This course engages students in critical analysis of the major approaches to the formulation of an accounting theory. The features, similarities, differences and merits, or otherwise, of alternative theoretical approaches to analysing and dealing with contemporary problems facing accounting and accountants are examined.  

Learning Outcomes

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

1. read more widely in accounting;
2. explain the role of positive accounting theory in explaining and predicting accounting policy choice and the behaviour of the capital markets;
3. critically evaluate the role of regulation in financial reporting;
4. research and analyse complex contemporary financial accounting issues, and formulate well-reasoned and coherent arguments and reach well considered conclusions in relation to those issues;
5. critically analyse a selected contemporary issue in financial accounting and to communicate effectively in writing;
6. apply the Harvard referencing system appropriately to written submissions.The specific learning objectives identified at the commencement of the lecture material for each of the topics are an integral part of the course/broad learning outcomes above.

Research-Led Teaching

This course builds on current research to examine contemporary issues in accounting, which includes research in other disciplines such as finance and economics. The course adopts an interactive approach to learning and teaching and draws from active learning pedagogies. Students are encouraged to be an active participant in the learning process.

Required Resources

Prescribed Text

Deegan, Craig. Financial Accounting Theory, 4th edition, McGraw-Hill, 2013.

You are expected to have access to a copy of the prescribed book for the duration of the semester. A small number of copies are available for 2 hour loan in the reserve loan section of the Chifley Library. The ANU Library has also organised access to the e-book version via https://library.anu.edu.au/record=b6460169, but with limited concurrent users at any one time.

Recommended Resources

Prescribed Readings

Students will be required to complete prescribed readings each week to complete the prescribed tutorial questions. The prescribed readings for each week will be listed on Wattle in advance. Some weeks will require students to access journal articles from the ANU Library website - links for these will be posted on Wattle in the relevant week.

Staff Feedback

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

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups and individuals

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

The greatest benefit from lectures is obtained by reading the relevant material in advance of weekly lectures and participating in discussion during tutorials. Students are required to prepare the relevant set of questions in advance of attending tutorials and come to tutorials prepared to discuss the issues involved, and any difficulties encountered in responding to the set questions and areas in which they are in need of clarification.

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 the Wattle Course Website

Email and the Wattle course website are the preferred ways of communication.

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.

 

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction to course, contemporary issues - analysing the role of accounting in corporate failure	No tutorials in Week 1.
2	Introduction to theories and their application to accounting	Required readings will be indicated on Wattle. Tutorial questions will be placed on Wattle.
3	The Conceptual Framework for Financial Reporting	Required readings will be indicated on Wattle. Tutorial questions will be placed on Wattle.
4	Positive accounting theory I – introduction and agency theory	Required readings will be indicated on Wattle. Tutorial questions will be placed on Wattle.
5	Positive accounting theory II – earnings management and accounting policy choice	Required readings will be indicated on Wattle. Tutorial questions will be placed on Wattle.
6	Regulation of financial accounting	Required readings will be indicated on Wattle. Tutorial questions will be placed on Wattle. Assignment Part (a) - Referencing Exercise due 6pm, Thursday 2nd September, 2021.
7	Capital market response to accounting reports I	Required readings will be indicated on Wattle. Tutorial questions will be placed on Wattle.
8	Capital market response to accounting reports II	Required readings will be indicated on Wattle. Tutorial questions will be placed on Wattle.
9	Corporate Social Responsibility	Required readings will be indicated on Wattle. Tutorial questions will be placed on Wattle.
10	Alternative Measurement Approaches I	Required readings will be indicated on Wattle. Tutorial questions will be placed on Wattle. Assignment Part (b) - Research Essay due 6pm, Thursday 14th October, 2021.
11	Alternative Measurement Approaches II	Required readings will be indicated on Wattle. Tutorial questions will be placed on Wattle.
12	Alternative Measurement Approaches III	Required readings will be indicated on Wattle. Tutorial questions will be placed on Wattle.

Tutorial Registration

Please see Wattle for tutors’ information.

Tutorials will be available face-to-face or through live Zoom class. Enrolment for the various options, and times of the classes will be made available on Wattle. When tutorials are available for enrolment, follow these steps:

1. Log on to Wattle, and go to the course site.

2. Click on the link “Tutorial enrolment”

3. On the right of the screen, click on the tab “Become Member of ……” for the tutorial class you wish to enter.

4. Confirm your choice

If you need to change your enrolment, you will be able to do so by clicking on the tab “Leave group…” and then re-enrol in another group. You will not be able to enrol in groups that have reached their maximum number. Please note that enrolment in ISIS must be finalised for you to have access to Wattle.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Due Date	Return of assessment	Learning Outcomes
Tutorial Presentation (10%)	10 %	02/08/2021	02/11/2021	1,2,3,4,5,6
Tutorial Participation (5%)	5 %	02/08/2021	02/11/2021	1,2,3,4,5,
Assignment Part (a) - Referencing exercise (10%)	10 %	02/09/2021	16/09/2021	1,2,3,4,
Assignment Part (b) - Research Essay (25%)	25 %	14/10/2021	29/10/2021	1,2,3,4,5
Final Examination (50%)	50 %	04/11/2021	02/12/2021	1,2,3,4,5,6

* 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 Academic Integrity . 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.

Participation

Course delivery: pre-recorded lecture (available via Echo360), weekly tutorials delivered in hybrid format (on-campus and live Zoom sessions) . Please check Wattle for details closer to the start of semester.

Examination(s)

Details regarding materials and equipment that is permitted in an examination can be found on the ANU website:

http://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/assessments-exams/examination-conduct

Information regarding permitted examination materials for the course will be available on the examination timetable website when the examination timetable is released:

http://timetable.anu.edu.au/

Assessment Task 1

Tutorial Presentation (10%)

Due Date: In this assessment task, students will be allocated in the first tutorials in Week 2.

Instructions:

Individual students will be allocated a tutorial week in which they will present their findings to the set tutorial questions for the week, and promote broader discussion with the class on the weekly topic. The tutorial questions to be included in the presentation are available on Wattle one week prior to tutorials. The presentation will be assessed based on four criteria (n.b. these are evenly weighted):

1) Content of the presentation - understanding of topic, coverage of all key issues, and level of evidence and reasoning provided for responses.

2) Quality of the presentation - the clarity, structure and cohesiveness of the response, creativity and interest of presentation format, and keeping to appropriate time limits.

3) Efforts and ability to engage class and encourage participation in discussions, and respond and interact with the class and tutor.

4) Individual presentation skills - the effectiveness and communication skills demonstrated by the individual student.

To allow subsequent validation of this assessment task, students' presentations will be recorded during tutorials.

Feedback: marks will be released progressively throughout the semester as students present each week.

Return Date: The return date listed in the assessment summary is the latest possible return date.

Rubric

	High Distinction	Distinction	Credit	Pass	Fail
Presentation content	Excellent level of understanding of topic and theory with no discernible gaps in knowledge. All key issues are addressed in a careful and thorough manner. Arguments are strongly reasoned and well-evidenced.	High level of understanding of topic and theory with no gaps in knowledge. Key issues are addressed in full. Arguments are reasoned and evidenced.	Good understanding of topic and theory with relatively few gaps in knowledge. Most key issues are presented. Some reasoning and evidence for arguments.	Basic understanding of topic and theory with some gaps in knowledge. Some key issues are presented. Reasoning and evidence for arguments could be further developed.	Poor or limited understanding of the topic with evidence of gaps in knowledge. Lack of coverage of all key issues. Poor reasoning and argumentation.
Presentation Quality	Outstanding presentation which was extremely clear, logical and cohesive. Very interesting or creative format for presentation. Presentation well-paced and kept to time limits.	Excellent presentation which was clear, logical and cohesive. An interesting or creative format for presentation. Presentation well-paced and kept to time limits.	Good presentation which was mostly clear, logical and cohesive. Some interesting and creative elements. Presentation kept to time limits but some issues with pacing.	Reasonable presentation that could be followed, with some areas of clarity needed. Overall lacked cohesiveness. Format reasonable but could be improved. Some issues with timing.	Poor presentation of limited clarity, interest or structure. Failure to keep to appropriate time limit.
Engagement	Outstanding efforts to engage with broader class and promote discussions. Convincing ability to respond and interact with class and tutor questions.	Excellent efforts to engage with broader class and promote discussions. Shows confidence in responses and interaction with class and tutor questions.	Good efforts to engage with broader class and promote discussions. Able to competently respond and interact with class and tutor questions.	Some efforts to engage with broader class and promote discussions. Some effort to respond and interact with class and tutor questions.	Limited or no efforts to engage in broader discussion with class. Unable or unwilling to respond to class or tutor questions.
Presentation skills	Presenter is extremely clear, confident, professional and speaks with a lively tone. Speaks without reference to notes. Excellent use of eye contact, gestures, and body language to effectively engage the audience	Presenter is clear and confident. Minimal reference to notes. Effective use of eye contact, gestures, and body language to effectively engage the audience	Presenter speaks clearly but at times monotonous, only occasionally reads from notes. Efforts made to use eye contact, gestures, and body language to engage the audience.	Presenter can be mostly understood, but lacks clarity. Presenter reads at times from notes/screen and makes limited efforts to engage audience through eye contact, gestures, or body language.	Presenter cannot be heard and/or speaks unclearly that s/he cannot be understood. Presenter reads from notes/screen. Presenter does not attempt to engage the audience through eye contact, gestures, or body language.

Assessment Task 2

Tutorial Participation (5%)

Due Date: This assessment task is assessed weekly, commencing Week 2.

Expectation: Students are required to prepare the relevant set of questions in advance of attending tutorials and come to tutorials prepared for discuss the issues involved, and any difficulties encountered in responding to the set questions and areas where they are in need of clarifications. It is expected that students will attend ALL tutorials scheduled for the course. A participation mark is included for critical in-class (tutorial) discussion. The participation mark is for PARTICIPATION and CONTRIBUTION TO THE DISCUSSION IN TUTORIALS, not for mere attendance. If you attend all tutorials but do not contribute to the majority of tutorials, do not expect to pass this part of the assessment. 

Weekly Marking Guidelines:

You will be assessed on your demonstration of the skills and abilities described in Learning Outcome 5 of the course:

1 mark - Demonstrate the ability to analyse complex issues and formulate well-reasoned and coherent arguments in reaching well considered conclusions.

0 mark - Do not demonstrate the ability to analyse complex issues and formulate well-reasoned and coherent arguments. 

Feedback: Marks for this assessment task will be released progressively in Week 6 and Week 12.

Assessment Task 3

Assignment Part (a) - Referencing exercise (10%)

Due Date: 6pm, Thursday 2nd September, 2021 via Turnitin.

Purpose: To ensure that students are in no doubt as to the level of referencing required in a scholarly paper, to critically analyse a scholarly article, and to identify and organise sources relevant to the completion of the research essay.

Instructions: Students will continue working individually for this assessment task from Week 2. Each student will complete three tasks to help prepare them for the Research Essay: (1) an exercise on identifying sources and referencing them correctly using the Harvard referencing system;

(2) a summary and critical review of a selected academic article and,

(3) an outline of the scholarly articles the group has chosen for the Research Essay and indication of how they will use them.

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.

Further details on this assessment will be provided on Wattle in Week 1.

Assessment Task 4

Assignment Part (b) - Research Essay (25%)

Due Date: 6pm, Thursday 14th October, 2021 via Turnitin.

Purpose: To critically analyse a selected contemporary issue in financial accounting.

Instructions: The Research Essay examines your ability to critical analyse a selected contemporary issue in financial accounting. Students will continue working individually for this assessment task. It is expected that your essay will be broadly researched, clear, well reasoned and argued, and that it will draw upon a considerable range of source material.

Assessment Criteria: The Research Essay will be assessed based upon the following criteria:

• Evidence of scholarly research: extent of literature review, relevance of articles, substantiation of arguments with references to literature.

• Depth and relevance of discussion: coverage and depth in the focus areas of the essay, demonstration of knowledge and understanding of theory.

• Critical analysis: level of critical analysis, argumentation, originality of ideas and insight.

• Written expression: effective language and writing (including attention to grammar and sentence construction), structure and coherence of the essay as a whole.

• Consistency with academic conventions: correct and consistent referencing, formatting and abiding by word count.

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. 

Further details on the Research Essay will be placed on course Wattle website in Week 1.    

Assessment Task 5

Final Examination (50%)

The final exam will be 210 minutes in duration in the form of a take home exam to be submitted via Turnitin.

Invigilation tools may be used. Further details will be provided no later than Week 10.

Centrally administered examinations through Examinations, Graduations & Prizes will be timetabled prior to the examination period. The due date listed in the assessment summary is the earliest possible date. Please check ANU Timetabling for further information. Information regarding exam script viewing will be provided on the Research School of Accounting webpage in due course.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to 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 be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, 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 Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

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

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• 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.

Returning Assignments

Assignments will be returned using the course Wattle site.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted 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.

Resubmission of Assignments

Students may not resubmit assignments.

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