Students
ACCG200 – Fundamentals of Management Accounting
2014 – MQC1 Day
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Tutor
Nuwan Kulasekera
Contact via nuwan.kulasekera@mqc.edu.au
Unit Convenor
Tas Nair
Contact via tas.nair@mqc.edu.au
TBA
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
3
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
ACCG101 or ACCG105(P) or ACCG106(P)
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit is the first of three undergraduate units in cost and management accounting and is necessary for ICAA, CPA and NIA membership. The unit explains how cost information is generated and used in organisations for decision-making purposes. There are three main parts to the unit:
- using costs for decision making;
- costing techniques (job/process costing and cost allocations); and
- budget setting and evaluating performance against the budget.
By the end of the unit students are able to discriminate between the various product costing techniques available, solve problems by identifying and selecting appropriate courses of action, and demonstrate an understanding of budgeting techniques and the behavioural issues associated with budgeting practices. The unit develops graduate capabilities centred upon critical and analytical thinking skills and the ability to solve problems. The unit is structured so as to develop effective oral and written communication skills and to demonstrate awareness of ethical issues affecting the role of a management accountant.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- To enable students to distinguish between management and financial accounting and to introduce them to the various product costing, budgeting, and decision making techniques.
- To improve the ability of students to analyse and conceptualise management accounting issues.
- To improve the problem solving skills of students.
- To develop the written and verbal communication skills of students.
- To develop students’ ability to work with spreadsheets.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Class participation | 10% | Ongoing |
| Assignments | 10% | Weeks 5 and 10 |
| Assessed coursework | 20% | Weeks 2 - 13 |
| Final Examination | 60% | University Examination Period |
Class participation
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 10%
The mark will be awarded based on the following criteria:
• The extent to which each student has prepared for each class.
• The willingness of students to express their ideas in class.
• The ability of students to articulate their thoughts.
• The ability of students to complete set tasks during classes.
• The willingness of students to cooperate with and assists other students in their learning.
It is expected that students should not miss more than one tutorial throughout the session.
This assessment task takes place during the tutorial. If students miss a class due to illness or unavoidable circumstances they should apply for special consideration. This will be taken into consideration when determining the class participation marks.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- To enable students to distinguish between management and financial accounting and to introduce them to the various product costing, budgeting, and decision making techniques.
- To improve the ability of students to analyse and conceptualise management accounting issues.
- To improve the problem solving skills of students.
- To develop the written and verbal communication skills of students.
Assignments
Due: Weeks 5 and 10
Weighting: 10%
Submission
2 excel assignments must be submitted via iLearn. Separate submission instructions will be provided on iLearn.
Extension
No extension will be granted
Penalties
A mark of Zero will be assigned for late submission
What is required to complete the unit satisfactorily
Satisfactory completion of all excel assignments
On successful completion you will be able to:
- To enable students to distinguish between management and financial accounting and to introduce them to the various product costing, budgeting, and decision making techniques.
- To improve the ability of students to analyse and conceptualise management accounting issues.
- To improve the problem solving skills of students.
- To develop students’ ability to work with spreadsheets.
Assessed coursework
Due: Weeks 2 - 13
Weighting: 20%
Submission:
Weekly assignments (10%)- During the session, the tutor will randomly collect 6 weekly assignments. By the end of the session, students should have up to 6 weekly assignments marked. The best 5 of these will count towards the 10% weekly assignments (2 x 5).
An in-class test (10%) will be conducted during the week 7 tutorial. The duration of the test will be 30 minutes. It will be a closed book exam, answered under examination condition and of examination standard.
Extension:
No extension will be granted
Penalties
A mark of Zero will be assigned for non-submission in your designated class.
What is required to complete the unit satisfactorily
Satisfactory completion of all weekly assignments and weekly in-class questions
On successful completion you will be able to:
- To enable students to distinguish between management and financial accounting and to introduce them to the various product costing, budgeting, and decision making techniques.
- To improve the ability of students to analyse and conceptualise management accounting issues.
- To improve the problem solving skills of students.
- To develop the written and verbal communication skills of students.
Final Examination
Due: University Examination Period
Weighting: 60%
Examination conditions:
A time-limited ( 3 hours) invigilated closed book final exam.
Dictionaries are not permitted
Non-programmable calculators with no text retrieval capacity are allowed.
What is required to complete the unit satisfactorily:
It is essential for students to pass their final examination in order to achieve a passing grade.
