Semester 2 - Course Coordinators:

Commercial Law: Dr Beth Nosworthy
beth.nosworthy@adelaide.edu.au

Accounting Information Systems: Mr James Delinicolas
james.delinicolas@adelaide.edu.au

Commercial Law (CL) section

1    An understanding of the Australian legal system and how it applies to regulate commerce.

2    An understanding of the application of Common Law and Statute law relevant to commerce.

3    An understanding of the basic principles of Contract Law and their relevance to commerce.

4    The ability to evaluate and synthesise information and existing knowledge from a number of sources.

5    The ability to identify legal issues and apply the law to arrive at reasoned solutions to legal problems.

6    An appreciation of the importance of lifelong learning in the ever-changing field of legal regulation of commerce.

Information Systems (IS) section

1   To gain an understanding of Information Systems, business processes and the roles played by Accounting Information Systems in businesses and organisations, including database systems and relational databases and information systems audits.

2   To gain an understanding of information systems controls: (1) information security (2) confidentiality and privacy (3) processing integrity and availability.

3   Discuss, critically appraise, and write about information systems concepts and IS development.

4   Use Microsoft Access to use a database to process information in an accurate and useful manner.

5   Prepare and use information systems documentation techniques to understand and document information systems.

6   To understand the steps involved in the development and implementation of new Information Systems, and appreciate the role users play in this.

Text Books (for the Commercial Law Section)

 
Sweeney, B, O’Reilly, J & Coleman A (2013) Law in Commerce, 5th edition, Australia: LexisNexis Butterworths  ISBN: 9780409334456

 

Text Books (for the Information Systems Section)

Romney, M. B., Steinbart, P.J., Mula, J. M., McNamara, R. and Tonkin, T. (2013) Commercial Law and Information Systems (M) – Information Systems Section, A Custom Edition for the University of Adelaide, Pearson Australia, ISBN: 978-1-4860-0554-3

This is also available in an e-book, downloadable from the Pearson web site.

Information Systems

In addition to the recommended text book resources, students are expected to complete the online Microsoft training courses for MS Access 2010 by enrolling via
www.adelaide.edu.au/its/training/online/.
Further details (e.g. how and when to enrol and which courses to take) will be provided after the lectures commence.

Commercial Law and Information Systems

Electronic copies of the lecture notes, the tutorials and the assignment will be provided in MyUni (www.myuni.adelaide.edu.au). Students are strongly encouraged to regularly check MyUni for updates. 

Teaching of both Commercial Law and Information Systems sections will be via weekly lectures supported by problem-solving tutorials and workshops examining the materials covered in lectures. All students are expected to attend all lectures and tutorials in this course.

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 for a three-unit course or 13 hours for a four-unit course, of private study outside of your regular classes.

Students in this course are expected to attend all lectures throughout the semester plus one
tutorial class each week.

Tutorial classes will be held weekly commencing the week beginning Monday 10 March.  Membership of tutorial classes is to be finalised by the end of the second week of semester.  Students wishing to swap between tutorial classes after this time are required to present their case to the Lecturer-in-Charge, but should be aware that such a request may not be approved.

Tutorials are an important component of your learning in this course. The communication skills developed in tutorials by regularly and actively participating in discussions are considered to be most important by the School and are highly regarded by employers and professional bodies.

Commercial Law section

This 6-week section of the course focuses on the Australian legal system, including the roles of the parliaments and the courts, and includes an introduction to basic rules of contracts, including rules for making valid contracts, rules that apply to the contents of contracts, including consumer protection statutory guarantees, and rules that apply to ending contracts and remedies.

Information Systems section
This 6-week section of the course focuses on the foundation of Accounting Information Systems, business processes and data processing cycle, information systems documentation,
the database system, the creation and use of well-designed databases and the development and implementation of new information systems. Information systems controls, audits and security issues are also covered.

Topics:

Week	Dates	Topic
1	3 Mar - 7 Mar	The Australian legal system
2	11 Mar - 14 Mar	Contracts – Formation
3	17 Mar - 21 Mar	Contracts – Contents: Express terms, including exemption clauses
4	24 Mar - 28 Mar	Contracts – Contents: Terms implied by courts and by statutes, and the consumer protection statutory guarantees
5	31 Mar - 4 Apr	Contracts – Ending a contract: Discharge by performance or by frustration, termination for breach, rescission
6	7 Apr - 11 Apr	Contracts – Remedies: Contractual and under the Australian Consumer Law in the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)
		-- mid-semester break --
		-- mid-semester break --
7	28 Apr - 2 May	Accounting information systems: Theoretical foundation and overview (IS-Ch1); Fundamentals of business processes and transaction processing (IS-Ch2)
8	5 May - 9 May	Systems development and documentation techniques (IS-Ch3); Files, database systems and relational databases (IS-Ch4)
9	12 May - 16 May	Systems development and systems analysis (IS-Ch19); Systems design, implementation and operation (IS-Ch20)
10	19 May - 23 May	Database Design using the REA data model (IS-Ch21); MS Access
11	26 May - 30 May	Information systems controls: Information security (IS-Ch14); Confidentiality and privacy (IS-Ch15) & Processing integrity and availability (IS-Ch16)
12	2 Jun - 6 Jun	Cybercrime: Computer attack and abuse techniques (IS-Ch13); Auditing computer-based information systems  (IS-Ch18)

Tutorial classes will be focus of the small group discovery experience in this course.  As they are based on a problem-based learning approach, they form an important mechanism for developing communication skills and strategies for small group discussion and presentation of ideas and arguments.

