Turnitin

All text based assessments must be submitted through Turnitin as per instructions provided in the unit guide. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that work is submitted correctly prior to the due date. No hard copies of assessments will be accepted and only Turnitin records will be taken as records of submission.

Multiple submissions may be possible in some units via Turnitin prior to the final due date and time of an assessment task and originality reports may be made available to students to view and check their work. All identified matching text will be reconsidered carefully. Students should note that the system will not immediately produce the similarity score on a second or subsequent submission - it approximately takes 24 hours for the report to be generated. This may be after the due date so students should plan any resubmissions carefully. Please refer to these instructions on how to submit your assignment through Turnitin and access similarity reports and feedback provided by teaching staff. Should you have questions about Turnitin or experience issues submitting through the system, you must inform your unit coordinator immediately. If the issue is technical in nature may also lodge OneHelp Ticket, refer to the IT help page.

It is the responsibility of the student to retain a copy of any work submitted. Students must produce these documents upon request. Copies should be retained until the end of the grade appeal period each term. In the event that a student is asked to produce another copy of work submitted and is unable to do so, they may be awarded zero (0) for that particular assessment.

Seminars

This course comprises a maximum of 11 seminars comprising of 3 hours face to face teaching per week held from weeks 1 to 13, including the two week study period. Please note that the 2nd of October 2017 (Week 8) is a public holiday, therefore there will be no formal seminar in Week 8. Students do however have team-based tasks to complete (see Assessment Guide and iLearn). Please also note that Seminar 10 (16 October 2017) and Seminar 11 (23 October 2017) are self-study seminars and students are not required to attend seminars during these weeks. Students are required to complete work for these seminars online, including participation activities.​ 

As seminars constitute a critical learning experience of this unit, attendance of the entire 3-hour seminar is a compulsory requirement of this unit. Engaging in the nine (9) seminar engagement activities outlined in 'Learning and Teaching Activities' are essential in supporting students to be successful in their research-based case study, final examination, to achieve the learning outcomes of the unit, and develop the graduate capabilities.  A highly participatory teaching strategy with inclusive practice is adopted, where students can engage with their fellow students and the Unit Convenor.

The timetable for seminars can be found on the University website at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au

Satisfactory Completion of the Unit

To satisfactorily complete this unit, students are required to achieve a minimum of 50% of the available marks for this unit.

Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials

Required textbook: Merchant, K.A. & Van der Stede, W.A. (2012) Management Control Systems (Prentice-Hall, 3rd edition). Relevant chapters and cases from the textbook can be accessed electronically through the library, with the exception of the case study "Controls at the Bellagio Casino Resort". Students will need to make a copy of this case using the textbook which is also available in the library. Whilst purchasing the textbook from the Macquarie University Co-op Bookshop is encouraged, it is also optional. Other required readings, such as academic papers are all available electronically through the library. The unit schedule contains a summary of the required chapters, cases and academic papers. Please note that whilst the Unit Convenor monitors the availability of learning materials available from the library, accessibility of these materials is directly under the control of the University library.

Additional materials:

Additional readings and other materials are available on iLearn, including power point slides for each topic (if applicable).

Unit Web Page

1.    Course material is available on the learning management system (iLearn).

2.    The web page for this unit can be found at http://ilearn.mq.edu.au

3.    Consult the web page for this unit frequently. You will find administrative updates (announcements), lecture notes, seminar activities and the assessment guide posted there.

4.    If you are unable to access the website because you are not aware of or have forgotten your username and password, please see the URL http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/ on how to obtain assistance from the IT helpdesk. The IT helpdesk will also be able to assist you with using iLearn. You may also refer to the help feature in iLearn.

5.    Please remember to log out when you have finished using iLearn. Failure to do so could result in unauthorised access to your iLearn account.

Technology Used and Required

Students are required to use information technology in this unit.

Students will need to use:

• Library databases to source academic research papers, which are accessed electronically;
• Multi-search (see Library website) to access the required readings for this unit;
• Microsoft Word for assessment tasks (excluding the final examination);
• Microsoft Excel for assessment tasks if required (excluding the final examination);
• Microsoft Power Point for Class Participation when required;
• Electronic (internet) access to iLearn to download assessment guide and lecture material each week.
• Internet access to research organisations and access other materials for the Case Study undertaken in teams.

The readings are available on the unit website.

There are four changes from the previous offering of ACCG728 in 2016.

1) A review of the current research academic papers assigned to this unit was undertaken, and where appropriate updated readings have been assigned to this unit to reflect new research in Management Control Systems.

2) In recognizing that ACCG728 is designed to develop your research, teamwork and other relevant skills, students are no longer required to undertake a final examination in this unit.

3) To further support student achievement of the learning outcomes and development of higher order graduate capabilities in this unit, the following assessments replace that of the final examination: a) Class participation (20% weighting) and b) Assessed Coursework (25% weighting).

4) In recognizing student feedback in the Learner Evaluation of the Unit (LEU) as a means to enhance the student learning experience, the Individual reflection has an increased weighting from 20 to 25% and the maximum number of words permitted was increased from 1,500 to 1,800 words.

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 at: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/grading/policy.html.

All final grades in the Department of Accounting and Corporate Governance are determined by a grading committee and are not the sole responsibility of the Unit Convenor.

The final grade and mark awarded to a student reflect the corresponding grade descriptor in the Grading Policy. 

Please also refer to the relevant pages in the Handbook of Postgraduate Studies.

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 valid grounds for appeal before appealing your grade.

 http://www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/new_and_current_students/undergraduate/how_do_i/grade_appeals

This unit addresses global and sustainability issues as direct areas of study and as necessary implications arising from the materials, assessment and academic discussion and debate in classes/seminars. We promote sustainability by developing ability in students to research and locate information within the management accounting discipline, and work cooperatively in teams. We aim to provide students with an opportunity to obtain skills which will benefit them throughout their career.

The unit materials have a reference list at the end of each chapter/module/text containing all references cited by the author. These provide some guidance to references that could be used to research particular issues.

This unit draws on current published research to examine the influence of contingent factors on the design of Management Control Systems. This supports students in devising an effective management control package based on research, and to apply and synthesize conceptual knowledge to recognize and solve problems.