Professional Documents
Culture Documents
ACCN 3007/3019/3023
SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTING
COMMERCE, LAW AND MANAGEMENT FACULTY
Course outline 2024
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... 2
A. Welcome .................................................................................................................................. 3
B. Course Content ........................................................................................................................ 3
C. How to meet the course objectives.......................................................................................... 4
D. Staff on the Management Accounting & Finance III course ...................................................... 5
E. Prescribed textbook ................................................................................................................. 6
F. Lectures ................................................................................................................................... 6
G. Tutorials ................................................................................................................................... 6
H. Formative Assessments ........................................................................................................... 7
I. Additional Journals and Periodicals.......................................................................................... 8
J. Satisfactory participation/ performance .................................................................................... 9
K. Final course mark - sub-minimum requirements....................................................................... 9
L. Course assessments and exams ............................................................................................. 9
K1. Final exam .......................................................................................................................... 10
M. Test and examination rules .................................................................................................... 11
L1. Calculators .......................................................................................................................... 11
L2. Use of non-standard symbols and abbreviations in exams .................................................. 11
L3. Extra time ............................................................................................................................ 12
L4. Absence from tests/ assessments ....................................................................................... 12
L5. Deferred exams ................................................................................................................... 13
L6. Supplementary exams ......................................................................................................... 14
N. Course material...................................................................................................................... 14
O. Course communication and Ulwazi ........................................................................................ 14
P. The importance of ethical behaviour ...................................................................................... 15
Q. Plagiarism .............................................................................................................................. 15
R. Other matters ......................................................................................................................... 16
S1. Almanac .............................................................................................................................. 16
S2. Code of conduct .................................................................................................................. 16
S3. Wits student services .......................................................................................................... 17
S4. Health and Safety ............................................................................................................... 17
S5. Signing of progress reports ................................................................................................. 18
S6. The Road to Success Programme ...................................................................................... 18
S. Disclaimer .............................................................................................................................. 19
T. Course coordinator vs course administrator responsibilities ................................................... 19
U. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................................... 19
A. Welcome
Welcome to Management Accounting & Finance III. To ensure success, not only academically but
also in your career as a CA (SA), the course will cover the SAICA Competency Framework, along
with principles and concepts most often experienced in practise.
Management Accounting and Finance III will consist of two sections, Management Accounting and
Managerial Finance. The course will build on the work covered in Management Accounting II. Due to
the nature of the subject, modules can interlink, and therefore there may be crossovers.
This course outline contains important information relating to this course. Please ensure that you
read it carefully and complete the acknowledgement on Ulwazi that you have read and understood
the contents. Please also read the related CLM Student Handbook which is available on the course
Ulwazi site.
B. Course Content
MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
Management accounting is concerned with providing both financial and non-financial information that
will help decision-makers make good decisions. An understanding of management accounting
therefore requires an understanding of the decision-making process and an awareness of the users
of accounting information. During the past two decades many organisations in both the manufacturing
and service sectors have faced dramatic changes in their business environment. De-regulation
combined with extensive competition from overseas companies in domestic markets has resulted in
a situation where most companies are now competing in a highly competitive global market. In order
to compete successfully in this environment companies have made customer satisfaction an
overriding priority. They have also adopted new management approaches, changed their
manufacturing systems and invested in new technologies. These changes have had a significant
influence on management accounting systems and management accounting.
The focus of this course will be to obtain a background understanding of these changes as well as
how these management accounting systems can be used to aid decision making in your role as a
management accountant.
MANAGERIAL FINANCE
Managerial finance is essentially about the financial management of business enterprises. Companies
face two major financial management decisions:
These decisions form the core of managerial finance. The objective of both these decisions is to
ensure growth of the company and of the funds invested. The success of any company depends on
There is a third decision; called the dividend decision, which refers to returning cash to shareholders,
but this will be covered in Managerial Finance IV.
You will learn tools and analytical techniques to make the above decisions. Many of these tools and
techniques are based on mathematics, statistics and time value of money concepts. Additionally, the
course focuses on a conceptual understanding of important finance principles which will be applied
to real world scenarios.
