BE100-4-FY-CO:
Introduction to Accounting

The details
2020/21
Essex Business School
Colchester Campus
Full Year
Undergraduate: Level 4
Current
Thursday 08 October 2020
Friday 02 July 2021
30
10 November 2020

 

Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
(none)
(none)

 

BE111, BE120, BE132, BE142, BE936

Key module for

BSC N400 Accounting,
BSC N401 Accounting (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N402 Accounting (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N404 Accounting (Including Placement Year),
BSC N420 Accounting and Finance,
BSC N422 Accounting and Finance (Including Placement Year),
BSC NN43 Accounting and Finance (Including Foundation Year),
BSC NNK3 Accounting and Finance (Including Year Abroad),
MACCN440 Accounting and Finance,
MACCN441 Accounting and Finance (Including Placement Year),
MACCN442 Accounting and Finance (Including Year Abroad),
BSC NN24 Accounting and Management,
BSC NN27 Accounting and Management (Including Placement Year),
BSC NN42 Accounting and Management (Including Foundation Year),
BSC NNK2 Accounting and Management (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N4L1 Accounting with Economics (Including Foundation Year),
BSC NKL1 Accounting with Economics (Including Year Abroad),
BSC NL41 Accounting with Economics,
BSC NL44 Accounting with Economics (Including Placement Year),
BSC N390 Banking and Finance,
BSC N391 Banking and Finance (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N392 Banking and Finance (Including Placement Year),
BSC NH90 Banking and Finance (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N200 Business Management,
BSC N201 Business Management (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N202 Business Management (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N204 Business Management (Including Placement Year),
BA NR19 Business Management and Modern Languages,
BA N1R9 Business Management with a Modern Language,
BSC N300 Finance,
BSC N301 Finance (Including Foundation Year),
BSC N302 Finance (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N304 Finance (Including Placement Year),
BSC N2N5 Management and Marketing (Including Foundation Year),
BSC NN25 Management and Marketing,
BSC NN2M Management and Marketing (Including Placement Year),
BSC NNF5 Management and Marketing (Including Year Abroad),
BA 9L11 Management Economics (Including Placement Year),
BA L108 Management Economics,
BA L190 Management Economics (Including Foundation Year),
BA L192 Management Economics (Including Year Abroad),
BSC 5M00 Management Economics (Including Placement Year),
BSC L109 Management Economics,
BSC L191 Management Economics (Including Foundation Year),
BSC L193 Management Economics (Including Year Abroad),
MECNL133 Management Economics,
MECNL134 Management Economics (Including Placement Year),
MECNL135 Management Economics (Including Year Abroad),
BA L147 Financial Economics and Accounting (Including Placement Year),
BA L148 Financial Economics and Accounting,
BA L149 Financial Economics and Accounting (Including Year Abroad),
BA LX14 Financial Economics and Accounting (Including Foundation Year),
BA N19R Business Management and Language Studies,
BSC N344 Finance and Management,
BSC N345 Finance and Management (Including Year Abroad),
BSC N346 Finance and Management (Including Placement Year),
BSC N347 Finance and Management (Including Foundation Year),
MMANNN35 Marketing and Management,
MMANNN36 Marketing and Management (Including Placement Year),
MMANNN37 Marketing and Management (Including Year Abroad)

Module description

This is a full year module, which introduces students to certain principles and techniques of accounting. Although the module is intended as an introduction for students majoring in accounting it should also be of benefit to other students who wish to gain some insight into the practices of accounting.

The module will commence with a discussion of the nature and role of accounting and will consider who uses accounting information and for what purposes. After this, the module will be concerned with the processes used to record, summarise and present accounting data. The objective of this part of the module is to enable students to prepare company financial statements.

The module will also include discussion of the techniques that can be used to analyse and interpret financial statements. In addition, the need for and various sources of accounting regulation will be discussed.

Module aims

The module aims to introduce to the students the basic concepts of financial accounting and interpretation of financial statements. It aims to provide students with a foundation in double-entry bookkeeping, to enable them to understand and measure the results of the activities of companies and prepare the financial statements for different types of entities.

Module learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
1. Describe the role and limitations of financial reporting in providing useful information to decision-makers.
2. Prepare a set of financial statements for a company from a trial balance and incorporating a variety of simple adjustments.
3. Analyse a set of financial statements and explain the limitations of techniques of analysis.
4. Describe the need for regulating the practice of financial reporting.

Module information

Skills for Your Professional Life (Transferable Skills)

The module is specifically designed to provide students with a set of transferable skills which will be applicable in their professional life. Specifically, the module seeks to support students to:
* Develop a range of technical skills enabling them to analyse data and identify key features
* Develop problem solving skills relating to financial accounting issues
* Improve their digital and technical fluency by using the software package MyAccountingLab
* Identify and critically evaluate key features and arguments covered in texts
* Improve their communication skills by entering into discussions in class
* Work independently and in a sustained manner to undertake two computer-based tests (time keeping skills)
* Improve their commercial awareness with examples taken from Annual Reports being used in lectures and classes
* Develop coherent and well-structured lines of argument supported by relevant analysis and concepts

Learning and teaching methods

The module comprises one lecture and one class per week as well as workshops offered fortnightly, over 20 weeks. The purpose of the lecture is twofold: first, to discuss and outline the appropriate analytical concepts and their ramifications and, second, to stimulate your interest and direct your reading. It is very important that students complete all the readings immediately after each lecture because these are an integral part of the course. The purpose of the classes is for you to demonstrate that you can apply the analytical concepts and general principles to particular problems. These problems, which are a mixture of technical exercises and discussion topics, must be prepared in advance of the designated class. You should note that it may not be possible to cover the answers to all questions in class but, nevertheless, it is expected that students will attempt all the questions set. The purpose of the workshops is to answer your questions from the previous two weeks In academic year 2020-2021 the delivery is likely to be different and involve online learning.

Bibliography

  • Atrill, Peter; McLaney, E. J. (©2019) Financial accounting for decision makers, Harlow, England: Pearson.

The above list is indicative of the essential reading for the course. The library makes provision for all reading list items, with digital provision where possible, and these resources are shared between students. Further reading can be obtained from this module's reading list.

Assessment items, weightings and deadlines

Coursework / exam Description Deadline Coursework weighting
Coursework   SPRING TEST     60% 
Coursework   Autumn Test    40% 
Exam  Main exam: 24hr during Summer (Main Period) 

Exam format definitions

  • Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
  • In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
  • In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary, for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.

Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.

Overall assessment

Coursework Exam
50% 50%

Reassessment

Coursework Exam
0% 100%
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Diogenis Baboukardos, email: d.baboukardos@essex.ac.uk.
Dr Chaoyuan She, email: c.she@essex.ac.uk.
AU Term: Chaoyuan & Rebecca; SP Term: Diogenis Baboukardos & Hao
ebsugcol@essex.ac.uk

 

Availability
No
Yes
No

External examiner

Dr Javed Siddiqui
Senior Lecturer in Accounting
Resources
Available via Moodle
Of 2417 hours, 0 (0%) hours available to students:
2417 hours not recorded due to service coverage or fault;
0 hours not recorded due to opt-out by lecturer(s).

 

Further information
Essex Business School

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