Acg12 Unit Information Sp4 2008

AC G12 (2008)

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING 1

UNIT INFORMATION

CHRIS KANDUNIAS

CONTENTS WELCOME UNIT OVERVIEW LEARNING RESOURCES INFORMATION ABOUT ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION AND RETURN OF ASSIGNMENTS EXTENSIONS TO ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES ONLINE AT UNISA INFORMATION ABOUT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES CAMPUS CENTRAL, CENTRE FOR REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT (WHYALLA) OTHER SERVICES FOR STUDENTS ASSIGNMENT FEEDBACK FORM STUDY SCHEDULE

WELCOME Dear Students, I would like to begin by welcoming everyone to Financial Accounting 1 (ACG12); The teaching team look forward to assisting you with your studies in this unit and providing you with academic support to achieve your success. Financial Accounting 1 is a unit designed to meet the needs of students studying towards a specialist accountancy degree. It represents the first of your specialist core units, should you pursue an accountancy degree. This unit introduces a number of fundamental and very important accounting principles. In many cases, it will be the first time that you have encountered these principles. Assumed knowledge The unit has been designed on the basis that you have successfully completed Accounting, Decisions and Accountability (ACG11). This will become apparent from the first week where we revisit topics that were introduced in ACG11 (reversing entries). These topics will be applied to the accounting environment in order to expand your understanding of the accounting process. I strongly recommended that ACG12 be attempted once you have an understanding of the principles covered in ACG11. A common question I get asked is whether ACG12 can be completed if ACG11 has not been successfully completed. It is possible to pass ACG12 without the prior grounding provided in ACG11. However, ACG12 is somewhat challenging and students who have not obtained the necessary basis accounting skills in ACG11 struggle to cope with the material covered in ACG12. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that if you have not completed the material covered in ACG11 in your prior studies, that you do not undertake ACG12. The first few weeks of the unit will require you to manage your time efficiently. You will be preparing an accounting practice set manually. The practice set requires a good deal of time to complete and you will need to ensure that you do not leave the completion of the practice set until the end of the study period. Access to a computer and the Internet will be beneficial in completing this unit. 1

The academic staff for this Unit will be providing assistance via the unit homepage and it is imperative that students visit the unit homepage on a regular basis to ensure they are fully informed of any assistance provided during the study period. In particular, staff will be providing assistance via the discussion forums available on the unit website. The discussion forums will be monitored on a regular basis by a designated tutor to provide you with as much timely assistance as possible to compensate for the tyranny of distance. One of the key requirements of this unit is the completion of a manual practice set. This should be more than simply completing a unit requirement. Students will find completing the practice set demanding and somewhat time consuming but students who put in the required effort gain invaluable skills and rapidly expand their understanding of important accounting concepts and processes as a result of this activity. One of the aims of this practice set is to promote an early appreciation in students of the mechanisms of recording financial information. The unit takes a methodical approach with the focus on ensuring the processes are understood by students rather than teaching bookkeeping. To this end, it is important to use the resources available to you to ensure you have a working knowledge of the material covered in this unit. The unit includes a number of topics related to financial accounting, which are mostly aimed at introducing students to the International Accounting Standards. These Standards, in turn, are a response to some of the conceptual issues associated with these topics and, naturally, emphasis will be placed on introducing students to a conceptual understanding of each topic as well as a thorough practical application to the particular topic. I would like to emphasise though, that in approaching the study of these topics, you work towards a balance between the Standards, the concepts and the practical. You will not required to have an in depth knowledge of the Standards but you should be aware of their potential impact on your practical work. You will not need access to the Accounting Standards. The coverage provided in the textbook in relation to the Accounting Standards will suffice for the purposes of this unit. I welcome you to this unit and hope that you find the unit challenging and rewarding. A strong student community spirit is built through the discussion forums and I strongly encourage all students to participate. Please keep an eye on the unit website for additional material which will assist you in your coverage of the early weeks of the unit. I wish you the best of success in this unit and in your studies. Chris Kandunias Unit Coordinator

School contact details School of Commerce University of South Australia City West Campus GPO Box 2471 Telephone: (08) 8302 7231 Email: [email protected] Fax: (08) 8302 0992

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UNIT OVERVIEW Value of unit:

1

8

of a full-time load

Offered in study period 4, 2008

Prerequisites/Assumed knowledge Before undertaking Financial Accounting 1 (ACG12), students are expected to have successfully completed the following unit (or equivalent). •

Accounting, Decisions and Accountability (ACG11)

NOTE: Students who are currently waiting on their result for ACG11 from the previous study period can continue their studies in ACG12. Students who fail ACG11 in SP3, 2008 may continue their enrolment in ACG12 in the current study period.

Unit statement This unit aims to provide the foundational framework of financial accounting in the context of the corporate entity. It provides an integrated exposure to fundamental accounting systems and the accounting cycle. The student is introduced to fundamental accounting concepts and will be exposed to the theoretical and conceptual issues of financial accounting.

Learning objectives On completion of this unit students should be able to: •

discuss from an introductory perspective the theoretical, conceptual and ethical environments in the practice of financial accounting;

•

outline the content of a number of Accounting Standards and their application to the basic practice of corporate financial accounting;

•

apply an integrated knowledge of the financial accounting process and recognise the procedures required for designing and implementing accounting systems, both manual and computer based;

•

display a grounding in fundamental financial accounting practice as applied to a variety of basic issues confronted by accountants.

Teaching and learning arrangements This unit is taught through the use of an online study guide, together with tutorial questions to be completed for each week of the course. Practice examinations and solutions are provided to assist with preparation for the final examination.

Special requirements In order to be granted a pass in this unit, students must: •

achieve a mark of 50% or more in the aggregate of all assessment tasks; and

•

achieve a mark of 50% or more in the final examination.

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Supervised assessment/exam This unit involves a supervised exam. Please be sure to read the section entitled ‘Exams’ under ‘Information about policies and procedures’ later in this Unit information. Alternatively, you can also access information about exam processes online at http://www.unisa.edu.au/oua/.

