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Version J an. 5 2014

School of Administrative Studies
Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies
York University
Winter 2014 Course Outline all sections
AP/ADMS2500 3.0 Introduction to Financial Accounting
Course website
http://jacinth.eso.yorku.ca/LotusQuickr/2014w-apadms2500m-
03/Main.nsf/h_1EE12367BD714CE385257051006BF18E/59372f8c3722a6bb8525705100701043/?OpenD
ocument
Please note: If this link is broken you can access the course website by going through the Faculty of LAPS
website and drilling down to the Winter 2014 Courses link in ADMS. Also please note that Section M is
used as the common course website for all sections. All course content resides on the Section M website.
Students registered in other sections log into their own sections and then take the sidebar link for multi-
section courses to be ported to Section M. After week one, you need to be registered and have a York
Passport ID for site access.
Term Section Course Type Day Time Location Catalogue #
W
2014
M
N
O
P
R

On Campus
On Campus
Internet
On Campus
On Campus
Thursday
Friday
Any day
Friday
Tuesday
19:00pm10:00pm
11:30am14:30pm
Any time
16:00pm19:00pm
16:00pm19:00pm
CLH G
TEL 0016
Home
CLH G
VH C
X96E01
C43N01
S90V01
M37H01
W28Q01

IMPORTANT NOTE 1
ADMS 2500 is one of the largest enrolment classes on campus (approximately 2,000 students
per year). This necessitates a very legalistic approach to course administration. This multi-page
outline contains detailed guidance on every conceivable rule and regulation in the course. It
represents a contract between you the student and the Course Director and there will be no
deviations from these rules. It is published in advance of the term and the rules are inviolate.
There will be no exceptions to submission deadlines, term work requirements, exam dates and
grade weight. If you cannot abide by these rules (especially with respect to exam dates and
submission deadlines), take the course somewhere else under letter of permission.

IMPORTANT NOTE 2
This course is unique at York in that there is a seamless interface between the on-campus and
internet sections. Both have access to identical learning resources on a common website and in
addition the on campus lectures are streamed for viewing on the Internet. This is mentioned
because there is normally a long waiting list to get into ADMS 2500 and you need not be
concerned that you will get an inferior learning experience in the Internet sections. The only
important consideration is that home study takes a much higher level of self-discipline (maturity)
to stay up-to-date. Our on campus sections are delivered in very large lecture halls with dozens of
extra seats so any students from Section O who wish to actually sit in on these classes are most
welcome. Since exams/assignments/coverage are identical across all sections, you can migrate
back and forth freely. A real benefit of having streamed lectures is that if you cannot make a
particular class, there is always the comfort of having it viewable on demand from your website.

IMPORTANT NOTE 3
While there are mechanisms for transferring the weight of exams missed as authorized absences,
there is no possibility passing the course without submitting the term work. It is assigned day 1
and you have over one month to work on this assignment. You cannot claim illness as reason for
non-submission and late submissions are not allowed. No term work submitted.no grade.

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REGISTRATION INFORMATION

Enrolment Deadline
All sections for this course normally fill months in advance so early registration is
important. There is very little attrition until after the first midterm so no waiting list is kept
for the course and the Course Director is not involved in the registration process in any
way and cannot assist you with this process. If the computer lets you register, that is
your only conduit to the course. Because of the high volume of material covered (4
chapters in the first two weeks) and because of early due dates of the assignment, no
registration under any circumstances is permitted after the last date to enroll without
permission date. For Winter 2014, this date is January 19. There is no enrolment
under any circumstances after January 19. For the benefit of students trying to get
late registration in the course, the course website is left as public access for the first
week of classes only. Starting in Week 2, only registered students have access. Since
the online course text is non-returnable, it would be imprudent to purchase the text
before successfully getting into the course.
Please be aware of all the important dates that apply to this and all other York courses
by checking the following site: www.registrar.yorku.ca/enrol/dates/fw13.htm

Course & Exam Conflicts

Midterms
As a multi-section course, the midterm exams in ADMS 2500 are scheduled outside of
class on Sunday afternoons. You should not take this course if you are unable to attend
these exams.

Midterm 1 (Sunday February 9) 2:00 pm 5:00 pm
Midterm 2 (Sunday March 16) 2:00 pm 5:00 pm

Final exams
Scheduled by the York Registrar in the formal exam period between April 8
th
and April
24
th
. You should not book travel plans in this period. Exact date is published by March
1
st
. Consult the York University website for official timetable information.

Course Directors & TA contact information
Section Course Director Email contact
M Paul Evans Moodle message
N & R Haiping Wang [email protected]
O Nelson Waweru [email protected]
P J ohn Kucharczuk [email protected]
M, N, O, P & R HeadTA [email protected]

Calendar Course Description
This course provides an overview of the accounting discipline useful to both majors and
non-majors. It includes accounting history, the uses of accounting information in
personal and business contexts and the rudiments of financial reporting.
Note: AP/ADMS 1000 3.00 is not a prerequisite for AP/ADMS 2500 3.00, but is strongly
recommended. Course credit exclusions: AP/ADMS 1500 3.00, AS/ECON 3580 3.00,
GL/ECON 2710 3.00.
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Expanded Course Description
The course is designed to appeal both to individuals planning a career in accounting and
to individuals who will become consumers of accounting information. It is not necessary
to have completed any high school courses in accounting prior to taking this course,
although students with no accounting or business background at all will have to
necessarily work somewhat harder in the first month of the course than students with
high school accounting. Students are forewarned that introductory accounting is one of
the more rigorous courses at York University. Accounting is a discipline with a body of
knowledge that is expanding at an amazing rate and we cover an imposing amount of
material in one semester. Is all this work justified? Unlike some courses you take in
university, a working knowledge of accounting will prove helpful to you throughout life. In
industry it is the language of business so regardless of whether your area is personnel,
marketing, production or whatever, the common language is accounting.

In addition to carrying a York University credit, ADMS 2500 also counts towards the
certification requirements of the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, the
Certified General Accountants Association of Canada, and the Canadian Institute of
Certified Management Accountants. Students in foreign jurisdictions should confirm this
eligibility with their professional accounting bodies. While the course is based on
Canadian accounting principles and standards, Canadian accounting standards are
mostly consistent with the international standards. AP/ADMS 2500 is a prerequisite to
take AP/ADMS 2510 and other accounting courses.

Prerequisites
AP/ADMS 1000 3.00 is not a prerequisite for AP/ADMS 2500 3.00, but is strongly
recommended. If you do not have a background in business or business courses, you
will find it highly beneficial to get any intro business textbook from the library and read it
before taking ADMS 2500. This will give you exposure to some of the basic business
concepts and terminology you need to take ADMS 2500. This is a rigorous second year
honours course and first year students generally have not developed appropriate study
habits to do well in the course. You can expect to spend at least ten hours a week on
this course.

Course credit exclusions: AP/ADMS 1500 3.00, AP/ECON 3580 3.00, GL/ECON 2710
3.00. Note that ADMS 2500 is a prerequisite for most senior accounting courses
including ADMS 2510 and ADMS 3585. ADMS 1500 is not accepted as either a
prerequisite for these courses or as credit towards the BAS degree. ADMS 1500 is
tailored specifically for the BHRM program and other non-business majors and is
considered a terminal course in accounting.

Required Text
Introduction to Financial Accounting in the 21st Century, Gaber, Hayes &
Porporato, McGraw-Hill , latest edition that has the term project for Winter 2014.

Important Note: The textbook is a revised version of the new book launched in 2011
and is available through the York University Bookstore. The text is an online E-book
found on the McGraw Hill Website. Previous editions of the book contained on DVDs
are not acceptable and do not contain up to date material. The York Bookstore will sell
you a pin code which gives you access to the most current textbook and term projects.
E-books are the future of learning. E-book features include no heavy book to lug around,
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no destruction of trees, access anywhere you have WIFI, high resolution graphics,
interactivity, more than 100 embedded videos, capability for electronic search and note
taking and e-books cost less than half the cost of hardcover books.

Besides the required text, it is highly recommended that you have access to a couple of
other introductory financial accounting textbooks as additional reference. There is a big
selection of such textbooks in the business library, e.g., Financial Accounting by Libby et
al. (4
th
Canadian ed.), Financial Accounting: a critical approach (2006) by J ohn Friedlan
and etc.

Computing Requirements
This course has an extensive computer interface and you will need access to a multi-
media computer with a high speed Internet connection. The most recent versions of
Adobe Reader and Apple QuickTime are required to view course materials, available by
free download from www.adobe.com and www.quicktime.com respectively. A computer
and speakers (or headphones) will be required to read and listen to the text. Adobe
Reader and QuickTime are needed to view the over one hundred short, multimedia
clips that illustrate and explain the concepts. Please note that these multimedia clips are
an integral part of the text and are deemed examinable material. There are free
computer labs on campus for registered students who do not possess these computing
resources. Campus computers do not have speakers so you will have to supply your
own headphones.

Course Materials Fee
Please note that this is a misnomer. All York Internet students are charged $30 by the
University. This is not for course materials; it is for system access to York servers. It is
collected by the University and not the School of Administrative Studies.


ORGANIZATION OF THE COURSE

Lectures
There is a 3 hour lecture each week. On-campus sections will have their lecture in the
designated lecture hall at York. Internet sections will have their lecture streamed via the
course website over the Internet. The streamed lecture is actually a recorded version of
the voice of an in-class lecture, so there is no difference in content between on-campus
and Internet sections. It is usually available on the course website by Sunday each
week. These lecture recordings synchronize the audio and video to the slides shown in
class and are random access, so you can jump to any point in the lecture and repeat any
module you wish to view again. Since these streamed lectures are ideal for course
review, they are available to all sections on the course website. Each week the lecture
slides will be available several days before class. It is suggested you download and print
these slides as they constitute an excellent set of lecture notes. You can then add
annotations as you listen to the lecture. In the rare event of technical recording
difficulties the lecture of a previous semester will be substituted, together with a written
update of any additional comments/changes during the current semester.

