ACCTFIN 7005 - Research Project in Financial Statement Analysis (M)
North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2019
This research based capstone course allows students to develop business research skills through the analysis of accounting, finance and industry information. This will be achieved through the delivery of a series of topics allowing students ample time to practice their research skills through the preparation of an investment portfolio.
This course will require application of attained knowledge in previous accounting and finance courses in order to provide a portfolio fitting for the assumed investor. As such students will be provided with sufficient opportunities to develop appropriate communication skills to ensure the investor is fully aware of all necessary information.
The pedagogy adopted for this course is deliberately designed to allow students to develop their own research style through the opportunity to source and synthesise a diverse range of material as part of the development of a business research report.
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General Course Information
Course Details
Course Code ACCTFIN 7005 Course Research Project in Financial Statement Analysis (M) Coordinating Unit Adelaide Business School Term Semester 1 Level Postgraduate Coursework Location/s North Terrace Campus Units 6 Contact Up to 36 hours Available for Study Abroad and Exchange N Prerequisites Completion of 30 units in the Program, CORPFIN 7017/ACCTFIN 7017 Assessment Research Projects Course Staff
Course Coordinator: Professor Alfred Yawson
Associate Professor Janice Loftus
Location: 13:10, Level 13,
10 Pulteney Street (Nexus 10)
Telephone: 8313 1024
email: janice.loftus@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
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Integrate advanced theoretical and technical knowledge of financial analysis and related areas
2. Apply advanced technical knowledge and skills to critically analyse financial data to investigate problems in accounting or finance contexts
3. Select and use information from data bases used in accounting and finance
4. Design and execute research in collaboration with others
5. Communicate research findings to specialist and non-specialist audiences
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, 2, 3 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
2, 3, 4 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
4, 5 Career and leadership readiness
- technology savvy
- professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
- forward thinking and well informed
- tested and validated by work based experiences
3, 4, 5 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
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Learning Resources
Required Resources
Suggested readings will be provided, however extensive use of library facilities including texts, journal articles and databases is necessary.Recommended Resources
- Subramanyam, K. R. 2014. Financial Statements Analysis, 11th Edition, McGraw-Hill New York.
- Palepu, K. G., Healy, P. M., Bernard, V. L., Wright, S., Bradbury, M.,Lee, P. 2015. Business Analysis and valuation using financial
statements: Text and cases. South Western, Cengage Learning. - High quality accounting and finance journals
- High quality business articles
- Online databases
- Neuman, WL, “Social Research Methods, Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches”, Person Education, Inc., 2013
- Benninga S, “Financial Modeling”, The MIT Press, 2008
Online Learning
The course is supported by a course website on MyUni. Students will need to access this regularly for content, assignment submission and announcments. -
Learning & Teaching Activities
Learning & Teaching Modes
This course is run in seminar mode combining the elements of lecture and tutorial in the one class.
To facilitate a full understanding of any topic, students are encouraged to both ask questions and participate in in-class activities. If there is material that any student does not understand, asking of questions at any time during the seminar is encouraged. Concepts from previous courses will serve as foundation for many of the topics under consideration.
As this is a research based course there is a high expectation that students will- engage in additional readings, as well as the provided readings to gain a full appreciation of all aspects of the course
- undertake their research activities prior to class to ensure that they have the ability to apply the topic under discussion to a number of possible scenarios.
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. As this course is a 6 unit course it is anticipated that you will be undertaking more study time for this course than you would have undertaken in your previous 3 unit courses.
Students in this course are expected to attend all classesLearning Activities Summary
1 Financial statements and introduction to research 2 Research in accounting and finance and introduction to accounting and finance project topics 3 Industry analysis techniques 4 Portfolio analysis, confirmation of groups, class test 5 Developing research, teamwork and communication skills:workshop on using databases 6 Developing research, teamwork and communication skills: report writing workshop 7 Developing research, teamwork and communication skills: workshop on critiquing writing, providing and using feedback 8 Developing research, teamwork and communication skills: oral presentation skills workshop 9 Developing research, teamwork and communication skills: oral presentation of industry analysis, each person presenting to other members of the group 10 Developing research, teamwork and communication skills: group meetings and consultation 11 Developing research, teamwork and communication skills: group meetings and consultation 12 Oral presentations of group project -
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
.# Assessment Task Task Type Weight Learning Outcomes 1 Test Individual 10 % 1, 2 2 Research proposal Group 15 % 1 - 5 3 Industry analysis Individual 15 % 1 - 5 4 Participation in group activities Individual 10 % 3 - 5 5a Group research report - oral presentation Individual 10 % 5 5b Group research project written report - individual component Individual 25 % 1 - 5 5c Group researach project written report -group component Group 15 % 1 - 5 Total 100%
Details of each assessment task will be provided in separate documents.Assessment Related Requirements
Group composition: Groups will consist of 5 people. (Exceptions to this number will only be considered by the lecturer-in-charge for exceptional and unavoidable circumstances).
Assessment Detail
1. Class test (10%) Held Tuesday 26 March
Scope - topics 1 - 3 (i.e.., material covered in weeks 1 - 3)
2. Proposal (15 %) Due Tuesday 16 April
A written submission of a draft research design outlining the objective and research methods of the group research project.
3. Individual industry analysis (15%) Due Monday 20 May
Provide a written strategic evaluation of the industry under their purview utilising an evaluation technique as developed in the group's research design.
4. Participation in group activities held in class (10%)
5. Report on Group Research report
a. Oral presentation - group oral presentation, individually assessed Tuesday 4 June (10%)
b. Written repor due Friday 7 June
i Individual component (25%)
ii Group component (15%)
Submission
Notes on Assessment
1. All assignments must be provided by the due date and must be genuine attempts, to complete the course.
2. Presentation, and the quality of English expression are considered to be integral parts of the assessment process. You may lose marks because of poor presentation and/or poor grammar.
3. A component of the research report requires a group presentation. It is a requirement that all members of the group be present at the presentation. Failure to attend may result in a zero mark, for that component of the assessment, to those members not in attendance unless there is a legitimate reason that is supported by evidence.
Presentation of Assignments
• Retain a copy of all assignments submitted.
• All written assignments must be submitted via the MyUni link provided. All team members are expected to contribute equitably to a group assignment as outlined in the research plan required as part of the interim report.
Assignments, not complying with the University’s policy on plagiarism, will be forwarded to Academic Integrity for investigation.
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 the link provided on MyUni.
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.
The Harvard system is the preferred style of referencing for this course. 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.
In addition we encourage you to utilise the resources available via online links in the Student Support Section of this outline
Return of Assignments
Every attempt is made to provide feedback on assessments within three (3) weeks of the due date. Assessment of the major component of assessment (the report) is anticipated to take longer than the nominal three (3) weeks.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.
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