ACCM4600_T1_2019_Assessment_1_Information_v2.docx
ACCM 4600 Assessment
Information
Page 1 of 4 Updated: 7 March 2019
Subject Code: ACCM 4600
Subject Name: Accounting Theory
Assessment Title: Individual Case Study
Weighting: 60% of overall subject mark
Part 1: 20 marks
Part 2: 40 marks
Due Date: Part 1: Due on Monday of Week 5 (16th April 2019)
Part 2 : Due on Monday of Week 10 (20th May 2019)
ASSESSMENT INFORMATION
Subject Learning Outcome 1:
Research and argue a position in regard to a contemporary issue in the accounting profession
Submission:
The written assignment will need to be submitted electronically through the student portal – use
the link under “Assessments” to submit the information via turnitin. (The portal will close at 19.55
AEST – Please note to adjust for the time difference if needed)
Required:
1. Prepare a research plan and evaluate the information sources to be used in Part 2. This
esearch plan should be approximately 1500 words.
2. Write a report based on the assignment details noted below. Your final report (Part 2)
should be approximately 3000 words not including references, abstract and appendices.
You should include a word count on your report.
Submissions that exceed the word count by more than 20% will cease to be marked from the
point at which that limit is exceeded.
The Assignment is designed to test the following skills:
1. Your knowledge, your ability to research the issues and then critically analyse the
information appropriately using judgement to answer the research questions raised.
2. Your communication skills – report writing Please make sure you follow the guidelines
noted in your subject outline especially those relating to presentation of written work, late
policy and academic integrity. You should also familiarise yourself with the assessment
marking ru
ic (a separate document) to guide you in how you can score marks.
ACCM 4600 Assessment
Information
Page 2 of 4 Updated: 7 March 2019
Individual Research Assignment – Case Study
Case Study Details:
You work for a large consulting firm. Several of your retail clients are interested to understand the
easons behind the corporate failure of Dick Smith Holdings Ltd.
As you are a recent accounting graduate your manager has tasked you with writing a draft report
on the corporate collapse of Dick Smith. The report will be available to clients and used as a
marketing tool to showcase the skills of your consulting firm.
The key elements of your report should be understandable to both accountants and non-
accountants (the ultimate audience in client firms includes non-accounting professionals).
Your manager has requested that the report contains (but is not necessarily restricted to)
esponses to the following aspects:
1) Background of Dick Smith Holdings Limited
2) What are the strategic e
ors which were made by management which contributed to
this collapse?
3) What are the accounting practices used which contributed to the collapse of Dick Smith
Holdings Ltd?
4) What are governance issues which contributed to this collapse?
5) What are the lessons learnt of the collapse of Dick Smith Holdings Ltd?
It is important that your report comes to some clear conclusions and makes some practical
ecommendations for other retailers to follow in order to avoid making the same mistakes as Dick
Smith.
You are aware of some excellent literature on the topic of corporate failure you will also
incorporate in this report. You can include any information in the report which you think will assist
your clients to better understand this important topic. You must support your arguments and
hence use at least ten resources to inform your discussion. The li
ary databases
(http:
elearning.kbs.edu.au/course/view.php?id=159) will provide many useful journal articles on
this topic.
After you have submitted the report plan (Part 1) to your manager, they will provide some
feedback on your work to assist you with the final report (Part 2).
IN PART-2, YOUR MANAGER IS KEEN THAT YOU INCLUDE A RESPONSE TO THEIR
FEEDBACK AT THE END OF YOUR REPORT, AFTER THE REFERENCES. YOU MUST
OUTLINE HOW YOU WERE ABLE TO REFLECT ON THIS FEEDBACK, AND ON ANY AREAS
FOR IMPROVEMENT YOU IDENTIFIED YOURSELF, IN ORDER TO ENHANCE YOUR FINAL
REPORT.
ACCM 4600 Assessment
Information
Page 3 of 4 Updated: 7 March 2019
Individual Research Assignment – Case Study
REQUIRED:
You need to provide this information requested above in a report format in two stages as outlined
elow.
Part 1: 20% due week 5 – Evaluating information resources and research plan – detailed
instructions: 1)
1) Based on the above scenario, answer the following questions:
a) What is the purpose of your report?
) What is the audience for your report?
c) What are the (key) decisions to be made?
d) What information would help you to make these decisions?
e) When you search for relevant information (in a database for example) what keywords
will/are you using?
2) Identify 10 sources relevant to the project (e.g. journal articles, textbooks, websites etc.). At
least 4 of these must be academic journal articles but there should be a variety of different sources
used.
3) Complete a source analysis on 3 of the 10 sources with full bibliographic references. At least
2 of these sources must be academic journal articles. Refer to the source analysis template.
4) Provide a full plan of main and sub headings of the report (include appropriate numbering).
Resources to help you understand these requirements and in particular the source analysis
template are provided on Moodle, including explanatory documents, marking ru
ics and slides
(which accompany a presentation by your lecturer in week 2).
The word limit for Part 1 is 1500 words.
ACCM 4600 Assessment
Information
Page 4 of 4 Updated: 7 March 2019
Part 2: 40% due week 10 Final Business Report 40% comprising of:
Business report technical content 30%
Business report format, language and presentation 10%
Note: The Assessment Ru
ic or marking ru
ic is a separate document and you are advised to
ead through it to obtain guidance on how the lecturers will mark your assignment.
A summary of the mark allocation is given below:
Technical Skills – content 30 Marks
Professional Competency Skills Report Writing
Skills:
Feedback response, Format, Language and
Presentation
10 Marks
Evaluating information resources and research plan 20 Marks
Assignment Mark 60 Marks
Note: The word limit for part 2 is 3000 words.
Head Office Letterhead
ACCM 4600 | Assessment 2 - Assignment Marking Ru
ics
Part 2 Individual Research Assignment 40% of 60% overall
ACCM4600 AT&C1 – Assignment Part 2 Ru
ics T1 2019 Page 1 of 7
Please note that this task has been designed to measure subject learning outcomes 1 and 4
LO1: Research and argue a position in regard to a contemporary issue in the accounting profession.
The assignment assesses the following outcomes:
1. Your knowledge and your ability to research the issues outlined
2. Your ability to selectively apply the information appropriately to the given scenario
3. Your ability to use judgement co
ectly in selecting and designing an appropriate response with suitable references.
4. Professional Competency Skills - Communication skills: report writing skills
Overall Marks – Assessment 2: Individual Research Assignment
Summary: Marks Awarded Marks Available
Part 1 Evaluating information resources and research plan
(from part 1 ru
ic)
20.00
Part 2 Final Business Report: 40 marks comprising:
(A) Business report technical content 30.00
(B) Business report format, language and presentation 10.00
ASSESSMENT 2 - ASSIGNMENT 60.00
The assessment ru
ics below set out the specific criteria that will be used to assess this task and descriptions of different levels of achievement for those
criteria. The different levels of achievement for each criterion have a range of marks attached.
To improve your performance, it is helpful to;
review the indicators in the ru
ics and make sure you understand these in terms of marker expectations
• review marker feedback on your assessments
• review the relevant topics.
In reviewing the topics:
• look in detail at relevant examples
• review relevant learning activities
• review required readings and further resources.
ACCM 4600 | Assessment 2 - Assignment Marking Ru
ics
Part 2 Individual Research Assignment 40% of 60% overall
ACCM4600 AT&C1 – Assignment Part 2 Ru
ics T1 2019 Page 2 of 7
Name: Student ID:
Part 2: Final Business Report: Technical Content 30%
CRITERIA
High Distinction
85 – 100%
Distinction
75 - 84%
Credit
65 – 74%
Pass
50 – 64%
Fail
0 – 49% Mark
Awarded
Background
3 marks
Excellent background
of Dick Smith
Holdings Ltd.
Insightful analysis of
Dick Smith Holding
Ltd
Thorough background to
Dick Smith Holdings Ltd.
Very good analysis of
the Dick Smith
Holdings Ltd
Some background to Dick
Smith Holdings Ltd.
Useful analysis of the
Dick Smith Holdings
Ltd
Limited background to
Dick Smith Holdings
Ltd.
Some analysis of the
development and
expansion of Dick
Smith Holdings Ltd.
Little or no
ackground to
Dick Smith
Holdings Ltd.
No analysis of the
development and
expansion of Dick
Smith Holdings
Ltd.
Strategic E
ors
5 marks
Clearly expressed
and thought-
provoking analysis of
the strategic e
ors
which led to the
failure of Dick Smith
Holdings Ltd
Well expressed analysis
of the impact on the
strategic e
ors which led
to the failure of Dick
Smith Holdings Ltd
Helpful analysis of the
impact on the strategic
e
ors which led to the
failure of Dick Smith
Holdings Ltd.
Basic analysis of the
impact on the strategic
e
ors which led to the
failure of Dick Smith
Holdings Ltd
Limited analysis of
the impact on the
strategic e
ors
which led to the
failure of Dick Smith
Holdings Ltd
Accounting Practices
which contributed to
the collapse of Dick
Smith Holdings Ltd
6 marks
Outstanding and