Making the lectures available on the website begs the question Why come to class
since all lectures can be viewed from home? Viewing from home is quite appropriate
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for some students. However, pedagogical research has shown that only about one
student in three has the intellectual maturity to stay up to date in web based courses.
Internet failure rates tend to be higher than campus failure rates specifically because of
this. Internet study requires far more self-discipline than being an on-campus student.
Attending class has the very huge benefit of forcing you to stay up to date each week. If
you fall more than a week behind in an accounting course, failure is almost a certainty.
Cramming is just not an option in 2500. The other benefit of coming to class is that you
can ask questions in real-time as opposed to putting your queries in email. Attendance is
not taken in class so pick the study mode that works best for you, but be realistic in your
self-assessment. Those students who have unwisely registered in Internet sections are
invited to start attending class. After the first week, there will be room for all.

A controversy in accounting that has been around for generations is whether the 3 hour
class each week should focus on theory or working problems. Not surprisingly, the most
common approach is to try and include a mix of both. Some topics are heavier on theory
(e.g., Module 14) and some topics are almost exclusively working problems (e.g.,
Module 13). With the provision of worked problems, self-graded quizzes in your e-text
and three tutorials each week devoted to working problems, we can ensure that proper
attention is given to all the theoretical constructs underlying the computations.
Remember that there are always more workable problems available from any of the
dozens of intro accounting textbooks found in the York business library. The more
problems you work, the higher your grade. This relationship is guaranteed.

Tutorial Groups and Sessions
Attendance to tutorial sessions is not mandatory. Tutorials are given by the course T/A.
Each week there are three tutorial sessions, each lasts for 1.5 hours. The first hour of
each tutorial session will be problem-solving demonstrations. That is, the T/A will go
through some typical questions in the module of the week step by step. The remaining
half an hour is dedicated to Q&A. The best feature of these tutorials is that if you wish to
get extra help, you are invited to attend all the sessions offered each week. With 4.5
hours a week of free tutoring, there is no need to spend money on expensive outside
tutors (such as the company that hands out flyers at the classroom door every night).
Our 2500 T/As are 4
th
year accounting majors with A+GPAs and are delighted to assist
you.

The detail of tutorials and topics to be covered in each session can be found later in this
course outline.

Students unable to attend the tutorials in person, or needing personal assistance with a
specific question, or difficulty with a specific computation, should put such queries in an
email to the T/A addressed to [email protected], using the email protocols discussed
below. The T/A will respond to these queries within 48 hours.

Email Protocol
Questions re course admin and grades: email your professor (email address listed on
Page 2)
Questions re course content (problem-based questions): email your T/A
[email protected]
Questions re computing issues: email York helpdesk ([email protected])
Questions re textbook access: www.mcgrawhill.ca/support
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It is essential that the following e-mail protocol be observed:
E-mail from your York Computing E-mail Account ([email protected]) under all
circumstances. Because of risk of viral infection, we will not open email from Hotmail,
gmail, yahoo or other sources. You also need a yorku email account to access
your e-book text from McGraw Hill.
On the subject line, provide your section number (e.g., Sect. A or B), student
number, last and first names and a brief description of the purpose of your e-mail.
To RECEIVE a response to your e-mail, you must include your Full Name and
Student Number at the end of every email.
If you are emailing a T/A for assistance with a computational question you must
submit your attempted solution to the T/A. Queries such as "What is Exercise XX's
solution?" will be returned to you, asking you to provide your own attempted solution.
Be aware that one of the features of an e-book is that your instructor and T/A see a
log of what you have read, what problem material you have attempted and even how
much time you have spent on these tasks. Do not expect a sympathetic ear from
your instructor or T/A if you have ignored these essential learning activities.

Textbook Reading
Reading the textbook again and again until you totally understand the concepts and
techniques of accounting is an essential learning process. You should always fulfill the
reading requirement before you start to attempt any accounting problems. Since each
textbook may vary in styles and languages, it is a very good idea to attempt a few
different textbooks, which are available in our business library, to help you gain more
insights. Once again, you can never have too much reading in accounting.

Practice Problems
There are lots of practice problems and solutions in your textbook. The course website
will contain practice exams. The formula for success in a problem course such as
accounting is always to work as many problems as time permits. For students who
absolutely insist on an A+in the course and crave extra practice, there are numerous
intro accounting textbooks in the business library containing a wealth of worked
examples. There is a high correlation in accounting between working as many problems
as possible and examination success. If your midterm grades are low despite logging
many hours of study then you are not working enough computational exercises.

Practice Quizzes
Most Modules in your textbook contain graded quizzes. Attempt the quiz when you have
completed reviewing the module, associated lecture and have attempted the practice
problems. The quiz gives you instant feedback on your level of learning accomplishment.
The mark is for your benefit and is not part of your final grade.
These quiz questions are in the same format and of the same complexity as your exam
questions, so taking the quizzes is an important part of your exam preparation. To
reward your diligence, 10% of each of the three exams in the course will be drawn from
these quizzes.

