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University of BrightonBrighton Business School
Brighton Business School
Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA)
Course Handbook
Externally Assessed (Tuition only) course
Fundamental SkillsProfessional EssentialsProfessional Options
September 2012
PREFACE
The purpose of this course handbook is to provide you with key information about your course, including administrative and academic procedures, and to give you some practical advice on how to make the most of your studies and to explain what to do if you experience any difficulties. Please read the handbook very carefully and keep it at hand for future reference.
Other key documents that you should be familiar with are:
the University of Brighton Student Handbook;
the University of Brighton Plagiarism Awareness Pack;
the Brighton Business School Referencing Handbook;
the University of Brighton General Examination and Assessment Regulations (GEAR).
Copies of all these documents are accessible in electronic format on the University’s student intranet, Studentcentral (see 7.6 below), via your Course Area. You will also find electronic copies of the University Student Handbook and the University Plagiarism Awareness Pack on studentcentral.
Because of increasing incidents of cases of plagiarism both in this university and others, you are strongly urged to carefully read the Plagiarism Awareness Pack. Penalties for plagiarism can be very harsh and ignorance is no defence! The University has access to special software which can detect plagiarism and we will be using this at random throughout the year at all levels, so you have been warned.
If you would like to see any other items included in your course handbook please contact your course leader or course administrator and, whilst we cannot promise to change things straight away, we will do our best to improve the handbook in future years.
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CONTENTS
1. COURSE LEADER INTRODUCTION
2. BRIGHTON BUSINESS SCHOOL
3. COURSE MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
3.1 Course management team, course board and examination board3.2 Communications between staff and students3.3 Where to turn for advice and guidance3.4 Student representation and feedback3.5 Annual academic health process
4. COURSE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT
4.1 The Course overall4.2 Course aims and learning outcomes4.3 Course structure and content4.4 Academic calendar4.5 Careers support
5. COURSE ASSESSMENT 5.1 Nature of assessment5.2 Examination past papers5.3 Mitigating circumstances
6. COURSE SPECIFIC REGULATIONS6.1 Admissions 6.2 Progression 6.3 Withdrawal
7. LIBRARY, COMPUTING AND MEDIA SERVICES7.1 The library service7.2 Library services to part-time students7.3 The Online Library7.4 Computing services for students based at Moulsecoomb7.5 Media Centres7.6 Studentcentral7.7 ASK Study Guide7.8 Useful web addresses
8. STUDENT SERVICES3
9. STUDENT ENTITLEMENTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
9.1 Entitlements9.2 Responsibilities9.3 Brighton Business School – Attendance and Engagement policy9.4 Disability statement9.5 Fire evacuation9.6 Observing copyright laws
10. MISCELLANEOUS10.1 Course Handbook10.2 ACCA Student Membership10.3 ACCA Fees10.4 Students with Disabilities10.5 The role of the course leader10.6 The role of the Annual Course Review Board10.7 Quality Assurance
APPENDIXA Career Planning – wherever you are in the journey
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1. COURSE LEADER INTRODUCTION
Welcome to the University of Brighton's (ACCA) course. Some of you are full-time; some of you are part-time. Some of you will have already completed the first year here and will be familiar with the workings of the School and the University. Others of you will have come here from another educational institution. Some of you may be returning to study after a long absence from formal education. Hopefully all of you will have an enjoyable and successful experience of being a student at Brighton.
This handbook will attempt to give you the essential information that you need to complete that experience, and should be read in conjunction with the University Student Handbook. These documents are complementary and should be read through carefully at least once during the academic year, and retained for reference. They contain important information which we expect you to know.
We are an approved Gold Tuition Provider of the ACCA Fundamentals Knowledge and Professional Essentials and Options modules. Our tuition is year through in preparation for the June sittings of the ACCA examinations. We do not offer any tuition towards December sittings. Remember that you are subject to all the ACCA regulations and it is your responsibility to ensure you are aware of these rules and all ACCA deadlines (for registration, exams etc).
I hope you have a successful and enjoyable time here. Good luck with your studies.
Trish CoffeyACCA Course Leader Brighton Business School Sept 2012
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Important Notices
1) During the year could you ensure that you:
check the noticeboards regularly for timetable and other changes notify the Professional and Partnership Office of any changes of address and
telephone number (Sharen Staines on [email protected])
2) All students must be registered members of the ACCA.
3) Your pigeon holes are situated on the first floor of Mithras House, opposite Room 139
4) You are advised that for all course queries for Fundamentals Knowledge, Skills and Professional stages you should, in the first instance, contact the Course Leader. Enquiries about membership, ACCA regulations, examinations, etc should be directed to ACCA Connect, 0141 582 2000
5) If you wish to take the Oxford Brookes degree in Applied Accountancy, please read section 10.10
6) The ACCA Professional Options are run subject to demand and the decision of the Course Leader as to which Options will run in any given year is final. Please enquire as to whether your chosen Option(s) will run to avoid disappointment.
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2. BRIGHTON BUSINESS SCHOOL
The Dean of Brighton Business School is Professor Aidan Berry. More information about the work of the School may be found on the school web site at: www.brighton.ac.uk/bbs
The Brighton Business School is one of five Faculties at the University of Brighton, in addition to the Brighton and Sussex Medical School. The Vice Chancellor of the University is Professor Julian Crampton.
The Business School’s contact details are:
Brighton Business SchoolUniversity of BrightonMithras HouseLewes RoadBRIGHTONBN2 4AT
Tel: (01273) 600900 (Switchboard)Fax: (01273) 643597 or 642153
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The Academic year dates for the School are:
AUTUMN TERM
24 September 2012 – 14 December 2012
SPRING TERM
7 January 2013 – 22 March 2013
SUMMER TERM
15 April 2013 – 7 June 2013
SEMESTER DATES
Semester One 24 September 2012 – 1 February 2013
Semester Two 4 February 2013 – 7 June 2013
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3. COURSE MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION
3.1 Course management team, course board and examination board3.2 Communications between staff and students3.3 Where to turn for advice and guidance3.4 Student representation and feedback3.5 Annual academic health process___________________________________________________________________
3.1 Course management team, course board and examination board
3.1.1 Course management team
Responsibility for the day-to-day running of your course lies with the course management team, comprising your course leader, your course administrator, and the members of staff teaching on the course. Their contact details are as follows:
Responsibility Staff Room no Tel no E-mail addressCourse Leader Trish Coffey 127 Ext 2166 [email protected]
Course Administrator Sharen Staines 139 Ext 2572 [email protected]
Module Tutor F4 Gilliane Williams 223 Ext 2180 [email protected]
Module Tutor F5 + P5 A J Cilliers 127 Ext 2590 [email protected]
Module Tutor F6 + P6 Joanna Armstrong 147 Ext 2579 [email protected]
Module Tutor F7 Sue Endean / Trish Coffey 147 Ext 2587 [email protected]
Module Tutor F8 + P7 + P1 Sandra Holmes 102 Ext 2957 [email protected]
Module Tutor F9 Jenny Robertson 108 Ext 2584 [email protected]
Module Tutor P2 Trish Coffey 127 Ext 2166 [email protected]
Module Tutor P3
Andrew Grantham/ Graham Clifford/Asher Rospigliosi
130 Ext 2985 [email protected]@brighton.ac.uk
Profiles of academic staff may be found on the School website at: http://www.brighton.ac.uk/bbs/contact/academic.php
3.1.2 Course board
Each course within the School has a course board. The responsibilities of course boards include:
• ensuring the smooth operation of the course;• reviewing syllabus content, teaching methods, resources and generally monitoring the
course in operation;• maintaining effective feedback arrangements between the lecturers and the course
members;• planning and recommending policy with regard to the operation of the course;• exercising such other functions as may be requested by the School Board.The membership of course boards is as follows:
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Course Leader Trish CoffeyStudent Representative(s) TBACourse Administrator Sharen StainesInformation Adviser (or nominee) Pauline CoverdaleModule Leaders Where a module is taught by just one person that person is the module
leader.Assistant Head Peter Stock
Each course board will normally meet two or three times a year to hear reports on the progress of each year of the relevant course. The board will discuss both students' and tutors’ reports and take action where appropriate. If an issue arises which is clearly beyond the scope of the course board and requires further consideration, then it will be referred to the School Board. Copies of the minutes of course boards will normally be published on the school area on studentcentral within three weeks of each board on the “My School:Brighton Business School” area.
3.2 Communications between staff and students
Effective communication between staff and students is very important, and the School facilitates this in a range of ways.
3.2.1 We contact you
Through the student notice boards Through the plasma screen in the student lounge Through the professional courses student mailboxes Through Studentcentral By e-mail – using your University e-mail address (see 3.2.6 below) By mobile phone
The notice-boards, plasma screen and student mailboxes are all in Mithras House, close to the Professional and Partnership Office (M139). Through them you will be told about changes in timetables, cancellations and re-locations, the membership of groups, notes about examinations and essays, internal and external mail. Changes are frequent at the start of the academic year so please check them daily. It is your own responsibility to keep up with any announced changes.
You must complete the personal information from which will be given to you during induction and return it within two weeks of starting your course. Please ensure that you have uploaded a photograph of yourself onto studentcentral. If you change your personal details (address, name etc) you must notify the Professional and Partnership Office immediately in writing (by letter or e-mail) and change your personal details on-line on Studentcentral.
3.2.2 You contact us
By knocking on the doors of academic and administrative staff By slipping messages under our doors when we are not there By calling us by phone By e-mail. E-mail addresses of all staff are readily available. Important messages and official documents can be handed in to the Professional
and Partnership Office (M139)
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3.2.3 Professional and Partnership Courses Office The professional courses administrative team is located in the Professional and Partnership Office (M139) and is staffed by Hazel Brown and her team of course administrators. They have responsibility for all initial enquiries: for most queries you should see them first (what to do, where to go, requests for freely available handouts, information sheets, etc).
Opening times during term timeMithras House:
07.00 – 21.00 (Monday- Thursday)07.00 – 19.00 (Friday)
Professional and Partnership Office:08.30 – 17.00 (Monday to Thursday)08.30 –16.30 (Friday)
3.2.4 How to locate an office or lecture room
Most University room numbers are in two parts each of which conveys information. For example, to find room M160, you need to go to Mithras House, then the first floor (the first digit is a “1”) and then look for room M160. Similarly the computer pools will have numbers such as MA201, signifying Mithras Annexe, on the second floor and W321, somewhere on the third floor of the Watts Building. Outside the Professional and Partnership Office (M139) you will find on the wall a list of all the staff with their telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and office numbers. Next to the list is a display of all the staff photographs.
3.2.5 University telephone numbers
The standard University telephone exchange number is 01273 600 900. To directly reach a member of staff, once you know their internal extension number you need to add 64 before the internal extension number. For example, the course administrator’s extension is 2502. To reach him from outside you would need to dial 01273 642502. Alternatively dial 01273 600 900 and ask for a particular member of staff.
3.2.6 Your email address
Every member of the university has a central email address usually in the form [email protected]. This is the address that we will use to contact you and it is your responsibility to ensure that the Professional and Partnership Office is kept fully informed of any changes.
3.2.7 Proof of enrolmentIf you need a letter confirming your enrolment on a University course (e.g. for the purposes of a career development loan from your bank) you must request this from the University Student Office (Registry), Mezzanine Floor, Cockcroft Building. Please note that your School staff are not permitted to produce these letters
3.3 Where to turn for advice and guidance
Although every effort is made by staff to ensure that your course runs without problems we recognise that these do occasionally arise. The following notes provide guidance on the procedures to be followed in the event of problems arising during the course or with assessment. At each stage it is expected that the staff involved will try to find a solution to the difficulty. However, you should bear in mind that in some cases it is not within their power to solve them and, as such, it may need to be referred on to another body. It is permissible to miss out a stage in these procedures when a problem is urgent and the appropriate lecturer/tutor is unavailable, or where for other reasons it may be appropriate.
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3.3.1 Administrative problems
In the first instance, you should contact your course administrator about problems of an administrative nature. If the problem still remains unresolved then you should contact your course leader.
3.3.2 Personal problems In the first instance, you should contact your Personal Tutor, Sandra Holmes.
3.3.3 Academic problems
Stage 1 Discuss with lecturerconcerned
Not Resolved Resolved No further action needed
Stage 2 Bring to attention ofcourse leader or deputy course leader
Not Resolved Resolved No further action needed
Stage 3 Bring to attention ofthe Course Board through your yearcourse representative
Not Resolved Resolved No further action needed
Stage 4 Bring to the attention of the Head of School
The Head of School will take appropriate action directly or if necessary refer the problem on to the School Board, Examination Board or other appropriate body.
3.3.4 Problems associated with sitting examinationsContact the ACCA directly.
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3.4 Student representation and feedback
3.4.1 Student representation
Each year student representatives are elected for each course, and they are an important formal channel of communication between students and staff. The names and contact details of student representatives are published on studentcentral from early November each year.
All students are urged to consider standing for election as a student representative. It can be a very rewarding role, is an excellent personal development opportunity, and looks great on your CV. All newly elected student representatives are offered training for the role by the School, in conjunction with the University of Brighton Students Union, and support is available during the year as required. For further information about standing as a student representative, please contact the course leader. 3.4.2 Student feedback The School recognises the importance of formally obtaining and responding to the views of students in a systematic, consistent and transparent manner, taking action where necessary, and “closing the loop” by giving students feedback on resultant action, and the outcomes of student participation in decision making.
Feedback is formally obtained from students via annual course feedback forms, the student representative system (see 3.4.1 above), and operation of the School’s policy for resolving academic problems (see 3.3. above). For example, the Student Liaison Committee comprising student representatives and chaired by the School Quality Director meets two/three times a year in order to provide a forum for students to comment on issues that may arise at both course and School level. Formal mechanisms for obtaining student feedback are inevitably, and often usefully, supplemented by informal channels and contacts with students.
Feedback from students is formally considered, and responded to, at course boards and at the School Board, and as part of the annual academic health process (see 3.5 below). Copies of the minutes of course boards will normally be published on the school area on Studentcentral within three weeks of each board.
3.5 Annual academic health process
The basic building block of the University’s quality assurance system, is the Annual Academic Health process, which ensures that all courses and their constituent modules are reviewed annually, drawing upon a range of data as appropriate. Reports are produced from module through to course level, and are synthesized into school reports which consider the range of courses within their portfolio. Schools’ reports are considered at faculty and university level. External examiner reports and student feedback are a vital part of this process.
Within Brighton Business School, all course academic health reports are considered and approved at the School’s Annual Academic Health Afternoon in October, to which student representatives are invited to attend and participate. Copies of all approved academic health reports and the School Academic Health Report will normally be published on the school area by mid-November.
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4. COURSE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT
4.1 The Course overall4.2 Course aims and learning outcomes4.3 Course structure and content4.4 Academic Calendar4.5 Careers Support
4.1 The Course overall
The ACCA's examination structure consists of three stages, the first consisting of the Fundamental Knowledge, second the Fundamental Skills modules and the third Professional Essentials and Options modules.
You have already completed the three papers of the Fundamentals Knowledge level by the time you join us for this particular course.
Fundamental Skills is followed by the Professional Essentials and Options.
This course is aimed at people who mainly wish to complete their ACCA studies on a part time basis, who perhaps already have a degree and are maybe working. The ACCA allows students to take as many papers per sitting as they choose, subject to the maximum four paper rule. Our structure encourages the part time route by grouping papers F4, F5 and F6 into one day, F7, F8 and F9 are also grouped into one day and so on with the Professional papers. Tuition goes through the full academic year for the June examinations. There is no option to complete the Fundamental Skills papers full time in one year as the ACCA only allow four papers per sitting as a maximum and we teach to only one sitting. Please note that not all Professional Options run every year. Please check with your course administrator at the appropriate time.
Please note, the ACCA transition from the old scheme to the new scheme in 2007 was individually facilitated for each student via the conversion tool provided on line by the ACCA at the web address below;
https://www.acca-business.org/pls/ecommerce/online _converter.p _current_ subjects
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4.2 Course aims and learning outcomes
Aims
The general aim of the course is to provide tuition for potential accountants, by enabling students:
i) to follow a programme of study in Accounting which has an underlying vocational focus and is designed for students intending to pursue a career as an accountant or in any other area where financial information and decision making are core
ii) to enable students to develop analytical thinking skills and critical faculties within the accounting area
iii) to acquire the skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to an accountant faced with constantly changing professional demands
iv) to analyse and communicate financial and other business information effectively
v) to acquire the confidence and ability to explore and assess alternative courses of action
vi) to know and understand some of the alternative technical languages and practices of accounting
vii) to know and understand contemporary theories and empirical evidence concerning accounting in a practical context, and be able to critically evaluate such theories and evidence
viii) to acquire the necessary understanding, knowledge and confidence to ensure a reasonable prospect of success in the final externally set examinations
Learning Outcomes
On completion of their studies a student should have acquired the following abilities and skills
i) an understanding of the contexts in which accounting can be seen as operating. Knowledge and understanding of the main current technical language and practices of accounting (for example, recognition, measurement and disclosure in financial statements; managerial accounting; auditing; taxation) in a specified socio-economic domain
ii) knowledge and understanding of some of the alternative technical languages and practices of accounting (for example, alternative recognition rules and valuation bases, accounting rules followed in other socio-economic domains, alternative managerial accounting approaches to control and decision-making)
iii) skills in recording and summarising transactions and other economic events; preparation of financial statements; analysis of the operations of business (for example, decision analysis, performance measurement and management control); financial analysis and projections (for example, analysis of financial ratios, discounted cash flow analysis, budgeting, financial risks)
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iv) knowledge and understanding of contemporary theories and empirical evidence concerning accounting in at least one of its contexts and the ability to critically evaluate such theories.
v) analyse and critically evaluate business and business-related information, apply business and accounting concepts and principles flexibly in a variety of circumstances. Identify, define and rank business and business-related problems, interpret the results, criticise proposed solutions or practices and communicate information clearly and succinctly
vi) the capacity for the critical evaluation of arguments and evidence
vii) the ability to analyse and draw reasoned conclusions concerning structured and, to a more limited extent, unstructured problems from a given set of data and from data which must be acquired by the student
viii) the ability to locate, extract and analyse data from multiple sources, including the acknowledgement and referencing of sources
ix) capacities for independent and self-managed learning
x) numeracy skills, including the ability to manipulate financial and other numerical data and to appreciate statistical concepts at an appropriate level
xi) skills in the use of communications and information technology in acquiring, analysing and communicating information (currently these skills include the use of spreadsheets, word processing software, online databases)
xii) communication skills including the ability to present quantitative and qualitative information, together with analysis, argument and commentary, in a form appropriate to the intended audience
xiii) an ability to work in groups, and other interpersonal skills, including oral as well as written presentation skills.
On successful completion of Professional Essentials and Options which the ACCA suggests to be the equivalent to a UK Masters Degree1, the successful student will:
i) be able to draw on knowledge acquired at all earlier subjects studied and integrate that knowledge effectively and creatively
ii) be able to analyse and interpret data and present reasoned conclusions
iii) be able to diagnose and formulate solutions which display commercial awareness
iv) be able to exercise judgment drawing on technical, political and commercial awareness in developing and evaluating alternative solutions
v) be able to adapt to new systems and circumstances
vi) be able to communicate analyses and conclusions effectively with sensitivity
vii) be able to demonstrate strategic awareness, interpersonal and management skills, and personal qualities
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viii) have developed the capacity for independent and self-managed learning
1 In terms of Masters level qualifications the University of Brighton current position would suggest that a Masters level qualification from the University of Brighton would have to have a substantial dissertation element which the ACCA qualification as currently designated does not have
4.2.1 Curriculum
Externally assessed by the ACCA
Module ACCA Paper
University module code
Skills F4 Corporate and Business Law CL AAXF4 / AA204Skills F5 Performance Management PM AAXF5 / AA205Skills F6 Taxation TX AAXF6 / AA206Skills F7 Financial Reporting FR AAXF7 / AA207Skills F8 Audit and Assurance AA AAXF8 / AA208Skills F9 Financial Management FM AAXF9 / AA209
Essentials
P1 Governance, Risk & Ethics GRE AAXP1Essential
sP2 Corporate Reporting CR AAXP2
Essentials
P3 Business Analysis BA AAXP3Options P5 Advance Performance
ManagementAPM AAXP5
Options P6 Advanced Taxation ATX AAXP6Options P7 Advanced Audit and Assurance AAA AAXP7
Students are required to study all the subjects in Skills and Essentials modules and two from Options Module.
(Please check with the course administrator as to the availability of the Options Modules at the appropriate time).
4.3 Course structure and content
Fundamental and Professional levels
The Fundamental Skills and Professional courses are based around the following framework, which is shown diagrammatically in Figure 1.
i) Fundamental Skills runs in part-time mode. The part-time Fundamental Skills course will normally take two years to complete, while students who wish to take a more intensive route can complete it in one year via an internally assessed route (contact Sharen Staines for more details), subject to the entry requirements identified in section 6.1. It is not recommended that students attempt the one-year course if they have significant work obligations.
ii) For part time students the Fundamental Skills course is divided into two stages of three subjects each. All students have the option of registering for the Oxford Brookes degree in Applied Accounting. See the notes in section 4.3.2, this is
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external to the University of Brighton and students must make their own enquiries of the ACCA and Oxford Brookes.
iii) Students will normally then go on to take the Professional Essentials study in one year.
iv) Students will then study for a further year for the two Professional Options subjects.
FIGURE 1 - COURSE STRUCTURE
Below are typical timetables, your course administrator will give you the finalised timetables nearer the start date.
Stage 2 – Phase 1, Fundamental Skills
Wednesday Subject09.00 - 11.00 F6 Taxation 11.30 - 13.30 F4 Corporate and Business Law 13.30 - 1400 Lunch14.00 - 16.00 F5 Performance Management
Stage 2 – Phase 2, Fundamental Skills
Friday Subject9.00 – 11.00 F9 Financial Management 11.30 – 13.30 F8 Audit & Assurance13.30 – 14.00 Lunch14.00 – 16.00 F7 Financial Reporting
Stage 3, Professional Essentials –
Wednesday Subject09.00 – 11.00 P1 Governance, Risk & Ethics11.30 – 13.30 P3 Business Analysis13.30 – 14.00 Lunch14.00 – 16.00 P2 Corporate Reporting
Professional Options modules are run subject to demand. The decision as to whether any Professional Option will run in any given academic year is the responsibility of the course leader and her decision is final.
Professional Options
Thursday Subject11.00 – 13.00 P5 Advanced Performance Management13.00 – 15.00 P7 Advanced Audit & Assurance15.00 – 17.00 P6 Advanced Taxation
Please note that these are the hours of formal contact teaching time. You should remember that to be successful in the ACCA examinations, a substantial amount of private study time in addition to class contact time is required.
Students may bring one exemption on to either stage of Fundamental Skills
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course.
Professional Option papers – some guidance
In order to gain the ACCA qualification, all Professional papers must be sat externally with the ACCA, including 2 of the 4 option papers, which students are required to take. Two of the option papers, P7 Advanced Audit and Assurance and P6 Advanced Taxation are suitable for students working in or considering a career in accountancy practice. The other two option subjects, P5 Advanced Performance Management and P4 Advanced Financial Management are more relevant to students working in industry or the public sector. Please note that this year the P4 Option will not be running.
The following notes have been prepared to give students some guidance when choosing their options.
P7 Advanced Auditing and Assurance
This subject builds on the knowledge of the processes of auditing examined in F8. The aim of this subject is enable students to analyse, evaluate and conclude on the assurance engagement and other audit and assurance issues in the context of best practice and currentdevelopments. Auditing is not carried out in a vacuum, and students should recognise that they will be required to demonstrate a good understanding of business and accounting, as well as auditing theory and practice. To be successful in this examination, it is not sufficient to merely pick up an auditing manual and learn it. Students who have some practical experience of auditing may be at an advantage, although the wide ranging syllabus will contain elements that will be new material to everyone. The syllabus includes the following topics: professional and ethical considerations, practice management, audit processes including strategy and planning, audit and assurance assignments for companies and groups, and current issues and developments.
P6 Advanced Taxation
This subject covers all the subject F6 Taxation material and expands into more complex areas. The main new area of study is Inheritance Tax. The subject F6 material will be revised partly through directed self study. Exam questions are largely numerate, but there are always parts of questions which require an explanation of taxation issues.
Tax is an important subject for those who work in professional offices and for those in industry and commerce who are concerned with the preparation of statutory accounts, tax returns and business planning. There will be a considerable time gap for most students between the two tax subjects (F6 and P6), so revision is going to be very important.
P5 Advanced Performance Management
The aim of the module is to ensure candidates can apply judgement and technique in the analysis of relevant data to provide management with the information required to contribute to a range of strategic planning, control and decision-making situations.
The syllabus includes the following key areas: management accounting framework, design of management accounting systems, performance measurement, planning and control, and decision making.
The module is suitable for students who have enjoyed the management accounting aspects of subject F5, and who are considering following a career involving more specialised management accounting knowledge. It is also a requirement for students who wish to take the ACCA 'top-up' degree.
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For information only:P4 Advanced Financial Management (Not running 2012-2013)
The aim of this module is to help students to apply relevant knowledge, skills and exercise professional judgement as expected of a senior financial executive or advisor, in taking or recommending decisions relating to the financial management of an organisation. The syllabus includes the following key areas: Treasury and advanced risk managementTechniques, advanced investment appraisal, acquisition and mergers, corporate reconstruction and re-organisation The module is suitable for students who did well in Fundamentals Skills F9 Financial Management and see themselves progressing in a strategic financial decision making capacity.
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4.4 Academic Calendar
Sem Time table week
Teaching
Week No
WeekBeg
Monday
Notes
1
24.09.12 9 11 10 2 01.10.12
1 11 3 08.10.12
1 12 4 15.10.12 1 13 5 22.10.12 1 14 6 29.10.12 1 15 7 05.11.121 16 8 12.11.12 1 17 9 19.11.12 1 18 10 26.11.12 1 19 11 03.12.121 20 12 10.12.12 Term Ends Fri 14.12.12
21 17.12.12 22 24.12.12 23 31.12.12
1 24 13 07.01.13 Term Starts Mon 07.01.131 25 14 14.01.131 26 15 21.01.131 27 16 28.01.13
2 28 17 04.02.13 Sem 2 Starts Mon 04.02.132 29 18 11.02.13 2 30 19 18.02.13 2 31 20 25.02.13 2 32 21 04.03.13 Student Feedback Week2 33 22 11.03.132 34 23 18.03.13 Term Ends Fri 22.03.13
35 25.03.1336 01.04.1337 08.04.13
2 38 24 15.04.13 Term Starts Mon 15.04.13 2 39 25 22.04.132 40 26 29.04.13 Revision Revision2 41 27 06.05.13 Revision Revision Bank Holiday May 6 2 42 28 13.05.13 Examinations2 43 29 20.05.13 Examinations Bank Holiday May 27 2 44 30 27.05.13 Examinations2 45 31 03.06.13 Examinations Term Ends Fri 07.06.13
46 10.06.13 47 17.06.13
48 24.06.13 49 01.07.13 50 08.07.13
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4.5 Careers Support
The Careers department will provide a workshop in semester 2 for students. We also advise students to acquaint themselves with the ACCA website (www.accaglobal.com) which is full of useful contact information including the P.E.R requirements.
