Students

ACCG3008 – Corporate Accounting and Business Advisory

2021 – Session 1, Special circumstances

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face-to-face and online activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Jessica Chen
accg3008@mq.edu.au
Moderator
James Lau
accg3008@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
(ACCG224 or ACCG2024) or 130cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit has two components. The first component examines the framework and techniques that are used to prepare general purpose financial reports for companies, and in particular the techniques used to prepare the consolidated financial statements for a corporate group. This component builds on first and second year financial accounting units and provides students with the technical accounting knowledge to prepare and use company financial statements. Political and ethical issues surrounding recent financial reporting controversies are also considered. The second component introduces students to the perspective of acting as a trusted business advisor. This component builds on prior knowledge of accounting, accounting information systems, compliance and business strategy, and applies these skills in a real-world setting. Both components of the unit develop graduate capabilities centred on higher order analysis and effective communication skills.

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:

  • ULO1: Examine the nature of accounting for business combinations in Australia.
  • ULO2: Prepare consolidated financial statements and account for associated companies in accordance with Australian standards.
  • ULO3: Critically evaluate accounting theories and issues underlying corporate reporting.
  • ULO4: Communicate well justified advice and solutions for issues faced by businesses in different settings using appropriate language and evidence.
  • ULO5: Apply relevant findings from entrepreneurship and business strategy research to business advisory settings.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Quiz 20% No Week 5 and Week 8, please see iLearn for details
Business advisory report 20% No Week 11, please see iLearn for details
Final examination 60% No University examination period

Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 5 and Week 8, please see iLearn for details
Weighting: 20%

 

Students are required to complete two quizzes during the session. The first quiz is worth 7% and the second quiz is worth 13%.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Examine the nature of accounting for business combinations in Australia.
  • Prepare consolidated financial statements and account for associated companies in accordance with Australian standards.
  • Critically evaluate accounting theories and issues underlying corporate reporting.

Business advisory report

Assessment Type 1: Report
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: Week 11, please see iLearn for details
Weighting: 20%

 

The report assesses students’ understanding of business advisory content and their ability to undertake research and apply research findings to provide a well prepared and justified business case.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Communicate well justified advice and solutions for issues faced by businesses in different settings using appropriate language and evidence.
  • Apply relevant findings from entrepreneurship and business strategy research to business advisory settings.

Final examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: University examination period
Weighting: 60%

 

Two hours online open book exam during the University Examination period.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Examine the nature of accounting for business combinations in Australia.
  • Prepare consolidated financial statements and account for associated companies in accordance with Australian standards.
  • Critically evaluate accounting theories and issues underlying corporate reporting.
  • Communicate well justified advice and solutions for issues faced by businesses in different settings using appropriate language and evidence.
  • Apply relevant findings from entrepreneurship and business strategy research to business advisory settings.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

Contacting staff

Please use email (accg3008@mq.edu.au) as the first form of contact. 

Staff members are available for face-to-face or online Zoom consultation each week, starting from Week 2 or 3. The staff consultation details will be made available on iLearn. Please note that staff will not conduct consultations (i.e., answering specific topic-related questions) by email. Students experiencing significant difficulties with any topic in the unit should seek assistance (e.g., by attending staff consultation) immediately.

Classes

Classes in ACCG3008 are composed of lectures and tutorials. The structure of the unit is a weekly 2-hour lecture and a weekly 1-hour small group tutorial. The unit's learning outcomes can only be achieved through self-study and independent learning supported by lectures and tutorials. The lectures provide a general overview of the topics highlighting a number of concepts and techniques. The tutorials complement lectures by providing opportunities to further explore all relevant concepts and techniques. Both lectures and tutorials will only support your learning if you prepare them thoroughly by doing the recommended readings and the pre-set tutorial questions beforehand. 

The timetable for lecture and tutorial classes can be found on the University website at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/. Lectures will start in Week 1 and will be held via Zoom at 2-4pm on Thursdays. Please see iLearn for the Zoom link for the lecture. Tutorials start in Week 2. You must enrol in a tutorial before the session starts and finalise your tutorial enrolment by the end of Week 2. You should attend your registered tutorial. The tutorials may be undertaken either face-to-face or online via Zoom (please see iLearn for the Zoom links for the online tutorial classes). Please do not attend face-to-face tutorials if you feel unwell. Teaching staff will also ensure they do not attend face-to-face classes when feeling unwell, so class arrangements may change at short notice on health and/or safety grounds. Please monitor iLearn regularly, and before attending any classes (especially face-to-face classes), check for any changes or updates to classes.

Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials

ACCG3008 consists of two modules. Module 1 is Corporate Accounting and Module 2 is Business Advisory. Please see Unit Schedule.

Module 1 (Corporate Accounting, weeks 1-7)

Jubb, P.B., Haswell, S.M. and I.A. Langfield-Smith, Company Accounting, 5th Edition 2010, Cengage, Melbourne.

This text is used extensively for both lecture references and for tutorial homework. Copies of this text are available on Library Reserve and students can log in and view the book chapters on the University library's website.

Module 2 (Business Advisory, weeks 8-12)

Rogoff, E., (2007) Bankable Business Plans (2nd Edition), Rowhouse Publishing,  New York. Available on Kindle from amazon.com

Note that this is an old text but is excellent in the way it simply and logically sets out the key elements of a business plan. The following text is also recommended:

Kawasaki (2015) The Art of the Start 2.0: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything, Penguin, New York.

Also, there will be other reading materials (e.g., research articles) used in Module 2 and these materials will be made available on iLearn.

Technology Used and Required

  • You must be familiar with the learning management system, iLearn (please refer to the detail contained below in Unit Web Page).
  • You need to conduct research and be familiar with Internet search engines and library databases.

Unit Web Page

ACCG3008 lecture slides, notices and tutorial homework solutions will be available from the unit’s web page. You can access the web page by logging in to “iLearn” https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/. Please check the web site on a regular basis for notices, updates, detailed assessment information, etc.

Unit Schedule

Week

Lecture topic

1

Introduction to the unit and revision of key financial accounting techniques

2

Business combinations

3

Purchase consolidation 1

4

Purchase consolidation 2

5

Intra-group transactions

6

Direct non-controlling interest (DNCI)

Mid-session Break: 5 April – 18 April

7

Equity accounting

8

Introduction to business advisory and sales and marketing strategy

9

Operational strategy

10

Financial strategy

11

Project week

12

Business advisory for not-for-profit organisations

13

Revision and discussion of final exam

University Final Examination Period

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

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 help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

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

If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2021.04 of the Handbook