Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2007-2008 (archived)

Module ECOS1081: INTRODUCTION TO ACCOUNTING

Department: Economics, Finance and Business (Economics and Finance) [Queen's Campus, Stockton]

ECOS1081: INTRODUCTION TO ACCOUNTING

Type Tied Level 1 Credits 20 Availability Available in 2007/08 Module Cap None. Location Queen's Campus Stockton
Tied to NN43
Tied to N200
Tied to N420

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To introduce the basic concepts of financial and management accounting and to enable students to understand the financial and management accounting reports.
  • This will enable students to understand the relevance of accounting information in business decisions, and thus place it in the context of other modules on the programme.

Content

  • Definition of Accounting and Objectives of Accounting.
  • Income determination and difference between income and cash.
  • Accounting Concepts and Statements.
  • Objectives of Management Accounting: cost allocation process and Full cost ascertainment.
  • Uses of Full costs.
  • Marginal Costing.
  • Uses of Marginal Costing.
  • Management Accounting Information for Decision-making.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • By the end of this module, student should have:
  • a basic knowledge of the legal structure of organisations.
  • an understanding of basic financial accounting concepts and be able to apply these to produce simple financial accounting reports.
  • appreciate the limitations of financial accounting reports.
  • have an understanding of basic management accounting concepts.
  • have an understanding of the ways in which management accounting information may be used in decision-making.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • understanding of the needs of users for financial information
  • understanding of how accounting tries to fulfil needs of users
  • skills in calculating full and marginal costs
  • skills to prepare simple reports for planning and control
  • skills to use accounting statements for making decisions
Key Skills:
  • Written Communication - through summative assessment.
  • Planning, Organisation and Time Management - by preparing for examinations.
  • Problem Solving and Analysis - by applying the necessary analytical and quantitative skills, as well as the ability to manipulate concepts in Financial and Management Accounting, in answering tutorial questions and undertaking assessed work.
  • Numeracy - by applying core mathematical skills to answer a range of examination questions.
  • Computer Literacy and Information Retrieval - by accessing and downloading teaching material from DUO

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Teaching is by lectures and tutorials. Learning takes place through attendance at lectures, preparation for and participation in tutorial classes, and private study. Formative assessment is by means of one computer-based Multiple Choice test. Summative assessment is by means of a written examination.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 19 2 per week 1 hr 38
Tutorials 8 1 per fortnight 1 hr 8
Preparation and Reading 154
Total 200

Summative Assessment

Component: Examination Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
One written examination 2 hours 15 mins 100%

Formative Assessment:

One computer-based Multiple Choice Test


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University