Course Details

1. Examine and prepare complex group accounts that include amongst others: disposals of group companies, piecemeal acquisitions and foreign subsidiaries.
2. Appraise the legitimacy and acceptability of an accounting practice proposed by a company.
3. Examine the accounting standards applicable at the time to: provisions, contingencies, financial instruments, fair value accounting and impairment of assets.
4. Develop the ability to solve complex practical accounting problems.
5. Evaluate current developments in corporate reporting in the context of their practical application, implications for corporate reporting and the underlying conceptual issues.

Complex aspects of consolidated accounts: Examine and prepare complex group accounts that include amongst others: disposals of group companies, piecemeal acquisitions and foreign subsidiaries.

Fair value accounting: Identify the accounting framework in international accounting and based on this critically evaluate the practice on fair value accounting.

Impairment of assets and goodwill: Critically appraise the accounting practice of impairment of assets to accounting theory. Critically appraise the different ways goodwill could be accounted for.

Provisions and contingencies: Examine the accounting practice and disclosures in line with international accounting practice.

Substance over form: Critically evaluate the debate between economic substance over legal form in accounting and examine the various areas where there is a conflict between the two. Review the developments concerning off balance sheet finance. Critically appraise the effects on performance and on the financial position of off balance sheet options.

Current developments: Examine recent proposals by international accounting standard setters concerning changes in accounting practice (including discussion papers). Critically appraise the current developments in international accounting practice concerning proposed changes. Examine changes in practice in financial instruments. Examine the issue of hamonisation of accounting practice. Examine the IASB Framework and its influence on accounting practice.

• Kaplan Publishing, ACCA Paper F7 Financial Reporting, December 2009 &June 2010 Edition (or latest), Kaplan Publishing.

• Kaplan Publishing, ACCA Paper P2 Corporate Reporting, December 2009 &June 2010 Edition (or latest), Kaplan Publishing.
• BPP, AIA Professional Level 2 - Paper 13: Financial Accounting 3, 2nd Edition (or latest), BPP Learning Materials, 2008.

The taught part of course is delivered to the students by means of lectures, conducted with the help of computer presentations. Lecture notes and presentations are available through the web for students to use in combination with the textbooks. Lectures are supplemented with class exercises carried out in class and via homework.