Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2019-2020 (archived)

Module ECON1141: INTRODUCTION TO FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING

Department: Economics and Finance

ECON1141: INTRODUCTION TO FINANCIAL ACCOUNTING

Type Tied Level 1 Credits 20 Availability Available in 2019/20 Module Cap None. Location Durham
Tied to NN43
Tied to N302
Tied to N304
Tied to N305
Tied to N306
Tied to N307
Tied to NN42
Tied to N204
Tied to N206

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To introduce the basic concepts of financial accounts' preparation and to enable students to understand the financial accounting reports.
  • To investigate the different treatments of financial statements’ components.

Content

  • Definition of Accounting and objectives of Accounting.
  • Income determination and difference between income and cash.
  • Accounting concepts and statements.
  • Financial statements preparation, including cash flow statement.
  • Interpretation of accounts using ratio analysis.

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 the ability to apply these to produce simple financial accounting reports.
  • appreciation of the limitations of financial accounting reports.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • understanding of the needs of users for financial information
  • understanding of how accounting tries to fulfil needs of users
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 Accounting.
  • 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 seminar classes, and private study.
  • Formative assessment is by means of computer-based Multiple Choice tests.
  • Summative assessment is by means of a written examination.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Workshops 20 1 per week 2 hr 40
Revision Lecture 1 1 in Term 3 2 hr 2
Seminars 4 2 per term 1 hr 4
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 30 mins 100% same

Formative Assessment:

Two or more Multiple Choice Tests


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