Careers planning agreementA Career Planning Agreement (CPA) for your course has been developed. Having a CPA means that your Course Leader and careers counsellors have identified career-relevant work happening within your course and that your lecturers will make this content explicit to you during your time at Brighton. The Careers Centre is involved as part of the agreement and you can book an appointment for a careers interview.
The purpose of the CPA is to help you assess your skills, think about and choose what you want to do on graduation, how to get there, and how to develop the career management skills needed for the rest of your life.
The CPA covers four learning outcomes as follows:- competencies in self-assessment and personal review- competencies in researching job ideas and occupational information- competencies in decision making, goal setting and action planning- competencies in the transition to work, self employment, further study and training.
Further details of your CPA is available on the School Area of Studentcentral and from there you can explore the many helpful Career links
CLICKSTUDENTCENTRAL
CLICKSTUDENT LIFE
CLICKCAREERS & PART TIME JOBS
We also have a range of workshops scheduled into your course so if you are interested in these Career Planning workshops please check your timetable. We know that some of you are already happy with where you are in your career path, many of you may be sponsored by an employer, or changing your career for reasons of self-actualisation. Wherever you see yourself in terms of your career position, we have plenty of resources here at the University of Brighton to help you.
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5. COURSE ASSESSMENT
5.1 Nature of assessment5.2 Examination past papers5.3 Mitigating circumstances
___________________________________________________________________
5.1 Nature of assessmentStudents sit their examinations with the ACCA and are responsible for organising this themselves.
5.11 Examination past papers
These can be found on the ACCA website www.accaglobal.com
5.14 Mitigating circumstances
ACCA Specific rules regarding mitigating circumstances
(i) Mitigating circumstances are unforeseen incidents which affect a student's performance either in their coursework or their end-of-course examination. In order to be admissible the circumstances must have:
materially affected the students' ability either to prepare their coursework, revise for an examination or to work during the examination
been beyond the student's control not been predictable in advance and therefore were not able to be compensated for
by non-registration, withdrawal or special provision during the examinations been corroborated by independent third party evidence e.g. Doctor's Certificate or
Police Incident Report.
(ii) Examples of mitigating circumstances which would be admissible are the recent death of a close relative, the critical illness of a dependent relative, a severe debilitating illness during a critical period of the course or disruption for more than 10 minutes during the examination.
(iii) Examples of mitigating circumstances which would not normally be admissible are pre-existing long term physical or mental illness, marital (or similar) difficulties, normal pregnancy, moving house, changing employment, work pressure, bad handwriting and English as a second language.
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6. COURSE SPECIFIC REGULATIONS
6.1 Admissions 6.2 Progression6.3 Withdrawal___________________________________________________________________
6.1 Admissions
Minimum Entry Requirements to Fundamentals Skills
Students wishing to join the Fundamentals Skills course to study in part-time mode must, in accordance with ACCA and University regulations:
i) be currently registered students of the Association,
ii) be able to provide documentary evidence from the ACCA of exemption from or of having passed a minimum of two subjects at the Fundamentals Knowledge examinations, i.e. students may carry only one subject from Fundamentals Knowledge on to the course. Additionally, students will not be able to take any subjects at the Professional Essentials external examinations until they have registered to sit any outstanding papers at the Fundamental stage.
iii) be competent to read, speak and write in English. This normally requires an IELTS score of 6.0 overall, with 6.0 in the written element, or a TOEFL score of 580.
The ACCA expects students to sit for examinations in module order i.e. complete the Knowledge module before commencing the Skills module.
The entry requirements for part-time students wishing to enter directly to Fundamentals Skills Phase 2, are the same in all respects to those entering Fundamentals Skills Phase 1, except that in addition documentary evidence would be required of exemption from at least two of the stage 1 subjects F4, F5 and F6, and Fundamental Knowledge papers.
In all cases, the final decision for acceptance on to the ACCA Fundamentals Skills course rests with the course leader.
Minimum Entry Requirements to Professional level (ACCA)
Students wishing to join the course at Professional level would normally be expected to be able to provide documentary evidence from the ACCA of having passed or having exemptions from all of Fundamentals Skills, except that students who have been referred in or have outstanding externally examined subjects may be allowed to join the course, at the discretion of the course leader. Further progress in the examinations will then be subject to ACCA regulations, including the requirement to have cleared all of Fundamentals Knowledge before any Professional Essentials subjects may be taken.
6.2 Progression Regulations
Normally students would have successfully completed Fundamental Skills Phase 1 before proceeding to Phase 2, but students who have been unsuccessful at no more than one of the Fundamental Skills Phase 1 subjects may be admitted to Phase 2 of the course. The remaining Phase 1 subject would have to be passed before a student can progress to the Professional stage.
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Students may enter directly on to Fundamental Skills phase 2 if they satisfy the entry requirements for entry to Fundamental Skills phase 1 detailed in section 6.1 above.
6.3 Withdrawal from the course
Students who wish to withdraw from the course should write to the course leader, informing her/him that they wish to withdraw.
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7. LIBRARY, COMPUTING AND MEDIA SERVICES
7.1 The library service7.2 Library services to part-time students7.3 The Online Library7.4 Computing services for students based at Moulsecoomb7.5 Media Centres7.6 Studentcentral7.7 ASK Study Guide7.8 Useful web addresses
___________________________________________________________________
The Information Services department provides library, computing and media services in support of learning, teaching, research and administration at the University of Brighton.
7.1 The library service
7.1.1 The University of Brighton libraries
There are six libraries at the University of Brighton; the Aldrich, Falmer and St Peter’s House libraries in Brighton, the Queenwood and Health Sciences libraries in Eastbourne and the Hastings Campus Library.
You will be issued with a student identity / library card (Unicard) when you enrol, which will enable you to borrow material from all University of Brighton libraries. Your Unicard will also allow you reference access to the University of Sussex library.
The Aldrich Library is located in the Cockcroft Building on the Moulsecoomb site. It stocks a broad range of books and other materials relevant to your studies, covering all aspects of business studies, management and law.
7.1.2 Opening hours
Full, up to date information the about opening hours for all site libraries can be found at www.brighton.ac.uk/is/students > Libraries > Opening hours.
Opening hours for Aldrich Library (on the Moulsecoomb site):
Term time: Monday – Thursday 08.30 – 21.00Friday 08.30 – 19.00Saturday & Sunday 13.00 – 17.00
Vacations: Monday – Friday 09.00 – 17.30Saturday ClosedSunday 13.00 – 17.00 (except August)
The Ground Floor of the Aldrich Library, which contains a Computer Pool Room and Social Study Space, remains open until 02.00 every night during term time. After the library closes, entrance to the Ground Floor is via the entrance in Queensdown School Road and you will need your Unicard to gain entrance.
In addition the upper floors of Aldrich Library have extended opening hours during exam revision periods. For more information about this look out for posters displayed in the library or visit www.brighton.ac.uk/is/aldrich.
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7.1.3 Borrowing entitlements
You may borrow up to 20 items at any one time. The standard loan period is three weeks but items in heavy demand are seven day loan or for use in the library only (Desk Loan Collection). Desk Loan items can be booked in advance for use in the library or overnight loan. You will normally be charged a fine if you return a short loan item late or retain an item which has been reserved by another user and recalled by the library.
7.1.4 Renewing items
It is not always necessary to bring items which you have on loan into the library to renew them. Provided that it has not been requested by another user, any item may be renewed: in the library on production of your Unicard by telephoning the library (the Aldrich Library renewals line number is 01273 642770).
Outside of library opening hours there is an answerphone where you can leave a message requesting a renewal.
online using the My Account tab in the library catalogue (via the Online Library at http://library.brighton.ac.uk). You will need to log in using your Unicard number.
7.1.5 Returning items
If the library is open, take your items to the library so that they can be discharged from your record.
When the library is closed, you can use the secure book-drop bins situated at the site libraries. At Aldrich there is one on the ground floor adjacent to the computer pool room and a second one outside the main library entrance. These can be used for returning books only when the library is closed.
Items can be returned by post; however, they remain your responsibility until received by the library.
7.1.6 The library catalogue
The library catalogue is available on dedicated terminals in each library and is also accessible online via the Online Library (http://library.brighton.ac.uk). The catalogue has information about the all material held in all of our site libraries. You can use the catalogue to search for books, print journals and audio-visual items and to access your own borrower record for renewing books and to see your current loans. You can also use the catalogue to reserve items when all copies are on loan.
7.1.7 Requesting items from other libraries
If you would like an item sent to your local site library from one of our other site libraries you can fill out a request card at your library enquiry desk. If you are a final year undergraduate or a postgraduate student, you are entitled to inter-library loans. This means that we can obtain books or articles from other libraries for you (usually the British Library) when we do not hold them in stock. For more information about inter-library loans, please see Information Services document 434: An Aldrich guide to requesting inter-library loans or ask at your library Help Desk.
7.1.8 Photocopying
All the libraries offer self-service photocopying facilities - you should read the notices about copyright to ensure you stay within the legal limits of copying from printed materials. For colour photocopying on the Moulsecoomb site please use the Reprographics Unit on the ground floor of the Cockcroft Building.
