ACC500 Business Decision Making

Unit Study Guide

Unit Description

Many graduates aim to become managers, either of their own business, or as part of the management team of other entities. A critical attribute of management is the ability to incorporate financial and non-financial data in a range of decisions, such as pricing products, setting budgets, and evaluating performance.

However, many of these people have not studied accounting and information systems. This unit aims to address this gap by showing you how to identify, obtain, manipulate, and analyse data to make informed business decisions.

Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs)

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

ULO1 Apply a systems approach to facilitate business decision making.

ULO2 Evaluate a range of behavioural factors and demonstrate how they influence decision makers.

ULO3 Apply cost classifications and cost behaviour to a range of business decisions, including budgeting.

ULO4 Apply cost-benefit analysis concepts to various business decision making contexts.

ULO5 Analyse and Interpret the impact a range of transactions using accounting information systems including accounting software and events will have on business resources; and

ULO6 Critically analyse complex information and develop spreadsheet models to support decision making in a variety of contexts.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

Successful completion of this unit will contribute to the following Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs):

CLO1 Critically analyse complex information and concepts to inform decision-making in local and international business contexts.

CLO2 Apply critical thinking to resolve complex business issues.

CLO3 Communicate business information effectively with all stakeholders to achieve desired business outcome.

CLO4 Interact with colleagues and stakeholders to work effectively to achieve desired business outcomes.

CLO5 Critically evaluate and apply principles of ethics, sustainability, and social responsibility, as well as Indigenous values, to decision-making in business.

CLO6 Demonstrate advanced skills in professional business practice.

Graduate Attributes (GAs)

Successful completion of this unit will contribute to the following PIA Graduate Attributes (GAs):

GA1 Communicate effectively in a diverse range of professional or community context.

GA2 Complete work tasks and assignments independently or as an effective member of multidisciplinary teams.

GA3 Engage in and value life-long learning leading to the enhancement of professional knowledge and skills.

GA4 Are information and technology literate.

GA5 Respond appropriately to a changing workforces, cultures and values reflecting a global work environment.

GA6 Demonstrate critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making abilities essential to contributing soundly to the resolution of issues confronting organisations.

GA7 Facilitate intellectual curiosity.

GA8 Act in an ethical manner in all aspects of professional life.

Learning and Teaching Approach

Learning and teaching in this unit applies the Institutes model of providing transformational learning experiences that are student-centered, collaborative, active, reflective, and applied. Key themes embedded into the resources, challenges and assessments are ethical practice, sustainability, evidence-based decision making and real-world applications. Completion of the learning activities for each week will give students the discipline knowledge and skills required to complete the assessments. Successful completion of all assessments demonstrates that the unit learning outcomes have been achieved. Additional support to further enhance students academic skills is available from the Academic Enhancement team.

Expectations of Students

Students are expected to:

• Prepare for scheduled classes by completing assigned

• Attend at least 80% of scheduled

• Actively participate in class activities

• Seek clarification and advice from teaching staff as

• Attempt all assessments.

• Submit assessments on

• Review and reflect on feedback on assessments and seek clarification about feedback where needed.

• Notify the lecturer and / or unit coordinator if unable to attend classes and/or submit assessments.

Completion of the learning activities for each week will give students the discipline knowledge and skills required to complete the assessments. Successful completion of all assessments demonstrates that the unit learning outcomes have been achieved.

Schedule of Learning and Teaching Activities

Assessment Information

Below is a Summary of assessments tasks required in this unit.

For full details of each assessment task, including instructions, see the Assessment Brief for this unit.

Resources

Prescribed Text:

Miller-Noble, T, Mattison, BL, Matsumura, EM, Best, P, Keene, D, Tan, R & Willett, R 2021, Financial accounting, 9^th Edition, Pearson, Australia.

Recommended Readings:

Hoggett, J., J. Medlin, K. Chalmers, C. Beattie, A. Hellmann, J. Maxfield (2023), Accounting, 11^th Edition, Wiley

Materials and Equipment

• a laptop computer or PC

• access to Microsoft Office Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

• access to the internet

Requirements to Pass a Unit

Students should note the following requirements to pass a unit (as set out in PIAs Assessment Policy).

The following need to be met:

1. All assessment tasks MUST be attempted (you must submit an attempt); and

1. In units that have a final examination, a minimum mark of 40% must be achieved.

Units where assessment tasks are not attempted and/or a mark of less than 40% will be given a Fail (F) grade.

Participation

Students are required to participate in all collaborative work, group work and work integrated activities, such as study tours, industry lead activities and open forums, (a) actively, fully, and positively; and (b) in a timely manner. Student contributions to collaborative, group, and work integrated activities must be meaningful, of value to peers, and follow the specifications of the Unit Study Guide.

Academic Misconduct

Ethical conduct and academic integrity and honesty are fundamental to the mission of PIA and academic misconduct will not be tolerated by the Institute. Please refer to the Institutes Academic Integrity Policy for further details.

Academic integrity means putting values into practice by being honest in the academic work you do at the Institute, being fair to others, taking responsibility for learning, and following the conventions of scholarship.It is the responsibility of every student to make sure that they understand what constitutes academic misconduct and to refrain from engaging in it.

it is your responsibility to ensure that you demonstrate academic integrity.Take the time to find out more by visiting PIAs Policies and Procedures site.

By submitting your assessments, you acknowledge that this is your own work that you have undertaken the assessments yourself and without any assistance from any other person or any website or other resources which are not specifically permitted. Also, you have not shared any aspect of your assessments or answers with other students or provided assistance to them in any way.

Attendance

PIA has a responsibility to ensure that all students enrolled at the Institute are able to make satisfactory progress through their course, and attending scheduled classes is essential for course progression. For onshore international students maintaining satisfactory attendance in the course and making satisfactory progress with the course are also conditions of the student Visa. PIA therefore monitors the attendance of all students at all scheduled classes and students are required to attend at least 80% of scheduled for units in which they are enrolled, where attendance means that the student is present for the whole duration of the scheduled lecture, tutorial, or seminar class. Students are advised that decisions about the award of supplementary assessments will take into account student attendance.

Disclaimer

This unit study guide may be updated and amended from time to time. Any changes to the unit will be notified to students through the Online Learning System (MyPIA) for the unit.