Research Assignment for 6227
Choose one of the topics of the following topics that we have or will study in class. The options include accounting for company tax, property, plant and equipment, financial instruments, fair value, financial instruments, foreign currency, impairment, intangibles and leases.
In your assignment, you must critically evaluate the following quote:
You don’t know! Who knows what the ‘full picture’ is? Who knows? How do you know when you have the full picture?
(Hines, 1988, p. 252)
The essay should be approximately 2,000 words in length.
This essay has three associated learning outcomes with this assignment:
1.have an understanding of the accounting standard setting framework;
2. be able to apply the company accounting techniques covered in the course to corporations and governments; and
4. be aware of some of the research literature, research data sources and research techniques used in company accounting research
In order to satisfy the learning outcomes, in support of your evaluation of the quote, you should refer to relevant accounting standards in your answer, draw on examples from companies (as these constitute applications of the techniques), as well as relevant academic research journal articles, and discuss the variables which impact the standard setters when developing these rules.
Overview of the task
Research essays are a particular type of formal writing, and an essay focusing on the critical evaluation of a topic is seeking to develop your skills with respect to making justified decisions. This information seeks to help you in developing your writing skills in and around your essays. However, these are not ‘instructions’, per se – these are guidelines to help you to build a constructive essay.
General Notes about Essay Writing:
What does ‘critically’ mean? In this context, ‘critically’ means to express your judgment about the merit of quotations and opinions under consideration. Analyse the subject and describe to what extent it is supported by evidence. You might also analyse alternative theories and describe the extent to which evidence supports them, and make a comparison.
What does ‘evaluate’ mean: an evaluation means to present a careful judgment of the problem, stressing both sides of the argument. Evaluation implies authoritative and, to a lesser degree, personal opinions/judgment of the question. Evidence and examples are crucial in the work.
In summary, present a balanced, evidenced-based assessment of your topic. You should develop your personal opinion in answer to your question. It is acceptable, in this form of essay, particularly in expressing your opinion to use ‘I’ or other personal pronouns. They should not be overused.
As with all essays, there should be an introduction, a conclusion, and the main body of the essay, which should include your arguments and the points to support your arguments.
You are expected to reference in this essay. When you use a source (quotes, statistics, or ideas, for example) you must reference this. Also, provide a bibliography of sources. In short, when you consult or use a source, you recognise the source in the bibliography. Note the Academic Integrity section in the Unit Outline – 5f.
Before writing
We suggest that there are four tasks to undertake before you write:
a) In answering your essay, the starting point should be to read through the quote and to unpack its meaning, in the manner that we have been doing in tutorials over the last weeks. We suggest that you break the quote down into its core components and identify what you think each component means.
You need to develop your essay as a response to these core components.
b) You need to build a thesis statement, which is the sentence that expresses your opinion about the quote. In order to the test the relevance of paragraphs, turn your thesis statement into a question. If the paragraph is not answering the question, it is not relevant in your essay.
c) Construct a plan – you may need approximately 7-12 paragraphs in this essay (outside of your introduction and conclusion). What is the purpose of each paragraph? How does it help you to make your argument?
d) Find evidence. You need two types of evidence here:
i)Find relevant research articles – one or a few research articles are not sufficient in building and supporting an argument. You should read broadly around your topic – use the databases of ScienceDirect, Emerald, EBSCO and the library website. We have used a number of articles in the unit and there is a suggested reading list in the unit outline. Do not cite an article unless you have actually read the article.
ii)Find examples and relevant accounting standards. This means that you should focus your essay around one or two major examples based on the application of accounting standards relevant to the issues in company accounting and your essay topic. Eg.this involves:
a.examples of challenges or contradictions in accounting for company tax;
b.examples of accounting issues related to property, plant and equipment;
c.examples of accounting issues related to financial issues;
d.examples of accounting issues related to fair value;
e.examples of accounting issues related to foreign currency;
f.examples of accounting issues related to impairment; or
d. examples of accounting issues related to leasing.