Term Project
In addition to exams, this course contains one term-work requirement. The submission
of a term project comprises 15% of your graded feedback and no one may receive a
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grade in this course without submitting term work. It is not required that you pass it,
but it is required that you attempt it.

The term project will give you hands-on experience applying the concepts presented in
this course. When you complete the term project, you have mastered the key learning
objectives of this course. It is comprised of three major tasks:

1. Maintaining a set of accounting records and generating financial statements for a
small business,
2. Using commercial accounting software, and
3. Reading & understanding an annual report for a real company.
The project for this semester and explicit instructions how to complete will be found on
your e-book.

Submission: The term project is to be submitted to turnitin.com by the midnight of
Monday, Feb. 24th at 11:59pm at the latest to avoid late penalties. Please include your
last name, first name, student ID, section#in the title of the submission. There is a grade
penalty for late submission of 20 marks per day. There are no excused reasons (e.g.,
sickness or travel arrangement) for late submission. The electronic feedback of the
graded term projects will be returned in four weeks.
Plagiarism: Please note that while you may discuss project requirements with
classmates, each student must submit a personalized and unique solution. Each
semester several 2500 students are convicted of plagiarism for copying classmates
materials or using purchased solutions from off-campus sources. Do not jeopardize your
academic program by such foolish behavior. Beware of the off-campus company
handing out notices on campus for assistance with your term project. If you buy a
solution from them you would end up with a zero in the course and a notation of
academic dishonesty on your transcript. Please read and be familiar with York
regulations on plagiarism. They are enforced scrupulously in this course. Copied
solutions will be detected. This course uses sophisticated detection methods and you
will be caught.

There are specific requirements for submission of the project found on the course
website to ensure you are submitting personal work.

Course Website
Although the Faculty shows a separate website for each section, all course content is
actually contained on the website for Section M. Other sections should log into their
section and then take the Multicourse link on the left sidebar to the common website.
The website contains
Announcements on all important matters in the course. You should check these
several times a week and especially before class in case there is a class
cancellation
Recorded lectures
Lecture slides to print as course notes
Information on completing the term project
Exam information
Practice exams and practice problems
Grades
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The website will be public access the first week. After that, you will have to log in with
your York Passport account.
GRADED COMPONENTS OF THE COURSE
The grading scheme of the course is as follows:
Component Weight Date
Midterm 1 25% Sunday February 9 (2 -5
pm) covering Modules 1 to
5
Term Project 15% February 24
th

Midterm 2 25% Sunday March 16 (2-5 pm)
covering modules 6 to
11(part 1) and 14 (Parts 1
and 2).
Final Exam 35% April 8 24 scheduled by
the Registrar. Make no
travel plans during this
period.
100%
Note 1: This is one of the largest enrolment classes at York with more than 2,000
students per year. One manifestation of such a large course is that there can be no
deviations from this published grading scheme. A deviation represents a deal and in
fairness such deal would have to be offered to every student. This is simply not possible
in this course. The most common request is If I do better on the final, can I count the
midterms less? The answer is no. so plan on doing well on the midterms. There are
almost 200 pages of reading the first week (if the videos were all converted to text). The
term project requires you start work on it early. It is essential that you write out a study
plan that dedicates at least six hours a week of study on 2500 (in addition to the 3 hours
of lecture). Two hours of study for each classroom hour has been the rule of thumb
forever in Honours University accounting courses as the minimum work ethic to
guarantee a passing grade. Tuition is expensivemake it count!
Note 2: No two exams can ever be of equal difficulty. York requires that second year
courses in honours professional programs be submitted with predetermined grade
distributions showing a mean in the C range. Accordingly, grades in this course will be
adjusted up or down to conform to York requirements. Historically about 15% of students
in this course achieve As. Historically, about 35 % of students fail or drop this course.
This is not as bad as it seems because most of the students in the second category
readily admit to being negligent in their study programs. If you do the work, you should
pass. A special note to ESL students: accounting is a language with many hundreds of
technical terms. If your English skills are weak, then count on spending extra time to
master the terminology of accounting.
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Note 3: From day one you are going to be bombarded with flyers from outside tutoring
companies that guarantee you high grades on the term project and a pass on the exam.
Such claims are completely false and you are not only wasting your money, but risk
expulsion from the course and University. They are essentially selling the same solution
to multiple individuals and since we compare submissions for plagiarism, your
submission is likely to be red flagged and you will be called in to a disciplinary hearing. A
secondary impact of buying a term project is that it doubles your chances of failing the
exams since the principal purpose of working the term project is to give you essential
skills to do the exams. Be smart and actually learn the material. If you need assistance,
it is there for you. There are 4.5 hours a week of free tutorials in 2500 with T/As eager to
answer each and every question you pose.
Note 4: No student can miss the final and receive a grade in the course. Deferred status
is available for authorized absence. Also, no grade will be granted in this course without
submission of term work (term project).
Note 5: This course outline constitutes a contract between you and your instructor. After
the first class, there will be no changes by either party with respect to computation of
course grades.
EXAMINATIONS
The course has two midterms and a final exam. There are two types of absences from
the examinations:
1) Authorized the weight of the exam is transferred to the subsequent exam.
An authorized absence from the first midterm transfers its weight to the 2
nd

midterm. An authorized absence from the second midterm transfers its weight
to the final exam. An authorized absence from the scheduled Final Exam
allows you to submit a DSA application for a deferred exam.
2) Unauthorized absence from any exam or authorized absence not reported on
time you get zero on the exam

