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2020/2021

Principles of Accounting

Code: 102196 ECTS Credits: 6
Degree Type Year Semester
2501232 Business and Information Technology OB 1 2
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Margarida López Antón
Email:
Margarita.Lopez@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
catalan (cat)
Some groups entirely in English:
No
Some groups entirely in Catalan:
Yes
Some groups entirely in Spanish:
No

Teachers

Francesc Josep Uroz Felices
Margarida López Antón

Prerequisites

Thera are no prerequisites for this course.

Objectives and Contextualisation

This course is contextualized together with Cost Management Systems within the subject Accounting, and is taught in the second semester of the first year of the Degree in Business and Technology. It is prior and preparatory to be able to take the subject of Cost Management Systems.

The main aims of this first course are:

  • To understand the fundamentals of accounting and its conceptual framework: regulations, principles and valuation criteria.
  • To learn how to develop the accounting process or cycle of a company: operations of the company with the outside world.
  • To determine the result for the year and to present the annual accounts in accordance with the current General Accounting Plan.
  • To understand the economic and financial situation of the company (how to read and interpret the basic annual accounts).

Competences

  • Analysing, diagnosing, supporting and taking decisions in terms of organisational structure and business management.
  • Appropriately drawing up technical reports according to the customer's demands.
  • Demonstrating a comprehension of the ethical values of the professional practice, especially in relation to the processing of information.
  • Demonstrating a comprehension of the principles, structure, organisation and inner workings of companies and organisations.
  • Developing self-learning strategies.
  • Working in teams, sharing knowledge and communicating it to the rest of the team and the organisation.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Appropriately drawing up technical reports according to the customer's demands.
  2. Defining and discussing the privacy of financial-tax information.
  3. Describing information about the annual accounts.
  4. Describing the accounting process in order to draw up annual accounts.
  5. Developing self-learning strategies.
  6. Distinguish the main applicable accounting principles in the current General Accounting Plan.
  7. Identifying the economic transactions and assessing the flows intervening in accordance with the valuation rules of the General Accounting Plan.
  8. Producing financial statements and reports for accounting, fiscal, financial and organisational purposes.
  9. Specifying the utility of accounting according to the potential users.
  10. Summarising the accounting information and presenting it through annual accounts.
  11. Working in teams, sharing knowledge and communicating it to the rest of the team and the organisation.

Content

1. The role of legal societies in general economic activity.

  • The choice of activities by individuals.
  • The social environment: rights.
  • Analysis of transactions.
  • Stages of productive activity. The economic benefit
  • Magnitudes of a productive activity: magnitudes flow and magnitudes background.
  • The concept of company.
  • A synthesis from the macroeconomic perspective.

2. Accounting as an information system. The accounting regulation and the conceptual framework of the General Accounting Plan.

  • The accounting information.
  • Concept of accounting of economic units and scope of application.
  • The users of the accounting of the company.
  • The costs of accounting information.
  • Accounting regulation and regulatory bodies.
  • The Spanish General Accounting Plan.
  • The conceptual framework

3. The accounting method.

  • The accounting method.
  • Analysis of data.
  • Accounting records of transactions.
  • Synthesis information.  Patrimony
  • The balance sheet
  • The accounting process or cycle.

4. The registration of transactions.

  • The transactions of companies.
  • The valuation of the magnitudes.
  • Accounting of transactions.
  • The balance of sums and balances.
  • Introduction to the accounting of the result.

5. The accounting result.

  • The concept of result.
  • The formation of the result.
  • Valuation and variation of stocks.
  • Periodification of income and expenses.
  • Amortization (valuation of intakes of fixed assets).
  • Provisions (impairments).
  • Compensation of expenses.
  • The process of accounting regularization.

6. The annual accounts.

  • The preparation of the annual accounts.
  • Presentation rules.
  • The balance sheet
  • The profit and loss account (PyG).
  • The statement of changes in equity (ECPN).
  • The statement of cash flows (EFE).
  • The memory.
  • Abbreviated models of annual accounts.
  • Verification of the annual accounts.

7. Value Added Tax

  • The concept of Value Added Tax (VAT).
  • Accounting treatment of VAT.

8. Economic financial analysis of the financial statements.

  • Basic analysis techniques.
  • Solvency analysis (short term).

Methodology

To achieve the objectives of the course, the following taxonomy of activities will be used:

 1. Theory classes where teachers develop the main concepts: the objective of this activity is to present the fundamental concepts of the course and to facilitate their learning through the analysis of examples illustrating the main issues of the different topics analysed.

 2. Exercises sessions devoted to the resolution of practical exercises: this activity aims to discuss and answer any questions that students may have in solving the problem sets, and at the same time to correct mistakes. These sessions will also stimulate the participation of students presenting the solutions of the problem sets either orally or in written form.

 3. Tutorial attendance: Students have several hours where the teachers of the course may help them to resolve any doubts that may arise in the study of the course and in the solution of the problem sets.