If you use more than one example, make sure that you chose examples that are consistent and build similar types of arguments.
Introduction
The introduction is a road map – it is a plan that tells us the key elements of your essay. This is where you demonstrate that you are in control of your essay. You need to tell us what you are going to do in the essay. In the introduction, you should consider including:
• Introduce your essay and your topic
• Interpret your chosen quotation in your own words, identifying the central meaning of the quote or the meaning of the different parts of the quote. In this, show us how you understand what the quote means to you.
• Suggest to us how you are going to address the issue/s raised in the quote.
• Suggest to us what your opinion is about the quote (agree/disagree) and how you are going to develop this answer. This might involve briefly introducing your main examples (no more than two) which you will be using throughout your essay to argue and demonstrate your ideas (however, see below):
For example: “I agree with Hines (1988) and I will use the example of the recent development of fair value to demonstrate how accountants draw ‘fences’ around the organisation and thus create different concepts of truth”.
Body
As your essay should be centred around a core example/s, you might chose to outline the example/s in the first paragraph of the main body of the essay. By doing this, you are able to refer back to the example/s as you make your arguments in the text, rather than repeating material throughout the essay.
This main part of the essay should include several paragraphs with which you critically evaluate your arguments in relation to the quote – these should be evidence-based, by including elements of your example/s and relevant research ideas and articles that you have read. Each of these paragraphs should develop your main thesis statement. Be aware that you should present different viewpoints and sides of an argument throughout, which allows you to critically evaluate different viewpoints in order to then argue for one or the other. The structure of each paragraph should follow the following principle (SEX – statement, example, explanation).
• Start with your topic sentence which introduces the main argument and core contribution of the paragraph.
• Present an example/s: your example, theories, quotes, statistics, media or other examples that relate to the argument you are trying to make.
• This should be followed by an explanation of your topic sentence and how your example/s develops and supports the argument you are trying to make.
• This should also be in support and development of your opinion.
Conclusion
In the conclusion to the essay, you need four things:
a) Be succinct;
b) Summarise the main arguments – do not introduce new arguments
c) Present your opinion – do you agree or disagree with the quote or its constituent elements;
d) Justify your opinion – on balance, why do you hold this opinion? (what is central in your estimation to holding this opinion?)
After drafting
Edit
Read it out loud, give it to friends, etc and craft and rewrite your essay.
SUBMIT ON TIME (ON MOODLE AND VIA EMIAL WITH A WORD ATTACHMENT)
Final Notes
The assignment must be written individually. It is not permitted to submit a group essay.
The expected word count is 2,000 words
This is a compulsory assessment item. Students failing to submit the research essay will be awarded a fail grade (NC) for the unit. See also the Subsection ‘Extension Request of Assignment Submission Date’ below.
Assignment marking criteria:
The Research Essay Assignment will be assessed on the following basis:
• Research Analysis – demonstrated by drawing upon and employing relevant research in contemporary issues in accounting – 30 %
• Relevant and logical progression of argument and problematisation - 20%.
• Appropriate application of contemporary issues in accounting concepts as explained and discussed in the unit - 20%.
• Effective communication - 30%.
Marks will be deducted for:
• A 30% penalty will apply for not complying with one or more of the submission requirements.
• A 30% penalty will apply for not complying with one or more of the presentation requirements.
• Late submission of assignments may attract a penalty of 10% (% of the total mark for the assignment – ie the gross mark) per day (including week-end and public holidays) effective from 5:01pm on the submission date (Friday, 8 May).
Submission requirements:
Submission is in two forms:
a) Students will submit a copy of the assignment via the Assignment Drop Box on the Moodle Site of the Unit by the deadline.
b) Students must submit a word format email soft copy to by the deadline.
If you have questions, please approach David or Mark about this,
Best wishes,
The teaching team for 6227.