Authorized absences (Medical):
1) If you are unable to attend a midterm because of illness, a signed medical
note (Attending Physicians Statement - not just a doctors note) clearly
indicating that you were incapacitated on the exam date must be submitted
to the main office at 282 Atkinson. The Attending Physicians Statement
needs to be completed within 48 hours of the exam by a family doctor with a
MD. title rather than a paramedical practitioner such as a massage therapist
or an acupuncturist.
2) Students must drop off their APS form within calendar 7 days at 282
Atkinson (please clearly mark the form as adms2500 with your name, ID and
section #)
Administrative Studies Office,
Rm 282, Atkinson Building
4700 Keele Street,
Toronto, ON M3J 1P3
3) Please note that if you are ill, under no circumstances write the exam. An
exam once written will be counted without exception. If you become ill during
the exam then hand in your exam and go directly to a hospital emergency
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room to get a medical note. Once you leave the exam room, you cannot be
readmitted.
4) You have to write at least one midterm in order to receive a grade for this
course.

Authorized absences (Religious)
1) The University publishes a list of accredited religions. If you have a religious
observance preventing attendance at an exam then submit appropriate
documentation to get an authorized absence and a weight transfer before
the date of the exam.

Authorized absences (Compassionate)
1) These should be cleared with your Course Director well ahead of the
scheduled exam.
2) Attendance at weddings or funerals is an excused absence only for
members of the immediate family or if you are in the wedding party.
3) Note that York does not normally consider inability to get off work as reason
for excused absence. Your employer will have to give you a signed letter on
letterhead to make such condition an excused absence.
4) In all cases, whether it is a wedding, bereavement or other compassionate
grounds, your course director will want to see some form of written
documentation supporting the existence of the event.

Missing the Final Exam
Deferred Exams: Deferred standing may be granted to students who are unable to write
their final examination at the scheduled time or to submit their outstanding course work
on the last day of classes. In order to apply for deferred standing, students must register at
http://apps.eso.yorku.ca/apps/adms/deferredexams.nsf. Followed by handing in a
completed DSA form and supporting documentation directly to the main office of the
School of Administrative Studies (282 Atkinson) and add your ticket number to the DSA
form. The DSA and supporting documentation must be submitted no later than five (5)
business days from the date of the exam. These requests will be considered on their merit
and decisions will be made available by logging into the following link
http://apps.eso.yorku.ca/apps/adms/deferredexams.nsf. No individualized communication
will be sent by the School to the students (no letter or e-mails).
Students with approved DSA will be able to write their deferred examination during the
School's deferred examination period. No further extensions of deferred exams shall be
granted. The format and covered content of the deferred examination may be different
from that of the originally scheduled examination. The deferred exam may be closed
book, cumulative and comprehensive and may include all subjects/topics of the textbook
whether they have been covered in class or not. Any request for deferred standing on
medical grounds must include an Attending Physician's Statement form; a Doctors
Note will not be accepted.
DSA Form: http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/pdf/deferred_standing_agreement.pdf
Attending Physician's Statement form:
http://www.yorku.ca/laps/council/students/documents/APS.pdf
The deferred examinations for the Winter 2014 term shall be held in the period May 23,
24, 25, 2014.
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Under no circumstances is the result of an examination changed once it is written. If you
dont feel well, go to the doctor and not the examination site.

Other Exam Information
1) Examinations in this course are computer graded multiple choice questions
2) If supplementary reading is assigned by your course director, it is
deemed examinable.
3) This course outline indicates curriculum coverage for each midterm. Final
exams in this course by definition cover the entire course.
4) You cannot receive a grade in this course if you miss the final
5) You cannot receive a grade in this course if you fail to submit term work
6) Final course grades may be adjusted to conform to Program or Faculty
grades distribution profiles (ie. grades may be belled).
7) Course grades are released by the Registrar and not the instructor.
8) Fire alarms and bomb scares are part of the academic landscape today.
There is a well defined protocol on your exam instructions as to the
conditions whereby an exam will be restarted or if marks are to be prorated.
9) Your first midterm result will be posted on the course website prior to the last
date to drop without receiving a grade date (for Winter 2014 will be Friday
March 7
th
).
WEEKLY TIMETABLE AND DUE DATES
Note: Dates and coverage are subject to change as circumstances dictate. You should check the
announcements section of your course website several times a week for updated information.
Week Date Location Coverage Key dates
1 J anuary
7/9/10

campus Course Admin (note that
there is no time to review the
course outline line by line in
class. You should print the
outline and read in advance
and bring any specific queries
to the first class)
and Modules 1, 2, 3
(introduction to accounting)
You will get more benefit
from the lecture if you read
Modules 1, 2 and 3 before
class. There are also lecture
slides you can download and
use as course notes.

