Business Administration - Accounting

Financial statements are an essential tool for business decision making. In this course, financial statement users’ needs and decisions will be examined, and the principles of the accounting cycle will be explored. Specific elements of financial statements will be examined, and the related accounting principles will be discussed. Financial statement analysis and internal control evaluation will supplement and support the exploration of financial reporting.

Industry use of analytics and business productivity applications is critical to office workflows and evidence informed decision making. This course introduces applied computing to develop skills in applications such as spreadsheet, word processing, and database through the structured query language (SQL).

Effective communication is crucial in today's business landscape. This course is designed to equip students with essential business communication skills. The objective is to enhance students' ability to communicate professionally and adeptly in diverse business settings. Key components of the course include developing fundamental research skills, honing critical reading and writing abilities, crafting structured business reports, delivering compelling oral presentations, and employing interpersonal communication techniques to effectively convey messages and forge robust relationships.

Microeconomics examines how individuals, firms, and societies use their scarce resources to attain economic goals, and how different economic systems try to solve this central problem of scarcity. Students will learn how individuals make consumption decisions and how firms determine how much to produce and what price to charge for products/services given their costs and the market structure of the industry they operate within. The topics of public sector economics, labour market fundamentals, environmental economics, and income inequality are also examined.

Governments focus on three key indicators of economic growth: real GDP, employment, and inflation. Managers need to understand how governments implement their fiscal and monetary policies to achieve the goals of economic growth, low unemployment and stable price changes at the national level. In this course, students will analyze and evaluate how changes in fiscal and monetary policy affect the economic and business environment. In addition, learners will explore the role and interconnectivity of consumers, businesses, government agencies, financial intermediaries, and trading partners, as they exchange goods, and services.

Marketing is at the heart of business success and growth by meeting customer needs and generating revenue. Students will learn key concepts, strategic marketing planning, methods of analysis, and tactics critical to understanding buyer behaviour and creating value for customers. Emphasis is placed on understanding the strategic marketing planning process. Students will conduct an environmental scan, identify target audiences and apply the four marketing mix components of product, price, place, and promotion.

Mathematical reasoning skills are required to support day-to-day business operations. Students will build on their existing mathematical competencies and apply them to a business context. The learners will gain practice and confidence to evaluate transactions encountered in the business world.

All successful businesses execute the four fundamental principles of management: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling. Students will use strategic analysis to examine how these four integrated principles work to create a solid foundation for best management practices in any organization. The students will achieve this through case studies, class discussions, and course activities.

The principal role of a manager is to achieve desired organizational outcomes through people. Students will discover principles that will enable them to recognize and influence human behavior in organizational settings. Utilizing a variety of models and frameworks, students will learn to support, develop, and motivate others to achieve individual, group/team, and organizational goals.

For students planning on pursuing a career in accounting, this course will build on the concepts and skills learned in introductory financial accounting. Students will examine the accounting cycle where they will analyze transactions in the context of a double-entry bookkeeping system, record journal entries using debits and credits, make year-end adjusting journal entries, prepare financial statements, and perform year-end procedures. Financial statements will also be analyzed and evaluated for decision-making purposes, which will include the use of data analytics.

Accounting software provides insights into the overall financial performance of a business. In this course, students will use accounting software to record and report financial activities in a small and/or medium sized business. Financial activities are recorded and resulting reports will be examined from a management perspective, integrating concepts learned in other courses.

Accounting information is used for decision making, planning and control, as well as performance evaluation. This course is an introduction to managerial accounting that balances the preparation of accounting information with its use for decision making.

An understanding of Canada’s laws and legal system is necessary for business graduates as law is a fundamental part of business. Students will explore several important areas of the law, including constitutional, tort, insurance, contracts, intellectual property and employment. Students will learn how legal disputes are resolved and how an understanding of basic legal principles can help a business minimize potential liability.

Understanding Information Systems helps users of various systems support activities and processes within an organization. Students in Managing Business Information Systems examine key concepts and principles related to information systems. Students learn about cross-functional processes and the systems available to help manage a variety of processes.

Business insights developed through descriptive analytics have transformed and are key to evidence-informed decision making and efficiencies. In this course, students gain skills by completing analytics projects introducing design principles for creating meaningful displays of quantitative and qualitative data. A major focus is on descriptive analytics, including data analysis and data visualization. This focus is comprised of understanding, manipulating, evaluating, and presenting the many complex data and information streams that drive today’s businesses and organizations.

Organizations must continuously innovate to survive and thrive. Employees often have unique insights into organizational improvements. Intrapreneurs are those who think like entrepreneurs within established organizations. This course will explore strategies that intrapreneurs can use to identify and implement innovations that complement existing organizational structures and goals.

Data analysis and statistical evidence can provide valuable insights for businesses and lead to better informed decisions. In this course, students will learn introductory statistical principles and methods. Students will apply descriptive statistics, probability theory, hypothesis testing and regression analysis to evaluate business problems and/or small case studies.

Accounting information conveys the essence of business transactions in a manner that is useful for decision-making. Students who have obtained foundational financial accounting knowledge will have a detailed understanding of the basic principles and practices utilized by accountants. This course builds on that foundational knowledge to explore more complex topics involved in the preparation and analysis of the asset side of the statement of financial position, including revenue recognition issues.

Accounting information is a key component of the strategic decision-making process. This course focuses on the management accountant's role in this process, including the collection, analysis, and communication of quantitative and qualitative information. Students will learn cost accounting fundamentals and tools for planning and control.

Understanding Canadian income tax legislation is essential for accountants as it will impact the finances of all taxpayers. In this course, a brief introduction to Canadian Income Tax is followed by a study of the tax law related to employment income, property income, business income, other income, capital gains, other deductions, capital cost allowance, and personal tax credits. Calculation of federal taxes payable for an individual will be covered.