| Course | AC298 Associate's Capstone in Accounting |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 1 |
| Paper type | Discussion board post |
| Length | About 440 words, 2 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 discussion post |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | Associate of Applied Science in Accounting |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for AC298 Unit 1
The Wage Accrual I Missed Once: A Unit 1 Post Naming the Weak Spot to Watch in a Capstone's December Records
AC298 · Unit 1 Discussion
Posted by [Student Name]
The practice set, the capstone business and the figures are composite; the textbook and the control framework cited are real.
Initial Post
The skill I am least sure of going into this capstone is accrual adjustments, and I can point to the moment I learned that. In my first financial accounting course, our practice set ended on a Wednesday, and the employees were paid every other Friday. I recorded the December 22 payroll and closed the books. I never accrued the three days the staff worked after the last payday, $1,140 of wages. My net income was too high by exactly that amount, and my balance sheet showed no wages payable at all.
What makes accruals hard for me is that nothing arrives to prompt them. A purchase comes with an invoice and a sale comes with a receipt, but wages earned on December 29 through 31 leave no document until the next payday in January. The entry exists only because someone thinks to ask what happened that has not been recorded (Franklin et al., 2019).
The capstone business, Kiln Road Tile & Flooring, pays its staff every other Friday and closes its year on December 31, which is almost exactly the calendar that tripped me up before.
I expect the same entry to matter again, along with two others that have no document behind them: the supplies used up during December and the depreciation on the delivery truck and store fixtures. I also expect the inventory count to differ from the perpetual records, because tile breaks.
My plan is a checklist I will run before preparing any statement: payroll days since the last payday, interest since the last payment, prepaid items used up, supplies counted, depreciation for the year, the physical inventory count and the aging of receivables. A control framework would call this a review procedure that compares records with what actually happened, and it is cheaper than finding the error in the statements (Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission, 2013).
Question for classmates: which entry are you most worried about in the capstone, and what will you do to catch it?
Reply to Darnell
Darnell, you named inventory costing as your weak spot. I would add that the physical count is where inventory errors usually surface, since the perpetual records can be right about purchases and sales and still disagree with the shelf. Will your capstone business give you a count to reconcile?
References
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. (2013). Internal control: Integrated framework. https://www.coso.org
Franklin, M., Graybeal, P., & Cooper, D. (2019). Principles of accounting, volume 1: Financial accounting. OpenStax. https://openstax.org/details/books/principles-financial-accounting
What the AC298 Unit 1 assignment asks for
The first AC298 discussion asks students to name a skill they are least confident about before the capstone begins. Choose one specific area, not a general worry, and describe a real moment when it caused an error, with the figure involved if you have it. Explain why the area is difficult for you. Then look ahead to the capstone business and predict where the same issue is likely to appear. Close with a concrete plan, such as a checklist or a review step, and a question for classmates. A post of about 350 words is common. Replies should connect a classmate's weak spot to the stage of the capstone where it will be tested. Cite the textbook or a control framework where it supports the plan, in APA 7.
How this AC298 Unit 1 example is built
The sample opens by naming accrual adjustments as the weak spot and recalling the practice set that ended on a Wednesday, with three days of wages never accrued. It explains that accruals leave no document behind them. The highlighted sentence connects that history to the capstone store's payroll calendar. The writer predicts four more entries that lack documents, from supplies to the receivables aging, and lists a seven-step checklist to run before any statement is prepared, citing the COSO framework on review procedures. A question asks classmates which entry worries them most. The reply suggests that a classmate's inventory concern will surface at the physical count.
AC298 Unit 1 rubric: what earns full points
AC298 opening discussion rubrics generally reward an honest, specific self-assessment, a believable link to the capstone and a practical plan. Naming a precise weak spot with a real example earns more than a vague admission. Explaining why the area is hard shows insight. Predicting where it will appear in the capstone business shows the student has read the problem. A checklist or review step demonstrates professional habits. The question and reply should move the discussion toward the capstone's work. Posting by the first deadline matters, since replies need time to arrive. The last points go to clear prose and sources cited in APA 7, and a post that names a real figure from past work reads as more credible than one that only describes a feeling.
AC298 Unit 1 help from the desk
Many first capstone posts name a weakness too broad to act on, such as accounting in general. Others describe the weakness without an example, so it reads as a guess. Some never connect it to the capstone business. Plans stay vague, such as being more careful. Replies offer encouragement instead of pointing to where the classmate's concern will matter. Citations are missing, even though a sentence citing the textbook on accruals or a control framework would show the plan rests on something more than intention. If you know your weak spot but are unsure how to frame it for the capstone, our writers can draft the post around your own experience and your section's business.
Get an AC298 Unit 1 example written to your instructions
Post the Unit 1 prompt with the rubric and name the entry type that worries you most; a line describing one past error helps. A first sample built on that choice is free and returns within 24-48h, the classmate response attached when the prompt calls for one, all of it kept to your section's length. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
More AC298 papers and Associate of Applied Science in Accounting samples
- AC298 Unit 2: Capstone Proposal
- AC298 Unit 3: Transaction Recording Set
- AC298 Unit 4: Adjusted Statement Package
- AC298 Unit 5: Ratio Analysis
- AC298 Unit 6: Ethics Scenario Response
- AC298 Unit 7: Seminar Progress Check
- AC298 Unit 8: Recommendation Memo
- AC298 Unit 9: Career Portfolio Piece
- AC298 Unit 10: Capstone Presentation
AC298 Unit 1 questions, answered
Should I admit weakness in a graded post?
Yes, and specifically. The prompt asks for it, and a precise admission reads as professional judgment rather than as a confession. Name one entry type, describe one past error and what it did to the statements, then say how the capstone will guard against it. Vague modesty scores lower than a clear, bounded weakness with a plan attached.
What if my weakest area is not in the capstone problem?
It usually is, because the assigned business in most sections runs through a full cycle and touches receivables, inventory, payroll and long-term assets. If yours truly does not appear, choose the nearest area that does and explain the link. A weakness in bond amortization, for instance, becomes a question about how the business's note payable accrues interest.
How critical should my reply to a classmate be?
Critical of the reasoning, courteous toward the person. Restate their point fairly, then ask the question their post leaves open, such as which account absorbs a loss or which statement shows it. One counterexample or one alternative treatment is usually enough. Replies that only agree tend to earn little on capstone boards, where critique is often the graded skill.
Where can I find a free AC298 Unit 1 sample paper?
This page holds a complete AC298 Unit 1 discussion post naming accrual adjustments as a weak spot, with the past error, a prediction for the capstone store and a checklist.
Why does the AC298 Unit 1 sample focus on accruals?
Accruals leave no document to prompt them, and the writer once missed three days of wages. The capstone store has the same biweekly payroll and December year-end, so the risk returns.