1. Plan you
7. Consult
week
2. Watch
6. Identify
Lecture
Gaps
videos
5. Attend 3. Study
Tut content
4. Practise
Tuts
• Attend all lectures – lectures will focus on the application of knowledge/principles using in-depth
case studies and in-class examples/tutorials. Important learning and examination techniques will
also be dealt with to prepare students for final examinations.
• Complete any preparatory work for lectures, as prescribed by your lecturer. It is impossible to cover
the full course material in the lectures alone. The prescribed reading set for each lecture is
essential and lectures will be presented based on the assumption that such reading has been
completed before the lecture.
• Supplement your lectures with additional reading from as many sources as possible. You need to
read a variety of publications to appreciate business practices, identify ethical implications and
ensure an up-to-date understanding of business developments.
• Attend all tutorials, having adequately prepared all of the tutorials and be prepared to participate
in group discussions facilitated by the tutors.
1. Before attempting a tutorial, students should “study” all relevant notes and lecture examples for
the section.
2. Students should attempt the seen tutorial questions first to make sure the understanding of the
content is solid.
3. Solutions to the seen questions should be thoroughly reviewed for understanding, ask “Why did
I get this wrong? What concept do I not understand?”
4. Revise the sections you are still struggling with.
5. Students should then attempt the unseen tutorial question as a “test/exam” under exam
conditions and keep to the allocated time suggested.
6. Solutions to the unseen questions should be used to mark your attempts.
7. Once the tutorial has been attended it is VITAL that the student re-looks (and possibly re-does)
the tutorials within the following week. Keep a log book of “things learnt errors to avoid,
understanding of new concepts and summaries”. This will assist you tremendously in BUILDING
knowledge on knowledge.
PLEASE NOTE: Most students normally leave point 7 (above) out, and consequently never complete
the learning cycle. As a result, they rush to repeat tutorials just before an examination, where they then
can no longer remember what the tutorial was about and can no longer remember the concepts
previously understood.
• Refer to comments posted on a weekly basis on Canvas (Ulwazi). This will assist you in
understanding more complex issues within the tutorial and provides guidance on the
information presented to you. Please note that the terms Canvas and Ulwazi are
interchangeable.
• In third year, it is important that you work consistently on a weekly basis, rather than attempting
to study only ahead of your tests and exams. The work is cumulative and each week builds
on the previous topics.
Sandra Jooste
FNB 135 011-717-8184 Sandra.Jooste@wits.ac.za
(Course Co-ordinator)
Lecturers will be available for consultation without prior arranged appointment during times indicated
on a weekly consultation schedule, that will be released on Ulwazi. In addition, an appointment may
be set up by prior arrangement between student and lecturing staff. The Academic Trainees are also
available for consultations during allocated consultation times.
All administration related queries should be address with the Third-Year course administrator,
Ali (aliflett.makhutle@wits.ac.za) in FNB 164.
E. Prescribed textbook
MANAGERIAL FINANCE
FO Skae (volume editor). “Managerial Finance”, 8th Edition,
LexisNexis.
F. Lectures
The course is offered on the A diagonal with days, times, session types and venues that follow. All
students are registered on the same diagonal.
G. Tutorials
The tutorials are a vital component of the teaching and learning model. Tutorials present an ideal
opportunity to discuss and understand the relevant principles and their applications with a small group
of peers and an experienced tutor. The tutorials are designed to teach you how to apply your
knowledge and how to present a solution to different types of questions. You will have to demonstrate
these skills in tests and exams in order to pass the course. If you do not adequately prepare your
tutorials, you will be placing yourself at a disadvantage.
Tutorial attendance is compulsory. Tutorial questions for each week are set out in the tutorial
programme at the front of the tutorial pack. Details are available on Ulwazi.
During the tutorial, students will have an opportunity to discuss any problems or issues arising from
the questions with the tutor and the group. Solutions to unseen tutorials will be handed out during the
tutorial session. You will not obtain the full benefit of the tutorials if you do not complete all the
questions before attending the tutorial. You are advised to develop an analytical approach to
answering Management Accounting & Finance questions. You should think about the following when
completing your tutorials:
When comparing your answer to the suggested solution, you should try to identify the areas not
identified as this indicates that you have not yet mastered the relevant content or that you
misunderstood the question. Once you have identified the problem you can remedy it. Please
remember that there is seldom only one correct answer. The tutorial sessions should be used to
discuss the suggested solutions and other relevant points. Unseen tutorials will be done in the tutorial
sessions during the year, either individually or in groups, to assist students with the more complex
areas of Management Accounting & Finance.
