Outline

Overview

Accounting systems produce information often referred to as the 'language of business'. It gives us insights into the performance of businesses and their employees. The financial and non-financial information produced by accounting systems and contained in financial reports requires some understanding of accounting terminology and financial literacy. This unit provides non-business students with a basic understanding of the information commonly found in published and non-published financial reports and how it can offer insights into the performance of businesses and their employees. Many practical real-world examples are used to help students use accounting information in understanding contemporary issues in the business world such as the impact of business operations on the environment. In this unit we also seek to improve financial literacy for non-business students by exploring the effect on accounting information of estimates and judgements required for certain transactions.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Accounting
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	Students must meet the entry requirements for the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Advanced Coursework), including completion of a pass undergraduate degree
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	BUSS1030
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Mark Waddington, mark.waddington@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Baljit Sidhu, baljit.sidhu@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final exam Written exam	45%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Fortnightly quiz Tutorial quiz	30%	Multiple weeks	30 min
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Class participation Participation	10%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Project n/a	15%	Week 11 Due date: 08 May 2023 at 23:59	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Fortnightly quiz: Refer to Canvas for further details.

Project: This assessment will be due in Week 11. The requirements for this project will be available on Canvas from Week 3.

Class participation: The mark is based on attendance and participation during the scheduled weekly class. This will include an in-class assessment task to be given during the Week 7 class.

Final exam: Details of the final exam will be given in Week 13.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to Accounting and exploring financial statements	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 02	Exploring financial statements – commonalities and differences between companies, main elements and the broad scope of the accounting function	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 03	Balance sheet	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 04	Statement of cash flows & introduction to accrual accounting	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 05	Profit or loss statement, statement of changes in equity and accrual accounting	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 06	Understanding the articulation between the financial statements and revision of prior topics.	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 07	In-class assessment task	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 08	Accounting estimates including revenue recognition	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 09	Accounting estimates; potential bias	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 10	Financial analysis	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 11	Using accounting data for managerial decisions	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 12	Corporate governance	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)
Week 13	Revision	Lecture and tutorial (3 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Hancock, P. Robinson, P. and Bazley, M. (2020). Contemporary Accounting – A Strategic Approach for Users. 10th Ed. Cengage.

All other required reading material for this unit will be accessible through Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Integrate disciplinary theories, frameworks and principles in a range of business contexts
LO2. Analyse and solve complex business challenges using fundamental knowledge and concepts central to the disciplinary field
LO3. Communicate effectively and professionally to diverse stakeholder groups using a range of communication and presentation modes and methods appropriate to various business contexts
LO4. Evaluate information from academic research and other sources to enable evidence-based decisions
LO5. Critically evaluate issues relating to business ethics, sustainability and social responsibility in addressing complex business challenges

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

This is the first time this unit has been offered

Additional information

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

BUSS4910: Financial literacy and using accounting data

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal day] - Remote

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect