Admission and Unit Information - Master of Accountancy

The nature of accounting requires the first unit in accounting to attend to the process and system, which represents what accountants do. Many of the most difficult theoretical, conceptual and practical problems encountered by accountants originate in the basic model A=O+E and the necessity of making data and events conform to that model. Concepts and principles in accounting ultimately must face the test of procedure and relate to the systematic processing of the data. Introduction to accounting regulation and ethics.

Statistics for Accountants introduces the basic concepts and techniques for statistical inference and decision making in a business context.

This unit concentrates on both Microeconomic and Macroeconomic theories. Microeconomics is concerned with the study of individual units within the economy - the individual consumer, the individual firm, the type of market structure facing the firm and price and output determination. Macroeconomics is concerned with analysis of the factors determining the way in which the economic resources of an economy are utilised or under-utilised.

This unit deals with concepts of Australian law and commercial legal obligations that are of importance both to professional practice and to studies in later units. The unit topics are: Australian Legal Institutions and Sources of Law, Case Law and Doctrines of Precedent, Legislation and Statutory Interpretation, The Australian Federation and Concepts of Constitutional Law, Principles of Tortious Liability, and the formation, vitiation, performance and discharge of contracts, including agency, sale of goods and consumer transactions.

The goal of this unit is to identify the accounting issues that arise from the various forms of corporate organisation and how these translate into disclosure issues for financial reporting purposes. The unit includes company formation and liquidation; accounting for a group of related companies and other associated entities includig partnerships, joint ventures and trusts.

As an introductory finance unit, this unit introduces the fundamental concepts of finance theory and tools of financial decision-making in the context of Australian institutional environment. These concepts relate primarily to the time value of money, risk and return, capital budgeting and capital structure. The purpose of the unit is to develop an understanding of the basic practices of financial management from the perspective of a firm (both large and small). Students examine the investment, financing and dividend decisions of corporations.

This unit deals with legal issues concerning various aspects of company; incorporation, regulation, membership and capital, company management, corporate officers, meetings, relations of the company with outsiders, accounts, reports and other disclosures, arrangements and reconstruction, receivers and winding up, share acquisition and takeovers. It also focuses on a review of public policy underlying law in the above areas.

The fundamental of any management accounting system in organization is to provide appropriate information for (1) costing of products and services; (2) support functions - planning, controlling, evaluation, continuous improvement and decision making and (3) competitive support - focuses on the provision of both financial and non-financial services to the management team to enhance the firm's competitiveness. This unit is designed to provide an overview in understanding all these areas of information.

Australian taxation law is complex and varied. This unit briefly introduces the various types of taxes (including Goods and Services Tax) and the overall scheme for the application of taxes in Australia and then focuses on the key provisions of Income Tax Law including the interrelationship of income tax and fringe benefits tax).

The aim of this unit is to examine the nature of modern auditing, the purposes it serves and the framework within which it operates.

This unit examines the theory and application of information technology on the accounting discipline. It covers principles of systems analysis, design and database management relating to accounting information systems. The functions, control, data and processes of accounting information systems are discussed in the context of businesses. The communication of accounting information through the internet or intranet and the development of integrated systems is also explored.

Basic questions of the role accounting performs in society are considered from economic, social and environmental perspectives. The nature of the statements advanced to give accounting legitimacy, together with their philosophical underpinnings, are examined. Selected accounting theories and philosophies will be examined and advanced applications in alternative accounting models considered.