AC341      Half Unit
Corporate Governance, Risk Management and Financial Audit

This information is for the 2020/21 session.

Teacher responsible

Dr Julia Morley OLD.3.09

Availability

This course is available on the BSc in Accounting and Finance, BSc in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, BSc in Economics and Diploma in Accounting and Finance. This course is available as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit and to General Course students.

Course content

What constrains the behaviour of profit-seeking corporations? What are the regulations that seek to prevent corporate disasters? This course attempts to answer these questions by critically examining the institutional and legal landscape of governance and accountability in which corporations operate. It takes students on a deep dive into the day-to-day practices of those charged with financial control and risk management within the organization. In addressing the financial accountability of corporations to their external stakeholders, the course critically evaluates the theory and practice of external financial audit, highlighting the structure of the market for audit, the practices of audit firms and the limits to the effectiveness of audit.

Some of the questions we will be asking are:

The course will critically evaluate academic studies and practitioner guidance to establish the “rules of the game” for corporate governance and accountability, but also will examine media coverage of corporate governance and auditing. Senior practitioners will come to speak to students during the course, offering insights into the practice of risk management and auditing and providing opportunities for students interested in careers in these fields to learn about what these might entail.  It should be noted that the course is grounded in the social sciences – it does not provide practical training in the application of risk management or auditing techniques and is not recognized for exemptions by the professional accountancy bodies.

Teaching

Teaching is delivered in weekly seminars over 10 weeks across Michaelmas Term. Seminars contain a variety of concept-focused content, practical exercises, and case analyses. This year, some or all of this teaching may be delivered using virtual sessions as an alternative to face-to-face teaching. There will be a reading week in Week 6.

Formative coursework

Students will submit one 1,000-word essay in week 5 on which they will receive written feedback.

Indicative reading

No one book covers the entire syllabus. In addition to professional and academic journals, reading will cover the following:

Students will also be provided with relevant examples of corporate and other reports and referred to relevant websites.

Detailed course programmes and reading lists will be distributed at the beginning of the course.

Assessment

Project (40%) in the MT Week 11.
Take-home assessment (60%) in the MT.

The details of the assignment and project will be made available on Moodle nearer the scheduled start time of the course.

Key facts

Department: Accounting

Total students 2019/20: Unavailable

Average class size 2019/20: Unavailable

Capped 2019/20: No

Value: Half Unit

Guidelines for interpreting course guide information

Personal development skills

Important information in response to COVID-19

Please note that during 2020/21 academic year some variation to teaching and learning activities may be required to respond to changes in public health advice and/or to account for the situation of students in attendance on campus and those studying online during the early part of the academic year. For assessment, this may involve changes to mode of delivery and/or the format or weighting of assessments. Changes will only be made if required and students will be notified about any changes to teaching or assessment plans at the earliest opportunity.