ACCTFIN 7001 - Ethical Principles in Finance & Accounting

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2021

The purpose of this course is to focus on the context of the theoretical and empirical underpinning of professional ethics in finance and accounting. The course seeks to link theory and research to the practical application of ethical choices facing the finance and accounting professions. The conduct of stakeholders responsible for preparing and using financial information including moral dimensions and ethical aspects are interpreted through the application of various accounting and finance theories. This reinforces the role of finance and accounting professionals in a dynamic business environment and their significance to society in general. In accordance with various principle-based Association and Regulatory Codes of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct, a number of contemporary business issues are examined to illustrate these concepts.

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Course Details

Course Code	ACCTFIN 7001
Course	Ethical Principles in Finance & Accounting
Coordinating Unit	Accounting
Term	Semester 2
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	ACCTING 7019, CORPFIN 7005
Assumed Knowledge	ECON 7200
Assessment	Exam/assignments/tests/tutorial work as prescribed at the first lecture

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Peter Lennox

Course Timetable

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

Course Learning Outcomes

1. Analyse, evaluate and critically reflect on various theoretical and practice based principles of morals and ethics.
2. Apply and explain ethical principles to the role of business in society including the reporting of financial information and the competing perspectives of the stakeholder and shareholder.
3. Demonstrate an ability to exercise professional judgement consistent with an organisations ethical values and corporate social responsibility.
4. Identify and discuss the application of professional body ethics and professional conduct standards to business decision-making and it's consequences in an ethical context.

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 & 2
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	2, 3, & 4
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	3 & 4
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	3 & 4
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, 2, 3, & 4
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	3 & 4

Learning Resources

Required Resources

There is no specific textbook required for this course.

The following professional codes are required reading for this course and will be examined. These can be accessed using the links available on the MyUni site for this course:

CFA Insitute, Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice

Accounting Professional & Ethical Standards Board.

Recommended Resources

Various on-line and other resources will be recommended to you throughout the course. Relevant information will be provided via MyUni.

Online Learning

The MyUni site for this course contains various links to on-line resources and the websites of relevant professional associations and government regulators.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

This course will be taught in a standard lecture and tutorial format.
Lectures for all topics will be posted to Echo360 on a regular basis.
Tutorials are designed to review topic-based Student Review questions and will be conducted on both a face-to-face and online basis (via provided Zoom links).

Workload

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

Review of lecture topics posted to Echo360: 2 hours per week for 12 weeks

Required attendance at face-to-face / online tutorials: 1 hour per week for 11 weeks

Learning Activities Summary

Interactive lectures comprising a historical and contemporary analysis of issues relating to each of the specified topics include; underlying theory and practical application of theoretical constructs, case study analysis, empirical research and evidence.

For the Full Topic Schedule please visit the MyUni site for this course.

Topic 1. Introduction to Ethics

Topic 2. Professional service body Codes of Ethics and Standards of Professional Conduct

Topic 3. CFA Standard I - Professionalism

Topic 4. CFA Standard II - Integrity of Capital Markets

Topic 5. CFA Standard III - Duties to Clients

Topic 6. CFA Standard IV - Duties to Employers

Topic 7. Case studies on Business Ethics

Topic 8. CFA Standard V - Investment Analysis, Recommendations & Actions

Topic 9. CFA Standard VI - Conflicts of Interest

Topic 10. Accounting and Ethical Standards

Topic 11. Other Business Professional and Ethical Standards

Specific Course Requirements

Conditions attaching to assessment:

Please note the following important conditions associated with your assessment in this course:

• A student who fails any of the assessment items will NOT be permitted to resubmit that item for remarking.

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	Task Type	Timing	Due	Weighting	Learning Outcome
Online Class Test #1	Individual	90 minutes	Semester week 7 - various commencement times	20%	1, 2, 3 & 4
Online Class Test #2	Individual	90 minutes	Semester week 10 - various commencement times	20%	1, 2 & 4
Final Exam	Individual	3 hours and 10 minutes	Exam Period	60%	1, 2, 3, & 4

Assessment Related Requirements

Please note the following important conditions associated with your assessment in this course:

• A student who fails any of the assessment items will NOT be permitted to resubmit that item for remarking.

Assessment Detail

A summary of each of the assessment tasks is presented below. More detailed information will be provided in due course via separate handouts on MyUni.

Class Test #1 (Individual):

A 90 minute online class test #1 will be held during semester week 7. It will cover the earlier topics of the course comprising Topics 1 to 4. Please note that the online class test will be open book. It will consist of a combination of multiple-choice, true-false and fill in the blanks questions. Questions will be provided in the form of statements, scenarios and/or case studies of a nature similar to that included with the course topic materials. Assessment will be based on the correctness of the response marked against an answer guide. Various commencement times will be provided for student access.

Class Test #2 (Individual):

A 90 minute online class test #2 will be held during semester week 10. It will cover the middle topics of the course comprising Topics 5 to 7. Please note that the online class test will be open book. It will consist of a combination of multiple-choice, true-false and fill in the blanks questions. Questions will be provided in the form of statements, scenarios and/or case studies of a nature similar to that included with the course topic materials. Assessment will be based on the correctness of the response marked against an answer guide. Various commencement times will be provided for student access.

Final Examination:

A 2 hour final examination will be held at the end of the semester. The final exam will cover all course topics. It will consist of a combination of multiple-choice, true-false, fill in the blanks and short-answer questions. Questions will be provided in the form of statements, scenarios and/or case studies of a nature similar to that included with the course topic materials. Assessment will be based on the correctness of the response marked against an answer guide.

Submission

Information regarding the submission of group assignment will be provided in due course via a handout on MyUni.

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