Accounting

The course Accounting is a course within the Master of Science programmes at the Graduate School, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg.

To be eligible for the course Accounting the participant must fulfil the entrance qualifications for the Master of Science programme in Accounting and Financial Management, with the exception for 15 credits in Statistics, or 7.5 hec in Statistics and 7.5 credits in quantitative methods and/or Mathematics. For programme specific entrance requirements, see programme syllabus.

The course includes the regulation of financial and sustainability reporting, basic concepts (e.g. relevance and faithful representation, double materiality), and audit/assurance. Further, the course covers two important aspects of management accounting, management control alternatives and the design of performance measurement.

The course comprises two modules:

1. Financial and Sustainability Reporting
2. Management Accounting and Control

Module 1 focuses on regulation of financial accounting and sustainability reporting, basic concepts (e.g. relevance and faithful representation, double materiality), and audit/assurance. The section on regulation deals with what rules there are, why there is regulation and the costs and benefits that regulation brings to the economy. Various regulation methods are dealt with, and the rules companies must follow today. The basic concepts section focuses on what underlying structures there are in accounting and how these structures are mirrored in a number of current accounting rules. The course also has a conceptual section including audit of financial accounting and assurance of sustainability accounting.

Module 2 deals with various perspectives of management accounting and control and is divided into two parts. The first part considers the link between organizational design and different forms of control where both behavioral and practical consequences of different forms of control are discussed. In the second part, students are trained in the connection between profitability, financing and growth related to different types of risk.

After completion of the course, the student shall be able to:

1. demonstrate knowledge and understanding of important concepts and practical issues of financial and sustainability accounting and management accounting and control
2. demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate both problems and solutions in the area of financial accounting and sustainability reporting and audit/assurance
3. demonstrate the ability to explain connections between organization’s profitability, financing and growth, related to different types of risk
4. demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate both problems and solutions in the area of management accounting and control.

Lectures, seminars, group work, individual assignments and oral presentations.

The language of instruction is English.

Learning objective 1 is assessed through an individual written exam.

Learning objective 2 and 4 are assessed through group assignments and seminars.

Learning objective 3 is assessed through individual assignments and seminars.

Participation in seminars are mandatory. If the course coordinator agrees that the reason for absence from seminars is valid, then the missing element can be replaced with alternative assignments.

Individual assignments and exams shall be written individually, cooperation in formulating text, tables, figures etc. is not allowed.

A failed assignment can be supplemented to a pass grade.

If a student who has been failed twice for the same examination element wishes to change examiner before the next examination session, such a request is to be granted unless there are specific reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22 HF).

If a student has received a certificate of disability study support from the University of Gothenburg with a recommendation of adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment, an examiner may decide, if this is consistent with the course’s intended learning outcomes and provided that no unreasonable resources would be needed, to grant the student adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment.

If a course has been discontinued or undergone major changes, the student must be offered at least two examination sessions in addition to ordinary examination sessions. These sessions are to be spread over a period of at least one year but no more than two years after the course has been discontinued/changed.

If a student has been notified that they fulfil the requirements for being a student at Riksidrottsuniversitetet (RIU student), to combine elite sports activities with studies, the examiner is entitled to decide on adaptation of examinations if this is done in accordance with the Local rules regarding RIU students at the University of Gothenburg.

The number of examinations is limited to five.

The grading scale comprises: Excellent (A), Very good (B), Good (C), Satisfactory (D), Sufficient (E) and Fail (F).

Pass is required on all examination forms. The grade (A-E) corresponds to the total score a student obtains on the written exam (60 % of final grade), individual assignments and seminars (20 % of final grade) and group assignments and seminars (20 % of final grade). To receive a pass grade (A-E) >= 50% points is required. The scale is tied to fixed score intervals:

A: 85%-100%

B: 75%-84%

C: 68%-74%

D: 60%-67%

E: 50%-59%

F: <50%

The course will be evaluated upon completion. The results of and possible changes to the course will be shared with students who participated in the evaluation and students who are starting the course.

The course may not be part of a master´s degree from the University of Gothenburg together with the course GM1401 Accounting.