HOLMES INSTITUTE

FACULTY OF HIGHER EDUCATION

Assessment Details and Submission Guidelines

Trimester: T1 2026

Unit Code: HA2011

Unit Title: Management Accounting

Assessment Type: Individual Reflective Journal

Assessment Title: Individual Reflective Journal

Purpose of the assessment (with ULO Mapping): This assessment ensures students document a critical reflection of their personal learning process during the unit. It aligns with ULOs 3, 4, and 7.

Weight: 10% of total assessments

Total Marks: 10

Word limit: 1000 words

Due Date: Week 10, Friday, 11:59 pm AEST

Submission Guidelines

• Complete the reflective journal individually.
• Submit on Blackboard by the due date with a completed Assignment Cover Page.
• Use MS Word format, single spacing, 12-pt Arial font, 2 cm margins on all sides, with section headings and page numbers.
• Cite reference sources in-text and list at the end using Harvard referencing style.
• Ensure the work is original; submit for plagiarism checking on Blackboard before final submission. Refer to the Unit Outline and Student Handbook for details.

Individual Reflective Journal Specifications

Purpose: This journal allows students to critically reflect on their personal learning process throughout the unit. Build it progressively with weekly notes from Week 1 to Week 10. These notes remind you of key learnings and experiences. A key element involves reflections on insights from the group assignment.

Assignment Task

1. Reflect on one topic from the unit that interested you most. Explain why it was interesting and what you learned.
2. Reflect on your experience as a group member in the group assignment. Discuss what went well, what did not, and what you learned.
3. Reflect on learnings from the group assignment. Identify insights gained and overall lessons from the experience.

Marking Criteria

• Reflections on one unit topic: 4%
• Reflections on group member experience: 3%
• Reflections on learnings from group assignment: 3%

Activity-based costing stood out as the most engaging topic because it provides a more accurate way to allocate overhead than traditional methods. Managers gain better insights into product profitability when costs trace to specific activities. The group assignment reinforced this by applying ABC to a case study company. Challenges arose with initial coordination due to differing schedules, yet regular meetings improved communication. Compromising on ideas built teamwork skills. Overall, the process highlighted how theoretical tools apply in practice (Langfield-Smith et al., 2018, https://doi.org/10.1070/9780170419021). Future collaborations will benefit from early role allocation.

References

• Langfield-Smith, K., Thorne, H., Smith, D. and Hilton, R.W., 2018. Management accounting: Information for creating and managing value. 8th edn. McGraw-Hill Education. https://doi.org/10.1070/9780170419021
• Eldenburg, L.G., Brooks, A., Oliver, J., Vesty, G. and Wolcott, S., 2020. Management accounting. 4th edn. Wiley. https://www.wiley.com/en-au/Management+Accounting%2C+4th+Edition-p-9780730369380
• Hilton, R.W. and Platt, D.E., 2021. Managerial accounting: Creating value in a dynamic business environment. 12th edn. McGraw-Hill Education. https://www.mheducation.com/highered/product/managerial-accounting-creating-value-dynamic-business-environment-hilton-platt/M9781260247787.html
• Bhimani, A., Horngren, C.T., Datar, S.M. and Rajan, M.V., 2019. Management and cost accounting. 7th edn. Pearson. https://www.pearson.com/en-gb/subject-catalog/p/management-and-cost-accounting/P200000003887