Unit Outline

This unit will help you understand the role that accounting plays in providing accountability. We move beyond introductory accounting and explore the important role that accounting has in organisations, society and the environment.

After completing this unit, you will have fundamental management and financial accounting knowledge, tools for analysing organisations’ external reports and a comprehension of how accounting can be used to address social responsibility, ethical conduct and sustainability.

This unit allows you to begin the up skilling required by our professional accounting bodies, requiring us to move beyond orthodox/conventional accounting practices and understand our role in accountability.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:

1.	Analyse the role of accountability and accounting for all areas of organisational performance.
2.	Apply management accounting tools to make informed decisions about organisational performance.
3.	Apply financial accounting principles and techniques to make informed decisions about organisational performance.
4.	Produce written artefacts, individually and in team environments, using professional language and standards common to business professionals and peers.

Requisites

REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Anti-requisite (mutual excl)	XPD106, BFA113, ZAA133

Alterations as a result of student feedback

Attendance / engagement expectations

If your unit is offered Online, it is expected you will engage in all those activities as indicated in the Unit Outline, including any self-directed learning.

If you miss a learning activity for a legitimate reason (e.g., illness, carer responsibilities) teaching staff will attempt to provide alternative activities (e.g., make up readings) where it is possible.

About the University Connections Program

The University Connections Program (UCP) allows students to study units, specifically designed by the University for senior secondary learners. The UCP give you an opportunity to extend your learning to new areas not available at your school/college, to experience/build confidence and familiarity with university learning and teaching and to engage with university staff and industry. Most of our units, if successfully completed, will give you credit into a degree such as the Bachelor of Business or similar.

Recognition by TASC

The unit is formally recognised by TASC. Successful completion of this UCP unit will contribute 15 points towards your Tasmanian Certificate of Education (TCE). A collaboration between the University of Tasmania and the Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards & Certification (TASC) allows results from this unit to be eligible for inclusion in the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).Eligible unit results are submitted in early December to TASC for the purposes of scaling and calculation of TES and ATAR. Full UTAS unit internal results will normally be available in late November.

Withdrawal without academic or financial penalty

Students who are enrolled in a unit under the University Connections Program can withdraw at any stage of the course without academic or financial penalty. If you do not pass the unit, you will be withdrawn from the program without penalty or a grade recorded.

Credit into degrees

Successfully completed UCP units may be credited to a relevant degree when the student enrols at the University of Tasmania. Successful completion of this unit can used towards credit into a relevant University of Tasmania College of Business and Economic degree. Students are strongly advised to contact UConnect for information about using credit from UCP units into our different degrees. Phone: call 1300 826 663 to speak with UConnect contact centre staff 8:45am to 5:00pm business days.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule

ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	AT1 Part A: Written Artefact: Explaining accountability and accounting	Week 4	5 %	LO1, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	AT1 Part B: Essay: Applying the accountability model to social and environmental information	Week 7	20 %	LO1, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Group Case Study: Applying management and financial accounting	Week 11	35 %	LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 4:	Take Home Examination	Exam Period	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: AT1 Part A: Written Artefact: Explaining accountability and accounting

Task Description:

You will submit a small written artefact on the accountability model applied to external social and environmental accounting information.

A task sheet will be provided on MyLO.

Task Length:

300 words

Due Date:

Week 4

Weight:

5 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Explain accountability and accounting.	LO1
2	Produce a written artefact as an individual, using professional language and standards common to business professionals.	LO4

Assessment Task 2: AT1 Part B: Essay: Applying the accountability model to social and environmental information

Task Description:

Applying the accountability model for social and environmental information

Essay (Week 7)
You will write an essay explaining and analysing how a particular company has applied the accountability model in terms of social and environmental information.

Details will be provided on MyLO.

Task Length:

2000 words

Due Date:

Week 7

Weight:

20 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Explain accountability and accounting.	LO1
2	Explain organisational boundaries in the context of accountability and accounting.	LO1
3	Produce a written artefact as an individual, using professional language and standards common to business professionals.	LO4
4	Use the Harvard referencing system.	LO4
5	Explain and apply the accountability model to situations of corporate social responsibility, ethical conduct and/or sustainability.	LO1
6	Explain various reporting frameworks for sustainability reporting and use tools for analysing them.	LO1

Assessment Task 3: Group Case Study: Applying management and financial accounting

Task Description:

Applying management and financial accounting

In a group of three, you will complete a case study, which will require you to apply management and financial accounting.

More details will be provided on MyLO.

Task Length:

TBA

Due Date:

Week 11

Weight:

35 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Apply cost volume profit analysis to make informed decisions.	LO2
2	Apply budgeting techniques to make informed decisions.	LO2
3	Apply various performance evaluation techniques to make informed decisions.	LO2
4	Use simple Excel skills.	LO3
5	Record accounting transactions in worksheets.	LO3
6	Prepare simple financial statements.	LO3
7	Produce a written artefact within a team, using professional language and standards common to business professionals.	LO4
8	Use the Harvard referencing system.	LO4
9	Reflect on your performance as a team member in the group.	LO4

Assessment Task 4: Take Home Examination

Task Description:

The examination will enable you to demonstrate your breadth and depth of understanding across all the unit material. All topics are examinable.

An information sheet with details about the examination will be given to you in the last lecture of the semester and posted on MyLO at the end of that week.

Task Length:

24 hours

Due Date:

Exam Period

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)

1	Explain accountability and accounting.	LO1
2	Explain organisational boundaries in the context of accountability and accounting.	LO1
3	Apply cost volume profit analysis to make informed decisions.	LO2
4	Apply budgeting techniques to make informed decisions.	LO2
5	Apply various performance evaluation techniques to make informed decisions.	LO2
6	Record accounting transactions in worksheets.	LO3
7	Prepare simple financial statements.	LO3
8	Explain and apply the accountability model to situations of corporate social responsibility, ethical conduct and/or sustainability.	LO1
9	Explain various reporting frameworks for sustainability reporting and use tools for analysing them.	LO1

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.

Review of results and appeals

You are entitled to ask for a review of the marking and grading of your assessment task if there is an irregularity in the marking standards or an error in the process for determining the outcome of an assessment. Details on how to request a review of a mark for an assignment are outlined in the Review and Appeal of Academic Decisions Procedure.

Required Resources

Required reading materials

Deegan, C 2023, An introduction to accounting: accountability in organisations and society, Cengage, Victoria.

Recommended reading materials

Atrill, P, McLaney, E, and Harvey, D 2018, Accounting for Non-Specialist, 7th Edition, Pearson Australia.

Cunningham, B., Nikolai-HCP, L., Bazley, J., Kavanagh, M. and Simmons, S., 2018. Accounting: Information for Business Decisions. Cengage AU.

Hancock, P., Robinson, P. and Bazley, M., 2020. Contemporary Accounting: A Strategic Approach for Users. Cengage Learning.

Reading Lists provide direct access to all material on unit reading lists in one place. This includes eReadings and items in Reserve. You can access the Reading List for this unit from the link in MyLO, or by going to the Reading Lists page on the University Library website.

Other required resources

Microsoft Excel

You also need access to a reliable computer with internet access