If a Supplementary Examination is granted as a result of the Special Consideration process the examination will be scheduled as per the Supplementary Examination timetable of the Faculty. Please note that the supplementary examination will be of the similar format as the final examination.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- To enable students to distinguish between management and financial accounting and to introduce them to the various product costing, budgeting, and decision making techniques.
- To improve the ability of students to analyse and conceptualise management accounting issues.
- To improve the problem solving skills of students.
- To develop the written and verbal communication skills of students.
Delivery and Resources
Classes
Students should attend three hours of face-to-face teaching per week consisting of a one-and-half hour lecture and a one-and-half hour tutorial. The lecture will also be available via iLecture on unit website by the end of each week. Students are advised to note that any changes to tutorial classes must be made online through e-student. Students wishing to change their tutorial time should login to e-student and enrol in a class where there is a vacancy. Staff members WILL NOT deal with tutorial changes unless there are exceptional circumstances. It is each student’s responsibility to know which tutorial group they have been allocated to. Students will not be awarded any tutorial marks unless they attend the class in which they are formally enrolled*. If on a rare occasion students are unable to attend the tutorial in which they are enrolled they may attend an alternative tutorial during the week. If this occurs they should get the tutor to sign and date their work at the end of the class and then pass this signed work on to their regular tutor. This should not occur frequently as the failure to attend the tutorial in which you are formally enrolled will impact on the participation, weekly assignments and in-class test. The timetable for classes can be found on the MQC Student Portal at: http://student.mqc.edu.au/.
Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials
Management Accounting, Information for creating and managing value, by Kim Langfield-Smith, Helen Thorne and Ronald W. Hilton, 6th Edition, 2012, McGraw-Hill.
Access to this text is essential for lecture references and for tutorial questions. There have been substantial changes to the 6th edition of this text, especially in the end of chapter questions. DO NOT RELY ON PREVIOUS EDITIONS.
This text can be purchased from the Macquarie University Co-op Bookshop and is available in the Macquarie Library.
Technology Used and Required
Students are required to use information technology in this unit. Students will need to use electronic access to unit web page for all information related to the unit including downloading unit guide and other materials required for class assignments. Students also need to use Microsoft Excel (where applicable) to complete their Excel assignments.
Unit Web Page
The web page for this unit can be found at: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au
You should also contact the IT helpdesk if you need assistance with using the website. Alternatively use the help feature provided. Make sure that when you have finished using the website that you Log Out. Failure to do so could allow unauthorised access to your account.
The following information will be available on the website:
- Assessment guide
- Important announcements
- Lecture notes
- Staff contact details
- Tutorial questions and solutions
- Other relevant material
You are encouraged to regularly check the website and use it as an information and resource centre to assist with your learning.
Teaching and Learning Strategy
The course is structured around a 1.5 hour lecture and a 1.5 hour tutorial per week. Lectures are intended to provide students with an overview of the main concepts and techniques. Lectures may not cover all of the material and students are expected to read all of the prescribed references prior to the lecture. Tutorials will be run on a workshop basis with students being given the opportunity to apply the concepts to additional problems and exercises. The tutorials are designed to provide an interactive environment in which students will be able to discuss issues and problems with each other, and their tutor, in order to improve their understanding of the material. Regular class attendance, reading of prescribed references and the completion of tutorial and revision questions are essential for satisfactory progress in this course.
Lecture slides and additional material for tutorials and lectures will be available to download via the unit website. You must bring copies of the relevant material to lectures and tutorials each week. Any other announcement regarding the unit will also be available from the website.
Unit Schedule
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Lecture Week |
Week commencing: |
Topic |
Prescribed references |
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1
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17 March |
Introduction & Basic cost concepts and terms |
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 |
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2
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24 March |
Product Costing Systems – Job Costing |
Chapter 4 pp.129-141 and pp.144-155 |
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3
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31 March |
Process Costing
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Chapter 4 pp.141-143 and pp.155-159; Chapter 5 pp.181-190 |
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4
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7 April |
Service costing |
Chapter 6 |
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5
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14 April |
A Closer Look at Overhead Costs Excel Assignment I Due |
Chapter 7 |
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6
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22 April |
Activity-Based Costing |
Chapter 8 |
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7 |
28 April |
Cost Volume Profit Analysis In Class Test in Tutorial |
Chapter 18 |
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8 |
5 May |
Variable and Absorption Costing |
Chapter 7 Appendix (pp. 316- 321) |
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9
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12 May |
Decision Making I
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Chapter 19
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10
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19 May |
Decision Making II Excel Assignment II Due |
Chapter 19 Appendix (pp.928-931) Chapter 20 pp. 967-978 |
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11
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26 May |
Budgeting |
Chapter 9 (including Appendix) Chapter 11 pp. 514 – 519 and pp.532 – 535 |
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12
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2 June |
Standard Costing for Control |
Chapter 10 Chapter 11 pp. 519-531 |
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13
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10 June |
Final exam revision |
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Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Grades
Macquarie University uses the following grades in coursework units of study:
· HD - High Distinction
· D - Distinction
· CR - Credit
· P - Pass
· F – Fail
Grade descriptors and other information concerning grading are contained in the Macquarie
University Grading Policy which is available at:
http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
For further information, please refer to the following link:
http://universitycouncil.mq.edu.au/legislation.html
Grade Appeals and Final Examination Script Viewing
If, at the conclusion of the unit, you have performed below expectations, and are considering lodging an appeal of grade and/or viewing your final exam script please refer to the following website which provides information about these processes and the cut off dates in the first instance. Please read the instructions provided concerning what constitutes a valid grounds for appeal before appealing your grade.
