Course Outline 2016
ACCTG 101: ACCOUNTING INFORMATION (15 POINTS)
Semester 1 (1163)
Course Prescription
Business decisions require accounting information. This course covers the role of
accounting information and systems to support decision making, control and monitoring
in organisations. It examines general purpose financial statements and the analysis and
interpretation of accounting information. It assesses investment opportunities using
capital budgeting techniques and compares and evaluates alternative funding sources.
Programme and Course Advice
Restriction: 600.121, 600.171, ACCTG 191
Goals of the Course
To show how and why accounting information matters. The idea is that accounting
information is an integral part of the decision-making process, both inside and outside the
firm.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course it is expected that the student will be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
appreciate the importance of accounting information to the firm and its providers
of capital and understand its communicative value;
explain and apply cost behaviour patterns to quantitative modelling techniques
such cost-volume-profit analyses; budgeting and basic costing.
understand the basics of reading a set of financial statements of a business and
show the impact of accounting events on the financial statements;
interpret financial statements with an awareness of context while recognising the
limitations of such analyses;
show how the time value of money and risk are incorporated into long-term
decision-making and perform capital budgeting techniques;
understand the basics of debt management.
Content Outline
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
1
2
3
4
5
Week 6
Introduction
Business Plan: Cost-Volume-Profit
Business Plan: Budgeting
Costing
No lectures
Planning and Control Decisions
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
Week
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
The Accounting System and the Balance Sheet
The Accounting System and the Income Statement
The Cash Flow Statement and Owner’s Equity
Financial Statement Analysis
Time Value of Money
Capital Investment
Financial Management
Learning and Teaching
ACCTG 101 is delivered through multiple lecture streams. During three one hour lectures
each week, lecturers discuss and apply theory. A fourth hour is provided each week in the
form of a workshop which is optional. It is highly recommended that student attend this
workshop as emphasis is placed in class on demonstrating how to solve accounting
problems and provides opportunities for group work which many students find to be a
valuable learning tool.
Teaching Staff
Course Director:
Associate Professor Paul Rouse
Office: 5119, OGG Building
Tel: 373 7599 (xtn. 87192)
Fax: 373 7406
Email: acctg101-help@auckland.ac.nz
Course Co-Ordinator (Leader):
Debbie Alexander
Office: 541, OGG Building
Tel: 373 7599 (xtn. 89415)
Fax: 373 7406
Email: acctg101-help@auckland.ac.nz
Lecturers:
Various
Learning Resources
Reading: The prescribed text for this course is Cunningham, Nikolai, Bazely, Kavanagh,
Slaughter, & Simmons (2015) Accounting: Information for Business Decisions (2nd
Editon). Cengage Learning: Australia. Material and questions from the text are discussed
during lectures.
Additional questions from the textbook as used for self-study.
Course Book: The Course Book includes supplemental problems used in lectures, additional
notes, and the latest financial statements for two well-known NZ companies.
Canvas: Canvas is used to distribute student guides to problems, and to make
announcements. It is also used to quiz students online over the assigned readings and
problems. The quizzes may later be used for revision.
‘Walk-in’ Help Centre: Assistance is provided at the ‘walk-in’ help centre for queries about
the lecture material. Details of the venue and times will be made available on Canvas.
Assessment
Two individual assignments
Ten CSL quizzes
One semester test
Final examination
Total
10%
10%
20% (Date to be confirmed)
60%
100%
Further details on these assessments will be provided on Canvas.
Learning Outcome
Semester Test
Assignments
1
2
3
4
5
6
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Online
Quizzes
X
X
X
X
X
Final
Exam
X
X
X
X
X
X
Minimum Requirements
To pass this course an overall grade of at least 50% is required.
Inclusive Learning
Students are urged to discuss privately any impairment-related requirements face-to-face
and/or in written form with the course convenor/lecturer and/or tutor.
Student Feedback
These are the ways in which student feedback from 2012 has been used to shape or
change the course:
1. Fewer assessments that are worth more marks. There is now one less
assignment than in the past. The two assignments are now worth 5% each rather
than worth 3% as in previous years.
2. More practice exercises. At the end of each module there are a large number
of self-study exercises and problems that allow students more practice. They
cover everything that is required to be learnt for that module.
3. Feedback in the Online quizzes. More feedback has been provided on each
quiz in order to assist with your learning. If you find a question that does not
have sufficient feedback please email acctg101-help@auckland.ac.nz and we will
improve it.
4. Revision practice for the Online quizzes. Online revision quizzes (that do not
count for marks) are now available so that you can practice answering multiple
choice questions on each module before you attempt the assessed Cecil quizzes.
5. No tutorials but more interactive workshops. Some students have requested
that we offer tutorials but unfortunately we do not have the resources to provide
for these. A major difficulty the Department of Accounting & Finance faces is the
large numbers of students who take our courses not just at stage one, but at
stages two and three. We are the largest Department in the University in terms of
student numbers and consequently resources are strained to provide all the
support we would like to provide, especially at stage one. In order to
accommodate this request in some way we are introducing more interactive
workshops. Feel free to email your queries to acctg101-help@auckland.ac.nz or
your workshop tutor if you would him or her to discuss those issues in class.
6. Course book slides and problems have now been made available on Cecil.
7. Lecture recordings of all lecture streams. In the past only one lecturer’s
stream was recorded despite there being more than one lecturer taking the
various streams. Students have requested that their lecturer’s stream be
recorded so now all lecture recordings for each lecturer on the course can be
found under their name on Canvas.
8. Practice Assignment for Finance. Students have suggested that they have a
practice assignment for the Finance section of the course. It will not count for
marks but can be marked by the students themselves. This is because there is no
assignment that counts for marks on this section as it is the last section of the
course. It is however examined in the final exam so students wanted to practice
for the exam.