COMMERCE 7021 - Commercial Law & Accounting Information Systems (M)
North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2015
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code COMMERCE 7021 Course Commercial Law & Accounting Information Systems (M) Coordinating Unit Adelaide Business School Term Semester 1 Level Postgraduate Coursework Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 3 Contact Up to 3 hours per week Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y Assumed Knowledge ACCTING 7019 Assessment Exam/tests/tutorial work as prescribed at first lecture Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Catherine Davies
Semester 2 - Course Coordinators:
Commercial Law: Dr Colette Langos
colette.langos@adelaide.edu.au
Accounting Information Systems: Dr Indrit Troshani
indrit.troshani@adelaide.edu.au
Course Timetable
The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .
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Learning Outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes
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.
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) Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. CL 1,2,3; IS 1,2 The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. CL 4, 5 An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. CL 4,5 ; IS 3,4,5 Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. CL 5; IS 3 A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies. CL 4; IS 4 A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. CL 1,4,6; IS 1,2,3,5 A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community. CL 1,2,3,5; IS 6 An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. CL 1,2,3; IS 1 -
Learning Resources
Required Resources
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
The reading required for Week 6 will be available on MyUni as a PDF document. All other readings will come from the prescribed textbook.
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 成人大片, Pearson Australia, ISBN: 978-1-4860-0554-3
This is also available in an e-book, downloadable from the Pearson web site.
Recommended Resources
Information Systems
In addition to the recommended text book resources, students are expected to complete the online Microsoft training courses for MS Access 2013 by enrolling via .
Further details (e.g. how and when to enrol and which courses to take) will be provided after the lectures commence.
Online Learning
Commercial Law and Information Systems
Electronic copies of the lecture notes, the tutorials and the assignment will be provided in MyUni (). Students are strongly encouraged to regularly check MyUni for updates.
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Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
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.
Workload
The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.
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 9 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.
Learning Activities Summary
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. It includes an introduction to the basic rules of contract law, exploring the rules for making valid contracts and interpreting their contents (including consumer protection statutory guarantees), as well as the rules that apply to ending contracts and remedies. The emerging role of e-commerce in modern times will also be considered.
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 2 Mar - 6 Mar The Australian Legal System – Regulation of the Australian Economy 2 9 Mar - 13 Mar Contracts – Formation 3 16 Mar - 20 Mar Contracts – Terms 4 23 Mar - 27 Mar Contracts – Termination and Remedies I 5 30 Mar - 3 Apr Contracts – Termination and Remedies II (ACL) 6 6 Apr - 10 Apr E-Commerce -- mid-semester break -- -- mid-semester break -- 7 27 Apr - 1 May Accounting information systems: Introduction and overview; Fundamentals of business processes and transaction processing. 8 4 May - 8 May Files, database systems and relational databases. MS Access. 9 11 May - 15 May Systems development and systems analysis ; Systems design, implementation and operation. 10 18 May - 22 May Systems development and documentation techniques; Database Design using the REA data model 11 25 May - 19 May Information systems controls: Information security; Confidentiality and privacy. 12 1 Jun - 5 Jun Processing integrity and availability; Auditing computer-based information systems. Small Group Discovery Experience
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. -
Assessment
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
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: one test worth 20% of the overall assessment and an exam worth 30% will address all learning objectives of the IS section.Assessment Related Requirements
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.
Assessment Detail
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: Friday 1 May at 2:00pm
Information Systems Tests 20%
A computer-based CLOSED BOOK multiple choice class test 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. The test is worth 20%.
The dates for this test is: Friday 29 May 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.
Submission
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:
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:
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.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 .
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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.
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Student Support
- Academic Integrity for Students
- Academic Support with Maths
- Academic Support with writing and study skills
- Careers Services
- Library Services for Students
- LinkedIn Learning
- Student Life Counselling Support - Personal counselling for issues affecting study
- Students with a Disability - Alternative academic arrangements
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Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
- Academic Credit Arrangements Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progress by Coursework Students Policy
- Assessment for Coursework Programs Policy
- Copyright Compliance Policy
- Coursework Academic Programs Policy
- Intellectual Property Policy
- IT Acceptable Use and Security Policy
- Modified Arrangements for Coursework Assessment Policy
- Reasonable Adjustments to Learning, Teaching & Assessment for Students with a Disability Policy
- Student Experience of Learning and Teaching Policy
- Student Grievance Resolution Process
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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鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.
The 成人大片 is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The 成人大片 therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.