Study schedule A table outlining the unit structure and study schedule is printed at the back of this guide. Please refer to it for important information regarding due dates for assignments.

LEARNING RESOURCES Materials dispatched for this unit Unit information

Online learning resources Online study guide Readings Practice Examination Papers For this unit, the Study guide and readings are available online only. You can access these online learning resources either through myUniSA at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/myunisa or from a link on the unit home page which has been established on the UniSAnet system (UniSAnet is the online study environment at UniSA). Please note: For further details on how to access and log-on to your online materials, please read the instructions provided later in this Unit information in the section entitled ‘Online at UniSA’.

Online discussion forum As part of the Online learning resources for this unit, you will also be provided with access to an online discussion forum. You can use this forum to discuss academic issues in relation to this unit with your allocated Tutor and with other students. Your tutor will be checking the postings to the Discussion forum on a regular basis and will reply to queries which have been posted.

Specific arrangements Due to the large number of students enrolled in this unit, students will be divided up into groups and allocated to separate discussion forums. Each of these forums will be monitored by a separate Tutor. This approach will enable you to receive more individualised support than would otherwise be the case. While you will be able to see the postings in different forums, you should only post your messages to the discussion forums which have been set up for you. Further information about these groups will be provided to you online via the online study guide at the beginning of the study period.

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Benefits of online discussion You are strongly encouraged to check your discussion forum on a regular basis for postings from other students and from your Tutor. The Discussion forum will be monitored throughout the study period on weekdays and replies will be given to all postings on a regular basis. Feedback from students undertaking ACG12 in previous study periods has been positive in regards to the use of online discussion forums. You will find that a strong student community exists within this unit and that the Discussion forum will allow you to communicate with both the Coordinator/Tutor and other students in a friendly environment. This will help to prevent you from feeling isolated, and will provide you with the necessary supports as you progress through the unit.

Appropriate use of the online discussion environment for ACG12 Before you post a query, please check the earlier messages to make sure that your query has not been responded to previously. It is an expectation that students have checked previous postings before asking a query to ensure that the query has not already been addressed. This will save students time waiting for a response. In addition, it is strongly recommended that you check the Discussion forum regularly for any updated information from your Tutor. Similarly, it is recommended that you check the Discussion forum before you submit particular assignments. Feedback for assignments will be provided on the Discussion forum in addition to other resources which may assist students in their studies. Please take care with the use of professional language in messages posted, and please do not ask for private or personal information as this cannot be dealt with in a public discussion forum. Please also refrain from using “sms and abbreviated language” when posting messages on the Discussion forum. Examples of this include “u (you), ppl (people), r (are) etc). The Coordinator reserves the right to remove any inappropriate messages without recourse. The teaching staff in the unit thank you in advance for adhering to these rules of conduct. Please note: Administrative or personal queries should not be posted to the Discussion forum(s). Rather they should be sent to Campus Central, Centre for Regional Engagement (Whyalla) by emailing [email protected].

Set text You will need continual access to the following texts in order to complete this unit. The library may hold only one copy of the nominated text books and therefore you will need to acquire the books. Hall, Peter (2008). Toys galore manual accounting practice set. Sprintprint. ISBN 9781741038675. Hoggett, John; Edwards, Lew and Medlin, John (2006). Accounting. 6th edition. Brisbane: John Wiley and Sons.

Text supplier (Unibooks) OUA has established a textbook supply service through Unibooks. Further information is available from the Open Universities Australia 2008 Handbook, and OUA website at www.open.edu.au You can order textbooks by contacting Unibooks: Phone:

(08) 8223 4366 1800 447 313 (price of a local call; mobiles may pay more) 61 8 8223 4366 (international callers) 5

Fax: (08) 08 8223 4876 Email: [email protected] WWW: www.unibooks.com.au Postal address: Unibooks University of Adelaide Gate 10 Victoria Drive Adelaide SA 5005

Other resources References (Not to be purchased) Australian Society of CPAs and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. The Accounting Handbook. Volume 1 (latest edition). Sydney: Pearson. Note: While not a required text access to this handbook will be of great benefit to those of you seeking to extend your knowledge beyond the basics. Deegan, Craig (2002). Australian Financial Accounting. 3rd edition. Sydney: McGraw-Hill. Henderson, Scott, Peirson, Graham and Harris, Kate (2004). Issues in Financial Accounting. 11th edition. Sydney: Pearson Education. Parker, C and Porter, B (2002). Australian GAAP. 6th edition. Melbourne: Parker Publishing.

Other resources The textbook has a website that provides many useful resources for students at: http://www.johnwiley.com.au/highered/a6e//student-res/ The resources on the unit website include: Practice Mid Semester Tests Current affairs noticeboard Study skills Worked problems and solutions Working Papers • general ledger accounts • 10 column worksheets Glossary Links • professional associations • •

business information newspapers and magazines

•

firms and consultants

• corporate Past examination papers with solutions Study Guide Sampler

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Learning Connection resources You can access a wide range of study skills resources from the UniSA Learning Connection website. In particular, the following specific sections of this website are recommended:

Studying at UniSA http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/learningconnection/student/studying/default.asp This section provides links to a wide range of online resources which have been designed to help you develop and enhance the general learning skills you require for successful study.

Referencing (and avoiding plagiarism) http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/learningconnection/student/studying/ referencing.asp Adopting a correct approach to referencing (and avoiding plagiarism) are key issues which need to be addressed by students undertaking assignments at university level. Therefore, we recommend that you spend some time working through the various guides incorporated in this section of the Learning Connection website.

Referencing using the Harvard author-date system http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/learningconnection/student/learningAdvisors/docu ments/harvard-referencing.pdf This downloadable file is located in the Referencing section of the Learning Connection website. It provides detailed information about how to reference correctly using the Harvard author-date system. Please note: A number of the pages and downloadable files on the UniSA Learning Connection website refer students to contact staff from the Learning Connection if they need further assistance with their studies. Unfortunately, this option is not available to students enrolled through Open Universities Australia. However, you are encouraged to make use of those resources which are available online as part of the Learning Connection website, and which are relevant to your studies.

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INFORMATION ABOUT ASSESSMENT ASSESSMENT SUMMARY 1 Assignment 1 Graded: Weighting: Due date:

20% Monday of week 5 (29 December 2008)

2 Assignment 2 (Online assignment) Online test Graded: Weighting: 20% Duration: 2 days Due date: Monday of week 7 (12 January) IMPORTANT: Details relating to the online assignment are shown below 3 Assignment 3 Completion of practice set (Manual)—Toys Galore Graded: Weighting: 15% Due date: Tuesday of week 11 (10 February 2008)

Please note: If an extension is requested for the practice set, you may not receive your marked practice set back prior to sitting the exam. 4 Examination Supervised and closed book conditions Weighting: 45% Duration: 3 hours Date: The exam will be held during week 14 of the study period. An announcement will be made on the Discussion forum, when the exam timetable has been released. In order to pass this unit you must comply with all of the following requirements: •

achieve a mark of 50% or more in the aggregate of all assessment tasks; and

•

achieve a mark of 50% or more in the final examination.

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Penalties Assignments MUST be posted/submitted via AssignIT by 11:00 pm (Adelaide time) on the due date (unless an extension has been applied for and granted—see below). A penalty of ten per cent (10%) per calendar day, will be applied. For example, a student scoring 80% for an assignment handed in three days late will be penalised a total of 30%. Therefore, the final grade will be 50%. Please note that Saturday and Sunday count as days. Therefore, an assignment due on Friday, and posted/faxed on the Monday will be penalised 30%. Note: Assignments that are lodged after other student assignments are returned to students, (and for which no extension has been granted or contact with the Unit Coordinator has not been made) will not be marked and will be graded zero. There will be no extension available for the online test (assignment 2). Students who are unable to sit the online test will be required to change the weighting of the final examination (subject to the receipt of documentation indicating that the student cannot submit the online test). Do not submit/post assignments via email to the Unit Coordinator. All assignments must be submitted directly to via AssignIT or via post to the address shown in this booklet.

DETAILS OF ASSESSMENT Details relating to the first assignment will be available separately in the assignment booklet. Format/expectations As part of the online resources for this unit, a downloadable proforma document will be provided which you can use to answer the questions of the first assignment. The proforma document will contain templates for you to use to answer the questions. This proforma document will be provided on the unit home page as part of the Online study guide for ACG12 in the section entitled ‘Unit resources’. Please use this proforma to do all questions for Assignment 1. If you are submitting by post, you can download a copy of the document to your computer, complete your answers, and then print out your completed assignment. Similarly, if you are submitting online using AssignIT, you can enter your answers electronically into a copy of this proforma document and submit the completed copy using AssignIT. Note: Please ensure that a completed Assignment Information sheet (as included at the front of the proforma) is included with your assignment. Assignments without the coversheet will not be marked.

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Assignment 2 – Online assignment Format/expectations Assignment 2 will assess material covered in the first 4 weeks of the study period. The assignment will be made available on Friday 9th January from the Unit website. Students will be able to download the assignment. Students will have until Monday 12th January to complete the assignment. The assignment is not supervised and is open book. Students can use all available resources to complete the assignment. The assignment MUST be submitted via AssignIT on Monday 12th January by 11:00pm CST (Adelaide time). This will allow students who work to be able to complete the assignment on the evenings of Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There are no exception so this. Given the short time period for the test, extensions are not allowed for the online assignment. Students who do not submit the assignment by the deadline will receive zero for the assessment. Students can post queries on the discussion forum relating to the second assignment. Questions related to the assignment will not be answered by the tutors. However, students may discuss the assignment with each other on the discussion forums. Students will be provided with a blank pre-formatted template to be used in answering the questions. The assignment will NOT cover the material from week 2 of the unit. You will only be examined on weeks 1, 3, and 4 in the third assignment. Assignment 2 is not redeemable. If you are unable to download and complete the assignment due to illness or an unforeseen event, you will need to contact the School of Commerce. In these circumstances, you are required to notify the OUA advisors (UniSA) within 2 working days after the assignment (ie by Wednesday of week 7 stating your reasons for being unable to complete the assignment. You will be required to submit documentary evidence (eg a medical certificate). Subject to the compliance of the documentation, students who are unable to submit the second assignment will have the weighting of the assignment added to the final examination. That is, the final examination will be worth 65%.

Assignment 3 (Completion of manual practice set) Format/expectations The practice set is a simulated series of transactions for a business that is required to be processed for an entire accounting cycle. You are required to purchase the practice set book (as listed under ‘Learning resources—set texts’ above) and this is to be submitted in its entirety with the required sections completed. Details relating to the submission requirements for the manual practice set will be made available for download from the Online study guide website on the unit home page. Do not submit photocopies or incomplete books for the final submission.

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EXAM INFORMATION Details relating to the final examination will become available later in the unit. This information will be made available for download from the ‘Resources’ section of the Online study guide.

Details of examination The exam will assess work from all topics of the unit; however, the material covered in Topics 1 and 3–12 inclusive are the main focus. The exam is structured in such a way that for every question 50% or more of the marks are allocated to demonstrating an ability to apply the essential learning objectives of each topic examined. Details of specific format and any other relevant information to do with exam content are provided as part of the learning resources for this unit on the unit website. The exam will be 3 hours in duration plus 10 minutes reading time. No materials other than writing implements and a non-programmable calculator are required or permitted to be used in the examination.

Exam arrangements Student enrolled in this unit includes will be allocated to an approved University exam centre. The examination centre allocation will be made according to your home address recorded on the student record system five weeks before the scheduled examination period. Confirmation of the centre that you need to attend will be provided approximately three weeks prior to the exam. Individual alternative arrangements will be made for a small number of students who are in remote locations and not within reasonable distance of an approved centre. IMPORTANT: If your name changes during the study period (eg marriage), please ensure you include both your original surname and updated surname to ensure your result(s) are processed as soon as possible.