 4. Autonomous working:  Students work on their own studying the main concepts and solving the exercises proposed in the class.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Analysis, presentation and debate of cases and group work 13 0.52 2, 4, 3, 6, 8, 9, 7, 10
Class sessions (theory) 33 1.32 2, 4, 3, 6, 8, 9, 7, 10
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials of practical cases and course work 15 0.6 8, 7, 1, 11
Type: Autonomous      
Preparation and elaboration of teamwork 15 0.6 1, 11
Resolution of exercises and cases 33.5 1.34 5, 1
Study and research 37 1.48 5, 1

Assessment

The evaluation will consider the following activities:

  1. Classroom and out-class resolution and individual presentation of cases and/or practical exercises related to the contents of the course (10% of the total grade);
  2. Partial test (30% of the total grade), covering topics 1, 2, 3 and 4.
  3. Final exam (50% of the total grade), for topics 5, 6 and 7.
  4. Teamwork (4 or 5 people): analytical report according to the content of topic 8 (10% of the total grade).

To pass the subject, a minimum of 5 points must be obtained for each of the above four categories. However, lower partial grades can be offset by higher ones if none of them is less than 3.5.

All students are required to perform the evaluation activities. If the student's grade is 5 or higher, the student passes the course and it cannot be subject to further evaluation. If the student grade is less than 3.5, the student will have to repeat the course the following year. Students who have obtained a grade that is equal to or greater than 3.5 and less than 5 can take a second chance exam. The lecturers will decide the type of the second chance exam. When the second exam grade is greater than 5, the final grade will be a PASS with a maximum numerical grade of 5. When the second exam grade is less than 5, the final grade will be a FAIL with a numerical grade equal to the grade achieved in the course grade (not the second chance exam grade).

A student who does not perform any evaluative task is considered “not evaluable”, therefore, a student who performs a continuous assessment component can no longer be qualified with a "not evaluable".

 

Calendar of evaluation activities

The dates of the evaluation activities (exercises in the classroom, assignments, ...) will be announced well in advance during the semester.

The dates of the midterm and final exams are scheduled in the assessment calendar of the Faculty.

"The dates of evaluation activities cannot be modified, unless there is an exceptional and duly justified reason why an evaluation activity cannot be carried out. In this case, the degree coordinator will contact both the teaching staff and the affected student, and a new date will be scheduled within the same academic period to make up for the missed evaluation activity." Section 1 of Article 115. Calendar of evaluation activities (Academic Regulations UAB). Students of the Faculty of Economics and Business, who in accordance with the previous paragraph need to change an evaluation activity date must process the request by filling out an Application for exams' reschedule at https://eformularis.uab.cat/group/deganat_feie/application-for-exams-reschedule

Grade revision process

After all grading activities have ended, students will be informed of the date and way in which the course grades will be published. Students will be also be informed of the procedure, place, date and time of grade revision following University regulations.

Retake Process

"To be eligible to participate in the retakeprocess, it is required for studentsto have been previously been evaluated for at least two thirds of the total evaluation activities of the subject." Section 3 of Article 112 ter. The recovery (UAB Academic Regulations). Additionally, it is required that the student to have achieved an averagegrade of the subject between 3.5 and 4.9.

The date of the retake exam will be posted in the calendar of evaluation activities of the Faculty. Students who take this exam and pass, will get a grade of 5 for the subject. If the student does not pass the retake, the grade will remain unchanged, and hence, student will fail the course.

Irregularities in evaluation activities

In spite of other disciplinary measures deemed appropriate, and in accordance with current academic regulations, "in the case that the student makes any irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the grade of an evaluation activity, it will be graded with a 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that can be instructed. In case of various irregularities occur in the evaluation of the same subject, the final grade of this subject will be 0". Section 10 of Article 116. Results of the evaluation. (UAB Academic Regulations).

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Final exam 50% 2 0.08 8, 1, 10
Individual case studies, case resolution and / or practical exercises 10% 0 0 2, 4, 3, 6, 8, 9, 7, 1, 10, 11
Partial exam 30% 1.5 0.06 4, 3, 6, 9, 1
Team course work 10% 0 0 2, 3, 5, 1, 10, 11

Bibliography

Basic

Horgren, Sundem, Elliot and Philbrick. (2009). Introduction to Financial Accounting. McGraw-Hill.

Vilardell, Immaculada y  Solà, Magda (2009): "Introducción a la contabilidad general". McGraw/Hill. Madrid.Segona Edició

Wanden-Berghe, J.L. y Fernández, E.(2012): "Introducción a la contabilidad". Ediciones Pirámide. Madrid.

Pla General de Comptabilitat y  de Pymes. Reales Decretos 1514/2007 y 1515/2007, de 16 de noviembre. RD 602/ 2016 (BOE de 17-12-16) por el cual  se modifica el PGC y  el PGC Pymes.

Spanish General Accounting Plan.

 

PUBLICATIONS, READINGS AND WEB LINKS:

 UAB Virtual Campus of the subject

 

Software