ACCTING 4101 - Advanced Theory in Accounting (H)

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2016

This course is designed to enable students to obtain an in-depth understanding of some of the main theoretical and research perspectives that have contributed to the literature in accounting and to be able to critically review the application of behavioural and market based theories underlying financial accounting and reporting, auditing and management accounting research. Topics in financial accounting and reporting include: applications of agency theory, positive accounting theory, legitimacy theory and institutional theory. This is essentially a reading-based course in which students will critically review scholarly research articles each week.

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Course Details

Course Code	ACCTING 4101
Course	Advanced Theory in Accounting (H)
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	N
Assessment	Exam/assignments/tests/tutorial work as prescribed at first lecture

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Janice Loftus

Name: Associate Professor Janice Loftus
Location: Room 13.10, Nexus 10 (10 Pulteney Street)
Telephone: 8313 1024
email: janice.loftus@adelaide.edu.au

Name: Associate Professor Bryan Howieson
Location: Room 13.27, Nexus 10 (10 Pulteney Street)
Telephone: 8313 4760
email: bryan.howieson@adelaide.edu.au

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

This course is not included in the University timetable due to the small number of sudents involved. The timetable will be negotiated before the first teaching week of semester one.

Course Learning Outcomes

Through completing this course students should:
A.     develop knowledge of some of the major methodologies (paradigms or models) in accounting;

B.     be able to explain the strengths and weaknesses of each of the methodologies;

C.    develop skills in applying the methodologies to contemporary accounting issues;

D.    be able to lead discussion on financial reporting issues currently being debated by the accounting profession and others, that
reflects awareness of the role that research findings can play in informing such debates;

E.     further develop critical and analytical faculties and skills in verbal and written communication.

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)	A, D
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	B, C, D
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	D, E
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	D
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	A, C
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	A - E

Learning Resources

Required Resources

A large proportion of the recommended and prescribed readings for this course will be provided to you as we proceed
or available through the digital resource management centre, with a link provided through MyUni. This unit is primarily a research and reading course and you are expected to supplement these readings with your own sources wherever possible. Preparing your reading and seminar discussion points well in advance will maximise the benefits you receive from the class sessions.

You will also be required have access to a current copy of Australian accounting standards and exposure drafts. These
are available at www.aasb.gov.au Any source is appropriate as long as it is up to date. The following is available in hardcopy if you
wish to buy one:
Financial Reporting Handbook 2016, John Wiley & Sons, Australia (CAANZ Handbook).

Recommended Resources

Some additional reference sources, which are available in the library, include:

J. Godfrey, A. Hodgson, A. Tarca, J. Hamilton and S. Holmes, Accounting Theory, (7th Edition) 2010, John Wiley
and Sons, Australia.

R. L. Watts, J. L. Zimmerman, Positive Accounting Theory, 1986, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

A. Barnea, R. A. Haugen, L. W. Senbet, Agency Problems and Financial Contracting, 1985, Prentice-Hall,
Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

H. I. Wolk, J. R. Francis, M. G. Tearney, Accounting Theory: A Conceptual and Institutional Approach, (3rd Edition) 1992, South-Western Pub. Co., Cincinnati, Ohio.

C. Deegan, Financial Accounting Theory, (4th Edition) 2014, McGraw-Hill, Australia.

W. H. Beaver, Financial Reporting: An Accounting Revolution, (Third Edition) 1998, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

G. Whittred, I. Zimmer, S. Taylor, Financial Accounting: Incentive Effects and Economic Consequences, (Sixth Edition) 2004, Thomson, Australia.
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

At this advanced level, you bear a high responsibility for your own learning. The facilitators in this course do not give lectures but rather act as guides to your learning of the material. The course is run as a series of seminars in which you are expected to do the necessary reading and preparation of course requirements prior to attending each class session. Although some discussion questions will be provided in advance to help structure your reading and understanding, these questions are just a starting point for the analysis of each topic. Active participation in the seminars will greatly increase your understanding of complex concepts and improve your chances of successfully completing the course. Researching material outside that provided is encouraged.

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 of private study outside of your regular classes.

Students in this course are expected to attend all class sessions throughout the semester.

Honours and MBR students are also expected to be actively involved in the research life of the School and are expected to attend the various research seminars given throughout the semester.

Learning Activities Summary

(Week Commencing 29 Feb) WEEK 1: INTRODUCTION
Overview of the course, historical development of accounting and accounting thought, introduction to the nature and role of theory, overview of the accounting methodologies to be studied in the course

PART I – ACCOUNTING METHODOLOGIES
WEEK 2: Early normative accounting literature.
WEEK 3: Capital Market Efficiency
WEEK 4: Costly Contracting
WEEK 5: Behavioural Accounting
WEEK 6: Systems approach, including stakeholder theories and legitimacy theory

Mid-semester break – April 11 to April 22

PART II – ACCOUNTING ISSUES
WEEK 7: Accounting Regulation
WEEK 8: Social and Environmental Accounting
WEEK 9: Revisions to the Conceptual Framework (i.e., IASB Conceptual Framework Project)
WEEK 10: IFRS and International Convergence
WEEK 11: Topic of your choice

WEEK 12: Course overview

Specific Course Requirements

Attend the Accounting discipline research seminars throughout the semester, schedule to be advised.

To pass this course, a mark of at least 50% must be obtained on the final exam, as well as a total of at least 50% overall. Students not achieving the minimum exam mark will be awarded no more than 49.

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

Assignment 1         5%
Learning Outcome: E
Due Date: March 29.

Assignment 2        15%
Learning Outcomes: A - C, E
Due Date: April 18.

Assignment 3 – Reflective Journal Exercise 15%
Learning Outcomes: A - C, E
Due Date: Please see separately supplied handout.

Leading a discusssion on a topic        15%
For week 11, you will have the opportunity to lead a discussion around a topic of your choice. It is your responsibility to prepare in advance the necessary readings and discussion questions. The assessment criteria for this items includes the quality of your research and preparation. More details are provided in a separat handout.
Learning Outcomes: A - E
Due Date: The discussion is held in Week 11.

Final Exam                                      50%
There will be a 3 hour exam.
Learning Outcomes: A - C, E

Assessment Related Requirements

Please note that all assessments are compulsory and no resubmissions are permitted.

Assessment Detail

Details about the final exam and other assessments will be provided in separate documents available on MyUni.

Criteria for assessing the assignment will be provided with the instructions.

Submission

Presentation of Assignments

The assignments must be completed individually.

Assignments must be submitted electronically through MyUni Turnitin Assignments, which is a computer programme that detects
plagiarism. Please retain a copy of all assignments submitted.

Assignment Guidelines including Referencing Details

The Communication Skills Guide for Business Programmes (look under ‘downloads’):

http://www.adelaide.edu.au/professions/hub/ug/downloads/ provides guidelines on a range of important communication skills (including structuring and writing essays and reports, making oral presentations etc.).

In preparing any written piece of assessment for your honours/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.

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 4 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.

Return of Assignments

Lecturers aim to mark and return assignments to students within two (2) weeks of the due date with written feedback.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M11 (Honours Mark Scheme)
Grade	Grade reflects following criteria for allocation of grade	Reported on Official Transcript
Fail	A mark between 1-49	F
Third Class	A mark between 50-59	3
Second Class Div B	A mark between 60-69	2B
Second Class Div A	A mark between 70-79	2A
First Class	A mark between 80-100	1
Result Pending	An interim result	RP
Continuing	Continuing	CN

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 .

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.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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