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SUBMISSION AND RETURN OF ASSIGNMENTS ONLINE SUBMISSION (ASSIGNIT) For this unit, assignment 1 must be submitted online using AssignIT only (for exceptions see under ‘Postal submission’ below). AssignIT is a UniSA service that facilitates the online submission of assignments via a web-based interface. The manual practice set must be posted—a computer printout of the journals, ledgers and financial reports will not be accepted. The original practice set must be manually completed and submitted. Please note: Assignments submitted by email will not be accepted. An essential guide which explains how to use AssignIT can be found at http://www.unisa.edu.au/helpstudents/assignit/default.asp. However, please note the following key points: •

Access. AssignIT can be accessed either from a link on your unit home page or online at: http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/assignit/

•

Log-on details. Your log-on details are the same as for your online learning resources. (See the section ‘Online at UniSA’ in this Unit information.)

•

Assignment cover sheet. When you submit your assignment using AssignIT, you must include an Assignment cover sheet and type your name where the form asks for your signature. An electronic copy of this form is available from a link on the unit home page. You can copy and paste this document into the front of your assignment. If the assignment is a group assignment, then you should use the group Assignment cover sheet. Assignments cannot be accepted if the cover sheet is not included.

•

Email notification of receipt. When using AssignIT to submit assignments, you will receive an email notification to confirm that your assignment has been submitted.

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Assignments submitted by email directly to the co-ordinator or tutor will not be accepted or marked. This is without exception. All assignments must be submitted via AssignIT to ensure they are marked and returned to students.

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Assignments must be submitted using a Word document. Excel files, PDF files, and ZIP files will not be accepted through AssignIT. Assignments will be marked online and comments provided on the document itself. Therefore, we cannot accept PDF versions of a document.

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On the due date, Assignments must be forwarded before the scheduled closing time of AssignIT, otherwise they will be deemed at least one day late (unless an extension has been granted). For example, a student submitting 2 hours after the deadline will be penalised 10 marks for being late. The specified time for submission is ALWAYS Adelaide South Australian time. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure they know the correct S.A. time for submission of their assignment.

Return of assignments submitted by AssignIT If the marked assignment is returned by AssignIT you will receive an email notification and you will be able to view your mark on myUniSA.

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POSTAL SUBMISSION Assignments can only be submitted by post if: •

The assignment is required in a format that cannot be submitted electronically (eg a folio of non-text items). Please refer to the section in this Unit information on ‘Assessment details’.

•

The student is in an isolated environment where Internet access is not available.

•

AssignIT has a function failure on the date when the assignment is due.

In the cases specified above, the mailing address for assignments is the School Office (see address details in the ‘Welcome’ section of this Unit information)

Important points to note about postal submission When sending in your assignments by post, it is important to: •

Retain a copy for your records.

•

Number the pages and staple them together. Do not use pins or paper clips as these catch on other assignments in the sorting and mailing process, and your assignment could be lost.

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Do not send assignments in folders, binding, or plastic sleeves. Simply submit assignments by stapling the top left hand corner.

•

Attach an Assignment cover sheet, completed in full, to the front of each of your assignments. Make sure you include your UniSA ID number. These sheets can be downloaded from your unit home page. Please note: Assignments cannot be accepted if a signed Assignment cover sheet is not included.

FACSIMILE SUBMISSION Assignments can only be submitted by fax if: •

The assignment is required in a format that cannot be submitted electronically (eg a folio of non-test items)

•

The student is in an isolated environment where Internet access isn’t available.

•

AssignIT has a function failure on the date when the assignment is due.

Assignments cannot be faxed by students residing within Australia. Only students residing overseas may fax assignments. This submission facility for students residing overseas is provided to avoid delays in assignment receipt which can occur with postal delivery. The fax number is: Fax: Fax: (61 8) 83020992

DUE DATE The due date refers to the date for submission of your assignments. Please note the following in relation to the specific time deadlines for various submission methods: •

Online submission. Submission of assignments via AssignIT may be made at any time until no later than 11:00 pm Australian Central Standard Time (Adelaide time) on the due date.

•

Postal submission. Assignments/ materials submitted in hard copy must be postmarked or officially franked (as having been sent) before or by 5:00 pm on that date. When posting an assignment, please get the Post Office to ensure that

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the envelope is postmarked, as some methods don’t automatically provide a postmark. •

Fax submission. Submission of assignments via fax may be made at any time until no later than 5.00 pm Australian Central Standard Time (Adelaide time) on the due date. You will note that this is earlier than the time for online submission. This is to ensure that your fax can be received and confirmed as being received on the due date.

ASSIGNMENT TURNAROUND TIME Our goal is that your assignments will normally be returned to you within 3 weeks of the date received.

FINAL GRADES Final grades are published approximately 4-6 weeks after the end of the study period and can be accessed at myUniSA. Please do not contact the Unit Co-ordinator directly requesting a final result. Results are released via the University and cannot be released by the Unit Co-ordinator.

EARLY RESULTS Students sometimes require their results by an earlier date for a specific purpose; for example, an application for a postgraduate program. To apply for an early result you need to send a written application to the Unit Coordinator with the relevant documentation; for example, your letter from VTAC indicating the deadline for applications. In these cases the university will try to meet the request—although it can't be guaranteed due to the logistics of exam papers being returned, availability of academic staff etc. Please note that requests for early release of final grades need to be submitted by Friday of week 11. Results cannot be supplied less than 3 weeks after the end of the study period.

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EXTENSIONS TO ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES •

A 7 day extension request form is now available via your online course pages.

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To submit this form you must use the relevant unit link via AssignIT labelled: ‘7 Day Extension Request form submission – assignment (Assignment Number) only’

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For example: the unit AssignIT open link should look something like: 7 Day Extension Request form submission – assignment two only

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If you require a 7 day extension for an assignment please fill out the 7 Day Extension Request Form and submit via the relevant AssignIT link.

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You will receive an AssignIT successful submission confirmation email.

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Retain this email as it is your extension confirmation. This is the only confirmation you will receive.

