| Unit name | Accounting and Accountability for Sustainability |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ACFIM0049 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Professor. Cooper |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Accounting and Finance - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
This unit will acquaint you with the nature and scope of alternative forms of accountability which goes beyond the traditional financial accounting model. Development of such alternative forms of corporate accountability is becoming essential in the modern business world. This is evidenced by the recent developments in sustainability reporting standard setting and the publication of substantial sustainability / ESG reports by more than 95% of the G250 companies (KPMG, 2022). You will learn the theory and practice of accounting for sustainability with insights into real life corporate practices in this area. This is a unit that emphasises research and analytical skills. This unit encourages you to develop your critical analysis skills with regard to this increasingly important accounting topic.
How does this unit fit within your programme of study?
This unit covers a range of topics around the impact that sustainability issues are having in redefining the role of accounting and accountants in practice and how accounting and accountability can be used to respond to the great challenges posed by sustainability issues. The unit will build on the more established financial aspects of accounting to examine how corporate practices and regulatory frameworks are changing to enable the accounting for and reporting of sustainability impacts and dependencies. These range from environmental concerns such as climate change and biodiversity to more social issues related to employees, communities, and human rights. As such, the unit will discuss the role of accounting and accountability in supporting sustainable business and organisational priorities and pave the way for discussion in other units on more specific aspects of accounting, accountability and sustainability.
This is a core TB1 unit that complements other aspects of the programme. In focussing more specifically at accounting and reporting practices it complements the more theoretical content and methodological content of the other two TB1 core units. It provides an important understanding of practice that then will feed and developed into the governance and assurance practices covered in the TB2 core unit.
An overview of content
This unit introduces you to the concepts of accountability and sustainability. It explores both the established principles and practices associated with accounting and reporting for sustainability as well as the established theoretical understanding of these practices. Its content includes materials relating to sustainability reporting standards and guidelines, alternative performance management frameworks, the role of assurance, and developments in the accounting for climate change impacts and dependencies.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
You will be expected to develop your ability to think critically. You will be expected to demonstrate this through your ability to critically evaluate and discuss the purpose of accounting and reporting as a tool in providing accountability for a corporation’s sustainability impacts and dependencies.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
You will learn through a range of mechanisms and activities:
Both the summative and formative assessment challenges you to think about the purpose of your learning especially for your discipline and society.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Formative assessment will be delivered through feedback at tutorials, feedback to group essay plans and feedback to submitted practice essays. Feedback to group essay plans will aim to provide areas for development as groups prepare and finalise their group essay for submission. Feedback to submitted practice essays will aim to provide feedback for development as you prepare for the final examination.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
The unit mark (summative) will consist of a range of assessment, as follows:
When assessment does not go to plan
Reassessment for the group assignment will consist of an appropriately designed individual piece of coursework of 1,500 words in length. This will require students to both reflect on their groupwork experience and to address learning outcomes 2 and 3.
Reassessment for the final examination will consist of a similarly styled resit 2-hour exam (ILOs 1,2 and 3).
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ACFIM0049).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