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7.1.9 Audio-visual material
All the libraries have relevant collections of videotapes, DVDs and CDs which you can use in the library or borrow for home use. You can use the library catalogue to search for audio-visual items.
7.1.10 Communications
The library uses your university UniMail address for all correspondence (e.g. recalled, loans or notification of reserved items awaiting collection). It is possible to set your UniMail to be forwarded to a personal email account of your choice. This can be done within StudentCentral by clicking on UniMail for full instructions.
7.1.11 Enquiries and further help
A Help Desk can be found in each of our libraries. You can also contact the Aldrich Library:
By phone:Aldrich Library Help Desk: 01273 642760Aldrich Library renewals line: 01273 642770
By email:General enquiries: [email protected] Subject support team for Business and Law: [email protected].
If you have special needs, ask about the services that can be provided to enable you to use the libraries effectively.
7.2 Library services for part-time students
If you are studying part time and living away from the university, please ask at your University of Brighton home library about using another university library under the SCONUL Access scheme. Ask at your home library Help Desk for more information and you can also visit http://www.access.sconul.ac.uk/ to check whether the library you want to use is part of the scheme.
Part time students may also be eligible to join the University of Brighton’s Extended Library Scheme (ELS), whereby items can be posted to you. For more information go to http://www.brighton.ac.uk/is/els.
7.3 The Online Library
The Online Library (available via the Online Library tab in StudentCentral or at www.library.brighton.ac.uk) contains:
Library Catalogue: Links to our library catalogue, the catalogues of other local libraries and the British Library’s catalogue.
Journal Title Search: search facility for finding the electronic and print journals that we subscribe to.
Browse by subject area. This contains collections of links by subject, eg Business or Law, that have been selected by the library subject team supporting your course. These links include databases, Internet gateways, government websites and professional organisations
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Online databases with descriptions in alphabetical order. Use the databases to search for articles and papers relevant to your subject. Many of the databases have a user guide which you can access by clicking on the View user guide link. Many of these databases contain the full text of the documents and this is indicated by the words Full Text in red next to the description. The non-full text databases provide bibliographic detail and often an abstract.
A selection of the databases you may find useful are:
Business Source PremierEmeraldFAME (Financial Analysis Made Easy)GMID (Global Market Information Database)LawtelLexisNexisNewspapers (covers UK broadsheets back to 1996)Westlaw
CrossSearch, which allows searching across multiple databases using a single search box.
Reference Shelf, which contains links to online reference resources, for example, National Statistics Online, the UK Government statistical service.
From the Online Library homepage you will find useful links to Information Services, library opening times, library and computing documents, etc.
The majority of these resources are available both on and off campus using your university username and password. Full instructions for access are available beneath each database description or from your library Help Desk.
If you would like more information or assistance with using the Online Library please ask at your library Help Desk or email [email protected].
7.4 Computing services for students based at Moulsecoomb7.4.1 Locations and opening hours for computer access
Aldrich library computer poolroom*
Term-time Monday - Friday 08.30 – 02.00Saturday – Sunday 13.00 – 02.00
Vacation Monday – Friday 09.00 – 17.30Sunday 13.00 – 17.00 (closed during August)
*When the main library is closed the computer poolroom can be accessed from the Queensdown School Road entrance. You will need your Unicard to gain entrance.Mithras Annexe computer poolroom*
Term-time Monday – Friday 08.30 – 02.00Weekends: Closed
Vacation Monday – Friday 08.30 – 19.00
*An access card is required after 17.30 for Mithras Annexe and these can be obtained from the
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Aldrich Library Help Desk.The Aldrich LibraryThe Aldrich Library has a number of computers on each floor and the majority of study spaces have connection points for laptops. The ground floor and designated areas of the Aldrich Library are wireless enabled. For the opening hours of Aldrich Library see section 7.1 above or go to www.brighton.ac.uk/is/aldrich.
NB. LIBRARIES AND COMPUTER POOL ROOMS ARE CLOSED ON ALL PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
The information above was correct at time of going to press., However as opening hours can be subject to change, for latest information please check the Information Services website at www.brighton.ac.uk/is/students > Computing > Opening hours.
7.4.2 Usernames and passwords
When you have completed your online enrolment / activation, your university username and password will be generated. This can be used to access all the open access computers in libraries and poolrooms, StudentCentral and the majority of resources available via the Online Library. If you wish to change your password to something easier to remember, you can do this in StudentCentral by clicking on Personal Settings.
7.4.3 Student email
You will be provided with your university email address when you activate your computer account. You can read your email at https://uni.brighton.ac.uk/
Email is used as the primary means of communication throughout your course of study. Your lecturers and other staff and students will send email to your Brighton University address. You may wish to look at Information Services document is917: A guide to studentmail
If you have another, personal, email account, which you would prefer to use, you can arrange for emails sent to your university account to be forwarded automatically. Full instructions can be found in Information Services document is084: Forwarding your university email. You may also wish to setup unimail on your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad, instructions on how to do this can be found in the document number is088
7.4.4 Connecting your own computer
You can connect your own computer via the network sockets in libraries and most halls of residence using an Ethernet cable or via wireless in some areas on each site. Once connected, your computer is part of the university network and is therefore subject to our conditions of use. Please see Information Services document 907: Conditions of Use of University of Brighton Computing Facilities including Networks. One of these conditions is that Sophos anti-virus software be installed and this can be downloaded from the Information Services website by going to www.brighton.ac.uk/is/students and choosing Anti-virus software from the Quick Links for students box.
In order to connect your laptop to the network in one of the university libraries you will need to follow set up instructions. You can ask for these at the library enquiry desk or download them from www.brighton.ac.uk/is/students > Using your own computer > In libraries.
For more information on connecting your computer in halls of residence and computer clinics go to www.brighton.ac.uk/is/students > Computing > Using your own computer.
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Wireless connection is also available on the Moulsecoomb and other sites in selected areas. We are expanding the areas in which wireless connectivity is available so please go to www.brighton.ac.uk/is/wireless for up to date information. Set up instructions for connecting your laptop to the university’s wireless network can be obtained from your library enquiry desk or from www.brighton.ac.uk/is/students > Using your own computer > Wireless.
7.4.5 The Computer Store
The Computer Store in the Watts Building at Moulsecoomb sells blank CDs, USB sticks, cables, software, computers etc. Many items are available at special educational discount rates. The computer store is open 9am – 4.30pm daily during term-time.
7.4.6 Printing
Information Services provides a variety of high quality networked laser printers throughout the university. You can use them from computer pool rooms, from libraries and from your laptop on all main sites of the university.
A printing account is automatically set up for you once you activate your computer account and you can add credit to your account using the blue Printer Credit Stations which you will find located in the open access computer pool rooms. For more information on using the networked printers see Information Services document number 003: Using the networked printers.
To print from your own laptop you will need to be connected to the university network and working inside the university. You will also need to install the correct printer drivers on your laptop which are available for download from www.brighton.ac.uk/is/students and then from the Quick links for Students box choose Printing > Mobile printing service.
7.4.7 Scanners
Scanners are located in all open access computer pool rooms.
7.4.8 Software available in the open access computer poolrooms
Adobe Reader EndNote (bibliographic software) InfoZip Internet Explorer MS Office 2007 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher and Access 2007) MindGenius (mind-mapping software) Minitab PhotoShop Elements (on machines connected to scanners only) Sophos (anti-virus software) SoThink (HTML editor) SPSS TextHelp Read & Write Gold (screen reading and reading/writing tool)
In addition there is specialist software available as relevant in the different poolrooms / libraries. For a full, up to date list go to www.brighton.ac.uk/is/students > Computing > Software information
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7.4.9 Computing help
Online help is available in StudentCentral (see below) and a wide range of guides and help sheets are available in computer poolrooms. Technician help is also available in the poolrooms at advertised times. For help with username and password problems you can contact your local library enquiry desk. All our guides are also available online from our documents catalogue at http://www.brighton.ac.uk/isdocs.
See also www.brighton.ac.uk/is/students > Getting help.
7.5 Media Centres
Media Centres offer a range of media services at each site for staff and students including lending a range of equipment such as camcorders, digital audio recorders, digital cameras, overhead projectors etc. The site media centres also sell a range of IT and a/v consumables. On the Moulsecoomb site, the Media Centre is located in the Watts Building.
For full details go to www.brighton.ac.uk/is/students > Media Centres.
7.6 Studentcentral
studentcentral is the student intranet for the University of Brighton; it is a one-stop-shop for online information whilst studying here.
What's in studentcentral?
When you login to studentcentral your personalised home page gives you access to academic and other resources wherever you have internet access – at home, at work, abroad or in the university. Once logged in studentcentral will give you access to information about
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your school, your course and each of the modules you take. If you have a special need to have your home page personalised even further, please contact the studentcentral team.
Content areas for your school, your course and your individual modules, containing:
Key course information such as your course handbook (see course area) and module descriptors (module areas).
Timetables and examination schedules (see school area) School, course and module announcements – these appear in the home page too Course material – module handbooks, other documents, powerpoint slides images,
audio or video in the module areas (see module areas). A Learning Resources section with your Reading Lists (see module areas) Revision quizzes, test and surveys (see module areas) "Assignments" items for submitting the electronic copy of your assignments (see
module areas). Past 2 years of examination papers (school area). Communications tools so you can email everyone in a module, discuss online,
communicate in real time (video conferencing), share files in small groups, etc. Student rep contact details, course board minutes, and annual academic health reports
(see school area).
