UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING,OPERATIONS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Accounting 322
Introduction to Accounting for Management Decision Making Syllabus
SPRING 2012
Instructor: Patricia (Trish) Stringer, CMA, CA Classes
Office: Bus 1-27B A1: TR 2:00 pm-4:50 pm (BUS 2-5)
Office Hours: Tues 1:00pm to 1:50pm or by appointment
E-mail:
1. Course Description and Objectives
This course is an introduction to managerial accounting. It is designed to make business students aware of the roles that accounting plays within organizations. The focus is primarily on the informed use of managerial accounting information, rather than on its production. The course emphasizes the links between accounting information and management activities such as strategic and operational decision making, financial planning and control, organizational design, and performance evaluation. The course examines how managerial accounting is used within a variety of organizations, including
manufacturing, merchandising, and service businesses, as well as public-sector and not-for-profit organizations.
Specific skills developed in this course include the abilities to:
• Identify, categorize, and analyze the behaviour of costs;
• Utilize cost information in making decisions (i.e., cost-benefit and profitability analyses);
• Prepare and use budgets; and
• Use accounting information to evaluate and motivate the performance of divisions, departments, and other units within organizations.
At the conclusion of the course, students should be familiar with the basic terminology, concepts, and techniques of managerial accounting, be able to utilize them in managerial problem solving, and be able to critically evaluate managerial accounting data and reports. Prerequisite: Accounting 311.
2. Evaluation
Your grade in this course will be based on the marks you obtain on two (2) in-class exercises, four (4) quizzes, one (1) eighty (80) minute midterm exam, four (4) assignment submissions, and a (2) two-hour comprehensive final exam. These marks will be weighted as follows to determine your percentage mark in the course:
In class exercises 2%
Quizzes 8%
Midterm Exam (Thursday, May 24th at 2:00 pm) 30%
Assignments 15%
Final Exam (Friday, June 15th at 11:30 am) 45%
Total 100 %
Letter grades will be assigned to the percentage marks in accordance with University Regulations [Section 23.4(5) of the University Calendar]. Grades in this course will be based on a combination of absolute achievement and relative performance.
2.1.
Two (2) in-class exercises will be administered in this course. These in-class exercises will be assigned, completed and collected in class. They will take the form of a short problem. You will receive a grade of 0 if not completed or for minimal effort and a grade of 2 marks for a reasonable attempt.
In-Class Exercises
Each in-class exercise will cover material from the current lecture, previous lecture(s) and/or chapter recommended questions assigned. There will be no opportunity to make up an in-class exercise.
2.2.
Four (4) scheduled quizzes will be administered in this course via Ulearn. The tentative quiz schedule is as follows:
Quizzes
Quiz#
Due Date
In Scope (@ 1:59 pm)
1 May 10, 2012 Chapters 1 & 2 2 May 17, 2012 Chapters 3 & 5 3 May 31, 2012 Chapters 7 & 8 4 June 7, 2012 Chapters 9 & 11
More information will be posted in the quiz section on Ulearn. Online quizzes are available from Tuesday afternoon at 4:50pm until the due date time on Thursday afternoon at 1:59 pm. For each quiz, you will have 2 attempts, and only the better will count; 15 minutes maximum for each attempt. If you go over the 15 minutes your score will be reduced to zero.
Each quiz may cover material from the previous lecture(s) and chapter recommended questions assigned. There will be no opportunity to make up a quiz.
2.3.
All exams in this course will be closed book. You may use a non-programmable calculator. You will have eighty (80) minutes to write the midterm exam and two (2) hours to write the final exam. The final exam will be comprehensive.
Exams
• Midterm Exam – Thursday, May 24th, 2012 during regular class time – 2:00 pm
• Final Exam – Tentative Date: Friday, June 15th at 11:30 am (location to be announced) Section 23.5.1 of the Calendar provides the University Regulations for the conduct of exams. At an exam, students must be able to present their student ID cards or other acceptable photo identification.
Cell phones, iPods, and other electronic devices must be turned off and put away prior to the exam (the only permitted electronic devices are non-programmable calculators).
2.3.1.
If you are absent from the midterm exam for a legitimate reason, you are required to inform me in writing as soon as possible (email is acceptable) explaining the nature of your difficulty. I may require proof supporting your stated reason for missing the midterm.
Absence from Exams
If the midterm is missed for an acceptable reason, a deferred midterm will be arranged for you (usually within one week of the original midterm date.)
2.3.2.
For information regarding applying for a reappraisal of your final exam please see Section 23.5.4 (2) of the Calendar.
Final Exam Viewing and Reappraisals
2.4.
The Assignment will be a case that has four (4) separate submissions. Each submission will build on information from a previous submission. Once each submission is completed you will be provided the solution (so you can complete the next submission).