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7 day extensions requested via email fax, via e-mail directly to the Unit coordinator or phone will not be accepted!

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The AssignIt link will close just before midnight 2 days before the due date. No extensions will be accepted once this link has closed.

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Please Note: NO date changes to your assignment due date will occur on your MyUniSA pages once you have submitted the request form – you must remember the extension due date and time and submit prior to this.

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**If you require an extension of more than 7 days you will need to check your unit information to make sure the unit you are studying allows more than 7 day extensions and use the form found at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/oua/admin/forms.asp and email to: [email protected] with relevant documentation to support your request.

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Requests for more than 7 day extensions need to be approved by the unit coordinator.

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An extension for assignment 2 (online assignment) is not available. Please refer to the relevent section in the Unit Information for more details relating to the onoline assignment.

EXTENSION REQUESTS OF MORE THAN 7 DAYS •

Requests for an extension of more than 10 days are not allowed for this Unit under any circumstances.

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In requesting an extension of more than 7 days, you are required to include a written statement which explains the reason why this extension is needed and any other supporting documentation. For example, if your reason is healthrelated, you should attach a medical certificate.

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Requests for an extension of more than 7 days must also be made at least 2 days before the due date of the assignment.

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•

A maximum extension of 10 calendar days can be given to students for assignment 1 and 3 in this unit. Students cannot request an extension for longer than 10 calendar days as assignments lodged by the original due date will begin to be returned to students after the 10 day extension time has elapsed. A penalty of 100% will be applied for assignments submitted more than 10 days after the original due date.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT EXTENSIONS It is in your interests to think through the consequences of late submission of assignments. A first assignment submitted late may not be able to be returned to you before the second assignment is due. You may then find yourself in the position of having to submit a second assignment before receiving feedback on the first. Second assignments submitted late may not be returned before the exam. Extra time spent on an assignment may reduce the time you have available to do the next assignment or to study for the exam. A 13-week study period can pass very quickly! SUPPLEMENTARY ASSESSMENTS In this unit supplementary assessment will only be considered where the student has: •

made a genuine attempt at and submitted all of the assignments within 5 days of the due date, achieved at least 40% in the aggregate of these assignments, and

•

achieved at least 50% in the final examination

Supplementary exams In accordance with Division policy, supplementary exams are not offered in this unit.

ONLINE AT UNISA How do I find the online learning resources for my unit? One means of accessing your online learning resources is by going to myUniSA http://www.unisa.edu.au/myunisa, which is the UniSA web-based portal for studyrelated information and resources. For further details on myUniSA, please refer to the subsection below entitled ‘Student information via the Web: myUniSA’. Alternatively, you can access your online materials by going to the unit home page, which has been established on the UniSAnet system (UniSAnet is the online study environment at UniSA). To go to the unit home page, enter the unit code ACG12 in the search field entitled ‘Area and Catalogue No’ on the following web page, and then click on the related search button: http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/courses/ Once you reach the unit home page, if you check underneath the heading ‘Learning resources for this unit’, you will see a link to the Online study guide. If you click on this link, you will be asked to enter your log-on details. If these details are correct, you will then be able to access the online learning resources.

Your UniSA username and password If you are a new student you will receive a letter the week before the study period starts with your username and password 16

Help—I can’t log-on! 1. Are you entering the correct username and password? 2. Are you a student currently enrolled in an OUA unit offered by the University of South Australia? If you are not sure of your enrolment status, contact Campus Central, Centre for Regional Engagement (Whyalla). 3. If you are enrolled and still can’t log-on please contact the IT Help Desk (details below

STUDENT INFORMATION VIA THE WEB: MYUNISA What is myUniSA? All students who are currently enrolled with UniSA have access to myUniSA, a webbased portal for study-related information and resources.

What information can I access? The information available through myUniSA includes the following: •

Links to online resources provided for your unit—unit home page, online learning resources, discussion forums, AssignIT etc.

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Unit enrolments—unit code, unit value, study period, teaching school, etc.

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Personal details—full name, date of birth, postal address and contact details.

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Materials dispatch—dates products have been sent to you.

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Assignment details—dates assignments have been submitted by AssignIT. Marks of assignments returned by AssignIT.

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Exam timetables—for units in which you are currently enrolled.

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Final grade—your overall final grade can be accessed online approximately 4-6 weeks after the end of the study period.

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Access to your UniSA email account and library records.

Is myUniSA secure? Yes. You are the only person who can access your information in myUniSA as long as you: •

don’t share your username and password with anyone else; and also

•

close all Web browsers completely when you have finished using myUniSA.

myUniSA also provides you with the option to change your password (see the link available on the initial log-on page). This is another way of keeping your account secure.

How do I log-on to myUniSA? 1. Go to the UniSA home page: http://www.unisa.edu.au 2. Click on the word 'myUniSA' on the menu bar at the top of the page. 3. You will then be taken to a 'Welcome to myUniSA' page. Click on the link on this page which says 'Log on to myUniSA'. 4. You will then be prompted with a ‘Username and Password’ pop-up window as below:

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5. At the log-on screen enter your username and password. Enter all information in lower case. 6. Select ‘OK’.

What if the personal details information I find in myUniSA is incorrect? Change it straight away! It is very important that the information the University has about you and your study is correct. Having an incorrect address can mean you do not receive vital information from the University; being incorrectly enrolled can mean you will be charged an incorrect fee. If you need to change your contact details (address, phone number, etc), please refer to ‘Change of address’ in the ‘Campus Central, Centre for Regional Engagement (Whyalla)’ section of this Unit information. To change other information, contact the IT Help Desk (details below).

Help—I don’t understand some of the information I can see! Each screen in myUniSA has online help which explains the information displayed on the screen. Select the ‘Help’ button at the top of the screen to open the online help. (Select the X in the top right corner to close.) If you need further assistance, contact the IT Help Desk (details below).

EMAIL As part of the enrolment process, all students are issued with a University email account. Your email address is made up like this: (your username)@students.unisa.edu.au. Email is the designated form of contact for a number of UniSA administrative processes. These processes include: •

AssignIT. When using AssignIT to submit assignments, you will receive email notifications when assignments are submitted and/or returned.