On your home page you will also see the ASK Study Guide and Student Life. Please have a look around these areas plus the school area when you first log in.Useful links to
the Online Library (see section 7.3, above) unimail (see section 7.4 above and IS document is917: A guide to studentmail ) Community @ Brighton – see below for more information.
To find out more
Click on the Help icon for information about studentcentral and community. To get started, search for "help" or "started".
Social networking and blogging service
Once described as an online school playground, Community @ Brighton is a full social networking and blog service for students and staff at the University of Brighton.
Community@Brighton is shaped by the people who use it. It is available to all staff and students via studentcentral or directly by visiting https://community.brighton.ac.uk/. Staff and students are equal members and everyone can contribute in the same way. Community@Brighton may also be used to support your tutors to support learning, so it’s worth logging on and taking a look.
Keep a blog
Your Blog (weblog) is your online diary – simply click "post an new entry" and fill in the boxes.
You can make your blog private, university-only or public. You can add links and pictures. Unless you make posting private, you will become famous for five
minutes as the latest blog tops the list!
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Present your profile
Your Profile is your public face, what you want people to know about you. Add keywords / tags for your interests and they become links for you to find out who else used them. Then you can make like-minded people into your online friends.
Find online friends
Add people to "Your Friends" so you can find their blog more easily. Find your friends list in the right-hand panel.
Store your filesKeep your files on Community to use in your blogs and share with your friends; you can store up to 10MB.
Create and browse adverts
Buy and sell books and equipment, look for accommodation
Join communities
… or create your own
Join an existing community such as Environmental Action Network, New Students, Gig-Addicts or Chaplaincy. Choose whatever matches your interests and use the community blogs to discuss things. Communities can be public or closed.
Set up your own Community to share a group blog (and wiki) with like-minded people, for
a club or society - to announce events meetings or discuss topics of special interest
a special interest group - to advertise or comment upon related external events or ideas
a school, course, module or project group - to share ideas, arrange meetings
RSS feeds Use Community to manage your RSS feeds
Portfolios and CVs
Draw together information to present your CV, your Portfolio or simply a small web site. Make it public if you like.
7.7 ASK Study Guide
In addition to course-specific guidance, online resources to help you study effectively are available through the ASK Study Guide on Studentcentral. You will find the link in the “My tools” menu on the homepage. The ASK Study Guide offers advice on how to make the most of seminars and lectures, reading and notemaking, preparing for exams, tackling stress, essay writing, oral presentations, group work and many other topics. You will also find information about the weekly Study Support workshops held at all university sites, how to book tutorials or groups and specialist services such as the Maths & Stats Support Unit and English Language Support Programme.
7.8 Useful web addresses
Information Services web site http://www.brighton.ac.uk/is/ Online Library http://library.brighton.ac.uk student mail https://uni.brighton.ac.uk/ studentcentral http://studentcentral.brighton.ac.uk/ studentcentral help http://student.brighton.ac.uk/help/faq.php Help Documents www.brighton.ac.uk/is/docs
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8. STUDENT SERVICES
Opportunities and support to help you get the most out of your time at university.
Student Services is a central department that provide a range of services to support you through university and to help you get the most from the student experience. We’re separate from your school and are here to help with all kinds of academic and non-academic issues.
Our experienced and supportive staff offer advice on a range of issues, including:- Advice about money worries and how to live on a budget.- Support in finding jobs and volunteering opportunities.- Help accessing academic support if you have a disability, learning difficulty or long-
term medical condition. - One to one support for students with worries or concerns in a safe, confidential
space.
Here for you, whatever the issue
Below is an outline of some of the ways in which we can help you during your time here.
Career developmentBuild your employability skills and boost your graduate potential, with careers guidance, enterprise skills, and employment and volunteering opportunities.www.brighton.ac.uk/careers
ChaplaincyThere’s more to the Chaplaincy than you think with social events, retreats, worship, discussion, support and listening.www.brighton.ac.uk/studentlife/chaplaincy
ChildcareWith two Ofsted rated nurseries open to children of staff, students and the local community, the University of Brighton is an excellent choice for high quality, affordable and flexible childcare.www.brighton.ac.uk/childcare
CounsellingWhatever the reason, if you are finding academic life is causing you concern, or for personal reasons you need someone to talk things over with, you don't need to feel that you are all alone with your worries. Talk to one of our trained counsellors in a safe and confidential space.www.brighton.ac.uk/studentlife/counselling
Disability and dyslexia supportIf you’ve got a disability, specific learning difficulty or long term-health condition and choose to disclose it in confidence to the Disability and Dyslexia team, you’ll discover the wide range of academic and personal support available.www.brighton.ac.uk/disability
Health and wellbeingLooking after yourself whist at university helps you to get the most of your experience. Our links to local surgeries give you access to a doctor, while our health and wellbeing workshops and information help you to keep everything in balance – so look after your mind and body whilst you are here.www.brighton.ac.uk/studentlife/health
Student Advice ServiceWhen it comes to your finances at university it pays to be money wise; so for expert advice on financial issues, including fees, grants, bursaries, loans, and money management, contact the Student Advice Service. They can also help if you are an international student needing immigration advice, or support if you’re experiencing culture shock and home sickness.www.brighton.ac.uk/moneymatters
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Get in touchYou can find further information about our services and answers to your student life queries at www.brighton.ac.uk/studentlife
You can also access our services at each campus by visiting our student centres, or call us to find out more or book an appointment.
Eastbourne - Trevin Towers, Gaudick Road T: 01273 643845Falmer – E354, Checkland Building T: 01273 643584Grand Parade – Room 153, Level 1, main building T: 01273 643187Moulsecoomb - Manor House, Moulsecoomb Place T: 01273 642895Hastings – The Student Centre, Level 1, Priory Square T: 01273 644643
We can also help answer your questions in confidence via email, at [email protected] , or follow us on Twitter for the latest student life news via @brightonstudent – www.twitter.com/brightonstudent
9. STUDENT ENTITLEMENTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
9.1 Student Charter9.2 Brighton Business School – Attendance and Engagement policy9.3 Disability statement9.4 Fire evacuation9.5 Observing copyright laws___________________________________________________________________________
9.1Student Charter
The relationship between the University, its students and the Students’ Union is based on the principle of partnership: a relationship through which mutuality and interdependence in the learning process are emphasised and celebrated. This has as its principal goal the development of confident, independent researchers and professionals, fully capable of succeeding in their chosen vocations and as well-informed citizens. The Charter seeks to emphasise this partnership and to sustain it through a set of shared commitments and expectations, set out in the table below and embodied in the detailed policies, procedures and regulations of the University of Brighton accessible at http://www.brighton.ac.uk/studentlife/studentadvice/regulations
The University aims to: Students are expected to: The Students’ Union aims to:
Provide a stimulating learning environment.
Give all students the right to be represented in University Governance through the Students’ Union.
Provide access to personal tutors and appropriate study support.
Continuously seek to improve the quality of teaching, research and support services.
Ensure appropriate and timely feedback on all coursework.
Assess and mark work fairly, consistent with clearly stated learning objectives.
Provide clear regulations, procedures, policies and information.
Enhance personal development and employability skills and provide access to careers counsellors.
Facilitate access to appropriate welfare, support and services.
Foster an inclusive environment treating all with fairness, dignity and respect.
Share responsibility for the learning process, recognising the role of independence and self- motivation in your studies.
Engage fully with all learning activities, whether face to face or through e-learning.
Attend and contribute to lectures, seminars or tutorials.
Adhere to the standards of academic practice of your course.
Reflect critically on feedback to improve your work.
Comply with University regulations and procedures.
Make arrangements for prompt payment of all fees and charges.
Be pro-active in seeking appropriate advice and support in the event of difficulty whether academic or personal.
Use opportunities to enhance personal development including extracurricular choices and volunteering.
Treat university staff, other students and our neighbours with dignity and respect.
Promote a sense of enjoyment in all aspects of university life.
Work in partnership with students and the University in maintaining a culture that promotes a critical and independent learning environment.
Work with students and the University to ensure the financial support packages available are suitable and continue to meet the needs of students.
Offer information, advice or representation to students through the SU Advocacy Service.
Provide opportunities for all students to get involved in any part of the Students’ Union.
Foster a caring inclusive environment for all students.
Ensure the elected representatives, policies and actions of the Students’ Union reflect students’ needs.
Provide support, training and resources to students and their representatives so that they may contribute effectively to the evaluation and enhancement of the university experience.
The University aims to: Students are expected to: The Students’ Union aims to:
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The University aims to: Students are expected to: The Students’ Union aims to:
Operate fair, accessible and timely processes for handling appeals, complaints and disciplinary matters.
Encourage students to provide feedback on their university experience, and, where appropriate, act upon this.
Respect the University and local physical environment.
Support student representatives and participate in the processes to select them.
Provide information requested by the University and ensure that your records are current.
Provide feedback on the University experience.
Seek to ensure that Students’ Union and the University learn from the experiences of students.
9.2 Brighton Business School – Attendance and Engagement policy
Engagement with your studies
You are expected to engage with all the learning activities which form part of your programme and attend all scheduled course workshops, lectures and seminars. Attendance registers will be maintained by your course team and should your individual attendance fall below an average of 75%, this may be taken into consideration by Examination Boards when deliberating on the granting of referrals. You may however be unable to attend scheduled workshops, lectures and seminars from time to time due to exceptional circumstances (for example personal illness, family bereavement, hospitalisation etc.). In such cases, it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the course management team are informed at the time and that such absence is discussed with and recorded by the course team. Where possible, students are expected to provide evidence supporting their absence and a lack of evidence may limit the decision making options of the course leader and/or examination board.
Should your record of attendance be consistently poor (i.e. fall below the 75% minimum requirement), you may be required to attend a meeting with your Course Leader to discuss your absences. In the event you fail to attend the meeting without due notice, you will receive a further letter inviting you to a re-arranged meeting. If you do not attend this meeting, you will then be considered to have withdrawn from the course.
Your responsibilities as a student
We encourage you to make use of all the facilities and resources available to you, including libraries and ICT facilities, to enable you to pursue your studies diligently and take responsibility for your own learning. You should familiarise yourself with University and Brighton Business School Rules and Regulations including any relating to your course and should be aware of the requirements of your course. Your course programme team, including the course administrators are available to clarify any questions you may have. Contact details of all the course team are available in your course handbook.
9.3 Disability Statement
The University of Brighton is fully committed to the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Act 2001 (SENDA), which extended to educational institutions the provisions of the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act. The booklet entitled Access and Support for Disabled Students summarises the University’s approach to and provision for students with all types of disability, including long-term conditions, mental health difficulties, sensory impairments and specific learning difficulties. A copy of the booklet is available from Student Services, and a reference copy is held in the School Office. Fuller information about relevant services can be found at: http://www.brighton.ac.uk/disability/
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Staff who co-ordinate support for students with disabilities or specific learning needs are based in the Disability & Dyslexia Team in Student Services located in the Manor House. For contact details see section 8. If you have disability or specific learning needs please also raise this with Donna Clark in the Undergraduate Office (M160) who can make you aware of student support available.
9.4 Fire evacuation
On hearing the fire alarmLeave the building by nearest routeClose all doors behind you.Report to assembly point as shown on nearest fire action notice.
At all times:Use the nearest available exit.Do not stop to collect personal belongings.Do not run or try to pass the person in front.Do not use the lift.Do not re-enter the building.Do not congregate outside the main entrance.
NB These are generic procedures; please refer to any additional specific procedures associated to individual buildings.
Students with a disability or mobility problems should notify their personal tutor, course leader or course administrator so that evacuation arrangements can be set up for them.
For further information on health and safety procedures at the University go to:http://staffcentral.brighton.ac.uk/safety/
9.5 Observing copyright laws
Under UK copyright law, you must not copy someone else’s copyright material unless (a) you have their permission or (b) it falls within the limits of what is known as ‘fair dealing’. Most works remain in copyright for 70 years after the death of the author/creator. ‘Fair dealing’ for ‘private study or research for a non-commercial purpose’ permits you to make a single copy of a ‘reasonable proportion’ of a copyright work. ‘Reasonable’ is not legally defined but it is recommended that you keep within the following limits:• one complete chapter or up to 5% of a book;• one article from any one issue of a periodical or set of conference
proceedings;• up to 10% (up to a maximum of 20 pages) per short book (without chapters), report,
standard or pamphlet;• one poem or short story (maximum 10 pages) from an anthology;• one separate illustration or map up to A4 size;• short excerpts only from musical works (not whole works or movements) and no
copying for performance purposes.In all cases, you should acknowledge the source of the work.
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9.5.1 Multiple photocopies
Should you need to make multiple copies of copyright material for classroom use, please first read the notice ‘Copyright – multiple copies’ which should be on display near each university photocopier and is also available online at http://www.brighton.ac.uk/is/copyright.
9.5.2 Copyright and the internet
Do not assume that just because something appears on the internet, it must be in the public domain. All material on the internet is protected by copyright. Look for a copyright statement (often on the website’s home page under ‘copyright’, ‘terms and conditions’, ‘disclaimer’ or similar) and unless copyright has been explicitly waived, seek permission before re-using it in any publicly-accessible document (web page, poster, etc). Taking a single paper copy of a ‘reasonable proportion’ for ‘private study or research for a non-commercial purpose’ (using the fair dealing limits outlined under ‘single photocopies’ above) is OK but cutting and pasting from someone’s web page to add to your own website or to send to a group is not. For more guidelines on electronic fair dealing, see http://www.ukoln.ac.uk/services/elib/papers/pa/licence/fairnote
If you are looking for an image to use in your coursework, remember that images retrieved from Google, Yahoo, etc are often subject to copyright. Start by checking the sources listed on the Online Library’s ‘film, image and sound sources’ page on the Reference Shelf http://library.brighton.ac.uk/pages/Film__Image_and_Sound_Sources/index.phpMany of these collections are available for non-commercial use without payment.
9.5.3 Scanning
You may scan a ‘reasonable proportion’ of a printed document for ‘private study or research for a non-commercial purpose’ (using the fair dealing limits outlined under ‘single photocopies’ above) but it must remain for your personal use only. Do not put scanned copyright material on a computer network and do not distribute it by email. If you use any scanned copyright material in your course work, do not alter it, always put text between quotation marks, and always acknowledge your source. Remember, unacknowledged use of scanned material in your course work could make you liable to accusations of copyright theft and plagiarism.
9.5.4 For further information on copyright
The UK Intellectual Property Office website (http://www.ipo.gov.uk/) is a useful starting point for copyright information but much of the university’s use of copyright material is determined by individual licence agreements covering material such as print materials, digitised texts, OS maps, newspapers, t.v. and radio programmes, e-journals etc. If you need any further information on this subject, please check out the documents on copyright at http://www.brighton.ac.uk/is/copyright .
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10. MISCELLANEOUS
10.1 Course Handbook10.2 ACCA Student Membership10.3 ACCA Fees10.4 Students with Disabilities10.5 The role of the course leader10.6 The role of the Annual Course Review Board10.7 Quality Assurance______________________________________________________________________________
10.1 Course HandbookThis Course Handbook contains course-specific information which you will need as an ACCA student.
On entry to the University of Brighton, all students have access to the University Student Handbook, which can be found on studentcentral, it contains information on general University matters. Both handbooks are important and should be read very carefully, and retained for future reference.
The University Student Handbook contains, among other things relevant to being a student in Brighton, important information on the following:
i) Disciplinary procedures;
ii) Library services;
iii) Computer services and facilities;
iv) Guide to Students Services, including Careers, Welfare, Special needs, Counseling services, the Chaplaincy, Medical services, and Childcare;
v) Guide to the Students Union;
vi) Information on the personal tutor system.
10.2 ACCA Student MembershipYou should be a current registered student of the ACCA and have already passed or be exempted from the Fundamentals Knowledge module of the Association's examinations. Documentary evidence of this will be required.
If, exceptionally, you are not already a registered student of the ACCA then information about membership may be obtained from:
ACCA 89 Hydepark Street2 Central Quay Glasgow. G3 8BWTel: 0141 582 2000
Problems or queries involving exemptions should be directed to Glasgow.
Any problems encountered in obtaining student membership or exemption from Fundamentals Knowledge should be brought to the attention of your course leader as soon as possible. Please however see the notice in the course leader introduction section.
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10.3 ACCA FeesThe fees you pay to the University of Brighton cover the tuition you receive from the University and all other university support. They do not include any stationery or books, nor do they cover ACCA membership, examination or exemption fees, or any other ACCA charges.
You will therefore be expected to pay separately to the ACCA:
• registration fees
• annual membership fee
• examination fees for all examinations.
Details of all these will be sent to you separately by the ACCA, along with any other charges they may make.
10.4 Students with DisabilitiesA summary of the University of Brighton's policies towards students with disabilities is given in Access and Support for Disabled Students booklet.
You can in addition, help us in the following ways:
• If you have a disability, please disclose this to a member of university staff (the course leader, course administrator or any other member of staff), so that we can then make any additional arrangements that are necessary.
• Please let us know of any other ways in which we can help you.
Remember, though, that any arrangements made with the university will have to be separately organised with the ACCA when you come to take the external examinations.
10.5 The role of the course leaderThe course leader is expected to:
• oversee the academic integrity of the course;• provide the academic leadership of the course;• review the academic content of the course;• review the student progression by subject/cohort etc including comparison with previous
years;• produce an annual review to form part of the Monitoring and Evaluation report;• work with the course team;• ensure intra-subject integration takes place.• ensure that all specific ACCA-related procedures are satisfactorily completed, in accordance
with Appendix C of the Requirements for Accreditation of ACCA Internally Assessed Fundamentals Skills Courses.
In addition to providing academic leadership of the award, the course leader is also responsible for the day-to-day management of the course, assisted by the course teaching team, the Course Administrator and the Courses Assistants.
The course leader is also responsible for holding meetings with student representatives, which in the case of the Accountancy Studies DipHE/ACCA Course take the form of Course Boards.
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10.6 The role of the Annual Course Review Board
The university will arrange an annual course review board to appraise critically:
• issues arising from students' questionnaires;• student enrolment and withdrawals, analysed by each separate cohort;• student performance by subject, analysed as above;• student performance at Professional levels;• course structure and content;• assessment methods;• views of tutors and Internal Examiners;• External Examiners' reports;• any other administrative matters.
The membership of the Annual Course Review Board will consist of
• The Head of Professional and Post-experience Programmes at the University of Brighton; • The Course Leader• The ACCA representative• All staff teaching on the course• The Information Services Advisor
10.7 Quality Assurance
ACCA policies for quality assurance are adhered to. There is an annual course review board as requested by the ACCA.
Student participation in the evaluation process is viewed as essential at all stages. Within Brighton Business School, students are asked to complete a Module Evaluation Form at a convenient point during the course and the ACCA course leader will convene a Course Board, at least once a term, to meet with elected student representatives from the course at each institution.
Also, more generally, student representatives have places on the ACCA Annual Course Review Board, Course Boards, Programme Boards, Boards of Study, Faculty Boards, Academic Board and its committees, and the Board of Governors.
10.10 Oxford Brookes Degree
Students have the option to register for the ACCA Oxford Brookes BSc Degree in Applied Accounting. To be awarded the degree students must:
be registered with Oxford Brookes University ie opted-in to the BSc degree scheme before passing any of the three ACCA Fundamental papers F7, F8 and F9
pass the three ACCA Fundamental papers F7, F8 and F9 ad pass other papers required to successfully complete all nine Fundamentals levels papers
complete the ACCA Professional Ethics module to submit your Research and Analysis Project in the May submission period this must
be completed by 15 April of the same year to submit you Research and Analysis Project in the November submission period this
must be completed by 15 October of the same year compete and pass the Oxford Brookes University Research and Analysis Project
The degree must be completed within 10 years of initial registration onto ACCA’s professional qualification otherwise eligibility will be withdrawn.
For full details on the Oxford Brookes degree scheme please go to the ACCA website http://www.accaglobal.com/students/bsc/eligibility/
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APPENDIX A
Assignment Submission via StudentcentralThere are two different tools that are used to submit assignments in studentcentral.
The first is a Turnitin submission point and will have this icon next to the submission point.Turnitin is used for ‘Essay’ type submissions, in other words if your assignment is a written paper then you will be submitting to a Turnitin submission point, e.g. a Word file
Figure 1 - example Turnitin submission point
The second is a Blackboard submission point and will have this icon next to the submission point. This type of submission point will be used if you are required to submit a file other than a written paper file, e.g. an Excel file.
Figure 2 - example Blackboard submission point
In order that you online submission is successful please follow the correct instructions for the type of submission point you have in your module area on studentcentral.Before you submit your assignment...
When you hand in an assignment you will be able to submit it online – your tutor will discuss the details with you so that you know what to expect.
Don’t forget that it’s always a good idea to keep a backup copy of all your work.
The filename should not be more than 25 characters long (preferably shorter) and avoid using spaces – distinguish separate words by using capital letters, for example: ThisIsMyFile.doc or use underscores, like this This_is_my_file.doc
In Turnitin only the following file types are acceptable: MS Word, WordPerfect, PDF, HTML, RTF, and plain text. Zip (compressed) files are not acceptable.
If you have created your file using Microsoft Works, you must save it first in Rich Text Format (.rtf) before submitting it to Turnitin.
Your file should not be larger than 20MB if submitting to Turnitin.
How to submit your assignment to a Blackboard submission point1. Go into the appropriate module or course area from your Home Page on
studentcentral
2. Click the menu link where your tutor has told you to submit the assignment (this is usually named Assignments or Assessments)
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3. Click the appropriate assignment (there should be instructions under the link so you know you’re choosing the right one but if in doubt, check with your tutor)
4. The screen will look something like the one below. Your tutor may have written some instructions for you in the Assignment Information section, so make sure you read them carefully before submitting your work. The Due Date should be visible there too.
5. In the Assignment Materials section write some comments in the Comments box – e.g. your name, cohort, date file submitted etc (DO NOT use the Submission box)
6. Click the Browse My Computer button and browse to the file on your computer or USB stick that you wish to upload electronically and click Open
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7. Once you have attached a file the screen should look like the picture below.
8. If you have another file to submit, click Browse for Local File again and repeat as above. Your filenames should indicate the order in which the files should be opened and the number of files in total, for example:
Myfile1of3.docMyfile2of3.docMyfile3of3.doc
9. Continue until you have added all your files
10. When you have added all your files and want to send them to your tutor, click Submit at the top or bottom of the screen (NOTE : clicking Save as Draft does NOT actually send the file but simply uploads it so that you can send it at a later date if you wish)
11. You’ll see a receipt on the screen showing the time and date the file was submitted. You could print this out if you wish
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12.Click OK to exit that screen13.Note that you only have one attempt, i.e. you can only submit your assignment once14.When the assignment has been marked by the tutor, which may be some weeks later, you will find that clicking that link again will allow you to see their feedback – but until then you will simply see the file you sent them15. If something goes wrong, speak to your tutor as soon as you can
About TurnitinTurnitin is a Web-based service that can find and highlight matching or unoriginal text in a written assignment. Turnitin checks any papers submitted against its database of materials to look for matches
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or near-matches in strings of text. Turnitin then generates an Originality Report. The Originality Report summarizes and highlights matching text. If submitting your assignment through Turnitin you will be able to submit your paper as many times as you choose up until the assignment deadline when that submission will be final, each time you submit your paper you will be able to view your paper‘s originality score.For details of how to interpret the originality score we would recommend you visit the following link to view a short video: http://tinyurl.com/6d62bbdHow to submit your assignment to a Turnitin submission point
1. Go into the appropriate module or course area from your Home Page on studentcentral
2. Click the menu link where your tutor has told you to submit the assignment (this is usually named Assignments or Assessments)
3. Click View/Complete (under the assignment title)
You’ll need to wait a few seconds (longer if you have a ‘slow’ internet connection) as the submission area is on a different server outside of the University. It does sometimes look like nothing is happening – but be patient!
4. You’ll see a screen like this:
5. The Information icon gives you details about any additional instructions the tutor added for that assignment
6. The Dates column give you information about the start, due and post (the date the grade and feedback will be available) dates.
7. To submit your work click the Submit button
You may need to wait a bit again
8. Once in, you should find the system knows who you are and will have entered your first and last names in the appropriate boxes
9. Don’t worry if your names have not already been entered into the boxes, just type them in yourself
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10.Type the title of your assignment in the submission title box
11.Click the Browse button and find the file on your computer that you wish to submitRemember, the system only supports the following file types: Word, WordPerfect, pdf, html, rtf and plain text. The total file size must be less than 20MB
12.When you have found the file, click Open to attach itThe name of the file you have uploaded will then appear in the upload box
13.When you are ready to submit the file click the upload button
14.Wait a few moments while your work is processed
15.Eventually Step 2 appears which displays a preview of the submitted work so you can review it and make sure it is the correct file that you wish to submit.
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NOTE: that this is not the formatted view – just the text but be assured your tutor will see the fully formatted workNOTE: If it is incorrect, click Return to Upload page and browse to the correct one.16. If it is correct, click Submit.
17.Wait for the final time.
18. You will now be able to view your formatted work (first page only) with a success receipt if all is well and an email will be sent to your Unimail account.
That’s it! Turnitin will send you a confirmation email to your UniMail account.The email will be sent from [email protected] with the Subject heading TurnitinUK Digital ReceiptThis could be printed or used as evidence of posting so you should not have to contact your school to check the assignment has gone through.
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Recommendations in preparation for e-submissionIf you choose to submit your assignment online from outside of the university we recommend that you do a trial submission, well before the assignment deadline, from the computer that you plan to use for the final submission. This will give you will have plenty of time to rectify any problems that occur, which will ensure that you meet the required deadline.If using Turnitin for your submission you will be able to submit as many times as you choose up until the deadline, you can use this to test the submission process.For details of the system requirements if using Turnitin please see the details on their website: http://turnitin.com/static/support/system.php
For further guidance and advice on using Turnitin at the university of Brighton see: www.brighton.ac.uk/is/ACSservices/student_tii
APPENDIX B
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CAREER PLANNING – WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE JOURNEYYou are studying accounting and presumably wish to become an accountant. Wherever you are in this career journey we at the business school are here to help.You will acquire many skills on this course, some are less explicit than others and to help you judge your own progress we thought you may like to fill in the checklist below to assess yourself at this moment through this skill set and then again next semester.
Identify your level by putting an X on what you feel is the appropriate place on the scale.
Basic level High level
IT I………………………………………………………..I
NUMERACY I………………………………………………………..I
ORGANISATION I………………………………………………………..I
TEAMWORK I………………………………………………………..I
COMMUNICATION I………………………………………………………..I
DECISION MAKING I………………………………………………………..I
REPORT WRITING I………………………………………………………..I
TIME MANAGEMENT I………………………………………………………..I
CREATIVITY I………………………………………………………..I
MOTIVATION I………………………………………………………..I
PROBLEM SOLVING I………………………………………………………..I
LANGUAGES I………………………………………………………..I
FLEXIBILITY I………………………………………………………..I
NETWORKING I………………………………………………………..I
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