Outline

Overview

This unit examines the evolving view of corporate governance from an international perspective, with reference to Australian principles. Corporate governance from a narrow view is concerned with how a corporation is controlled, to the establishment of sets of arrangements affecting the conduct of an organisation and its relationship with stakeholders. Specific issues examined in this unit include the legal framework; control and culture of the modern corporation; operations of a Board; role of board sub-committees; Boards and the development or endorsement of strategies; measuring and rewarding performance; corporate governance, financial reporting and disclosure; corporate governance and the audit process; governance within the global financial crisis.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	ACCT3031
Academic unit	Accounting
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	ACCT2011
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	Students are expected to have an understanding of the key principles and rules of specified accounting standards and be able to apply them in the context of business scenarios. Students are also expected to comprehend the form and content of published financial statements and be able to explain their function.
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Wes Hamilton-Jessop, wes.hamilton-jessop@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam (Take-home short release)	Final exam Take-home (short release)	40%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Small test	Quiz Online open book without invigilation	10%	Week 07 Due date: 14 Oct 2020 at 09:00	1 hour
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Group assignment and presentation Report, critical analysis, and oral presentation	20%	Week 10 Due date: 02 Nov 2020 at 10:00	1200 word equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Online quiz and engagement Online quiz, completion of online modules, and interaction in workshops	20%	Weekly	1200 word equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Article Analysis Written task	10%	Weekly	600 word equivalent
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ? = Type D final exam ?

Assessment summary

Article Analysis: Each week, in weeks 2-12, you will be required to submit a word analysis of a set reading. The article analysis is to be completed in your own words, without quoting from any source or the use of extraneous information. No reference list is required.
Online quiz and engagement: Each week, in weeks 2-12, you will be required to engage during the face-to-face workshop, and undertake the online modules and quiz in Canvas.
Group assignment: In completing the group assignment students are expected to demonstrate their ability to undertake joint research, critically evaluate information, use analytical skills and apply knowledge from course materials and other sources. The group assignment consists of three components: a written report, critical analysis of reports from two other groups, and a presentation of your group’s report.
Quiz: The quiz is designed to test your ability to demonstrate an understanding of the topics covered in weeks 1 to 6 of this unit.
Final exam: This exam will cover material from weeks 1-12.
This assessment is listed as MANDATORY which means you must undertake the assessment and achieve at least 45% of the available marks in that assessment. Students who fail to achieve this minimum standard in this assessment, even when their aggregate mark for the entire unit of study is above 50%, will be given a Fail grade for this unit. As a result a student's academic transcript will show a Fail grade and the actual mark achieved if the final mark of the unit is between 0-49 and a Fail grade and a capped moderated mark of 49 for all other final marks.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction and history: what is corporate governance?	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 02	The insider view of corporate governance	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 03	The outsider view of corporate governance	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 04	Board best practice: operations of the board	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 05	External governance mechanism: audit and the role of audit committee	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 06	Managing and reporting risk	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 07	Remuneration and accountability	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 08	Reporting corporate performance: financial reporting	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 09	Corporate social responsibility and the interests of stakeholders	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 10	Ethics and corporate governance	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 11	Future directions in corporate governance	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 12	International governance: a case study	Workshop (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Students are expected to attend the 1.5 hour weekly online workshop in their allocated stream.

Prior to the workshop, students are required to complete the online modules and weekly quiz on Canvas equlivent to 1.5 hours of teaching.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

The reading list will be provided via eReserve on Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. Examine alternate approaches to 'corporate governance' involving the establishment of arrangements affecting the conduct of an organisation, and the organisation's relationship with external stakeholders.
LO2. Review the formal responsibilities of participants in the management of corporations: directors, managers, auditors, and regulatory bodies.
LO3. Explore recent literature on the subject of corporate governance, and whether certain types of arrangements or practices currently prescribed by law or advocated by interest groups are likely to be effective in improving the conduct and management of organisations or in establishing safeguards for stakeholders.
LO4. Examine instances of breakdowns in governance arrangements, e.g. in the wake of company failures, or in the aftermath of official investigations.
LO5. Evaluate the view of a corporation under corporations law in contrast to contemporary corporate practice, e.g. separate legal entity compared to corporate groups.
LO6. Explore what types of arrangements (and views about the role of stakeholders) may be appropriate for different types of organisations.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

A significant number of changes have been made to unit based on both student feedback and those necessitated by restrictions on face-to-face teaching. Assessment tasks have been changed to provided students with more in-semester feedback and provide additional opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding of the course material. The workshop material has been redeveloped to provide students with self-paced online modules that allows engagement with the course material prior to the workshop.

Additional information

In addition to developing substantive knowledge of corporate governance approaches, the unit of study fosters students’ capacities to:

Collect, organise, appreciate and critically evaluate research and practice based knowledge about corporate governance.
Critically reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical approaches that are used to study corporate governance.
Learn independently and assume responsibility for the corporate governance learning process.
Tolerate ambiguity and appreciate the insights of a variety of corporate governance perspectives.
Think critically about existing corporate governance practices and their implications for individuals, organisations and society.
Manage deadlines.
Develop the motivation for life-long learning in the corporate environment.
Recognise and integrate the ethical and social responsibility implications of corporate governance within the wider corporate landscape.

Further information on this unit can be found on Canvas.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

ACCT3031: International Corporate Governance

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect