Second Year – Accounting Specialisation
The students who are selected for the Degree Programme commence their specialisation in accounting from the second year onwards.
The structure of the second-year curriculum is depicted in Table 1.2.
Description of Courses
A short description of each course offered during the second year is provided below.
ACC 2370: Management Accounting
This course aims to provide students with an understanding of management accounting theory and practice under four main pillars: a) introduction to management accounting & management accounting techniques, b) decision-making, c) planning & controlling, and d) performance evaluation. The development of problem-solving, analytical and critical thinking skills relating to the application of management accounting practices are also emphasised in the course. The topics covered are: overview of management accounting; cost concepts; costing methods-job costing & process costing; cost-volume-profit analysis; pricing; budgeting; and standard costing. An understanding of the management accounting content covered in the G. C. E. Advanced Level (A/L) Accounting subject is essential to follow this course.
ACC 2475: Accounting Information Systems and ERP Applications
This course introduces students to IT-based accounting information systems and their role in modern organisations, with a specific focus on their use as a managerial support tool for operational and strategic decision-making. It covers a range of topics, including the role and purpose of Information Systems and Accounting Information Systems (AIS) in organisations; professionalism, ethics, and internal controls related to AIS; transaction processing within the AIS; information technology (IT) and systems modelling techniques such as flowcharts; data flow programming and IT; business process programming and IT; core business processes such as sales and collection, and acquisition and payments; computer crimes and IT security; decision-making models and knowledge management; e-business and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems; auditing and evaluating AIS; as well as an overview of data analytics and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, cloud computing, virtualisation, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
The course uses the SAP S/4HANA ERP system to provide students with both fundamental knowledge and hands-on experience in processing and analysing data across various business functions. It integrates students’ understanding of information systems and related technologies with practical applications. The data processing and analysis are based on a hypothetical company, Global Bike Group. The ERP component of the course covers the basic concepts of enterprise resource planning using SAP S/4HANA, an overview of Global Bike Group’s strategy and operations, navigation within the SAP S/4HANA system, and key modules such as Materials Management (MM), Sales and Distribution (SD), Financial Accounting (FI), Cost Centre Accounting (CO), and Controlling – Product Costing (CO-PC I).
This course is offered during Semesters 1 and 2 of Degree Part II as an annualised course. The assessment of this course is conducted on an annual basis.
ACC 2272: Personal and Professional Development
The aim of this course is to develop skills and values associated with personality development of accounting students that would enable them to commence their careers with confidence and become responsible citizens. Accordingly, the course develops a wide array of skills and values in students from three areas: (a) soft (generic) skills, viz. creative and critical thinking, leadership and teamworking skills, negotiation skills, interpersonal and teambuilding skills, and time and stress management skills; (b) professional communication skills in English that encompass reading, writing, speaking and listening; and (c) professionalism and ethical conduct. A range of learning methods are used in the delivery of the course including a guest lecture series; career development planning and reflective learning; skill projects organised by the Accounting and Financial Management Association (AFMA) (the student body of DA); communication skills development and English language software sessions. This provides a firm foundation for students to undergo their internship from Year 3 of the degree programme, where they would apply the skills and values gained in the course.
BEC 2370: Macroeconomics
This basic course provides students with the comprehensive understanding of the aggregate economic system. This is a compulsory course which covers the topics of concepts of aggregate demand and supply, national income and product measures, consumption and investment, supply side economics and its applications, use of fiscal, monetary, exchange rate policies to guide the economy, employment, and inflation. It also encompasses macroeconomic analysis in both closed and open economy, with income-expenditure, IS-LM and modern approaches. At the end of this course, students will be able to understand the macroeconomic concepts, measurements and issues, the sectoral composition of an economy and the interrelationships among the various macroeconomic variables in the economy. Pre-requisites for this course are Business Mathematics and Microeconomics.
DSC 2370: Operations Management
This course introduces the students to key concepts, principles and design techniques of the uses of the field of Operations Management. Interactions and relationships with parallel management activities are also demonstrated in order to cultivate a general understanding of the field as a totality. Major topics covered include operations strategy and competitiveness, product design and process selection, total quality management, capacity management, layout planning, job design, work measurements, supply chain management, inventory control, and just-in-time manufacturing.
FIN 2370: Financial Management
This introductory finance course is designed to familiarise the student with the role of financial management in maximising the value of the firm. Students will gain familiarity with the functions of finance, and the institutions and instruments that carry out these functions in the current financial marketplace. The course primarily encompasses corporate finance. This course provides a basic understanding on scope and environment of financial management, time value of money, risk and return, securities valuation, capital structure and leverage, capital budgeting and working capital management.
MAR 2370: Marketing Management
This is an introductory core course which aims at providing students with the knowledge on concepts, theories and applications in marketing management. The areas covered are role and importance of marketing in a business and a society; marketing philosophies; marketing environmental analysis; consumer behaviour; segmenting, targeting and positioning strategies; and marketing programme development. This course requires prior knowledge on BUS 1370: Principles of Management.
ACC 2373: Advanced Financial Accounting and Reporting
The aim of this course is to familiarise the students with the regulatory framework for financial reporting and Sri Lanka Accounting Standards to enable them to prepare corporate financial reports including consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, the course is designed to provide students with the advanced theoretical and technical knowledge applicable to corporate financial reporting. Specific topics covered in this course include financial reporting environment; company income tax; business combinations; consolidated financial statements; investments in associates; joint arrangements; reporting for operating segments; foreign currency transactions and translation; and insolvency and liquidation. A sound understanding of the Financial Accounting and Reporting course covered in Year 1 is essential to follow this course.
ACC 2276: Computerised Accounting
This course consists of an accounting software (Sage 50).
The accounting software (Sage 50) component aims to provide students with hands-on experience in processing accounting data, as well as analysing and communicating information to both internal and external users for decision-making purposes. This section of the course covers the setup of a company profile, chart of accounts, and modules such as general ledger, customers and sales, vendors and purchases, inventory, employees and payroll, fixed assets, and budgets. It also includes posting transactions into the accounting system, analysing information generated through various reports, and customising the accounting systems to meet the specific needs of different users.
BUS 2371: Organisational Behaviour
Organisational Behaviour (OB) is a self-reliant discipline that encompasses the knowledge of the already established disciplines, such as Psychology, Sociology, Social Psychology, Anthropology, and Political Science. With the knowledge gained from varied disciplines, Organisational Behaviour provides a systematic approach to understand, predict and manage human behaviour at work. The Course aims at developing individuals who possess knowledge and skills for their own employability, either locally or globally, as well as for managing people in the World of Work. The Course consists of major areas in OB, such as individual differences in behaviour, organisational culture, motivation, managing stress, interpersonal and group behaviour, power and politics in organisations, leadership and organisational misbehaviour. With the knowledge imparted within the Course the learners will be able to understand, predict and manage the complex human behaviour within organisations for them to become successful managers.
FIN 2372: Advanced Corporate Finance
The primary objective of this course is to deepen students’ knowledge in financial management pertaining to the investment and financing decision making domains in increasing corporate performance and value. Accordingly, this course covers advanced techniques of capital budgeting and involvement of risk, the process of going public and capital structure, working capital management and short-term financial planning, and dividend policy. This course also includes areas such as framework of corporate finance, regional and global financial markets, long-term financial planning, valuation of corporate securities, cost of capital, leverage, financial distress and restructuring, corporate mergers and acquisitions, and alternative financing options. Moreover, this course enables students test out the applicability of theoretical and conceptual knowledge by engaging in discussions of contemporary topics and issues in the area via academic oriented research papers as well as papers published by global professional associations of finance. Similarly, students get the opportunity to analyse case studies and provide recommendations for real-world corporate finance issues faced by finance managers. The delivery modes of this course mainly include student-centred lecture sessions, interactive tutorial classes, guest lectures, group discussions, presentations, study tours, and field visits.
LAW 2372: Business and Corporate Law
This integrated course provides undergraduate broader knowledge about business and corporate law. The course is well structured including legal regulations within which businesses in general and companies in particular must operate in Sri Lanka. Main objective of the course is to provide in depth knowledge about both business and corporate law. In achieving the above objective, business law focused on law of agency, law of partnership, intellectual property law, and environmental law while corporate law focused at legal requirements of formation, ownership, management, and dissolution of companies in Sri Lanka. The course will support undergraduates with sufficient knowledge about legal requirements during the lifetime of companies and legal compliances required for companies in the business environment.