ACCTFIN 3500 - Accounting and Finance Capstone

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2019

This course is designed to assist students in understanding and interpreting the information that is contained in the financial statements issued by companies. In an increasingly international business environment, this course seeks to introduce students to the analysis and use of financial information for decision-making purposes. The course considers how the information disclosed can be best utilised by creditors and investors in making their lending and investing decisions. Students consider the environment in which financial reporting exists, including the incentives faced by preparers of financial reports. From their assessment, students learn to adjust raw, reported data as is typically done by analysts. Student will also be introduced to basic valuation techniques and apply their accounting analyses and estimates to valuation models. The overall aim of this course is to provide students with sufficient skills and understanding to enable them to use financial reports and other data to make investment and credit decisions and to provide an analysis of the economic health of a business.

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Course Details

Course Code	ACCTFIN 3500
Course	Accounting and Finance Capstone
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
Prerequisites	ACCTING 2501 or CORPFIN 2502
Assessment	Exam/assignments/tests/tutorial work as prescribed at first lecture

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Kent Wilson

Kent Wilson

Floor/Room 13.41, Nexus 10 Tower, North Terrace

Email: kent.wilson@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

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

Course Learning Outcomes

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

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

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

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

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

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

6. 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)	1-6
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	1-6
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	1-6
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	1-6
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	6

Learning Resources

Required Resources

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

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.
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes

This course contains two main avenues for learning (apart from assessment). These are:

1. Delivery of 1 x 2 hour lecture per week. These lectures are the primary source of information on a topic. Students should read the relevant section of the textbook to support and expand on the knowledge gained in these lectures.

2. There is a weekly 1 hour tutorial. The aims of the tutorials are threefold; to develop a conceptual understanding of key principles, to review and refine the technical competencies required to perform analysis, and to gain insight into the implications flowing from accounting information that appears in the financial statements.

During the Tutorials students are free to ask any questions or raise issues about the topic under consideration. The objective here is to provide a more personalised approach to any problems which students have.
It is expected that each student will actively involve themself in the discussion during each tutorial. In general, a good participant will, among other things:
· Take the initiative and lead the discussion on a question; and
· Be prepared to work cooperatively and productively in small groups.

It is not expected that you will always have the “right” answer and, indeed, it should be recognised and understood that valid alternative points of view might well exist on an issue. This does not mean that “anything will do” when trying to find a solution to controversial topics – rather a “good” answer will be one that is grounded in, among other things, references to relevant and valid accounting concepts.

Preparation prior to attending your tutorial is vital to your successful completion of this course. If you have not prepared beforehand you will have significant difficulties in understanding what is going on in the tutorial.

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The University expects full-time students (i.e., those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies. This means that you are expected to commit approximately 9 hours of private study outside of your regular classes.

Students in this course are required to attend all lectures and Tutorials throughout the semester, tutorial preparation and participation will form part of the overall assessment as outlined in the assessment section below.

Learning Activities Summary
Topics:
- Introduction to financial statement analysis
- Analysing financial activities
- Analysing assets
- Cash flow analysis
- Analysing operating activities
- Credit analysis
- Introduction to valuation basics
- Residual earnings model
- Earnings management

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

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

Assessment Summary

Assessment Task	Assessment Requirement	Weighting	Learning Outcomes
Tutorial participation & engagement	Individual	10%	1,2,3 & 4
Mid-semester test	Individual	20%	1,2 & 3
Group assignment	Group	30%	2, 3, 4 & 6
Final exam	Individual	40%	1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
Total		100%

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 hard copy. 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.

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

TUTORIAL PARTICIPATION & ENGAGEMENT -- 10%

These marks will be determined at the end of the module on the basis of:

• Completion of pre class activities
• In class contributions
• Completion of in class activities (including the ability to work cooperatively as part of a team)
• Behaviour and attitudes that foster a positive learning environment
• Engagement with the course in general

Please Note - Students must only attend the tutorial they are enrolled in.

MID-SEMESTER TEST -- 20%

The test will cover weeks 1 - 6. More details will be provided in due course. No materials are permitted except for a calculator.

GROUP ASSIGNMENT -- 30%

Students are to complete the assignment in groups of 3 or 4. All group members must attend the same tutorial class. The Assignment will be submitted as a hard copy and further details of the submission process will be advised in due course.

FINAL EXAM -- 40%

There will be a three (3) hour final exam. This will be a closed book exam and no materials are permitted except for a calculator.

Submission

In addition to providing a hard copy of your assignment, the group assignment will need to be turned in electronically. More details 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
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
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.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator