This course is designed to provide students with a more in-depth understanding of the concepts and issues involved with accounting and commerce related areas. Students will undertake independent research work which must be supervised by full time academic staff within the Research School of Accounting. Interested students should see the Master of Accounting program convenor for further details.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Critically analyse advanced issues in accounting and commerce contexts.
2. Demonstrate a solid understanding of research in the selected topic(s).
3. Critically evaluate the complex ideas and research issues involved in the selected topic(s).

Research-Led Teaching

This is a research-based course, requiring students to search for, and critically evaluate, relevant articles when completing the assessments for this course.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback via consultation with staff

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Other Information

ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS

As a further academic integrity control, students may be selected for a 15 minute individual oral examination of their written assessment submissions.

Any student identified, either during the current semester or in retrospect, as having used ghost writing services will be investigated under the University’s Academic Misconduct Rule.

 

COMMUNICATION

Email and Forums on the Wattle Course Website

Email and the Wattle course website are the preferred ways of communication. Student forums are set up on Wattle for each topic and can be viewed by all enrolled students and teaching staff. Students are encouraged to post any questions they have in the appropriate forum.

If necessary, the lecturer and tutors for this course will contact students on their official ANU student email address. Students should use this email address when contacting staff as spam filters used by ANU may not allow other email addresses to be received. Information about your enrolment and fees from the Registrar and Student Services' office will also be sent to this email address.

 

Announcements

Students are expected to check the Wattle site for announcements about this course, e.g. changes to timetables or notifications of cancellations. Notifications of emergency cancellations of lectures or tutorials will be posted on the door of the relevant room.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Conduct independent research into advanced issues in accounting
2	Conduct independent research into advanced issues in accounting
3	Conduct independent research into advanced issues in accounting	Written Submission 1
4	Conduct independent research into advanced issues in accounting
5	Conduct independent research into advanced issues in accounting	Written Submission 2
6	Conduct independent research into advanced issues in accounting
7	Conduct independent research into advanced issues in accounting	Critique of a research article
8	Conduct independent research into advanced issues in accounting
9	Conduct independent research into advanced issues in accounting
10	Conduct independent research into advanced issues in accounting
11	Conduct independent research into advanced issues in accounting
12	Conduct independent research into advanced issues in accounting

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Written Submission 1	10 %	19/03/2019	29/03/2019	1,3
Written Submission 2	10 %	05/04/2019	23/04/2019	1,3
Critique of a research article	20 %	23/04/2019	07/05/2019	1,2,3
Research Report	60 %	07/06/2019	04/07/2019	1,2,3

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website. In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Written Submission 1

You are required to submit, via Turnitin, a word-processed response to a discussion question related to your selected accounting topic area. The discussion question will be provided to you in Week 2. Written feedback will be provided on this submission by Week 5.

Assessment Task 2

Written Submission 2

You are required to submit, via Turnitin, a word-processed response to another discussion question related to your selected accounting topic area. This discussion question will be provided to you no later than two weeks before the submission date.

Assessment Task 3

Critique of a research article

You are required to write a well-reasoned critique of a selected research paper relevant to your selected accounting topic area.

Your critique must not exceed 3 pages (font size 12 and 1.5 spacing). Guidelines for Preparing Critiques (Shailer, 2013) and further instructions will be available on Wattle.

Please submit your critique via Turnitin.

Assessment Task 4

Research Report

The Commerce Research report provides evidence of the student’s ability to undertake partial research under supervision. The research document is developed over a single semester and the workload is equivalent to a 6-unit semester courses. Relative to a 24-unit thesis, the requirements on extent of original contribution to knowledge are much more limited.

Your supervisor will guide on the scope and coverage required in your research report. Some examples include a literature review of an emerging area of research in a particular industry or a mini pilot study of a commerce research issue.

Submission – Due 12 noon Friday 7 June 2019. Please submit the report via Turnitin.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of our culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically. This means that all members of the community commit to honest and responsible scholarly practice and to upholding these values with respect and fairness. The Australian National University commits to embedding the values of academic integrity in our teaching and learning. We ensure that all members of our community understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with. The University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Visit the following Academic honesty & plagiarism website for more information about academic integrity and what the ANU considers academic misconduct. The ANU offers a number of services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. The Academic Skills and Learning Centre offers a number of workshops and seminars that you may find useful for your studies.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Late submission not permitted. If submission of assessment tasks without an extension after the due date is not permitted, a mark of 0 will be awarded.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. The Course Convener may grant extensions for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students