ACCT3004 Company Accounting
Question
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Question:

Record a video presentation on an assigned Company Accounting related topi.

Topic 1 

1. Students are to choose ONE major corporate failure or corporate scandal that occurred in the last 10 years anywhere in the world that could relate to any of the topics discussed in this unit. Scandals or failures could relate specifically to accounting scandals, CSR related scandals, or governance related scandals (this includes ethics). The case of Dicksmiths and Quintis are discussed in the unit and cannot be used for your assignment. 

Examples of relevant companies could be in Australia or elsewhere. (Some current examples are: CBA, Westpac, ANZ, NAB, Master’s Home Improvement, Volkswagen, Toshiba, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, and Turing Pharmaceuticals.)

Students may choose any company as long as the scandal or corporate failure was significant and received notable media attention either in Australia or elsewhere overseas. However, all information and references MUST be accessible and written in ENGLISH.   

In preparing this presentation, students should consider the following guide points in their initial research (note: students can add to this list, these are guide points only. Students are NOT required to have these individual points as separate headings when presenting. Why did you choose this particular company, what is significant about it and what is the background of the scandal or failure?

(i) What comments have you found in the media?

(ii) What were the public’s and/or stakeholders reactions?

(iii) Were there any warning signs for the failure or pending scandal?

(iv) Who was responsible?

(v) How does this failure or scandal link to accounting disclosure or earnings management, corporate governance or CSR?

(vi) How does accounting theory we have learned about fit into the failure or scandal you have chosen?

(vii) Were there any consequences, or what should the consequences be if it the case is still current?

(viii) What are the ethical consequences?  

(ix) Are there any lessons learned from this case?

Students should review the most recently available annual reports along with the disclosure on the company website and any supplementary reports, including reliably sourced information in the media and elsewhere and include examples and any comparisons where appropriate.

Note: Under no circumstances are companies to be contacted direct by students.

OR 
Topic 2 

Sustainability or CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) reporting involves companies and organisations demonstrating their corporate responsibility through measuring and publicly reporting on their economic, social and environmental performance and impacts. It can be delivered through the company’s annual report, a stand-alone sustainability report, a triple bottom line report or an environmental or social impact report. 

Students are to select THREE companies (Two companies if you are doing the assignment by yourself) from the Top 200 companies listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.  

Students should review the most recent annual reports along with the disclosure on the company website and any supplementary reports, including reliably sourced information in the media and rank the companies in terms of their sustainability (CSR) reporting.  Students should also make a decision as to which company has demonstrated the better CSR reporting of its activities, based on the disclosures and fully justify the decision with examples and comparisons.   

Students should consider what constitutes Good CSR reporting and whether the companies have disclosed enough information (Voluntary and Mandatory information) to allow them to be compared and ranked. In addition students should consider the company size, political visibility, and image of the company and how this may influence CSR related disclosures.   

Note: Under no circumstances are companies to be contacted direct by students.