Main Content
Syllabus
ACCTG 473: Advanced Financial Accounting
ACCTG 473 (3): Reporting for multi-corporate enterprises, business combinations, quasi-reorganizations, and selected contemporary reporting problems.
Overview | Objectives | Materials | Library Resources | Technical Requirements | Course Requirements and Grading | Course Schedule | Academic Integrity | Accommodating Disabilities | Additional Policies
Overview
This course explores four major topics: accounting for business combinations, introduction to derivatives and special purpose entities, accounting for foreign currency transactions and consolidating foreign subsidiaries, and ethics and policy issues for the profession.
Prerequisite
ACCTG 472 Intermediate Financial Accounting II (3). Please do not attempt to enroll in this class without having satisfactorily completed the prerequisite class. That level of familiarity will be assumed by the instructor. Concurrent enrollment does not satisfy the prerequisite requirement. Every student is also required to have satisfied any other requirements of the Penn State Harrisburg School of Business Administration for enrollment in this class.
Course Objectives
Upon sucessful completion of this course, you will be able to:
- describe the different types of business combinations;
- account for a business combination effected as a merger;
- account for complex investments relationships using the equity method;
- prepare consolidated financial statements, adjusted for intercompany transactions;
- convert and consolidate the financial statements of foreign subsidiaries; and
- account for the formation, operation, and liquidation of partnerships.
Required Course Materials
Most World Campus courses require that students purchase materials (e.g., textbooks, specific software, etc.). To learn about how to order materials, please see the Course Materials page. You should check LionPATH approximately 3–4 weeks before the course begins for a list of required materials.
Library Resources
Many of the University Libraries resources can be utilized from a distance. Through the Libraries website, you can
- access magazine, journal, and newspaper articles online using library databases;
- borrow materials and have them delivered to your doorstep—or even your desktop;
- get research help via email, chat, or phone using the Ask a Librarian service; and
- much more.
You must have an active Penn State Access Account to take full advantage of the Libraries' resources and service. The Off-Campus Users page has additional information about these free services.
Technical Requirements
| Operating System | Canvas, Penn State's Learning Management System (LMS), supports most recent versions of Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac operating systems. To determine if your operating system is supported, please review Canvas' computer specifications. |
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| Browser | Canvas supports the last two versions of every major browser release. It is highly recommended that you update to the newest version of whatever browser you are using. Note: Cookies must be enabled, and pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows from Penn State websites. |
| Additional Canvas Requirements | For a list of software, hardware, and computer settings specifically required by the Canvas LMS, please review Canvas' computer specifications. |
| Additional Software | All Penn State students have access to Microsoft Office 365, including Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. |
| Hardware | Monitor: Monitor capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution |
| Mobile Device (optional) | The Canvas mobile app is available for versions of iOS and Android. To determine if your device is capable of using the Canvas Mobile App, please review the Canvas Mobile App Requirements. |
Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ)
During the semester you will receive information for completing the Student Education Experience Questionnaire (SEEQ). Your participation is an opportunity to provide anonymous feedback on your learning experience. Your feedback is important because it allows us to understand your experience in this course and make changes to improve the learning experiences of future students. Please monitor email and course communications for links and availability dates.
IT Service Desk and World Campus Student Services
If you need technical assistance at any point during the course, please contact the Service Desk.
For registration, advising, disability services, help with materials, exams, general problem solving, visit World Campus Student Services!
LinkedIn Learning
As a Penn State student, you have access to LinkedIn Learning, your one-stop shop for video tutorials on Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Access, Excel, PowerPoint, and countless other topics—all free to active Penn State faculty, staff, and currently enrolled students. Take tutorials to help with coursework, learn techniques for your own projects, and boost your résumé with tech skills.
Course Requirements and Grading
| Assignment | Grade percentage |
|---|---|
| Quizzes | 5% |
| Weekly Connect SmartBook | 10% |
| Weekly Connect Homework | 25% |
| Exam 1 | 20% |
| Exam 2 | 20% |
| Final Exam | 20% |
| Total | 100% |
Weekly Connect SmartBook, Homework Problems, and Quizzes
Lesson content understanding will be assessed via Connect SmartBook and homework problems on the material covered in that lesson, as well as in-Canvas quizzes. Connect and SmartBook are assignments you will complete on the publisher's web site, which is accessed from each assignment in Modules. Quizzes are completed in Canvas. These quizzes are generally fill-in-the-blank, and it is critical that you format the answer in the expected manner; e.g., including the comma separators between hundred and thousands, and thousands and millions, including the cents in the answer only if specifically instructed to, and leaving out the dollar sign. If the Canvas solution has the correct answer as "123,456", and you write "123456" or "$123456", Canvas will mark it wrong. You should always read the lesson commentary and assigned readings prior to attempting the Connect problems or quizzes.
Proctored Exams
All 3 exams are timed and are “closed book”. You will be allowed one page of handwritten notes — one side only for exams. You will need to show the exam proctor these notes prior to starting the exam.
Letter Grades
Letter grades will be based on the following scale:
| Letter grade | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A | 93 – 100% |
| A− | 90.0 – 92.99% |
| B+ | 86.67 – 89.99% |
| B | 83.33 – 86.66% |
| B− | 80.0 – 83.32% |
| C+ | 76.67 – 79.99% |
| C | 60.0 – 76.66% |
| D | 50.0 – 59.99% |
| F | Below 60.0% |
The numeric course grades above are the actual grades required to earn the accompanying letter grades. Students should not expect any rounding of the numeric course grades.
Grading Policy
All assignments are to be submitted in the appropriate location no later than 11:59 p.m eastern time (ET) on the due date shown on the Course Schedule.
Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Undergraduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.
If, for reasons beyond the student's control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student's transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student's associated Penn State campus.
For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page.
Honorlock
Honorlock will proctor your exams this semester. Honorlock is an online proctoring service that allows you to take your exam from the comfort of your home. You do not need to create an account or schedule an appointment in advance. Honorlock is available 24/7, and all that is required is a computer, a working webcam/microphone, your ID, and a stable internet connection. The proctoring software may be listening to you, monitoring your computer screen, viewing you and your surroundings, recording and storing any and all activity (including visual and audio recordings) during the proctoring process. By enrolling in this course, you have consented to the use of the proctoring software selected by your instructor, including but not limited to any audio and/or visual monitoring which may be recorded. You will need to use one of the compatible operating systems which are listed in Honorlock's Minimum Requirements table. You may also review Penn State's statement on privacy in online proctoring. Please contact your instructor with any questions or you may contact Penn State's Honorlock team at honorlock@psu.edu. See How to Use Honorlock (Student Guide) for an example session.
To get started, you will need Google Chrome and download the Honorlock Chrome Extension.
When you are ready to complete your assessment during the scheduled exam window, log into Canvas, go to your course, select your proctored exam and “Take the Quiz” to start the process. Then read and accept terms, review exam rules, and run the system checks. Select "Launch Proctoring" to begin the Honorlock authentication process, where you will take a picture of yourself, show your ID, and complete a scan of your room. Honorlock will be recording your exam session through your webcam, microphone, and recording your screen. Honorlock also has an integrity algorithm that can detect search-engine use, so please do not attempt to search for answers, even if it's on a secondary device. Also note that you will need to disconnect any external display monitors during the exam and close out of all tabs and windows except for your exam.
Honorlock support is available 24/7/365. If you encounter any issues, you may contact them through live chat on the support page. or within the exam itself. Some guides you should review are Honorlock MSRs, Student FAQ, Honorlock Knowledge Base, and How to Use Honorlock. You may also wish to review Penn State's knowledge base article on Honorlock. Good luck!
Use of Artificial Intelligence
Unless your instructor or assignment explicitly states that you may use AI for your assignments, assume that you cannot use AI in your work.
Should your instructor allow you to use AI in your assignments, pay attention to how you may use it - for instance, for preparation such as idea or outline generation, or for specific tasks. If using AI to generate or develop content for an assignment, you have ethical responsibilities as a student. You are required to:
- Verify and carefully review content generated and submitted through your use of generative AI. AI may hallucinate and produce biased, inaccurate, incorrect, or incomplete information, such as professional-looking citations that are not real, contradictory statements, copyrighted material without appropriate attribution, and sometimes biased or offensive concepts. Code generation models may produce inaccurate outputs. Image generation models may create misleading or offensive content. Review AI output with a critical eye as, ultimately, you are personally responsible for the work you submit.
- Avoid using sensitive information. Any information you submit to an AI tool may be used to train the tool. You should never provide personal or private information, restricted data (see Penn State’s University Policy AD95), or other sensitive information to an AI tool. Commercial data protection is provided in Microsoft Copilot when signing in with your Penn State login.
