“When accounting standard setters – such as the IASB or FASB – create new rules this can create real economic and social consequences.” Deegan 2014, p. 51.

IAS 38 Intangibles has been noted by Deegan (2014: 51) as an area particularly affected by the introduction of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).

Required:

The Chair of the Australian Accounting Standards Board has commissioned you to assist with informing members of the AASB about academic research examining the impact of adoption of IAS 38 (or its equivalent) around the world.

You (this is an individual assignment) are to write a report to provide explanation of at least four quality*, scholarly journal articles that present evidence on this issue in the context of any country. These articles must be drawn from journal titles listed on the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) list, which represents a measure of quality. This assignment can be commenced after coverage of Topic 2.

*Refer Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) journal rankings available for download at
http://www.abdc.edu.au/master-journal-list.php

Scholarly Journal Articles

Some students find reading scholarly journal articles very difficult. YouTube clips that help with this can be found on Blackboard under ‘Assignments’. Additionally, prior semester’s assignment requirements and exemplar assignments are available on Blackboard. Writing support materials are also available on Blackboard. Remember that it is the journal titles that are listed in the ABDC list, not the articles. You need to make sure that the title of the journal(s) in which the articles you want to use are published are on the ABDC list. It is suggested that you find relevant articles
first, using the Library Database ‘Business Source Complete’, identify the journal title from which the article comes and then make sure this journal title appears on the ABDC list. This list is a way of ensuring that the articles you choose come from peer reviewed, scholarly journal titles.

Learning outcomes addressed by the assignment.

The assignment is designed to provide you with the opportunity to develop the following learning outcomes:

1. with regard to your accounting theory knowledge, the assignment provides you with the opportunity to develop your understanding and ability to apply several topics included in the Unit;
2. with respect to generic skills, the assignment provides you with the opportunity to develop your ability to research and analyse complex issues, to formulate well-reasoned and coherent arguments, to reach well considered conclusions, and to develop your written communication skills, including the conventions of referencing at university.

Additional Guidance

This assignment is an important assessment component of this Unit and as such the assignment must be properly researched and professionally presented. The assignment should also:

• Be all your own (individual submission) work
• Be word-processed (printed), and have 1.5 spacing for clarity. A high standard of presentation is expected
• Have a cover sheet (submitted to a separate Turnitin facility under Assessment to avoid inclusion in similarity score) with all relevant details, including:
  – student name, student number, class leader’s name
  – Unit name and code
  – date of submission
• Contain correct referencing, using the Harvard system.
• Include a list of references (alphabetical by first author’s surname) adequately referencing your sources (in-text references should refer to the surname of the author/authors and the year of the publication).
• The assignment gives you autonomy in deciding how you want to relate the scholarly research articles of your choice to the task.
• In using research articles, your comments and insights are more important than just describing what the article is about.
• You need to do all this within the word count of 1,500. Therefore, think about how you will weight your emphasis and how headings and sub-headings can help you remain succinct.
• Remember this is NOT a literature review. Please do NOT merely reproduce the contents of articles. Assignments that are excessive in their use of ‘quotes’ (even when appropriately referenced) are in danger of demonstrating inadequate original thought.
• It is a good idea to prepare a plan or a skeleton of the report and include brief points, before you start writing. This will help you to keep the report organised.
• Keep it simple. It is much better to discuss a few points in detail rather than discussing many points at a surface level.
• Please make sure that you do a good job of proof reading and editing. Poor grammar, spelling or expression will cost you marks and these marks are lost quickly.
• Please post any questions to the Blackboard Discussion Forum so that the Unit Convenor can clarify issues (there is a separate thread for assignment discussion).
• Once you have created a draft, you can discuss with Class Leaders/Convenor. Note that they cannot/will not read drafts or give specific feedback – only guidance on the approach.
• There are materials available to assist with reading journal articles and writing (under Writing Support tab) on Blackboard. Appointments can be made with Learning and Academic Skills (LAS) (https://www.swinburne.edu.au/current-students/student-support-services/study-support/improve-skills/) for additional support, however you need to plan to have drafts ready and make appointments well ahead of time because LAS has limited capacity for individual assistance.
• Past exemplar assignments (on a very different Assignment task, which is also provided) are available in Blackboard to demonstrate the standard of cohesive argument, flow, editing etc. required to receive a high distinction. If you would like to practise your Report writing skills ahead of the due date for this current assignment, attempt that prior task and compare your response with one of the exemplars provided for you.