Information Technology for Finance

Scholar Year: 2018/2019 - 1S

Courses

Head Teacher Responsability Nuno Miguel Delicado Teixeira Head

Weekly workload Hours/week T TP P PL L TC E OT OT/PL TPL O S Type of classes 3 Lectures Type Teacher Classes Hours Laboratories Totals 2 6,00 Pedro Gonçalves   6,00 Rui Dias   3,00

Teaching language

Portuguese

Intended learning outcomes (Knowledges, skills and competencies to be developed by the students)

• Framing the fundamental concepts of Financial Information Systems (SIF);
• Understand SIF, the context of organizational processes and their added value;
• Understand the importance of information in the context of the activities of accounting and finance professionals;
• Understand the financial functions provided by the calculation software and demonstrate the capacity to use them;
• Interpret the obtained outputs and prepare reports for the management;
• Make use of the main technologies for the development of competences related to the management of financial information and define a practical approximation to their respective organizational implementation.

Syllabus

1. What are Financial Information Systems (SIF)
1.1 Description and architecture of SIF
2. The Role of SIF in Organizations
2.1 SIF Added Value
2.2 Decisive factors in SIF design and architecture
3. Financial functions in spreadsheets
3.1 Financial, statistical, data management and logical functions;
3.2 Creating PivotTables;
3.3 Financial modeling (preparation of budgets, budget control and economic, financial and investment decision evaluation indicators);
3.4 Risk analysis (sensitivity analysis, scenario creation, solver, goal seek, ...);
3.5 Forecasting.

Demonstration of the syllabus coherence with the UC intended learning outcomes

At the end of the curricular unit students should be able to work autonomously or as a team in the identification and understanding of the main financial functions associated with their training in Accounting and Finance, as well as to master their use in interpreting the obtained results.
Therefore, they should:
• Identify and master the main financial concepts including their application in the management of organizations;
• Develop capabilities to use the functions provided by the calculation software for the processing of associated information;
• Apply the knowledge to an active intervention in corporate financial management;
• Develop capacities to generate and interpret financial information as well as the information systems that support it;
• Integrate and consolidate acquired knowledge, using interdisciplinary approaches in understanding the presented problems;
• To deepen the knowledge in Information Systems and Technologies, justifying the thinking and functionalities used.
in the normal season

Teaching methodologies

Regarding the theoretical foundations, an expository methodology will be used with the presentation of examples and practical cases to present the various financial concepts and functions, encouraging reflection, analysis and critical thinking. A participatory methodology will also be developed throughout the classes, stimulating students to participate and discuss the examples presented promoting autonomy. This methodology aims at an active participation through the analysis of practical cases in the domain of knowledge, being oriented in the search for solutions.
Regarding the tutorial component, this methodology will focus on the follow-up of the exercises and practical cases presented and the work to be developed during the semester.

Assessment methodologies and evidences

Continuous evaluation:
The evaluation of knowledge is done through the following moments of evaluation:
• Conducting an Individual Test (IT) - 50%;
• Implementation of a Practical Assessment (AP) - 50%, which involves the following moments:
- Resolution of three practical cases (CPR).

Final Score = 50% TI + 50% AP
- If the student does not attend one of the evaluation moments TI and / or AP passes immediately to Final Evaluation (Time of Appeal);
- The minimum grade of IT and AP, so that the student can obtain approval for the course unit, is 10 values. Lower grades imply failure to the curricular unit, in continuous evaluation, and the possibility of realization of a new evaluation in Time of Resource or Special Time;
- Regarding the AP, this component includes the resolution of three cases proposed in practical classes, and the student must have a rating of> = 10 values ​​for approval;
- In the case of student failure in the IT, but if the practical evaluation (AP) is positive, the student will have to take an Individual Exam (EI) at the time of recourse or special season, but the grade of practical evaluation transits to that time ;
- In case of failure of the student in the AP will be given an opportunity to improve it until the date of the examination of appeal, however will have to carry out the written test corresponding to the examination of appeal.


Final evaluation
There are three epochs of final evaluation:
- Normal Season (for students who did not opt ​​for continuous assessment)
The evaluation of the normal time is constituted by:
• Conducting an Individual Exam (EI) and practical case study (AP)
Final Score = 50% EI + 50% AP
If the final grade or one of its components (EI or AP is lower than 10 values, there will be no passing in this evaluation period.

- Time of Appeal (for students who did not or did not obtain a normal or continuous evaluation)
The assessment of knowledge is carried out just as in the normal period.

- Special Season:
The assessment of knowledge is carried out as in the normal period

Bibliography

Essential:
o Acounting Information Systems, James A. Hall, 7th Ed., South-Western Cengage Learning (2011)
o Core Concepts of Accounting Information Systems, Core Concepts of Accounting Information Systems, Nancy A. Bagranoff, Mark G. Simkin, Carolyn Strand Norman, John Wiley & Sons, 11th Ed. (2010)
o Exercícios Resolvidos com Excel para Economia e Gestão, Maria Adelaide Carvalho, FCA, 2ª Ed. (2012)
o Excel Aplicado à Gestão, António Martins, Sílabo, 3ª Ed.
o Excel Aplicado a Gestão Empresarial, Adriano Leal Bruni e Roberto Brazileiro Paixão, Editora Atlas (2011)
o Excel Para Profissionais de Finanças – Manual prático, Jocildo Figueiredo Correia Neto, Editora Campus (2006)
o Accounting Information Systems - The Crossroads of Accounting and IT, Donna Kay & Ali Ovlia, Pearson New International Edition, 2nd Ed. (2013)
o Business Information Systems for Accounting Students, Gerhard Kristandl & Martin Quinn, Pearson, (2014)

Complementary:
o Financial Analysis Using Excel, V. GUPTA, (2002)
o Manual de Casos Práticos, António Borges e Martins Ferrão, 10ª Ed.
o Contabilidade e Finanças para a Gestão, 5ª Edição António Borges e José Azevedo Rodrigues (2014)
o Introduction to Accounting Information Systems, Tony Boczko, (2012)