Financial Accounting

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Accounting is the “language of business,” and accounting information is the basis for performance measurement, business contracting, and most operating, investing, and financing decisions that managers make. Financial accounting information affects how individuals outside a company perceive that company, and by extension, the resources available to the company to accomplish its objectives. An understanding of and the ability to use financial accounting information will be essential to your success as a professional manager. This subject is designed to provide students with foundation knowledge about external financial reporting by for-profit entities. This foundation knowledge not only provides the basis for correctly interpreting and using accounting information provided internally to managers for managerial decision making, but also provides the basis for using financial statements for more externally-focused judgments and decisions (e.g., assessing a firm’s intrinsic value or to assess a firm’s strengths and weaknesses relative to competitors).

On completion of this subject, students should be able to:

• Appreciate the measurement and recognition difficulties inherent in financial reporting, as well as the role of judgment in the preparation of financial statements.
• Explain in your own words the purpose and content of the balance sheet, income statement, comprehensive income statement, shareholder equity statement, and cash flow statement, as well as how these five financial statements fit together and how they relate to the company’s financing, investing and operating activities.
• Read, accurately interpret, and discuss financial statements and selected notes to the financial statements.
• Discuss fundamental accounting concepts and issues using everyday language.
• Perform basic analysis of a company’s profitability and provide a reasoned basis for the conclusions drawn from the analysis.

• Contribution to class learning (10%)
  • Throughout subject
• 3 x individual assignments (10%)
  • 200 words each
  • Staggered throughout subject
• Syndicate assignment (10%)
  • equivalent to individual 150-word assessment
  • Between first and second classes
• Syndicate presentation (10%)
• equivalent to individual 1,000-word assessment
• End of subject

• Midterm test (20%)
• 1.5 hours
• Middle of subject

• Final examination (40%)
  • Hurdle requirement
  • 1.5 hours
  • End of subject

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.