- Comply with relevant institutional policies, federal and state laws including Privacy Policy AD53, Accessibility Guidelines AD69, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Also see Guidelines for AI Use at Penn State.
- Cite all sources used, including AI, along with the tool’s contribution to your work. In practice, cutting and pasting content from any source without citation is plagiarism. Likewise, using any generative AI tool or paraphrasing content from generative AI without appropriate acknowledgement will be treated as plagiarism. If you use portions of the output from generative AI, even if it is significantly edited, this work should include the link to the chat or provide the exact prompt used to generate the content and the AI’s full response in an Appendix. Verify and cite all sources generated through your use of AI prior to submitting your assignments, including citation of the AI itself. Citation guidance may be found at Penn State Libraries Generative AI: ChatGPT and Beyond. Deviations from these guidelines may be considered an academic integrity violation per university policy G-9 Academic Integrity.
If you are allowed to use artificial intelligence as part of your assignment or preparation, you implicitly understand that you are ultimately responsible for your submissions. This means thinking critically about AI output, adding your own interpretations and insights. You may not earn full credit for work that is inaccurate, biased, unethical, offensive, inappropriate, plagiarized, invalid or incorrect. Should you have any questions about what is permissible for a particular course or assignment, ask your course instructor for clarification before using AI for course work.
Course Schedule
Note: All due dates reflect North American eastern time (ET).
The schedule below outlines the topics we will be covering in this course, along with the associated time frames and assignments. All work to be submitted is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday night of the week it is due. This assures that all students have the same deadlines regardless of where they live.
Lesson 1 | Lesson 2 | Lesson 3 | Lesson 4 | Lesson 5 | Exam 1 Review | Exam1 | Lesson 6 | Lesson 7 | Lesson 8 | Exam 2 Review | Exam 2 | Lesson 9 | Lesson 10 | Lesson 11 | Final Exam Review | Final Exam
Zoom Sessions
There will be weekly Zoom sessions available for students who wish to go over examples together or ask questions. These are scheduled for Thursdays at 7pm (see Zoom link on left hand side of course page). They are not required but are encouraged. The purpose of these sessions is not for your instructor to start explaining things from "ground zero"; they are to go over questions that you might have after reading the materials and attempting some of the problems. You are also encouraged to send your instructor questions and problems that you'd like to go over; if no questions are sent ahead of time there won't be anything for us to do.
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Note: If you are planning to graduate this semester, please communicate your intent to graduate to your instructor. This will alert your instructor to the need to submit your final grade in time to meet the published graduation deadlines. For more information about graduation policies and deadlines, please refer to Graduation at the Chaiken Center for Student Success.
Formal instruction will end on the last day of class. Provided that you have an active Penn State Access Account user ID and password, you will continue to be able to access the course materials for one year, starting from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered (with the exception of library reserves and other external resources that may have a shorter archival period). After one year, you might be able to access the course based on the policies of the program or department offering the course material, up to a maximum of three years from the end date of the academic semester in which the course was offered. For more information, please review the University Course Archival Policy.
Academic Integrity
According to Penn State policy G-9: Academic Integrity , an academic integrity violation is “an intentional, unintentional, or attempted violation of course or assessment policies to gain an academic advantage or to advantage or disadvantage another student academically.” Unless your instructor tells you otherwise, you must complete all course work entirely on your own, using only sources that have been permitted by your instructor, and you may not assist other students with papers, quizzes, exams, or other assessments. If your instructor allows you to use ideas, images, or word phrases created by another person (e.g., from Course Hero or Chegg) or by generative technology, such as ChatGPT, you must identify their source. You may not submit false or fabricated information, use the same academic work for credit in multiple courses, or share instructional content. Students with questions about academic integrity should ask their instructor before submitting work.
Students facing allegations of academic misconduct may not drop/withdraw from the affected course unless they are cleared of wrongdoing (see G-9: Academic Integrity ). Attempted drops will be prevented or reversed, and students will be expected to complete course work and meet course deadlines. Students who are found responsible for academic integrity violations face academic outcomes, which can be severe, and put themselves at jeopardy for other outcomes which may include ineligibility for Dean’s List, pass/fail elections, and grade forgiveness. Students may also face consequences from their home/major program and/or The Schreyer Honors College.
How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
World Campus students are expected to act with civility and
personal integrity; respect other students' dignity, rights, and
property; and help create and maintain an environment in which all
can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment
of academic integrity is requisite to respect for oneself and
others, as well as a civil community.