http://www.city.mq.edu.au/reviews-appeals.html
Special Consideration Policy
The University is committed to equity and fairness in all aspects of its learning and teaching. In stating this commitment, the University recognises that there may be circumstances where a student is prevented by unavoidable disruption from performing in accordance with their ability. A special consideration policy exists to support students who experience serious and unavoidable disruption such that they do not reach their usual demonstrated performance level.The policy is available at: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/special_consideration/policy.html
The University defines serious and unavoidable disruption to studies as resulting from an event or set of circumstances that:
- could not have reasonably been anticipated, avoided or guarded against by the student; and
- was beyond the student's control; and
- caused substantial disruption to the student's capacity for effective study and/or the completion of required work; and
- substantially interfered with the otherwise satisfactory fulfilment of unit or course requirements; and
- was of at least three (3) consecutive days duration within a study period and/or prevented completion of the final examination.
A Special Consideration application is deemed to be valid if all the following criteria have been satisfied:
· The Special Consideration application is completed by the student and submitted online through www.ask.mq.edu.au within five (5) working days after the due date of the associated assessment task / final examination.
· The application contains supportingevidence to demonstrate the severity of the circumstance(s) and that substantial disruption has been caused to the student’s capacity for effective study. (The University will not follow up on outstanding evidence, nor contact any person or body on behalf of the student. The application will be considered as submitted.)
· The original supporting documentation has been sighted by MQC reception staff within five (5) working days after the due date of the associated assessment task.
· Where the particular circumstances are medical in nature, a Professional Authority Form including the health professional’s Medicare Provider Number is included. (If a Professional Authority Form cannot be obtained, an original medical certificate indicating the severity (serious / not serious) and impact of the circumstances must be included with the application.)
· Where the particular circumstances are non-medical in nature, appropriate supporting evidence indicating the severity (serious / not serious) and impact of the circumstances is included with the application.
· The student was performing satisfactorily in the unit up to the date of the unavoidable disruption. (If a student’s work in the unit was previously unsatisfactory, subsequent unavoidable disruption will not overcome the fact that the earlier work was unsatisfactory).
Unacceptable grounds for Special Consideration
The University has determined that some circumstances are not acceptable grounds for claiming Special Consideration. These grounds include, but are not limited, to:
- routine demands of employment
- routine family problems such as tension with or between parents, spouses, and other people closely involved with the student
- difficulties adjusting to university life, to the self-discipline needed to study effectively, and the demands of academic work
- stress or anxiety associated with examinations, required assignments or any aspect of academic work
- routine need for financial support
- routine demands of sport, clubs and social or extra-curricular activities.
Acute Problems
The University defines acute problems as those involving fewer than three (3) consecutive days within a study period. In these cases, students should not apply for special consideration via ask.mq.edu.au, but contact their Unit Convenor within 5 working days of the assessment due date so that a local solution may be discussed, except where the disruption affects completion of a final examination. (If a final examination is affected, the student should submit a special consideration application via ask.mq.edu.au.)
Prior Conditions Conditions existing prior to commencing a unit of study are not grounds for Special Consideration, except in the event of unavoidable deterioration of the condition. The student is responsible for managing their workload in light of any known or anticipated problems. Students with a pre-existing disability/ chronic health condition may contact the Disability Service for information on available support.
In submitting a request for Special Consideration, the student is acknowledging that they may be required to undertake additional work and agreeing to hold themselves available so that they can complete any extra work as required. The time and date, deadline or format of any required extra assessable work as a result of an application for Special Consideration is not negotiable.
