ACC4005W - BCom (Honours) in Financial Accounting

Introduction

Course Description

There are 2 major elements in the Honours year -

1.1 The Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting (PGDA), viz:

Financial Reporting 4
Auditing II
Managerial Accounting &
Finance II Taxation and Estate Duty II

The Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting is an integral part of the programme and students must satisfy all the requirements for the certificate before being admitted to the degree Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) Accounting. However, a student who fails to satisfy the examiners for admission to the degree will not be precluded from nor prejudiced in the award of the Postgraduate Diploma in Accountancy.

It must be emphasised that Honours students must comply with all the requirements of the PGDA (i.e. tests, tutorial attendance, etc.

1.2 The Honours Programme

This component is treated separately from the Postgraduate Diploma in Accountancy from both the administrative and academic standpoints. It is for this component that the Honours degree is awarded. The balance of this document (ie. Section 2 onwards) deals exclusively with this component. All references to 'the programme' pertain to this component alone unless otherwise stated.

Aims of the course

The Honours programme has been designed to allow both a broad perspective, plus an in-depth analysis in certain areas.

The broad aim of the programme is the fostering in participants of conceptual knowledge and critical thought leading to the development of problem solving ability in the broader accounting areas of financial reporting and, to a lesser extent, related subjects in the PGDA.

The objectives of the programme are as follows:

• allow the participants an opportunity to develop a rational approach to accounting, in a relatively unstructured academic environment;
   
• enable participants to familiarise themselves with major trends in accounting thought and research;
   
• provide the infrastructure for participants to discuss issues in depth;
   
• develop the participants' ability to conduct meaningful research;
   
• develop the participants' ability to evaluate relevant literature critically and familiarise themselves with the resources of literature;
   
• develop the participants ability, given a particular situation, to:
  - eliminate irrelevant material
  - identify key issues
  - rank the issues in order of importance
  - suggest possible courses of action
  - select the most appropriate course of action
   
• develop the participants written and oral communication skills;
   
• allow sufficient scope for individuals to attain any personal objectives.