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•

Library. If you borrow books from the UniSA Library you will receive email notices about overdue items. Fees can apply to overdue items. For details, please refer to the Flexible Information Service website: http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/fds/

•

Other UniSA notices. From time to time, other sections of the University send out emails to all students (including OUA students). Some of these messages may be relevant to OUA students, but it is possible that some of these emails will not be directly relevant.

To obtain this information, it is recommended that you log-on to your University of South Australia email account on at least a weekly basis. Note: If you are unable to access your email, you should contact the IT Help Desk at the beginning of the study period. NOTE: Please do not ask for any results using a hotmail or personal e-mail account. Details relating to student performance will only be disclosed via a designated student e-mail account.

Redirection of your UniSA email Your UniSA email account is the email address that we will use to contact you. We will not contact you using an alternative email address. If you would like to use a different or secondary email address to receive email, you can redirect your UniSA email to your home or work email address by using the Email Redirection application on myUniSA. Redirecting your UniSA email enables you to receive your UniSA email in your home or work inbox. For further information, please visit the ‘Email redirection’ webpage on the UniSA Information Strategy and Technology Services website: http://www.unisa.edu.au/ists/email/email_redirect.asp

How do I access my UniSA email account? You can access your email account through logging onto myUniSA. Alternatively, you can access your email by doing the following: 1. Go to the UniSA home page: http://www.unisa.edu.au/ 2. Click on the word ‘Email’ on the menu at the top of the page. 3. You will then be prompted with a ‘Username and Password’ pop-up window. •

Enter your username

•

Enter your password

•

Press your ‘Enter/Return’ key or select ‘OK’.

You should now have access to your UniSA email account. Assistance for accessing your email http://www.unisa.edu.au/ists/Email/default.asp

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can

be

obtained

at:

IT HELP DESK Contact the IT Help Desk (http://www.unisa.edu.au/ists/ITHelpDesk/default.asp) if you are having difficulty accessing UniSAnet, myUniSA or your email account. IT Help Desk phones are monitored Monday through Friday 8.30 am to 9.00 pm Adelaide time. Phone:

(08) 8302 5000 1300 558 654 (price of a local call; mobiles may pay more) 61 8 8302 5000 (international callers)

INFORMATION ABOUT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES ASSESSMENT GRADES Universities offering OUA units have agreed to use a common set of assessment grades for work submitted by students. Grade High distinction Distinction Credit Pass Fail Withdrawal

Notation

Notational %

HD D C P N W

85+% 75–84% 65–74% 50–64% <50%

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY UniSA aims to foster and preserve the scholarly values of curiosity, experimentation, critical appraisal and integrity and to foster these values in students. Throughout the learning experience, you are expected to adhere to high standards of academic integrity and honesty. Failure to do so may constitute academic misconduct (see section 9 of the Assessment policies and procedures manual at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/policies/manual/). Academic misconduct includes the following: •

Plagiarism (see below).

•

Breaches of the examination procedures in Section 6: Examination Procedures of the Assessment policies and procedures manual, presentation of data with respect to laboratory work, field trips or other work that has been copied, falsified or in other ways improperly obtained.

•

Inclusion of material in individual work that has involved significant assistance from another person, where such assistance is not expressly permitted in this booklet.

•

Falsification or misrepresentation of academic records.

•

Other actions that contravene the principles of academic integrity.

Plagiarism is a specific form of academic misconduct. Deliberate plagiarism is regarded as a serious act of academic misconduct. Plagiarism includes the following: 20

a. direct copying of the work or data of other persons, from one or more sources, without clearly indicating the origin. This includes both paper-based and electronic sources of material from websites, books, articles, unpublished work such as theses, working papers, seminar and conference papers, internal reports, lecture notes or tapes, and visual materials such as photographs, drawings and designs b. using very close paraphrasing of sentences or whole clauses without due acknowledgement in the form of reference to the original work c. submitting another student's work in whole or in part, where such assistance is not expressly permitted in the Unit information d. use of another person's ideas, work or research data without acknowledgement e. submitting work that has been written by someone else on the student's behalf f.

copying computer files, algorithms or computer code without clearly indicating their origin

g. submitting work that has been derived, in whole or in part, from another student's work by a process of mechanical transformation (eg changing variable names in computer programs) h. in any way appropriating or imitating another's ideas and manner of expressing them where such assistance is not expressly permitted in the Unit information. Students' work may be checked for plagiarism using a variety of means, including text comparison software. Assignments checked electronically will be held in a database for future matching processes. More information about Academic integrity can be found in the Assessment policies and procedures manual at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/policies/manual or on the Learning Connection website at: http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/learningconnection/student/studying/integrity.asp

UNIT COUNSELLING For this unit, there are a number of definite processes which need to be followed in order to obtain advice about administrative and academic matters. For all administrative queries, please contact Campus Central, Centre for Regional Engagement (Whyalla). This should be done by emailing your query to [email protected]. (Additional contact details are provided in this Unit information in the section entitled ‘Campus Central, Centre for Regional Engagement (Whyalla)’. Alternatively, if you have a query about the academic content of the unit, you should post your query to the Discussion forum on the unit home page. The Unit Coordinator or one of the tutors for the unit will be checking this Discussion forum on a regular basis and will reply to your query. Further information about the Discussion forum facility is provided in this Unit information in the section entitled ‘Learning Resources’.

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VARIATION TO ASSESSMENT TASKS Students may request a variance to assessment methods, tasks and timelines based on medical, compassionate or religious observance grounds, or community services. Such variations must be requested before or during the second teaching week or within 5 working days of the distribution of this Unit information. Variations requested after this date will need to be negotiated with the Unit Coordinator and may not be able to be accommodated.

RESUBMISSION There is no provision for resubmission of assignments, unless invited to do so by the Unit Coordinator.