2

J anuary
14/16/17

campus Module 4 (Adjusting entries
and the accounting cycle)
Module 14 Part 1
(Accounting Theory)
Begin term project(download
accounting software and select
public firm for analysis from
SEDAR website).
Tutorials begin Tuesday
January 14
th


3

J anuary
21/23/24
campus Principles of case analysis
Sams BBQ, Marys
Boutique, J esses Farm,
Demarco Sports.
Monday January 19
th
is the
last date to enroll in the course
without permission. There will
be no permission granted for
admittance after this date.
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4

J anuary
28/30/31

home Module 5 (merchandising)
The lecture is streamed
online from a film studio to
your website. You can view
anytime during the week at
your convenience.


5

February
4/6/7
campus Modules 6, 7 (cash &
receivables)
Module 14 Part 2 (Internal
Control)


5

February 9

campus Midterm Sunday February 9
th

Midterm #1 (2:00 pm 5:00
pm) on campus covering
modules 1- 5. This computer
graded multiple choice exam
is a case and will cover the
bookkeeping and
merchandising modules and be
similar in style and difficulty
to Marys Boutique. All
content from lectures, website
and the text (including quick-
time movies) is examinable.

6 February
11/13/14
campus Module 8 (time value of
money) and first part of
Module 11 (Current
Liabilities)


7 February
18/20/21
home Reading Week Winter
Break - no classes
Monday February 24
th
11:59
pm last date to submit your
term project to turnitin.com
without late penalty. Also
ensure you keep a back up
copy in case of loss. Suggest
submitting early in the day so
that you have access to
technical support in case of
technical failure.
An ideal time to review all
modules covered and to
practice as many problems as
possible.

8 February campus Module 9 (inventory)
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25/27/28

9 March 4/6/7 campus Module 10 (capital assets) Friday March 7
th
last date
to drop W-term course without
receiving a grade.

10

March
11/13/14

No
classes
on
campus
but
exam on
Sunday
Midterm

Midterm #2 Sunday
March 16
th
from 2:00 pm to
5:00 pm on campus covering
modules 6, 7, 8, 9, 10,
11(current liabilities only) and
14 (Parts 1 and 2). This is a
computer graded multiple
choice exam. All content from
lectures, website and the text
(including quick-time movies)
is examinable.

11 March
18/20/21
campus Modules 11 (liabilities, part
2) and 12 (equities)
Feedback on the term project
will be returned this week and
next week.

12 March
25/27/28
campus Module 13 (cash flow
statement)



13

April 1/3/4 home Module 15 (financial
statement analysis)
Module 15 is streamed
from a film studio to your
website and you can view
this lecture anytime during
the week at your
convenience
Classes and tutorials end on
April 5
th
Winter term.

April campus Final Exam scheduled by
the Registrar in the official
exam period: April 8
th
to
April 24
th

Since this date is not
announced before the
middle of the Winter term,
do not make any travel
plans before exam date is
announced by March 1st.
Exam coverage is all inclusive
(entire course), with stress on
material not previously
examined. All content from
lectures, website and the text
(including quick-time movies)
is examinable.
The Appendix to Module 12
and Part 3 of Module 14 are
not examinable.
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TUTORIALS TIMETABLE
Each week there will be 2 hours of tutorials to be offered:
Tuesday 5:00pm to 6:30pm - Room: TBA
Friday 2:30pm to 4:00pm - Room: TBA
Saturday 12:00pm-1:30pm Room: TBA

Week Date Location Coverage

1 J anuary 7/10/11
No tutorials during the first week.

2 J anuary 14/17/18 Modules 1, 2, 3 (introduction to accounting)

3 J anuary 21/24/25 Module 4 (Adjusting entries and the accounting cycle)

4 J anuary 28/31
February 1
Review of cases covered in class: Sams BBQ, Marys
Boutique, J esses Farm, Demarco Sports.

5 February 4/7/8 Module 5 (merchandising)
Mid term 1 between 2-5pm on February 9
th
(Modules 1 to 5)

6 February 11/14/15 Modules 6, 7 (cash & receivables)

7 February 18/21/22 Reading week no classes
Term project Due at 11:59 pm of Feb 24
th


8 February 25/28
March 1
Module 8 (time value of money) and first part of Module 11
(Current Liabilities)

9 March 4/7/8 Module 9 (inventory)

10 March 11/14/15 Module 10 (capital assets)
Mid term2 between 2-5 pm on March 16
th
(Modules 6 to 10
plus current liabilities Module 11 part 1 and Module 14
parts 1 and 2)