Attendance at Macquarie City Campus
All Students are required to attend at least 80% of the scheduled course contact hours each Session. Additionally Macquarie City Campus monitors the course progress of international students to ensure that the student complies with the conditions of their visa relating to attendance.
This minimum level of attendance includes all lectures and tutorials. Tutorial attendance will be recorded weekly. If any scheduled class falls on a public holiday this will be rescheduled as advised by your Lecturer. Attendance at any mid-Session or in-class test is compulsory unless otherwise stated.
Unavoidable non-attendance due to illness or circumstances beyond your control must be supported by appropriate documentation to be considered for a supplementary test. Other non-attendance will obtain zero for the test. You should refer to the section below on Special Consideration for more details about this.
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
Student Support at Macquarie City Campus
Students who require assistance are encouraged to contact the Student Services Manager at Macquarie City Campus. Please see reception to book an appointment.
Macquarie University provides a range of Academic Student Support Services. Details of these services can be accessed at http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
At any time students (or groups of students) can book our Student Advising rooms on Level 6 by emailing info@city.mq.edu.au with a day and time and nominated contact person. There are additional student study spaces available on Level 1.
Macquarie University Campus Wellbeing also has a presence on the City Campus each week. If you would like to make an appointment, please email info@city.mq.edu.au or visit their website at: http://www.campuslife.mq.edu.au/campuswellbeing
StudyWISE provides:
· Online learning resources and academic skills workshops http://www.mq.edu.au/learning_skills
· Personal assistance with your learning & study related questions
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
IT Help at Macquarie City Campus
If you wish to receive IT help, we would be glad to assist you at http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/ or call 02 9850-4357.
When using the university's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students and it outlines what can be done.
Students must use their Macquarie University email addresses to communicate with staff as it is University policy that the University issued email account is used for official University communication.
Students are expected to act responsibly when utilising Macquarie City Campus IT facilities. The following regulations apply to the use of computing facilities and online services:
· Accessing inappropriate web sites or downloading inappropriate material is not permitted.
· Material that is not related to coursework for approved unit is deemed inappropriate.
· Downloading copyright material without permission from the copyright owner is illegal, and strictly prohibited. Students detected undertaking such activities will face disciplinary action, which may result in criminal proceedings.
Non-compliance with these conditions may result in disciplinary action without further notice.
If you would like to borrow headphones for use in the Macquarie City Campus computer labs (210, 307, 311, 608) at any point, please ask at Level 2 Reception. You will be required to provide your MQC Student ID card. This will be held as a deposit while using the equipment.
For assistance in the computer labs, please see a Lab Demonstrator (usually they can be found in Lab 311, otherwise ask at Level 2 Reception).
Graduate Capabilities
Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- To enable students to distinguish between management and financial accounting and to introduce them to the various product costing, budgeting, and decision making techniques.
- To improve the ability of students to analyse and conceptualise management accounting issues.
- To improve the problem solving skills of students.
- To develop students’ ability to work with spreadsheets.
Assessment tasks
- Assignments
- Assessed coursework
- Final Examination
Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- To enable students to distinguish between management and financial accounting and to introduce them to the various product costing, budgeting, and decision making techniques.
- To improve the ability of students to analyse and conceptualise management accounting issues.
- To develop students’ ability to work with spreadsheets.
Assessment tasks
- Class participation
- Assignments
- Assessed coursework
- Final Examination
Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- To enable students to distinguish between management and financial accounting and to introduce them to the various product costing, budgeting, and decision making techniques.
- To improve the ability of students to analyse and conceptualise management accounting issues.
- To improve the problem solving skills of students.
- To develop students’ ability to work with spreadsheets.
Assessment tasks
- Class participation
- Assignments
- Assessed coursework
- Final Examination
Effective Communication
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- To enable students to distinguish between management and financial accounting and to introduce them to the various product costing, budgeting, and decision making techniques.
- To improve the ability of students to analyse and conceptualise management accounting issues.
- To improve the problem solving skills of students.
- To develop the written and verbal communication skills of students.
Assessment tasks
- Class participation
- Assessed coursework
- Final Examination
Research and Practice
In addition to the course materials and textbook, students are encouraged to consult different sources and search for external reading materials and practical reports. This will enhance their understanding of the unit concepts and support their learning process. Listed below are some journals relevant to this unit. Access these journals via the databases web page within the university's library webpage.
- Accounting, Organizations and Society
- Management Accounting Research
- Journal of Management Accounting Research
- Journal of Applied Management Accounting Research