The tutorials will take the following format for Management Accounting & Finance III (subject to
change):
1. Each student will choose a specific tutorial group and will then need to attend in that group at
all times (students will not be allowed to change groups). It is imperative that you stick to your
group for venue sizes and class test capturing. Each tutorial group will be tutored by a lectuter
or an acadmic trainee.
2. During the tutorial session, the tutor will open the floor to questions based on the seen tutorials
completed at home as well as work through the unseen tutorial with the sstudents.
3. The tutorial will end with the tutor discussing questions raised by students on the seen tutorials.
Please refer to the tutorial pack for the detailed prescribed tutorials on a weekly basis.
H. Formative Assessments
The key to successful completion of Management Accounting & Finance III is your ability to
communicate clearly and concisely in writing. Formative/written discussion tests will be conducted on
an announced basis. These will take place during some of your tutorials or they will be online
assessments which need to be completed before a specified date (these will be administered on
Ulwazi (Canvas)). Details of these assessments will be communicated on Ulwazi (this test can also
take the form of projects, MCQ’s, tests or any other form of assessment as deemed appropriate by
the School of Accountancy).
Tests and exams are based on practical cases/scenarios. You need to be aware of current affairs and
be able to advise on current economic issues and how they impact business and the financial
reporting process. It is, therefore, recommended that you read at least one source from the financial
press daily. The following, amongst others, are available in the library and online, in the links provided
below:
Summary of sources
Title Web Link
Accountancy SA http://www.accountancysa.org.za
Financial Mail http://www.fm.co.za
Business Day http://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/
Business Report http://www.busrep.co.za
Fin Week http://fintalk.co.za
Newsweek http://www.noseweek.co.za
Daily Maverick http://dailymaverick.co.za
Business Times http://www.timeslive.co.za/business
As future business professionals or entrepreneurs, it is vital that you develop your business acumen.
To emphasise the importance of this competency, SAICA has included it in their competency
framework. At Wits, we want to encourage our students to focus on how businesses create value. We
want to graduate business professionals who are committed to life-long learning. We therefore
encouraged students to read financial publications, as mentioned on the previous page. However, we
understand that access to these publications may be limited.
In order to meet the SP Requirements for the course, students are expected to meet the following
criteria:
• Attend 75 % of all lectures provided during the year. Card readers have been installed in all the
lecture venues and students are required to swipe their student card in order to record their
attendance at the lecture.
• Attempt 75% of class tests and all other tests and examinations.
• Make a reasonable attempt to answer 75% of the tutorial questions set for the year and to attend
not less than 75% of the tutorial classes. Students who have not made a reasonable attempt at
the prescribed tutorial homework will be asked to leave the tutorial and will not obtain an
‘attendance credit’ for the week.
• November examination
o Students who have passed the year but failed to obtain at least 45% for the final
examination will not be granted credit for the course and will be required to pass a
supplementary examination in order to be granted credit for the course if the criteria
for a supplementary exam as per CLM faculty is met.
o Students who have passed the year but failed to obtain at least 50% for both the
Management Accounting section as well as the Managerial Finance section will not be
granted credit for the course and will be required to pass a supplementary examination
in order to be granted credit for the course if the criteria for a supplementary exam as
per CLM faculty is met.
The final course mark will be made up of the following assessments. Where applicable, dates, times
and venues for assessments will be posted on Ulwazi.
Marks
The marks for each assessment will be released on Gradebook on Ulwazi (Canvas) once the marks
are available. Students are permitted to query marks for assessments (including June but excluding
the final examination). The query process is as follows:
1. Highlight in the solution where the mark is to be considered and highlight the corresponding point
in your answer paper.
2. Number each point on both the solution and the answer script in the left margin.
3. No additional points will be considered for the remark process.
4. Attach the marked-up solution with this form (mark query form) to your answer script and hand in
to Ali (the administrator) before the communicated deadline expires.
