ACCTFIN 3500 - Accounting and Finance Capstone

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 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 1
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: Dr Yunyan Zhang

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

There will be one two-hour seminar and one-hour tutorial session per week in this subject.

Workload

No information currently available.

Learning Activities Summary

This subject includes one two-hour lecture and one-hour tutorial session.
Tutorial session is an integral part of the subject. Students are expected to actively participate in each tutorial session. There are two types of exercises. Tutorial questions need to be completed prior to each tutorial class. Additional questions are provided for further practice. Solutions will be made available after the last tutorial session.

Lecture Slides

Lecture slides will be placed on the course page of this subject at least three days prior to each Lecture.

LectureCapture

Audio recordings of lectures/seminars delivered in this subject will be made available for review in the days following each lecture/seminar. Audio recordings allow you to revise lectures/seminars during the semester, or to review them in preparation for the end of semester exam.

You can access recorded lectures/seminars by clicking on Echo 360 menu item in the course page of this subject.

To listen to the recordings, you must install QuickTime 7 (or a later version) on your computer.

Please note that recordings are not a substitute for attendance; rather they’re designed for revision. On rare occasions the capture system can fail to record the lecture/seminar due to technical reasons. In such cases, the recording will not be made available.

Specific Course Requirements

One-hour tutorial session is an important part of the subject. Students are expected to actively participate in each tutorial session. There are two types of exercises. Tutorial questions need to be completed prior to each tutorial class. Additional questions are provided for further practice. Solutions will be made available after the last tutorial session.
Lecture Participation Requirements

Students are expected to attend all lectures and to complete the assigned tasks for each week prior to the next week’s lecture. Each week a set of tutorial questions will be discussed to extend students understanding of the accounting concepts and issues and to provide a greater depth of comprehension and continuity to the subject matter. Additional exercises will also be provided for practice.

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	Weighting
Mid-semester exam	Hard copy; individual	20%
Group assignment	Electronic; group	20%
Group presentation	Group	10%
Participation	Individual	10%
End-of-semester exam	Hard copy; individual	40%

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

In week 6 a Mid-semester exam will be conducted with 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. 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.

Final Exam

The end-of semester final exam covering all lectures in the semester will be condcuted during the examination weeks.

Submission

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.

Replacement/Additional Assessment (R/AA)
Illness

1. Anyone who cannot submit a major assignment/sit an examination due to illness must submit the appropriate University of Adelaide form.

2. Normal doctor’s certificates alone do not have to be accepted.

3. An application must be accompanied by the form downloaded from: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/mod_arrange.html

Compassionate Grounds

For a replacement examination on compassionate grounds refer to: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/student/exams/mod_arrange.html

Academic grounds

To qualify for Academic supplementary Assessment students must achieve a total mark of at least 45%.

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