ACCTFIN 3500 - Accounting and Finance Capstone III

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2018

Financial Statement Analysis is essential for all individuals working in the business world. Understanding financial accounting information is critical for a wide range of business decision making. Being able to ask for and understand the appropriate financial information is particularly important for financial analysts and individuals seeking, or already in, management positions at all levels of organizations. Financial statement analysis is exciting and dynamic. It can be orientated in different ways to suit the needs of many individuals including investors, analysts, consultants, creditors, managers, directors, regulators and employees. This offering of Financial Statement Analysis has been specifically designed to meet the needs of individuals who have sufficient background in accounting and finance. The course forges a unique path in financial statement analysis that responds to the needs of modern day business analysts. In particular, it provides a framework for using financial statement data in a variety of business analysis and valuation context. The most important knowledge and skill for managers attempting to understand financial statement information, is a good knowledge of how important business transactions are accounted for, and how these transactions appear in the financial statements. It will be much harder for informed managers to be confused and mislead by 'creative' financial reporting put before them by others. Accordingly, this course focuses on teaching managers and business analysts the skills to be able to understand the complexities of financial statements, and untangle important information that is not visible to the untrained eye.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ACCTFIN 3500
    Course Accounting and Finance Capstone III
    Coordinating Unit Adelaide Business School
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Assessment Exam/assignments/tests/tutorial work as prescribed at first lecture
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Wei Li


    Dr. Wei Li

    Floor/Room 13 31, Nexus 10 Tower , North Terrace

    Email: wei.li02@adelaide.edu.au

    Tel: 831 30508
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes


    On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

    Describe the impact that choices, from among permissible accounting methods, may have on the figures reported in financial statements.

    Identify and discuss the incentives facing preparers within companies which may influence financial disclosures.

    Make appropriate adjustments to reported accounting data depending on the purpose of the analysis

    Analyse financial statement information to assess the performance of management and profitability

    Analyse financial statement information to assess the financial position (solvency and liquidity)

    Assess firm value and make predictions about corporate survival



    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1-8
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    1-8
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    1-8
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    2,3
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    1-8
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    8
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources

    Recommended text:

    Subramanyam, K. R., (2014), Financial Statement Analysis, (11th ed), McGraw-Hill International Edition.

    Students may also use the immediate past text books:

    Subramanyam, K. R., and Wild, John, J., (2009), Financial Statement Analysis, (10th ed), McGraw-Hill International Edition. However, some of the text and exercises have changed;
    or,


    Stickney, C. P., P. R. Brown & J.M. Whalen (2007), Financial Reporting, Financial Statement Analysis, and Valuation: A Strategic Perspective (6th edition), Mason, Ohio, South-Western.


    NOTE: Students will need to refer to the index pages of the Stickney book for an alternative reading of lecture material but will need to access the questions from each of the chapters of the Subramanyam textbook. Also, other textbooks on financial statement analysis may be referred to for similar content. Use the index for relevant topics.
    Recommended Resources

    Other Recommended Reading

    A list of recommended reading for further study will be available on the course webpages as appropriate to the topics.
    Online Learning

    Other Resources:

    Other resources will be found by searching the internet. One that may be useful is: http://au.finance.yahoo.com/ for various news items and business data. Also, the company website of the assigned company will provide mush useful information.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes

    No information currently available.

    Workload

    No information currently available.

    Learning Activities Summary

    No information currently available.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Individual or Group Hard copy or electronic Due Weighting
    Two quizzes Individual Hard copy Aug. 28th and Oct. 9th 50%
    Group project Group Electronic Oct. 31st 30%
    Group presentation Group In Week 12's individual tutorial session Week 12 10%
    Participation Individual 10%
    Assessment Related Requirements

    Exam Policy

    The Faculty requires that you are available for the entire examination period. Supplementary exams will not be provided in cases of absence during the examination period, unless the absence is due to serious illness or other serious circumstances.

    Assignment Submission

    Assignment submission is via the course Assignment Submission link. Please note that you are required to keep a copy of your assignment after it has been submitted as you must be able to produce a copy of your assignment at the request of teaching staff at any time after the submission due date.

    Assignment Extensions and Penalties for Late Submissions

    Late submission assignments may attract a penalty unless an extension has been granted.

    Special Consideration

    As a student, you may experience extraordinary or unusual circumstances, or ongoing circumstances that adversely affect your academic performance. The University has policies in place to support students who are experiencing academic disadvantage.

    Plagiarism and Collusion

    Plagiarism (failure to cite your sources correctly and completely) and collusion (unauthorised collaboration with another person to prepare an assessment task) are considered academic misconduct and attract severe penalties.

    Referencing

    All sources used for a written piece of assessment must be referenced. This is to acknowledge that your material is not based entirely on your own ideas, but is based, in part, on the ideas, information, and evidence of others. This is desirable as you are attending University in order to learn from others.

    It is important that all material you present for assessment is referenced correctly. Material that has not been referenced correctly may be considered to be plagiarised, and as such may be penalised. We will also look for evidence that material included in the bibliography has been used in the assignment. Including references that have not been used may also result in your assignment being penalised.
    Assessment Detail

    2 quizzes

    In week 6 and week 10, two quizzes will be conducted to determine a student’s understanding of basic concepts in the course. Each test will contain multiple choice questions covering relevant weeks. Details will be announced later.

    Group Assignment

    The assignment task will involve group or team work of about five (5) students in the SAME tutorial session. But, the number may vary depending on the final numbers in the class.

    You, as an analyst, are required to give an investment recommendation of BUY, SELL, or HOLD of the target firm to your institutional and/or private equity clients. You are required to submit a written report supporting your recommendation.

    Full details of the assignment tasks will be provided on the course page. Groups will be formed in weeks 2 – 3 within each tutorial sessions. Details will be posted later.

    Group presentation

    The group/team is to present their report of group assignment by means of a slideshow presentation in week 12 in tutorial sessions accompanied by an Executive Summary of about 500 words only.

    Each group (and each group member) will also be required to make a brief presentation to the rest of the class to inform other students of their analysis. Each group may prepare 8-10 slides to illustrate their presentation and speak for about 10 minutes. Each group may earn up to 10% for the presentation. Specific details for the content of the presentation will be advised during the semester.

    Participation

    Tutors will take attendance for each tutorial session which contributes to the participation marks.
    Submission
    Group assignment will be turned in electronically. More detail will be announced later.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.