DEFERRED EXAMS A student may apply for a deferred examination on medical or compassionate grounds if the student believes that illness, disability through accident and/or other special circumstances prevented their attendance at the final examination or submission of the final assessment item. A student can only apply for a deferred examination if they meet all the criteria below: •

The student did not attend the final examination and/or did not submit the final assessment for the unit

•

The student was unable to attend the final examination for medical or other circumstances

•

The circumstances happened in a period of time directly relating to attendance at the examination

•

The student is able to provide documentary evidence to support their application

•

The student has submitted all unsupervised assessment items

Applications must be lodged at Campus Central, Whyalla no later than FIVE working days after the examination date. The ‘OUA Application to defer final examination’ form is available at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/oua/admin/forms.asp NB: If you live in a remote location, you can submit you form by fax or email, however, you will still need to submit the original documents, and your application will not be processed until the original documents are received. The original documents must be received at Campus Central Whyalla within 15 days of the date of the exam. You will be notified in writing by the University of the outcome of your application. More information on deferred assessment can be found in the Assessment policies and procedures manual in section 7 (clause 7.4) at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/policies/manual/ or on the Student & Academic Services OUA website at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/oua/Ask_OUA/faq/

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SPECIAL CONSIDERATION If you attend the exam and believe that your performance was affected by illness, disability through an accident and/or other special circumstances, you can apply for special consideration. A student can only apply for special consideration if they meet all the criteria below: 2. The student did attend the final examination for the unit 3. The student’s academic performance was significantly impacted for medical or other circumstances 4. The circumstances happened in a period of time directly relating to attendance at the examination or submission of the final assignment 5. The student is able to provide documentary evidence to support their application Applications must be lodged at Campus Central Whyalla no later than FIVE working days after the examination date (only the Director: Student & Academic Services can waive this timeframe). The ‘OUA Application to for special consideration’ form is available at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/oua/admin/forms.asp All applications for Special Consideration will be referred to the Unit Coordinator for decision. NB: If you live in a remote location, you can submit you form by fax or email, however, you will still need to submit the original documents, and your application will not be processed until the original documents are received. The original documents must be received at Campus Central Whyalla within 15 days of the date of the exam. You will be advised by the Unit Coordinator or delegate of the outcome of your application. More information on special consideration can be found in the Assessment policies and procedures manual in section 7 (clause 7.5) at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/policies/manual/or on the Student & Academic Services OUA website at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/oua/Ask_OUA/faq/

EXAMS Most undergraduate OUA units have exams in the week after the end of a study period. It is important that you read this information carefully. •

The University makes arrangements for students to sit their exams at approved exam centres. This includes all domestic and international students.

•

All exams are held during business hours.

•

Students are sent a letter with the details of the centre to attend in week 10.

•

The university pays the cost of the invigilation. However, students need to cover any transport costs. In nearly all cases the centre will be within reasonable proximity to your address.

•

Exams must be sat at the scheduled time and date. Only where a student has an exam scheduled at the same time with another institution are alternative arrangements negotiated. Students in this situation need to contact the Examination Officer by week 8. 23

•

You need to ensure that your registered address with the university is current and correct. The address used will be the one designated on myUniSA 5 weeks prior to you being contacted. The centre designation cannot be changed after week 8.

•

There will be a small number of students located in remote areas in which we do not have access to professional examination centres. In these situations, we will contact the students individually to discuss options for the supervision of their examinations.

•

Students who have a Disability Access Plan indicating special arrangements for their examinations should contact the Examinations Officer by the end of week 8 to ensure that the correct arrangements for their examination are in place.

•

If you wish to apply for Variations to standard requirements you should access the information in regard to criteria and the form that needs to be submitted from the OUA @ UniSA website at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/oua/

•

Please note: It is a complex task to arrange centres for large numbers of students in a diverse range of locations. It is not possible therefore to accommodate individual requests for preferred exam centres.

If you have any queries relating to exams, please contact the Examinations Office using the following contact details: Examinations Officer Phone: 1300 361 450 (price of a local call; mobiles may cost more) Email: [email protected]

WITHDRAWAL OF STUDY Withdrawal The exact process for withdrawing from a unit depends on when you decide to withdraw.

Withdrawals before the OUA Census Date If you decide to withdraw from a unit before the OUA Census Date (end of week 3), you need to contact Open Universities Australia. Please note that withdrawals from an OUA unit prior to the Census Date are eligible for a partial refund. However, refunds are not possible after the Census Date, except when an application for special circumstances is approved by Open Universities Australia. For further information about withdrawing from a unit before the Census Date, please refer to the Open Universities Australia 2008 Handbook or contact Open Universities Australia.

Withdrawals after the OUA Census Date If you decide to withdraw from a unit after the OUA Census Date, please complete a ‘Withdrawal form’, and send it to Campus Central, Centre for Regional Engagement (Whyalla). A copy of this form can be downloaded from the unit home page or the OUA @ UniSA website at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/oua/. Withdrawals under this process can only be accepted when lodged by Friday of week 10 of the study period. To confirm a withdrawal using this process, you can check your myUniSA record for confirmation.

Grades for withdrawal A ‘W’ withdraw will be recorded on your academic record where notice of withdrawal has been received. 24

Assessments not completed If a withdrawal request has not been submitted by the Friday of week 10 and the required assessments have not been submitted or completed by the due or negotiated date an ‘N’ Fail grade will be recorded.

Deferrals From 2008 onwards, deferrals will no longer be available for units offered by UniSA through OUA.

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CAMPUS CENTRAL, CENTRE (WHYALLA)

FOR

REGIONAL ENGAGEMENT

There are four main sources for accessing information in regard to administrative matters for study with OUA units offered by UniSA. These are as follows: 1. This Unit information booklet 2. The student portal myUniSA 3. OUA @ UniSA website at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/oua/ 4. Contact Campus Central, Centre for Regional Engagement (Whyalla)

Campus Central, Centre for Regional Engagement (Whyalla) contact details Phone: (08) 86476111 1300 361 450 (price of a local call; mobiles may cost more) 61 8 86476111 (international callers) Fax: (08) 86476082 Email: [email protected] Phones are attended during normal South Australian business hours. You may leave a voicemail message or fax or email at all other times.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS The University of South Australia (UniSA) does not update personal and contact details for Open Universities Australia (OUA) students. To update or correct your personal and contact details, please go to the Personal Details section of My Area on the OUA website, or contact the OUA office in Melbourne. OUA will then advise UniSA of your updated personal and contact details.