11 March 18/21/22 Second part of Modules 11 (liabilities) and 12 (equities)

12 March 25/28/29 Module 13 (cash flow statement)

13 April 1/4/5 Module 15 (financial statement analysis)

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DETAILED COURSE OBJECTIVES
Statement of Purpose: The purpose of this course is to assist students in acquiring a
critical overview of the accounting process and a broad understanding of the role of
accounting in modern society, the financial statements prepared by accountants for use
by those outside the statements prepared by accountants for use by those outside the
enterprise and how those statements contribute to financial decisions and capital
markets. Students will prepare simple statements to reinforce the understanding of
concepts presented, although many details of financial statements preparation are left
for ADMS 3585/3595, Intermediate Accounting. Students will be able to locate financial
statements of public companies. This is the first accounting course for BAS students
pursuing accounting certification. Students who do not want to become accountants will
benefit by becoming better consumers and managers of accounting and assurance
services and will be better prepared to handle their personal finances and make
personal investment decisions.
Specific Learning Objectives: The specific objectives of the course are that students
will be able to:
1. discuss how financial accounting is used to measure, evaluate and communicate
an enterprises performance, financial position and cash flows to decision makers
(investors, creditors, managers, regulatory bodies, financial analysts, etc.).
2. name the four basic financial statements, identify their purpose and define items
that would be reported by most businesses on these statements.
3. recognize how accounting principles and standards of financial statement
presentation and disclosure, together with accounting system design, filter
information and determine what is, and just as importantly, what is not, reported.
4. define and provide examples of fundamental accounting principles and concepts
and list the attributes of useful information and identify sources of generally
accepted accounting principles
5. define accrual accounting and explain why it requires management to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities and why actual results could differ from those estimates.
6. account for cash, accounts and notes receivable, inventory, other current assets,
capital assets (including goodwill), current and long-term liabilities, and owners
contributions/distribution transactions and prepare simple financial statements for
service and merchandising operations.
7. discuss, citing relevant criteria, the accounting policy choices for revenue
recognition, bad debts, inventory cost-flow assumption and amortization
8. identify the relevant information (including the time value of money) required for
receivable, inventory, capital asset and long-term liability valuation adjustments.
9. compute and classify the revenues, expenses, gains and losses associated with
changes in assets and liabilities.
10. compute and classify the cash flows from operating, financing and investing
activities and prepare a simple cash flow statement using both the direct and
indirect approach.
11. name common books and records of business entities, and recognize
technologys role in their design
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12. create and maintain simple business records, using both manual techniques and
accounting software, for a few transactions of a simple service business and
differentiate accounting and spreadsheet software.
13. recognize the need (and for public issuers the regulatory requirement), for
maintaining controls over financial reporting
14. identify and provide examples of controls common to most businesses and
describe the risks these controls are designed to prevent or detect including
segregation of duties and the frequent reconciliation of accounting records to the
underlying assets and liabilities.
15. recognize both the contribution of financial accounting to resource allocation
decisions and the inherent limitations of financial statement analysis for these
same decisions
16. locate annual reports, financial statements and public securities filings and
understand the continuous disclosure requirements for public issuers
17. recognize that accounting systems are unique and accountants jobs interesting
because, while financial reports are standard, the systems that produce them are
usually challenging to design, govern, and manage as they are designed not only
to prepare financial statements but also to (a) meet regulatory requirements for
tax, payroll, securities and other compliance reporting, (b) safeguard assets, (c)
gather information needed for running the business and optimizing resources and
(d) prevent and detect errors and fraud in operate differently to produce different
products and services with different organizational structures, different risks and
different resources.
18. compare and contrast financial accounting techniques of enterprises with
personal financial planning techniques
19. describe the different types of accountants with which an enterprise would
interact (including financial statement, tax and payroll auditors) and the services
these accountants provide.
20. recognize the role of professional judgment and ethics in the measurement,
evaluation and communication of financial position and performance.
21. recognize that accounting is evolving rapidly in response to globalization,
increasingly complex business transactions, the shortening of time frames within
which investors and creditors expect to receive continuously disclosed financial
information, changes in technology, capital markets, and the shift from physical
to knowledge based enterprises.
In short, when students successfully complete the course at the very least they will:
22. have acquired the vocabulary you need to understand other business courses;
23. accept that good accounting, like good chocolate, is expensive and labor
intensive;
24. better appreciate what financial statements can and cannot tell you;
25. be a better consumer and manager of accounting and assurance services;
26. know the difference between bookkeeping and accounting;
27. realize the information pumped out by a $250 accounting software package is
only as reliable and useful as the work of the accountants who (a) helped design
the accounting system of which the software is just one small part, (b) chose the
accounting policies adopted, (c) reviewed and adjusted the financial statements
before they were released (on time!), (d) audited both the financial statements
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and the controls over financial reporting and (e) worked with other accountants to
improve the accounting principles upon which the statements were based; and
believe the world needs more good accountants.
RELEVANT UNIVERSITY REGULATIONS
Deferred Exams: Deferred standing may be granted to students who are unable to write their
final examination at the scheduled time or to submit their outstanding course work on the last day
of classes. In order to apply for deferred standing, students must register at
http://apps.eso.yorku.ca/apps/adms/deferredexams.nsf. Followed by handing in a completed DSA
form and supporting documentation directly to the main office of the School of Administrative
Studies (282 Atkinson) and add your ticket number to the DSA form. The DSA and supporting
documentation must be submitted no later than five (5) business days from the date of the exam.
These requests will be considered on their merit and decisions will be made available by logging
into the following link http://apps.eso.yorku.ca/apps/adms/deferredexams.nsf. No individualized
communication will be sent by the School to the students (no letter or e-mails).

