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 you 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. As seminars constitute a critical learning experience of this unit, attendance of the entire 3-hour seminar is a compulsory requirement of this unit.  A highly participatory teaching strategy with inclusive practice is adopted, where students can engage with their fellow students and the Unit Convenor.

Please note that Seminar 10 and Seminar 11 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.​ 

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. (2017) Management Control Systems (Pearson, 4th edition). Please note that unless otherwise directed, students must please not use the 3rd edition of the required textbook because the content is different to the content in the 4th edition. Relevant chapters and cases from the textbook can be accessed electronically through 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 Convener 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;
• Microsoft Excel for assessment tasks if required;
• Microsoft Power Point for Class Participation when required;
• Electronic (internet) access to iLearn to download assessment guide and lecture material each week; and
• Internet access to research organisations and access other materials for the Case Study (Research Project).

The readings are available on the unit website.

The required textbook has been changed because there is a new 4th edition of Management Controls Systems by Merchant and van Der Stede (2017). 

Some readings have been changed and updated with contemporary academic publications.

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.