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ACC41280

Academic Year 2025/2026

Accounting & BusinessAnalytics (ACC41280)

Subject:
Accountancy
College:
Business
School:
Business
Level:
4 (Masters)
Credits:
7.5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Daniel Peng
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
Blended
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module bridges the gap between traditional accounting and the frontiers of technology, evolving students from retrospective financial reporters into AI-empowered strategic partners. Students will master the technical fluency and analytical foresight required to lead data-driven transformations in a rapidly automating global economy.

A cornerstone of this module is the 2026 Joint Innovation Data Challenge, a prestigious collaborative initiative between the Central Bank of Ireland and the Bank of Italy. This partnership provides a unique platform to apply classroom theory to high-stakes, real-world datasets in a competitive international arena.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

After completing this module, students will be able to:

- Audit strategic data ecosystems to determine an organization’s "AI-readiness" and long-term intelligence needs.
- Design secure, scalable frameworks for the collection and governance of high-integrity business data.
- Manipulate complex datasets using AI-enhanced modeling to extract predictive and prescriptive financial insights.
- Command advanced visualization tools to translate raw data into persuasive narratives for executive decision-making.
- Mitigate ethical and security risks, including algorithmic bias and data privacy threats, within automated systems.

Indicative Module Content:

Throughout the module, emphasis is placed on real-world applications, providing a deeper understanding of the intersection between accounting and finance, technology, and data science. Topics covered will include:

1. Strategic Data Landscapes: Appraising organizational data needs and "AI-readiness" to align information strategy with business objectives.

2. Data Governance & Management: Architecting secure frameworks for the collection, cloud storage, and ethical management of high-integrity business data.

3. The Joint Innovation Data Challenge: Engaging with exclusive Central Bank of Ireland and Bank of Italy datasets to solve real-world economic problems.

4. Advanced Analytics & Modeling: Engineering complex datasets using predictive techniques and machine learning to extract actionable financial insights.

5. Visual Storytelling: Commanding visualization tools to translate technical data into persuasive narratives for executive decision-making.

6. Innovation Showcase: Synthesizing findings into a "3-minute thesis" style presentation for an international review panel.

7. Ethics, Privacy & Digital Trust: Addressing the critical challenges of algorithmic transparency, cybersecurity, and data sovereignty in a global regulatory context.

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

66

Autonomous Student Learning

60

Lectures

24

Total

150


Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
Lectures and workshops; active/task-based learning; peer and group work

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade In Module Component Repeat Offered
Practical Skills Assessment: The continuous assessment (20%) consists of a DataCamp Certificate and by-weekly online quizzes. Week 2, Week 4, Week 6, Week 8, Week 10 Graded No
20
No
Participation in Learning Activities: In-class participation Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12 Graded No
10
No
Group Work Assignment: Group Case Presentations and Report, adjusted by a contribution survey. Week 11, Week 12 Graded No
70
No

Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Business Analytics, Global Edition Paperback by James Evans, Pearson; 3rd edition (11 August, 2020)

Practical Business Analytics Using R and Python: Solve Business Problems Using a Data-driven Approach by Umesh R. Hodeghatta, Umesha Nayak, Apress; 2nd edition (3 April, 2023)

A DataCamp link will be sent to you before the module begins, offering essential Python/AI tutorials to ensure you have the necessary background for the module.

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 09:00 - 10:50
Spring Tutorial Offering 1 Week(s) - 24, 25, 26, 29, 30 Thurs 14:00 - 14:50