Assignments
The case and instructions will be posted on Ulearn in the Assignments area. For your first 3
submissions you will be answering the questions in a quiz format. For the final submission you will submit an excel worksheet with the required information. The tentative assignment schedule is as follows:
Assignment Due date Grade Weighting
Required 1 – Cost allocation (Product / Period) May 15, 2012 2%
Required 2 – Cost allocation (DM/DL/MOH) May 22, 2012 2%
Required 3 – Cost behaviour June 5, 2012 4%
Required 4 - Budgeting June 12, 2012 7%
Your submission is due 2:00pm on the due date and should be in submitted in the assignment area in Ulearn. A late submission will be assessed a penalty of 33⅓-percentage points for each day that it is late; therefore, any submission more than two days late will receive a mark of zero. You are welcome to submit your assignment early.
2.5.
After marked quizzes, in-class exercises, midterm exam papers and assignments have been returned, the answer key will be posted on ulearn or taken up in class. Students should review the marking carefully and bring to my attention any questions about your marks as soon as possible. No remarking requests will be accepted more than one week after the results have been made available. All appeals must be in writing and the original copy of the exam or assignment (unless available on-line) must be attached.
Remarking Policy for Quizzes, In-class exercises, Midterm Exam and Assignments
3. Course Materials and Activities 3.1.
Management Accounting (Eighth Canadian Edition) by Garrison, Chesley, Carroll, & Webb (McGraw-Hill Ryerson). ISBN-13: 9780071048095 (ISBN-10: 007104809X). This is available in hardcopy at the Bookstore. A new textbook includes the ability to access on-line materials developed by the publisher.
Textbook
The textbook is also available in an on-line e-book version. The e-book version includes the ability to access on-line materials developed by the publisher.
3.2.
You will be able to obtain lecture notes and related materials from Ulearn at Ulearn
Ulearn also provides a web forum (Discussion Board) for posting questions. Questions regarding recommended problems, quizzes, etc. will be answered in this forum
3.3.
Our classes will be a combination of lectures and discussions of problems. Most of the concepts and techniques taught in this course are best illustrated and learned through problem solving. Therefore, we will analyze many problems in class. Solutions to problems done in class will be released on Ulearn.
In-class Activities
3.4.
Following the lectures on a particular topic, you should work on the recommended questions from the textbook. The recommended questions for each chapter are identified in the attached class schedule.
You can check your answers against the solutions posted on Ulearn.
Out-of-class Activities
4. Academic Integrity
Absolute and complete academic honesty is expected of you in this course. It is important for you as a student to behave in an ethical manner. The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour (online at
that could potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.
5. Other
Recording of a lecture is permitted only with the prior written consent of the professor or if recording is part of an approved accommodation plan.
Policy about course outlines can be found in Section 23.4(2) of the University Calendar.
Accounting 322 Syllabus – Spring 2012 5 TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE
Class
# Dates Assignments/
Quizzes Topics Readings In Class
Problems Recommended Questions 1 T May 8 Introduction & basic concepts & terminology Chapters
1 & 2 2-4 & 2-24 2-16, 2-19, 2-20, 2-22, 2-25
2 R May 10 Q1 Job order Costing Chapter 3 3-1 & 3-22 3-18, 3-23, 3-28, 3-29
3 T May 15 A1 Activity-based costing Chapter 5 5-3, 5-5, 5-18,
5-20 & 5-24 5-17, 5-22, 5-25, 5-29
4 R May 17 Q2 Cost Behaviour Chapter 6 6-7, 6-8, 6-10,
6-11, 6-15 & 6-17 6-18, 6-19, 6-20, 6-21, 6-25 5 T May 22 A2 Cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis Chapter 7 7-8, 7-10, 7-13 &
7-17 7-18, 7-20, 7-25, 7-27, 7-30 R May 24 Mid-Term Exam during class time – 2 pm
6 T May 29 Variable costing Chapter 8 8-7, 8-12 & 8-13 8-10, 8-14, 8-15, 8-20, 8-27
7 R May 31 Q3 Budgeting Chapter 9 9-17 9-11, 9-13, 9-15, 9-19, 9-23
8 T June 5 A3 Reporting for Control Chapter 11 11-1, 11-2, 11-3
& 11-12 11-5, 11-7, 11-13, 11-18, 11-24 9 R June 7 Q4 Relevant Costs for Decision Making Chapter 12 12-3, 12-4, 12-5,
12-6 & 12-8
12-11, 12-18, 12-20, 12-21, 12-23, 12-25, 12-27
10 T June 12 A4 Course wrap up & review
F June 15 Tentative Final Exam Date– 11:30 am