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OTHER SERVICES FOR STUDENTS UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA LIBRARY SERVICE As you are enrolled in a unit offered by the University of South Australia, you are entitled to access a range of services offered by the University Library. Offered through the Flexible Information Service, the aim of this service is to provide you with prompt and user-friendly access to databases, loans, photocopying and an information service. They can search for material on a specific topic if you do not have access to the Internet. Information about the full range of services available to you through the Library is available at http://www.library.unisa.edu.au/fds/ Address Flexible Information Service University of South Australia Library University of South Australia Mawson Lakes Boulevard Mawson Lakes South Australia 5095 Phone: 1300 137 659 (price of a local call; mobiles may pay more) 61 8 8302 6231 (international callers) Fax: (08) 8302 6699 61 8 8302 6699 (international callers) Email: [email protected]

DISABILITY SERVICES The University of South Australia has a formal commitment to encourage people to seek access to tertiary study. We take all reasonable steps to ensure that any benefits provided by the University are accessible to students with a disability. This commitment extends to students studying OUA units. There may also be entitlement to a variation or modification to standard assessment arrangements. Services are provided on an individual basis according to access requirements. Further information about disability services is available at: http://www.unisanet.unisa.edu.au/learningconnection/student/defaultdisability.asp Phone:

(08) 8302 4423 or 1300 657 144 (cost of a local call from anywhere in Australia)

Email:

[email protected]

Students with disabilities are entitled to be assessed in ways which ensure a fair opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge. Alternative assessment arrangements may be required to provide this opportunity. Policy for students with disabilities is available at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/policies/

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CONTACTING OPEN UNIVERSITIES AUSTRALIA Contact OUA if you intend to withdraw, have a study problem, need some advice or just want to talk to someone. OUA has a team of trained student advisers if you need: •

help choosing which units and modules you wish to study

•

help processing your enrolment

•

information about pathways which are available for a range of qualifications

•

help with enrolling

•

advice about eligibility for the FEE-HELP student loan scheme, credit transfer, or obtaining funds

•

to change your name

Phone:

(03) 8628 2555 1300 363 652 (price of a local call; mobiles may pay more) 61 3 8268 2555 (international callers)

Fax: (03) 8268 2955 Email: [email protected] Website: www.open.edu.au Postal Open Universities Australia GPO Box 5387 Melbourne Vic 3001

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29

ASSIGNMENT FEEDBACK FORM – PRACTICE SET The University of South Australia School of Commerce ACG12 Financial Accounting I, 2008 Practice Set Marking Guide STUDENT NAME MARKER’S

1. Adjusting Entries -

Identifying all adjustments Accrued Expenses/Prepaid Expenses Depreciation Other entries

(The list shown is indicative only of the type of adjustments that may be required. It should not be seen as an exhaustive list or an indication of specific things that might be required for the practice set – the practice set may/may not have accrued expenses that require adjustment)

2. Closing Entries -

Income and Expenses closed to P & L Summary - P& L closed to Capital - Drawing Closed to Capital Closing entries are required. 3. Sales Journal/Returns Journal -

Each Entry is complete Columns Totalled (-1 Mark) Posting References included (-1 Mark)

4. Purchases Journal/Returns Journal -

Each Entry is complete Columns Totalled (-1 Mark) Posting References included (-1 Mark)

5. Cash Receipts Journal -

Each Entry is complete Columns Totalled (-1 Mark) Posting References included (-1 Mark) Daily Banking Used

6. Cash Payments Journal -

Each Entry is complete Columns Totalled (-1 Mark) Posting References included (-1 Mark)

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COMMENT

MARKS DEDUCTED

The deduction of marks for totally indicates the importance of the totalling process – a lack of totals renders the process of using specialised journals redundant and students have not understood why the specialised journals must be totalled. 8.General Ledger -

Dr or Cr indicated on each line (-2 Marks) Posting references to Journals Closing entries where required Consistency with Journals Totals must be posted from the specialised journals (-4 Marks)

9. Subsidiary Ledgers -

Dr or Cr indicated on each line (Receivables/Payables) Posting references to Journals (Receivables/Payables) Depreciation updated for all years

10. Bank Reconciliation Statement - Completed and Reconciled with Bank ledger account 11.Control Account Reconciliations - Completed and Reconciled with relevant ledger account 12. Trial Balance And Worksheet - Unadjusted balances match ledger accounts - All Debits balanced with Credits - All areas completed 13. Income Statement - All items correctly classified - Figures drawn from worksheet 14. Balance Sheet - All items correctly classified - Figures drawn from worksheet

TOTAL MARKS FOR ASSIGNMENT

80

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STUDY SCHEDULE—STUDY PERIOD 4, 2008–2009 Week

Dates

Content/Work due

1

1–5 December

Adjusting, reversing and opening entries

2

8–12 December

The conceptual framework’s relevance and impact

3

15–19 December

Specialised journals and control accounts

4

22–26 December

Acquisition of non-current assets and entities. Assignment 1 due Monday 29 December

5

29 Dec–2 January

Depreciation of non-current assets

6

5–9 January

Non-current assets, disposals and other issues.

7

12–16 January

Accounting for inventories Assignment 2 due Monday 12 January

8

19–23 January

Accounting for receivables

9

26–30 January

Accounting for cash and asset controls

10

2–6 February

Accounting for liabilities Last week to withdraw

11

9–13 February

Completing the accounting cycle Assignment 3 (Completion of practice set) due Tuesday 10 February

12

16–20 February

Computerised and manual accounting systems: a comparison

13

23–27 February

Revision week

14

2–6 March

Exam week

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ACG12/UI/02

2008