5. If the mark on the script does not agree to the communicated marks on Ulwazi (CANVAS), a mark
update form needs to be completed to update Ulwazi (CANVAS) and the marks masterfile of the
coordinator.
The mark query form, referred to in point 4 above, must be completed and submitted with the mark
query. Should the process above not be followed, the remark or query will not be processed, and the
mark will remain unchanged.
Examination results will be withheld in November until all fees have been paid in full. Any student who
anticipates difficulty in complying with the requirements regarding the payment of tuition fees should
consult the Bursaries Office.
A student who fails to pay his fee by due date will be levied surcharges as set out in the Fees booklet.
L1. Calculators
Calculators are allowed in all tests and exams but should follow the calculator policy as prescribed by
the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA). The full policy can be obtained from
the link below:
https://www.saica.co.za/Portals/0/LearnersStudents/Examinations/Part%20I%20ITC%20Exam%20
Regulations%202017.pdf
Please take note of the extract from the Examination Rules of SAICA (see the Qualifying Examination
Regulations for the Initial Test of Competence (ITC), 2017) regarding SAICA’s policy on calculators:
“10. CALCULATORS
10.1. Candidates shall only use silent, electronic, battery-driven pocket calculators subject
to the following conditions:
10.1.1. Calculators shall be cordless and may not have print-out facilities; and
10.1.2. Calculators that have a full set of alpha characters/keys are prohibited (i.e. NO
programmable calculators are allowed).
10.2. Any financial calculator, subject to the conditions set in regulation 10.1.1 and 10.1.2,
shall be allowed as the following tables will not be provided in any SAICA QE:
10.2.1. Tables of present value factors for various discount rates for varying periods; and
10.2.2. Tables of future value factors for various interest rates for varying periods.
10.3. The calculator function on electronic media, including but not limited to, cell phones,
smart phones, tablets or any other similar electronic device may not be used.
10.4. Candidates may not share a calculator with another candidate in the examination
room"
Symbols, such as those shown below, have no place in academic or professional accounting writing.
The use of non-standard abbreviations, mathematical and scientific symbols and so-called ‘SMS
language’ will not be accepted. (This does not apply to workings attached to test and examination
answers.)
Extra time granted for matriculation examinations do not apply. A new application to the University
must be made. Application forms are available from the Faculty Offices, Disability Unit (DU), Campus
Health and Wellness Centre (CHWC) and Examinations and Graduation Office (EGO). Please note
that the granting of extra time is NOT handled by the School of Accountancy.
Students who fail to attend or complete a test that forms part of the course / year mark may apply to
be excused from that assessment.
PLEASE NOTE THAT AN EXCUSED STATUS IS NOT GRANTED AUTOMATICALLY AND WILL
ONLY BE GRANTED IN TERMS OF RULES SET OUT IN THE SENATE POLICY.
• Students will only be allowed a maximum of ONE excused per subject per year (including the
June Test), in line with the policy adopted by the School of Accountancy.
• An approved application’s effect is that the weighting for the excused assessment is removed from
the calculation of the final mark. Should the application be unsuccessful, the student will be
granted zero for that assessment.
• No excused status will be granted for holidays, work interviews, work commitments, etc. outside
the policy.
The rules for the granting of an excused status are set out in document S2009/346 ‘Senate policy on
the assessment of student learning’ and will be considered under the conditions set out below
a) Illness
• Student must produce a doctor’s certificate which gives the reasons why the student could
not take the assessment on that date. We have the right to contact the doctor and verify the
authenticity of the certificate.
• If the illness is suffered before an assessment, although he or she may have recovered by the
date of the assessment, the medical certificate must describe the nature and degree of
disability which interrupted the candidate’s preparation for the assessment.
• A candidate who falls ill during an assessment must report immediately to the chief or senior
invigilator who will arrange for him or her to be accompanied to the Campus Health and
Wellness Centre (CHWC).
• Save as provided in Rule G.13.6 it will not avail a candidate who presents himself or herself
for an assessment and takes it when ill, to produce a doctor’s certificate after having taken the
assessment.