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, the Policy on Academic Integrity indicates that procedure requires an instructor to inform the student of the allegation. Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge, the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee. If that committee recommends an administrative sanction (Formal Warning, Conduct Probation, Suspension, Expulsion), the claim will be referred to the Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course, please contact us by going to the Contacts & Help page .
The instructor reserves the right to have work submitted, either by students or by the instructor, through Turnitin for review prior to grading.
Accommodating Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University’s educational programs. Every Penn State campus has an office for students with disabilities, including World Campus. The Disabilities and Accommodations section of the Chaiken Center for Student Success website provides World Campus students with information regarding how to request accommodations, documentation guidelines and eligibility, and appeals and complaints. For additional information, please visit the University's Student Disability Resources website.
In order to receive consideration for reasonable accommodations, you must contact the appropriate disability services office at the campus where you are officially enrolled, participate in an intake interview, and provide documentation. If the documentation supports your request for reasonable accommodations, your campus's disability services office will provide you with an accommodation letter. Please share this letter with your instructors and discuss the accommodations with them as early in your courses as possible. You must follow this process for every semester that you request accommodations.
Additional Policies
For information about additional policies regarding Penn State Access Accounts; credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals, please see the World Campus Student Center website.
Counseling and Psychological Services
If you have a crisis or safety concern, mental health services are available to you as a Penn State student. Crisis and emergency contacts are available, no matter where you are located:
- Anywhere in the United States: Call the Penn State Crisis Line at 1-877-229-6400 or text LIONS to 741741. You can also contact your local crisis services or hospital for emergencies.
- Outside the United States: Please contact emergency services in your current location. You can also use the International Crisis and Emergency Services listings.
- At University Park: Assistance is available at Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) locations on campus.
- At a Penn State branch campus: You can search for counseling information at your campus.
Veterans and Military Personnel
Veterans and currently serving military personnel and/or dependents with unique circumstances (e.g., upcoming deployments, drill/duty requirements, VA appointments, etc.) are welcome and encouraged to communicate these, in advance if possible, to the instructor in the case that special arrangements need to be made.
Privacy Notice
In order to protect your privacy, course access is limited to those individuals who have direct responsibility for the quality of your educational experience. In addition to the instructor, a teaching assistant or college administrator may be provided access in order to ensure optimal faculty availability and access. World Campus technical staff may also be given access in order to resolve technical support issues.Student Responsibilities and Conduct
- Students are responsible for online course content, taking notes, obtaining other materials provided by the instructor, taking tests (if applicable), and completing assignments as scheduled by the instructor. As a general rule, students should plan on logging into the course at least three times per week and spending at least three hours per course credit per week on the course, e.g., if the course is three credits, the student should plan on spending at least 9-12 hours per week on the course, just as they would in a residence course.
- Students are responsible for keeping track of changes in the course syllabus made by the instructor throughout the semester.
- Students are responsible for monitoring their grades.
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Students must contact their instructor (and teammates when working on any collaborative learning assignments) as soon as possible if they anticipate missing long periods of online time due to events such as chronic illnesses, death in the family, business travel, or other appropriate events. The instructor will determine the minimal log on time and participation required in order to meet course responsibilities. In the event of other unforeseen conflicts, the instructor and student will arrive at a solution together.
- Requests for taking exams or submitting assignments after the due dates require documentation of events such as illness, family emergency, or a business-sanctioned activity.
- Conflicts with dates on which examinations or assignments are scheduled must be discussed with the instructor or TA prior to the date of the examination or assignment.
- Students are responsible for following appropriate netiquette (network etiquette) when communicating with their instructor and classmates. For reference, see the Academic Success Kit.
- Behaviors that disrupt other students’ learning are not acceptable and will be addressed by the instructor.
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For severe and chronic problems with student disruptive behavior, the following will be applied for resolution:
- Senate Committee on Student Life policy on managing classroom disruptions: Office of Student Accountability and Conflict Response.
- Penn State Values.
Report Bias
Penn State takes great pride to foster a diverse and inclusive environment for students, faculty, and staff. Acts of intolerance, discrimination, or harassment due to age, ancestry, color, disability, gender, gender identity, national origin, race, religious belief, sexual orientation, or veteran status are not tolerated and can be reported through Educational Equity via the Report Bias webpage.
Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any changes.