Outline

Overview

This unit of study introduces students to the concepts and approaches associated with contemporary accounting systems and technologies and equips them with skills in their evaluation, design, and adoption. It explores the differences between the needs of small and medium-sized enterprises and multi-national business firms and the challenges they face in the adoption of contemporary accounting systems and technologies. The unit of study introduces students to the concepts and application of emerging technologies such as data analytics, dashboards, blockchain, and artificial intelligence to accounting. Students develop hands-on skills in contemporary industry-standard accounting systems such as SAP and MYOB and are introduced to other emerging technologies.

Details

Academic unit	Accounting
Unit code	ACCT6014
Unit name	Contemporary Technologies in Accounting
Session, year ?	Semester 1, 2023
Attendance mode	Normal day
Location	Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Credit points	6

Enrolment rules

Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	ACCT5001
Corequisites ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff and contact details

Coordinator	Ravi Seethamraju, ravi.seethamraju@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Abdul Razeed , abdul.razeed@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Ravi Seethamraju, ravi.seethamraju@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final exam Case studies, essay-type questions and MCQs	40%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Group Assignment Group project/case study assignment	20%	Week 11 Due date: 12 May 2023 at 17:00 Closing date: 19 May 2023	3500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Skills assessment (technology tools) Demonstration of skills using technology tools such as SAP, AI & Blockchain	20%	Week 13 Due date: 26 May 2023 at 23:59	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	In-class assessments Practical assessment and class participation	20%	Weekly	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ?

In-class assessment: Students must complete workshop exercises using technology in workshops/labs, take quizzes and actively participate in both workshops and lectures.
Group assignment: Students as a group of four are required to analyse a case and/or redesign an accounting system for a small and medium-sized organisation and submit a report demonstrating the application of concepts and effective adoption of accounting software to a firm.
Design skills assignment: Students are required to demonstrate their specialist software/technology skills in the mapping, designing & execution of accounting system parameters for a given business scenario in a supervised environment.
Final exam: This is a closed-book examination and covers all the content covered in lecture workshops as well as in lab workshops throughout the semester and all the associated readings and unit materials. The final exam is listed as a HURDLE TASK, which means you must undertake the assessment and achieve a mark above a minimum standard. Students who fail to achieve this minimum standard in this assessment, even when their aggregate mark for the entire unit is above 50%, will be given a Fail grade for the unit. As a result, the student's academic transcript will show a fail grade and the actual mark achieved if between 0-49 and a fail grade and a capped moderated mark of 49 for all other marks. The hurdle mark for this assessment is 45%

Replacement exams: Replacement exams will be offered as per the University Assessment Procedures.

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.

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.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

For all the late submissions after the due date not covered by an approved special consideration) or submitted after the extension granted under a special consideration, a penalty of 5% of the maximum awardable marks will be applied for every calendar day up to and including ten calendar days after the due date. The penalty will be calculated by first marking the work, and then subtracting 5% of the maximum awardable mark for each calendar day after the due date. For work submitted more than ten calendar days after the due date a mark of zero will be awarded.

Special consideration

If you experience short-term circumstances beyond your control, such as illness, injury or misadventure or if you have essential commitments which impact your preparation or performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic honesty, academic dishonesty, 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 dishonesty or plagiarism seriously.

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

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to the unit; Impact of technologies on accounting; key elements of accounting systems,	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 02	Transaction processing in accounting systems; Chart of accounts and source documents in accounting systems, Introduction to an ERP systems for an SME (MYOB, Xero etc.) and their key features	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 02	MYOB and/or XERO exercises on purchases, sales and reports	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 03	Design of an accounting system for an SME - Processes and reports in MYOB; Evaluation and adoption of an enterprise system software and associated technologies for SMEs	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 03	MYOB and/or XERO exercises on purchases, sales and reports and design for an SME	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 04	Accounting systems for large enterprises – concept of integration & integrated enterprise-wide (ERP) systems, Introduction to SAP, data types in SAP, benefits & challenges of adoption in large enterprises	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 04	SAP - foundations, logging-in, navigation of SAP screens	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 05	Business processes in enterprise wide accounting systems; process/accounting cycles in a large ERP system (SAP)	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 05	SAP exercises on master data & transactions	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 06	Source documents, Charts of Accounts, Internal controls & Reports in an accounting system (SAP) for large enterprises SAP	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 07	Integrated accounting system (SAP) – source documents, chart of accounts, processes, internal controls & reports for a large enterprises and auditing & evaluation of accounting system in large enterprises	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 08	Analytics, Data visualization & performance dashboards in accounting systems; Designing reports and reporting process	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 08	SAP exercises on accounts payable, accounts receivable, cost allocations and reports	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 09	Artificial Intelligence and Robotic Process Automation technologies in accounting systems and processes	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 09	Mapping of business scenarios in SAP, creation of relevant master data, execution of relevant transactions and production of reports	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 10	Blockchain technology in accounting and accounting systems	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 11	Group project work	Independent study (2 hr)
Week 11	Exposure/introduction to blockchain and AI tools	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 12	Group project/Case study presentations and discussion	Seminar (2 hr)
Week 12	Accounting system design using appropriate technology tools	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 13	Summary and review of the unit	Seminar (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: Each student must attend one two-hour lecture workshop per week for 13 weeks and one two-hour lab workshop per week for 8 weeks (in weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 & 12).
Lecture recordings: All seminars are recorded and will be available on Canvas for student use. Please note the Business School does not own the system and cannot guarantee that the system will operate or that every class will be recorded. Recordings are not a replacement for attending and participating in lecture workshops. Students should attend and participate in all lecture and lab workshops to achieve learning outcomes.

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

Seethamraju, R. (2018) (compiled) "Designing Accounting Systems - Readings", Custom book edition, Melbourne: Pearson Australia.

In addition, several readings are listed in the 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. explain the concepts, principles and processes in the design and improvement of accounting systems
LO2. identify, develop and apply the selection criteria relevant to the evaluation, re-design and adoption of a packaged accounting system with focus on changes to business processes, inputs, controls and reporting and benefits realisation
LO3. construct a recommendation for the design of a suitable accounting system to a real-world business organisation integrating concepts, best practice processes, internal controls and specialist software skills
LO4. examine basic requirements for reports and reporting that will assist managers in decision making.

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

Closing the loop

Introduction of new topics, expansion of some of the old topics, and changes to the sequence of the topics and materials have been made in response to student feedback since the unit was last offered.

Additional information

Consultation and discussion forum: Consultation times will be posted in Canvas. Students are encouraged to use Canvas discussion forums for clarifications about the unit including the content, lectures, workshops, assessments and others.

Key dates
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Policy register, policy search
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Scholarships, interest free loans, bursaries, money management
Study resources
Learning Centre, faculty and school programs, Library, online resources
Health and support
Student Centre, counselling & psychological services, University Health Service, general health and wellbeing

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

Details

Enrolment rules

Teaching staff and contact details

Assessment

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Special consideration

Academic integrity

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Closing the loop

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

ACCT6014: Contemporary Technologies in Accounting

Overview

Details

Enrolment rules

Teaching staff and contact details

Assessment

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Special consideration

Academic integrity

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Closing the loop

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect