Task Description

For 8 of the 13 weeks you will be given two articles to read and asked to provide a written critical reflection of 250 words. These articles are designed to introduce you to different contemporary accounting and corporate governance issues. These form the basis of the material to be covered in the individual essay and as source material for the exam. The critical reflections allow you to develop writing skills and the ability express your knowledge about the course content. These are formative assessments designed to get you started with your in class group case studies, your individual essay and the final exam.

●     Assessment Criteria

• Conforming with instructions (e.g. word length, font, other instructions)
• Clarity of expression (including grammar, spelling, referencing)
• Presentation, communication & structure
• Use of literature/ Knowledge of theory
• Analysis / critical reasoning / evaluation
• Problem solving / synthesis or evaluation / reflection

●     Other Information

Critical reflections are peer marked by your fellow students in class each week. To ensure fairness, students have the right of appeal to the lecturer who will review the grade. Students must be aware that when they appeal the grade they need to state the reason for the appeal and recognise that the grade can be increased or decreased by the lecturer. All 8 Critical Reflections are compulsory. This means you must undertake all assessments otherwise you will be given an Absent Fail (AF) grade.

Extensions

No extensions will be granted. Late tasks will be accepted after the submission deadline, but will be given a 0 grade.  

Penalties

Late submission will be given a zero grade, except for cases in which an application for disruption to studies is made and approved.

●     Task Description

For 8 of the 13 weeks you will participate in group case studies which are designed to help you develop skills for working together as you might in a work situation. The case studies are formative assessments that engage you directly with the concepts covered in the weekly readings and with a real life accounting and corporate governance situation. It allows you to develop skills to analyse a real life accounting or corporate governance situation and argue for taking a particular course of action. At the beginning of the week before each case study the UC will provide students with the case study scenarios via iLearn.

●     Assessment Criteria

1. Presentation, communication & style (written)

2. Use of literature/ Knowledge of theory

3. Data/information gathering/processing

4. Conclusions

5. Critical reasoning / critical thinking

6. Time management/self management

7. Interactive and group skills (include. Teamwork, Negotiation/micro-politics & empathy)

8. Presentation / communication (oral)

●     Other Information

The group case study will be assessed by the lecturer using the following criteria:

• How the argument and critique shows a good appreciation of the weekly readings.
• Shows evidence of an overall integrative view how the issues raised in the readings are used and applied to the case study with some reflection on past.
• Evidence that the group has participated as a whole and no one member dominates.

Extensions

There are no extensions for this assessment. Students must be present in Class when the presentation is prepared and given or else they will receive a zero grade and the group members present will only receive a grade.

Penalties

Students not attending the class to prepare the presentation will be given a 0 grade. This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved.

●     Task Description

The purpose of the individual essay is to allow you to put accounting and corporate governance concepts into practice in a real life setting and allow you to demonstrate your research and writing skills on an individual basis. The assignment and the arguments you develop should help you reflect on your learning and link accounting theory to practice. This is a formative assessment designed to prepare you for the final exam. 

●     Assessment Criteria

• Conforming with instructions (e.g. word length, font, other instructions)
• Clarity of expression (including grammar, spelling, referencing)
• Presentation, communication & structure
• Use of literature/ Knowledge of theory
• Analysis / critical reasoning / evaluation
• Problem solving / synthesis or evaluation / reflection

Extensions

No extensions will be granted. Late tasks will be accepted up to 72 hours after the submission deadline.  

Penalties

There will be a deduction of 20% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 40% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for special consideration is made and approved.

●     Task Description

The final exam is summative assessment designed to let you demonstrate the knowledge and skills you have attained in the previous three formative assessments.

●     Assessment Criteria

1. Conforming with instructions (e.g. word length, font, other instructions)

2. Presentation, communication & style (written)

3. Clarity of expression (incl. accuracy, spelling, grammar, punctuation)

4. Use of literature/ Knowledge of theory

5. Conclusions

6. Conceptualisation

A two hour final examination for this unit will be held during the University Examination period.

The University Examination period in the First Half Year 2015 is from Monday 9 June to Friday 26 June.

You are expected to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated in the University Examination Timetable. The timetable will be available in Draft form approximately eight weeks before the commencement of the examinations and in Final form approximately four weeks before the commencement of the examinations.

http://exams.mq.edu.au/

The only exception to not sitting an examination at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these circumstances you may wish to consider applying for Disruption to Studies. The University’s policy on Disruption to Studies is available at

http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

If a Supplementary Examination is granted as a result of the Disruption to Studies 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.

The Macquarie university examination policy details the principles and conduct of examinations at the University.  The policy is available at:
http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/examination/policy.htm

Further details about the final exam for this unit will be available in the final week of classes and also on the unit web page (iLearn).

To pass this unit you must pass (obtain at least 50%) in the overall performance and you must pass (obtain at least 50%) in the final examination.