Assignment 1 – Individual research and participation
Weighting: 20% (A post for 2 Topics x 7 marks each, PLUS 1 alternative view x 6 marks)
Due: You need to post a contribution for 2 Topics by the date/times listed below to a Discussion Forum (DF) that will be available for EACH Topic.
NOTE: All times are NSW (Sydney) time
Students need to choose 1 topic from Topics 1 – 3 AND choose 1 topic from Topics 4 – 6:
(The point is to offer you some flexibility to work around assessments in other units & whatever other commitments you have to manage)
Topics 1 – 3: any time until noon Monday 18 December (Week 7)
Topics 4 – 6: any time until noon Monday 15 January (Week 11)
ALL students ALSO need to post the following:
An alternative post to one other student’s contribution in ONE (NOT both) of your chosen Topics – to be completed as per each the schedule above.
You are required to do three (3) things as an individual student for this Assignment:
1. Choose & identify a relevant article for EACH of your two chosen Topics;
2. Contribute a 500 word post to a Discussion Forum (DF) explaining the relevance of the article;
3. Contribute a 500 word alternative view to one other student’s contribution.
Make sure you PAY ATTENTION to the details below about each of these three things!
NOTE: there will also be a short recording explaining this in the Assessment Details section (by week 2) and some good and poor examples are provided in the Assessment Details section.

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1. Choose & identify a relevant article for EACH of your two chosen Topics
Ideally, throughout the session you will undertake some wider reading regarding ACC00106 (that is, read more widely than your text, study guide and set readings). This assignment offers some incentive to do so, at least for a couple of topics.
For EACH of your two chosen topics, choose an article you believe is relevant to that topic. Your article needs to have been published after 1 January 2017. “Relevant” is explained in #2 below.
Once you have chosen your article you need to identify it so it is NOT chosen by another student. You will do this by RESERVING or NOMINATING it as “yours” on the relevant Topic DF by adding the following details in the SUBJECT line of your DF post:
• Author names;
• Name of the source of your article;
• Date & issue details (as applicable).
Here are two fictional (made-up) examples:
• Smith and Jones, Critical Perspectives on Accounting, Volume 24, Issue 1, 2013, pp.23-47;
• Stevens, Australian Financial Review, 2 May 2012, p.4.
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2. Contribute a 500 word post to a Discussion Forum (DF) explaining the relevance of the article
For each of the 2 topics you choose contribute a post (maximum 500 words) on the relevant Discussion Forum (DF).
There will be a separate DF for each Topic – NOTE: each Topic DF will become UNAVAILABLE on the due date/time specified above. If you have NOT posted by that date/time it will be too late!
Your post needs to explain how your chosen & identified article is of relevance to your chosen topic that will have been covered in ACC00106 by that time and will also include a personal reflection.
• Your explanation for relevance needs to provide examples from the article to illustrate theories and/or principles from your chosen Topic (maximum 300 words). It is important to provide evidence (facts) from the articles to support any opinion and arguments you express; perhaps facts illustrate certain terms you learn in a topic (even an earlier topic); maybe you recognise that the findings are only applicable in a certain context; or the interpretation of the facts illustrate a certain theoretical lens (or approach). This DOES NOT mean summarise the article, summarise the topic, define the theories.
• Your personal reflection part for each contribution needs to explain what you found to be the aspect of your chosen topic that created the most reaction from you (biggest impact on your learning … something you realised or now feel you understand more clearly). For example, you may not have thought about the issue before; you may have observed behaviour related to the matter before and that was important to you; you may have related the issue to a current development in the world – current affairs, your employment or business, etc. This is a subjective and personal reflection that will differ from student to student (maximum 200 words). This DOES NOT mean making recommendations about what you think the authors might have said/done.
• Please include a link (URL) to the article or attach a PDF copy in your post & the full reference.
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3. Contribute a 500 word alternative view to one other student’s contribution.
This simply requires you to do the SAME things as set out in #2 above using the article chosen by another student.
You DO NOT need to do the things set out in #1 above for this part of the assignment.
You make your alternative view contribution by REPLYING to whichever student post you choose.
In other words, you can choose any article contributed by another student (it does NOT matter if someone else has already replied). You are offering an alternative (different) view … a different explanation and personal reflection (as per # 2 above) on the article chosen by another student for that Topic. The intention is to make it clear that there is likely more than a single interpretation of any article. It is OK to extend the discussion by exchanging further Replies if you wish (but they will not be marked).
You only need to do contribute one alternative view for your choice in Topics 1-3 OR Topics 4-6 (NOT both).
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Marking criteria Assignment 1
In assessing Assignment 1, the marker will take into account your performance in the following areas:
• logical coherence of discussion (unintelligible discussion will receive no marks)
• extent of insight provided (in the personal reflection and comments this will be personal insight; in comment regarding the article this will be insight into the way the article illustrates theories from the relevant topic … NOT summaries of the article or topic or definitions of the theories … you only have 500 words!)
• structure/organisation of content (you only need two sections, or they can be integrated ?)
• conciseness and clarity (500 words is not very much and is to foster this)
• level of understanding of course concepts
• extent of evidence presented in support of your opinion (using examples from the article to illustrate Topic theories … you do not need to refer to additional articles or references).
The checklist on the next page should help … you can use it to “self-assess” your contribution before the due date (YOU can fill in the Yes/No columns if you wish but it is only for YOU, no need to submit it!) and it also offers an insight into the template you will receive in View Grades for feedback and your mark. Remember, you can edit your own contribution ANYTIME up until the due/date and time … of course, when you leave things until the last minute it will be too late!

Your article Alternative
Self-Assess 7 6
Did YOU … Yes No Consequences … Potential marks
Choose an article published after 1 January 2017 that has not already been reserved on the relevant Topic DF? If NOT … your post will not be marked … you can still choose another Topic (unless there are no more to choose!); the practice will have been worth your while BUT you will not earn any marks 0.25 n/a
Accurately indicate author(s), source, issue/date in the Subject line of your post If not, and another person has chosen that article AND cited correctly, yours will not be marked (even if there are no more to choose); if theirs is also not cited correctly, neither will be marked (even if there are no more to choose) 0.25 n/a
Provide a full citation (reference) to the article at the end of your post? Good … if you have done the above two correctly your mark will be accumulating! 0.25 n/a
Provide a working url at the end of your post (or attach a copy of the article - copyright permitted)? Good … this will allow prompt marking because I will be able to understand the context of your contribution. 0.25 n/a
Explain how the article illustrates (provides examples of) one or more theories from your chosen topic? Good … it is the understanding and application that is important. This and the next point is where you will obtain (or lose) most of your mark (providing you have done all of the above). 3 3
Reflect on how the article has helped your understanding of your chosen Topic? Good … it is the connections that are important. This and the previous point is where you will obtain (or lose) most of your mark (providing you have done all of the above). 3 3
Summarise the article? Not a strategy that will earn you marks -1 or -2 -1 or -2
Summarise the Topic? Not a strategy that will earn you marks -1 or -2 -1 or -2
Define the theories (from the Topic) without any examples from the article? Not a strategy that will earn you marks … these are things that will REDUCE your mark from the potential 3 + 3 above -1 or -2 -1 or -2