Assessment name: Weekly Tutorial Work
Description: Weekly Tutorial Work (Formative): The weekly tutorial work aims to reinforce relevant aspects of the weekly material and to help you to apply this material to solve practical problems.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4 and AoL goals: KS (1.1).
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Weekly


Assessment name: Mid-Semester Exam
Description: Mid-semester Examination (Summative and Formative): The exam will be a closed-book examination of 2 hours duration covering topics 1-5, and will consist of 15 multiple choice questions followed by practical accounting questions.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2 and AoL goals: KS (1.1), CTA (2.1).
Weight: 25%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 6


Assessment name: Accounting Practical Set
Description: ****This assessment item can be submitted as an individual OR in pairs (groups of 3)****
Accounting - Practical Set (Summative and Formative): The Accounting Practical Set requires you to complete the accounting cycle for one month for a sole trading service business. Time required varies but completion could take up to 10 hours.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2 and AoL goals: KS (1.1), CTA (2.1).
Weight: 25%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Weeks 8 and 10


Assessment name: Final Exam
Description: Final Examination (Summative): The examination will be closed book of 2.5 hours duration. It will consist of both practical and theoretical questions, and will examine topics 7 -12 inclusive.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 3, 4 and AoL goals: KS (1.1), CTA (2.1), PC (3.1), SEU (5.1).
Weight: 50%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Exam Period Week 14


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

Texts Accounting BSB110 Custom Text 2012



5. BSD110 Workbook 1 and Workbook 2 2013 (Semester 1, 2013 version only) Brisbane: QUT Publications. (do NOT buy secondhand). Purchase from Campus Bookshop new only.

References

1. Hoggett, J., L. Edwards and J. Medlin. 2005. Accounting in Australia. 6th ed. John Wiley and Sons.
   
   
2. Trotman, K. and M. Gibbins. 2005. Financial Accounting, an Integrated Approach. 3rd edition Nelson ITP.
   
   
3. Peirson, G. and A. Ramsay. 2003. Accounting - An Introduction. 3rd ed. Melbourne: Addison-Wesley Longman Australia Pty. Ltd.
   
   
4. Additional resources can also be found at the unit's Blackboard site.

Risk assessment statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.
You should, however, familarise yourself with evacuation procedures operating in the buildings in which you attend classes.

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: 14-Mar-2013