• In cases where acute assessment anxiety produces illness, consideration may be given on
the first occasion that this occurs, but the candidate must be informed that unless he or she
University of the Witwatersrand Page 12 of 19
Course outline 2024
undertakes the course of treatment offered or recommended by the Counselling and Careers
Development Unit (CCDU), no further such deferments will be granted.
b) Religious grounds
A candidate who objects to taking an assessment on a holy day of his/her faith should submit a letter
of support for his/her application for a deferred assessment from the religious leader of that faith.
A candidate may be granted a deferred assessment if he/she has been selected to participate in a
sporting, cultural or similar event, as a formal representative of the University, province or
country, or in a capacity considered equivalent by the Head of School. The Head of School will
consider, inter alia, whether the timing of such an event would constitute a serious impediment, either
to the candidate’s presence at the assessment, and/or to the candidate’s preparation for the
assessment.
d) Other grounds
An application for an excused status on grounds other than those listed will be considered on its
merits.
Procedure
Students who wish to apply for an excused status must follow the following procedure:
The application will then be considered and the outcome sent by e-mail to your Wits e-mail address.
APPLICATION FOR DEFERRED IN THE CASE OF THE FINAL EXAM IS DEALT WITH BY
FACULTY AND NOT THE SCHOOL OF ACCOUNTANCY. THESE APPLICATIONS MUST BE
SUBMITTED TO FACULTY.
The School of Accountancy does not set deferred assessments for scheduled tests which occur
during the year (which includes the June test). Deferred assessments are only set for the final
examination. A deferred examination may be granted under special circumstances to students who
are unable to write the final examination. Save in exceptional circumstances, nothing can be done for
a candidate who misreads the assessment timetable.
The Special Supplementary Exams will be awarded by the Faculty Examinations Board. Students
who do not write the awarded Special Supplementary Exams will not be eligible for deferment of
these exams under any conditions.
N. Course material
Each student will be provided with a course file, including relevant lecture and tutorial material by the
course administrator. Only one course file will be issued to each student. A lecture outline is
available on Ulwazi.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL MATERIAL COVERED IN MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING & FINANCE
II FORM PART OF THE MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING & FINANCE III SYLLABUS AND IS
EXAMINABLE IN MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING & FINANCE III.
All courses offered by the School of Accountancy make use of the Wits e-Learning Management
System (Ulwazi). Students can access Ulwazi at http://cle.wits.ac.za using their Wits login and
password. Your login details will be provided to you in the first few weeks of term. It is imperative that
you confirm that your login is working and follow up on any problems immediately with the course
administrator.
• Important notices are posted on Ulwazi. Please note that the Management Accounting &
Finance Division does not post information on noticeboards located in the FNB Building.
• Once information has been posted on Ulwazi, it is assumed that you are aware of the relevant
information. Therefore, it is important to check Ulwazi regularly, at minimum at the start of
every day.
• Please note that Ulwazi sends notices and instructions via e-mails to student e-mail
addresses. There is no excuse for not receiving correspondence as all students have student
e-mail addresses and 24-hour access to the computer labs (located in the FNB Building).
• Please ensure that you check your Wits e-mail often. You should use your Wits e-mail address
when communicating with any staff at Wits in order to ensure that your e-mail is not flagged
as spam and deleted.
• Those students who utilise personal e-mails must ensure that they add a forwarding address
in their student e-mails. This will ensure you receive immediate notification of any important
information. The Management Accounting & Finance Division will not forward any information
posted on Ulwazi to private e-mail accounts.
Please direct all queries regarding your Wits e-mail account or Ulwazi profile to the course
administrator.
Students need to appreciate that they are joining a profession based on the highest standards of
technical competency and ethics. It is, therefore, imperative that students act with integrity, objectivity
and in a manner, which does not bring the good name of the profession or the School of Accountancy
into disrepute. To this end, students are reminded to always act in a professional manner, not only in
the class but also in the communication with staff of the School of Accounting and their peers.
Q. Plagiarism
‘Plagiarism’ refers to the copying of sections, parts or passages from the electronic or written work of
other people (e.g. authors of books or articles, other students, and the internet) without
acknowledgement. An essay or other assignment which contains substantially copied parts or
sections from one or more sources, with little or no original contribution from the student, is plagiarised
and represents dishonest practice.
