Courses - Faculty of Business And Economics
Accounting
Stage I
Accounting Information
Business decisions require accounting information. This course examines the analysis and interpretation of general-purpose financial statements. It assesses financing and investment decisions and covers the role of accounting information to support planning and control.
Accounting Concepts
Basic principles and concepts of accounting that underlie the production of information for internal and external reporting. This course provides the technical platform for second year courses in financial and management accounting, finance, and accounting information systems.
Prerequisite: ACCTG 101 or BUSINESS 114
Financial Literacy
People who understand the basic principles of finance are likely to get much more mileage out of their money – whether spending, borrowing, saving or investing – than those who do not. Develop an understanding of how to be in control of spending and saving; understand borrowing; make informed investment decisions; know broadly what to insure and what not to; recognise scams and consider whether money is the key to happiness.
Restriction: May not be taken by students with a concurrent or prior enrolment in Accounting or Finance courses
Stage II
Financial Accounting
The study of financial accounting principles within New Zealand, to enable students to: (i) understand how they are developed and influenced; (ii) understand and apply New Zealand Financial Reporting Standards; (iii) report the results of complex business structures involving multiple entities and segments. Completing students will understand the role financial statements play in investment, analysis and contracting decisions, providing a base for advanced study and supporting other areas, particularly finance.
Prerequisite: ACCTG 102
Cost and Management Accounting
Budgets and standards, costing systems, cost information for decision-making and control, performance appraisal, and contemporary related issues.
Prerequisite: ACCTG 102
Accounting Information Systems
Encompasses the development and distribution of economic information about organisations for internal and external decision-making. Major themes include: objectives and procedures of internal control, the database approach to data management, data modelling, typical business documents and reports and proper system documentation through data flow diagrams and flowcharts.
Prerequisite: ACCTG 102, INFOSYS 110
Stage III
Financial Accounting
Explanatory and prescriptive theories of accounting provide the context for an examination of the determinants of financial reporting practice in New Zealand with special reference to accounting for pensions, foreign currency, deferred tax and financial instruments. Issues in international accounting and professional ethics are also addressed.
Prerequisite: ACCTG 211
Auditing
An introduction to the audit of financial statements. The objective of an audit is to add credibility to the information contained in the financial statements. Emphasises the auditor's decision-making process in determining the nature and amount of evidence necessary to support management's assertions. The end result of a financial statement audit is a report that expresses the auditor's opinion on the fair presentation of the client's financial statements.
Prerequisite: ACCTG 211 or 292, and INFOMGMT 296 or 294 or ACCTG 222
Strategic Management Accounting
A study of the design of revenue and cost management systems to facilitate strategic decisions. This includes activity-based costing and activity-based management. The learning environment is student-centred with the seminar leader's role being that of facilitator rather than lecturer. Students work not only as individuals but also in teams. The learning environment is a combination of lectures, case studies and related readings.
Prerequisite: ACCTG 221 or 291
Performance Measurement and Evaluation
The design of performance measurement frameworks such as the Balanced Scorecard incorporating strategy maps and alignment principles. Methods of performance analysis will cover ratios, weighting systems and Data Envelopment Analysis. Evaluation principles and methods will include internal audit perspectives around project and programme evaluation, cost-benefit analysis, randomised control tests and value-for-money.
Prerequisite: 30 points passed at Stage II
Revenue and Cost Management
Revenue management concepts and techniques and their support by cost management systems are studied with particular reference to service organisations. The range of services encompasses both private and public sector organisations. Components include: yield management, pricing, linear programming, project management, valuation principles and methodologies.
Prerequisite: ACCTG 221 or 291
Financial Statement Analysis
How is financial statement information used to evaluate a firm's performance, risk and value? An opportunity to examine this question and to gain experience in evaluating performance, assessing risk and estimating value.
Prerequisite: FINANCE 251 or 261, and ACCTG 211 or 292
Postgraduate 700 Level Courses
Research Methods in Accounting
The theory and application of modern research methods in accounting. The content will include the philosophy, process and design of scientific research. Prior knowledge of basic statistical techniques is assumed.
Restriction: FINANCE 701
Governance Issues in Accounting
An introduction to the economic literatures relating to property rights, transaction cost economics, and agency theory. Application of these notions to the way in which organisations are structured. Identification of why some transactions are internalised and some are undertaken through markets. The application of these ideas to financial and managerial accounting.
Restriction: FINANCE 702
Financial Accounting Research
A study of the contracting-cost theories of accounting policy choice and the related empirical literature. It focuses on agency and efficient contracting explanations for accounting choice. In particular, the course explores the role of accounting in contracts between parties to the firm (e.g., manager, shareholders, debtholders, customers etc). The political process is also analysed to determine the impact on accounting policy choice. Incentives for managers to manipulate earnings under various economic settings are examined and the implications of this behaviour for accounting policy makers are analysed.
Contemporary Auditing Research
An examination of the theoretical and empirical literature relating to the demand and supply of auditing, theoretical support for auditing activity, measures of audit quality and related topics.
Research in Management Control
Provides an insight into the theoretical and empirical literature relating to management planning and control in private and public sector organisations. Explores the relationship between strategy, organisation design, performance measurement and evaluation, application of productivity analysis and Data Envelopment Analysis.
Research in Revenue and Cost Management
An examination of revenue and cost management arising from changes in competitive environments. Includes recent research on the design of revenue and cost management systems including developments such as theory of constraints in manufacturing, service and public sector organisations.
Accounting Information and Capital Markets
The study of issues in evaluating accounting information and the use of accounting information by investors and analysts. This includes the examination of the empirical relationship between accounting earnings and share prices and the relationship between financial statement analysis and market efficiency. Perceived market failures will be analysed.
Special Topic: Sustainability Accounting and Integrated Reporting
Examines the theoretical and empirical literature on the role of sustainability accounting and integrated reporting and the determinants for the supply and demand for non-financial reporting and how this has evolved over time.
Special Topic: Efficiency and Productivity Measurement
Productivity and efficiency are core fundamentals across the spectrum encompassing individuals, organisations and economies. This course provides a theoretical structure for efficiency and productivity measurement and examines empirical models for estimating efficiency and productivity and analysing their underlying determinants.
Dissertation - Level 9
To complete this course students must enrol in ACCTG 791 A and B, or ACCTG 791
Thesis - Level 9
To complete this course students must enrol in ACCTG 794 A and B