UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND MIS
Accounting 322
Introduction to Accounting for Management Decision Making Syllabus
FALL 2010
Instructor: Patricia (Trish) Stringer, CMA, CA Classes
Office: Bus 1-27B A1: MW 9:30 am-10:50 am (BUS 1-5)
Office Hours: MW 1:00 pm to 1:50 pm or by appointment A2: MW 11:00 am-12:20 pm (BUS 2-5) E-mail: [email protected]
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 assignments, seven (7) quizzes, one (1) eighty (80) minute midterm exam, a group project, 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 assignments 4%
Quizzes 11%
Midterm Exam (Wednesday, October 20th) 30%
Group Project (due Wednesday, Dec 8th at 3:00pm) 15%
Final Exam (Friday, Dec 10th at 9:00 am) 40%
Total 100 %
2.1. Exams
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.
• Midterm Exam – Wednesday, October 20th, 2010 in your regular classroom
• Final Exam – Friday, Dec 10th at 9:00 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).
2.1.1. Absence from Exams
If a student is absent from the midterm exam for a legitimate reason, please tell your instructor in writing as soon as possible (email is acceptable). The weight of the missed midterm will be reallocated to the final exam. There will be no deferred midterm exam in this course.
Section 23.5.6 (2) of the Calendar provides the University Regulations regarding procedures in the case of a missed final examination.
2.1.2. Quizzes, Assignments, Midterm Exam and Group Project Re-marking Policy
After marked quizzes, assignments, midterm exam papers and group projects have been returned, the answer key will be posted on Blackboard. Students should review the marking carefully and bring to his or her instructor’s attention any questions about their 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 group project must be attached.
2.1.3. Final Exam Viewing and Reappraisals
For information regarding applying for a reappraisal of your final exam please see Section 23.5.4 (2) of the Calendar.
2.2. Quizzes
Seven (7) scheduled quizzes will be administered in this course via Blackboard. Please see the tentative class schedule for due dates. More information will be posted in the quiz section on Blackboard.
Online quizzes are available Wednesday afternoon at 12:30pm until 8:59am on the following Monday morning.
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. In-Class Assignments
Two (2) in-class assignments will be administered in this course. These in-class assignments 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.
Each in-class assignment will cover material from the previous lecture(s) and chapter recommended questions assigned. There will be no opportunity to make up an in-class assignment.
2.4. Group Project
For this project, students must work together in groups of two to four. The groups will be formed on the group portion of Blackboard. Students are expected to form groups on their own or via the discussion board area on Blackboard.
The project is an analysis of a business case. The case and instructions will be posted on Blackboard.
Your submission is due Wednesday, Dec 8 by 3:00pm and should be in submitted in softcopy via the group Blackboard function. 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.
3. Course Materials and Activities 3.1. Textbook
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.
The textbook is also available in an e-book version.
3.2. Blackboard
You will be able to obtain lecture notes and related materials from Blackboard at
https://ulearn.ualberta.ca/ Blackboard also provides a web forum (Discussion Board) for posting questions.
3.3. In-class Activities
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 not be released on blackboard.
3.4. Out-of-class Activities
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 Blackboard.
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
http://www.uofaweb.ualberta.ca/governance/StudentAppealsRegulations.cfm) and avoid any behaviour 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.
TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE
Class# Quizzes Dates Topics Readings In Class
Problems Recommended Questions 1 W Sep 8 Introduction to the course
2 M Sep 13
Cost Terms, Concepts, & Classifications Chapters 1 & 2 2-4 & 2-24 2-16, 2-19, 2-20, 2-22, 2-25 3 W Sep 15
4 #1 M Sep 20
Job-order Costing Chapter 3 3-1 & 3-22 3-18, 3-23, 3-28, 3-29 5 W Sep 22
6 #2 M Sep 27
Activity-Based Costing Chapter 5 5-3, 5-5, 5-18,
5-20 5-17, 5-22, 5-25, 5-29 7 W Sep 29
8 #3 M Oct 4
Cost Behaviour Chapter 6 6-17, 6-7, 6-8,
6-10, 6-11, 6-15 6-18, 6-19, 6-20, 6-21, 6-25
9 W Oct 6
M Oct 11 No Class – Thanksgiving Day 10 W Oct 13
Cost-Volume-Profit Relationships Chapter 7 7-8, 7-10, 7-13,
7-17 7-18, 7-20, 7-25, 7-27, 7-30 11 M Oct 18
W Oct 20 Midterm Exam – regular classroom and class-time 12 M Oct 25 Review and take-up of midterm
13 W Oct 27
Variable costing Chapter 8 8-7, 8-12, 8-13 8-10, 8-14, 8-15, 8-20, 8-27 14 M Nov 1
15 W Nov 3
Budgeting Chapter 9 9-17, 9-19 9-11, 9-13, 9-15, 9-23 16 #4 M Nov 8
17 W Nov 10 18 #5 M Nov 15
Reporting for Control Chapter 11 11-1, 11-2, 11-3,
11-12 11-5, 11-7, 11-13, 11-18, 11-24 19 W Nov 17
20 #6 M Nov 22 21 W Nov 24
Relevant Costs for Decision Making Chapter 12 12-3, 12-4, 12-5, 12-6, 12-8
12-11, 12-18, 12-19, 12-20, 12-21, 12-23, 12-25, 12-27
22 #7 M Nov 29 23 W Dec 1
24 M Dec 6 TBD