Students with approved DSA will be able to write their deferred examination during the School's
deferred examination period. No further extensions of deferred exams shall be granted. The
format and covered content of the deferred examination may be different from that of the
originally scheduled examination. The deferred exam may be closed book, cumulative and
comprehensive and may include all subjects/topics of the textbook whether they have been
covered in class or not. Any request for deferred standing on medical grounds must include an
Attending Physician's Statement form; a Doctors Note will not be accepted.

DSA Form: http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/pdf/deferred_standing_agreement.pdf
Attending Physician's Statement form:
http://www.yorku.ca/laps/council/students/documents/APS.pdf
The deferred examinations for the Winter 2014 term shall be held in the period May 23, 24, 25
2014.

Academic Honesty: Atkinson as a Faculty considers breaches of the Senate Policy on
Academic Honesty to be serious matters. To quote the Senate Policy on Academic Honesty. The
Policy on Academic Honesty is an affirmation and clarification for members of the University of
the general obligation to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty. As a clear sense of
academic honesty and responsibility is fundamental to good scholarship, the policy recognizes
the general responsibility of all faculty members to foster acceptable standards of academic
conduct and of the student to be mindful of and abide by such standards. Suspected breaches of
academic honesty will be investigated and charges shall be laid if reasonable and probable
grounds exist.
Students should review the York Academic Honesty policy for themselves at:
http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/legislation/senate/acadhone.htm
Students might also wish to review the interactive on-line Tutorial for students on academic
integrity, at: http://www.yorku.ca/tutorial/academic_integrity/

Grading Scheme and Feedback Policy: The grading scheme (i.e. kinds and weights of
assignments, essays, exams, etc.) shall be announced, and be available in writing, within the first
two weeks of class, and, under normal circumstances, graded feedback worth at least 15% of the
final grade for Fall, Winter or Summer Term, and 30% for full year courses offered in the
Fall/Winter Term be received by students in all courses prior to the final withdrawal date from a
course without receiving a grade, with the following exceptions:
Note: Under unusual and/or unforeseeable circumstances which disrupt the academic norm,
instructors are expected to provide grading schemes and academic feedback in the spirit of these
regulations, as soon as possible. For more information on the Grading Scheme and Feedback
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Policy, please visit: http://www.yorku.ca/secretariat/legislation/senate/gradfeed.htm

In-Class Tests and Exams - the 20% Rule: For all Undergraduate courses, except those
which regularly meet on Friday evening or on a weekend, tests or exams worth more than 20%
will not be held in the two weeks prior to the beginning of the official examination period. For
further information on the 20% Rule, please visit:
http://calendars.registrar.yorku.ca/examschedules/examinfo/twentypercent.htm.
For further information on examination scheduling, and Atkinson examination exceptions to this
rule, please refer to the "Notes" in the table:
http://www.yorku.ca/roweb/importantdates/

Reappraisals: Students may, with sufficient academic grounds, request that a final grade in a
course be reappraised (which may mean the review of specific pieces of tangible work). Non-
academic grounds are not relevant for grade reappraisals; in such cases, students are advised to
petition to their home Faculty. Students are normally expected to first contact the course director
to discuss the grade received and to request that their tangible work be reviewed. Tangible work
may include written, graphic, digitized, modeled, video recording or audio recording formats, but
not oral work. Students need to be aware that a request for a grade reappraisal may result in the
original grade being raised, lowered or confirmed. For reappraisal procedures and information,
please visit the Office of the Registrar site at:
http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/services/policies/grade.htm

Accommodation Procedures: LA&PS students who have experienced a misfortune or who
are too ill to attend the final examination in an ADMS course should not attempt to do so; they
must pursue deferred standing. Other students should contact their home Faculty for information.
For further information, please visit: http://www.registrar.yorku.ca/services/ds_faq.htm
Religious Accommodation: York University is committed to respecting the religious beliefs
and practices of all members of the community, and making accommodations for observances of
special significance to adherents. For more information on religious accommodation, please visit:
https://w2prod.sis.yorku.ca/Apps/WebObjects/cdm.woa/wa/regobs

Academic Accommodation for Students with Disabilities (Senate Policy)
The nature and extent of accommodations shall be consistent with and supportive of the integrity
of the curriculum and of the academic standards of programs or courses. Provided that students
have given sufficient notice about their accommodation needs, instructors shall take reasonable
steps to accommodate these needs in a manner consistent with the guidelines established
hereunder. For more information please visit the Disabilities Services website at
http://www.yorku.ca/dshub/
Yorks disabilities offices and the Registrars Office work in partnership to support alternate exam
and test accommodation services for students with disabilities at the Keele campus. For more
information on alternate exams and tests please visit http://www.yorku.ca/altexams/
Please alert the Course Director as soon as possible should you require special
accommodations.