Commercial Law section

Knowledge gained in the Commercial Law section of this course will be assessed using two forms of assessment. The first is an assignment worth 20% of the overall assessment and the second is an exam worth 30%.  Both the assignment and the exam will address the learning objectives of the Commercial Law section.



Information Systems section

Knowledge gained in the Information Systems section of this course will be assessed using two forms of assessment: two (2) tests each worth 10% (total of 20%) of the overall assessment and an exam worth 30% will address all learning objectives of the IS section.

Students must pass each section (the Commercial Law section, and the Information Systems section) of the course individually to pass the entire course.  A pass is achieved by obtaining 50% or more in the total assessment for each section.
 
Students who do not achieve at least 50% in either of the course sections (i.e. Commercial Law or Information Systems), but obtain an overall mark above 50% will be awarded no more than 49 for the course.

Legible hand-writing and the quality of English expression are considered to be integral parts of the assessment process. Marks may be deducted in the final examination because of poor hand-writing.

Assessment marks prior to the final exam will be displayed on the course website. Students are encouraged to check their marks and notify the Lecturer-in-Charge of any discrepancies.

The assessment components are as follows:

Commercial Law Assignment                        20%
There will be an assignment which will provide students with the opportunity to practice the skills that will be assessed in the Commercial Law exam. It will be worth 20% of the overall marks. 

Due Date:  2 pm on Monday 28 April 2014

Information Systems Tests                          20%
Two computer-based CLOSED BOOK multiple choice class tests will be held during the semester in Nexus 10 207, computer suite 4. The tests will cover the Accounting Information Systems material discussed in lectures and tutorials prior to the test, and further details will be provided in the lecture and on MyUni. Each test is worth 10%.

The dates for these tests are as follows:
Test1: Friday 16 May 4pm - 6pm
Test2: Friday 6 June  4pm - 6pm


Final Exams                            
Commercial Law section (120 minutes)                  30%
Information Systems section (120 minutes)           30%

The exam for the Commercial Law section of the course is OPEN BOOK.  Dictionaries are
permitted.

The exam for the Information Systems section of the course is CLOSED BOOK. Dictionaries are NOT
permitted. In the Information Section of the course the use of calculators is not permitted.

Presentation of Assignments
     

• Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.   
• All individual assignments must be attached to an Assignment Cover Sheet which must be signed and dated by the student before submission.
• All group assignments must be attached to an Assignment Cover Sheet which must be signed and dated by all group members before submission.  All team members are expected to contribute approximately equally to a group assignment.
• Lecturers/markers can refuse to accept assignments which do not have a signed acknowledgement of the University’s Policy on Plagiarism: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/230/

Assignment Guidelines including Referencing Details

A copy of the Postgraduate Programs: Communication Skills Guide will have been given to you at the beginning of your program.  This guide will assist you structure your assignments.  A copy of the guide can also be downloaded from: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/professions/hub/downloads/Communication-Skills-Guide.pdf

This publication also provides guidelines on a range of other important communication skills including writing essays and management reports, making oral presentations etc.

In preparing any written piece of assessment for your postgraduate studies it is important to draw on the relevant ‘literature’ to support critical analysis. Also essential is to reference the literature used. Correct referencing is important because it identifies the source of the ideas and arguments that you present, and sometimes the source of the actual words you use, and helps to avoid the problem of plagiarism. (Further information on plagiarism is provided later in this course outline.)

The Harvard system is widely used in the Business School. Guidelines for the use of this style of referencing can be found in the Communication Skills Guide.

Further assistance with referencing is available from the Faculty’s Learning Support Advisors. The contact details are provided on page 6 of the Communication Skills Guide.

Late Assignment Submission

Students are expected to submit their work by the due date to maintain a fair and equitable system. Extensions will generally only be given for medical or other serious reasons. All requests for extensions must be emailed to the Lecturer-in-Charge of the course before the due date.  Each request will be assessed on its merits. A late assignment (without prior arrangement) will be penalised by a 10% mark reduction for each day that it is late (including week-ends).

Return of Assignments

Lecturers aim to mark and return assignments to students within three (3) weeks of the due date with written feedback. Students are responsible for collecting their marked assignments from either their tutorials or lectures. If assignments aren’t collected after two (2) weeks, the assignments will be available at the Student Hub for two (2) weeks.

Examination Information

It is each student's responsibility to read the examination timetable.  Misreading the timetable is not accepted as grounds for granting a replacement/additional (sup) exam.

University staff are not permitted to provide examination times to students over the telephone or in response to personal enquiries.

Examinations will be held only at the time and locations stated in the University’s Examination Timetable, so they may not be taken in another country.  Students should not make any  arrangements to be absent until after the replacement/additional (sup) exam period.

For the Commercial Law section of the course, students are permitted to take a Dictionary (English or English-Foreign) into the examination.

For the Information Systems section of the course, students are NOT permitted to take a Dictionary (English or English-Foreign) into the examination and the use of calculators in the examination is not permitted.