Plagiarism is viewed very seriously by the University and disciplinary action will be taken against
students who are found to be guilty of plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty. Please see
the CLM Faculty Student Guidelines for details.
R. Other matters
S1. Almanac
Registration, orientation and other important dates will be communicated to you via Ulwazi. These
may differ from the official University almanac which has been included on Ulwazi
In order to achieve this objective in the changing professional environment, the School expects both
its staff and its students to adhere to a sound code of conduct.
• To receive reasonable guidance and direction in relation to the completion of course and degrees;
• To be treated with respect and courtesy by the staff of the School;
• To have reasonable access to the Heads of Divisions and to the Head of the School;
• To receive reasonable assistance, in conjunction with the Disabled Students Programme, in
relation to identified disabilities you may have;
• To have reasonable access for consultation purposes to appropriate teaching staff in relation to
the courses which you are studying, both at advertised consultation times and by appointment;
• Advertised staff consultation times to be at times at which students can reasonably be expected
not to be engaged in other formal academic activities;
• Lecturers and tutors to be on time for lectures and tutorials;
• Lecturers and tutors to be well prepared for lectures and tutorials;
• Lecture and tutorial material to be available at an appropriate time before lectures;
• Reading references to be advised at an appropriate time before lectures;
• Lectures to be well presented;
• Tutorials to be appropriate to the work being covered;
• Examination and test questions to relate to the material that has been covered in lectures, tutorials
and recommended readings;
• Tests and assignments to be marked within a reasonable time and to be returned with appropriate
solutions;
• To be given access to examination scripts, and to receive reasonable explanations for the marking
of examination and test answers; and
• To receive fair and unbiased assessment in examinations, tests and other assessments.
As part of the University’s commitment to ensure the health and safety of all students, students should
be aware of the University’s evacuation policies in the case of emergencies. A copy of the Health and
Safety policy will be available on CANVAS (Ulwazi). All queries related to health and safety should be
directed to the School’s Health and Safety Committee (Elmarie Papageorgiou:
Elmarie.Papageorgiou@wits.ac.za).
• All students are expected to take reasonable care of themselves and others.
• Any unsafe, unhealthy or environmentally unacceptable conditions need to be reported to your
lecturer/reception or OHS&E representatives or Emergency contact numbers 011 717 4444/6666
Please note that staff in the School will not sign progress reports. All requests for progress reports
must be directed to the attention of the Academic Services at the CLM Faculty.
• the development of excellence skills (e.g. time management, study skills for university, note
taking, and reflective practice)
• personal problems and concerns
• food and clothing provisions
• funding applications
• academic advising
RSP Coordinators
Name: Tshepiso Maleswena
Office: CLM Building, Room 50
Email address: Tshepiso.Maleswena@Wits.ac.za
Office phone: (011)-717 8138
S. Disclaimer
In the event of any inconsistency between information contained in this course outline and the rules,
regulations, policies, procedures, practices and standing orders as approved by the University
Senate, Council or both, the University’s Rules shall prevail.
The course administrator is responsible for day-to-day administration of the course. Responsibilities
include:
• Dissemination of course packs, lecture notes, tutorial solutions and any other course- related
material;
• Record and assign tutorial classes to specified groups;
• Recording all grades and SP requirements;
• Dissemination and collection of instructor evaluations;
• Providing administrative support to the academic team;
• Liaising with other administrative staff, academic colleagues and students where required;
• Organising and student projects;
• Maintaining of official records of students, their Ulwazi access and attending to student
registration queries; and
• Maintaining course information on Ulwazi.
The course coordinator and other lecturing staff are responsible for:
• Maintaining the quality of the course content;
• Promoting effective learning in lectures and tutorials ;
• Providing consultations (during specified consultation times) to deal with technical/learning-
related queries;
• Organising and holding meetings/classroom sessions to discuss issues affecting student
learning, assessments and academic development;
• Monitoring student progress and
• Processing technical/learning-related queries on assessments.
U. CONCLUSION
Attendance at lectures, a knowledge and understanding of the various statutes, completion of tutorials
set and reference to the prescribed textbook, is considered essential for success in this subject. Those
students who work systematically and conscientiously throughout the year, should pass this course
and in doing so will have gained knowledge which will be of immense practical value to them in the
future.