The University of North Carolina at Greensboro



The University of North Carolina at GreensboroBryan School of Business and EconomicsDepartment of Accounting and FinanceFall, 2009MBA 612-11 - Cost Management SystemsInstructor: David UptonOffice:323 BryanE-mail: drupton@uncg.eduTelephone: 256-0186Course Website: The course will use Blackboard for electronic communications and postingsOffice Hours: WR 5.00pm-6.00pm. Anytime I am in my office you may call or stop by to ask questions. I ask that you make an appointment for longer discussions. You may leave messages on my door, or in my mailbox in the Department Office, Room 383. My home phone number is 336/286-5598, and you can call me at home if you have trouble reaching me elsewhere, or if you have an emergency.Course Prerequisite: MBA 602Course ObjectiveManagerial Accounting is a discipline that involves developing and using financial and non-financial information to help managers in planning, controlling, and decision-making. The following are the objectives of this course:To help you understand the role of accounting in the planning, controlling and decision- making functions of the management process.To help you understand the major theoretical and practical issues impacting on management’s use of accounting information for planning, controlling and decision-making.To help you utilize analytical and problem solving skills, through the application of managerial accounting concepts to the solution of practical problems and case studies.To help you understand the limitations of traditional managerial accounting systems and the benefits of contemporary systems in sustaining competitive advantage and spurring innovation.To achieve these objectives, the course will (1) cover the basics of many of the standard managerial accounting methods used in organizations; (2) provide the skills necessary to use managerial accounting information to make business decisions; (3) illustrate how managerial accounting information can be used to formulate and implement strategy in a variety of organizational environments; and (4) demonstrate how the design of managerial accounting systems affect innovation and human behavior in organizations.Student and Faculty GuidelinesPlease refer to the faculty and student guidelines for general expectations for this class: TextbookManagerial Accounting: An Introduction to Concepts, Methods, and Uses by M.W. Maher, C.P. Stickney, and R.L. Weil, Thomson Publishing (South-Western), (tenth edition) ISBN for the text is 0-324-63976-7Required caseJohn Deere Component Works (A) (Harvard case #: 9-187-107)This case can be purchased directly from Harvard Business Online. grades will be assigned based on the grade scale presented below. The basis for grades is as follows:93+A90-92A-87-89B+83-87B80-82B-77-79C+70-76C0-69FAssignment Grade PercentageHomework30%Midterm Exam30%Final Exam40%Participating in Classroom Discussion Participating in class provides you with the opportunity to gain from the diverse experiences and talents of your colleagues. To facilitate class discussion, I will sometimes call on volunteers in class, but I will also call on you even if you have not volunteered. I will do this for two reasons. First, it is necessary for your future success that you be able to articulate your views and defend them when others in your organization request your opinion. Second, it increases the level of preparation for class. When I call on you, I do not expect you to necessarily have "The" answer, even if there is one. I expect you to indicate a familiarity with the issues of the case, problem or chapter under discussion and be willing to share your opinion with your colleagues. HomeworkHomework problems are assigned to enhance your understanding of accounting concepts, rules, and techniques, and to understand how accounting information is used in business settings. You are required to turn in assigned problems on the due dates as given in the schedule below. In total, five homework assignments should be turned in during this course (four homework sets and one assignment related to the John Deere case). Solutions to homework problems will be posted on Blackboard soon after the due dates for the problems. You should submit hard copies of your assignments to me in class. If you are unable to attend class, you should email your assignment to me (drupton@uncg.edu) before the start of the missed class. NO LATE HOMEWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED.Homework grading will be based in part on effort and not solely on the correctness of your answers. You can discuss your assignments with others, and you may ask the instructor for assistance (via email, in person, or by phone), but the work you turn in should be entirely your own. Copying other students’ work is viewed as academic misconduct and will be responded to accordingly. NOTE: Failure to diligently work through homework problems is usually a recipe for failure in the course. Working diligently on the problems will significantly enhance your understanding of the course material and take you much further toward passing and obtaining a good grade in the course. Class formatI will begin each class with a lecture on major theoretical concepts and techniques, practical applications, and innovative approaches, as appropriate. Following the lecture, you will work on pre-assigned problems to test your understanding of the concepts and techniques learned in the lecture. This will reinforce your understanding of the course material and prepare you for the challenging problems in the homework and the exams. These problems typically do not have as much background information or detail as the conventional cases do and so enable us to get to the issue quickly. I will post the questions on Blackboard well in advance of the scheduled class (some in-class exercises are listed on the schedule under the “IC” label). I encourage you to attempt these questions to the best of your ability before class and come prepared to discuss possible solutions. You can then have another attempt at answering the questions in class after the concepts and techniques have been presented in the lecture. You are permitted to work on these assignments with other students. In class, you are permitted to use any resource to answer the questions like lecture notes, book, calculators, etc. I will also assist you if you encounter difficulties in answering these questions. You are not required to turn in your answers to these in-class assignments. We will discuss the solutions in class. This discussion will enable you to fill in any gaps in your understanding of the basic concepts and tools in the course. The solutions to these problems/mini-cases will be posted on Blackboard after class. I am not simply looking for correct answers but a willingness to participate in the class discussions and, more importantly, a good articulation of your thought processes.I have also included warm-up exercises for each topic (please see the schedule). Use these exercises to gain extra experience working problems. Solutions for these exercises are provided on Blackboard.Harvard Business Review ArticlesThe Harvard Business Review articles posted on Blackboard provide you with additional practice-related information on the topics taught in this course. These articles are written by leading management thinkers and will encourage you to think of innovative ways of applying the topic in your organization. I encourage you to read the relevant articles before the scheduled class.Academic Integrity PolicyEach student is expected to complete all requirements of this course in all respects in conformity with UNCG’s Academic Integrity Policy. The paragraph below, which was taken from this policy, highlights students’ responsibilities regarding academic integrity.Students should recognize their responsibility to uphold the Academic Integrity Policy and to report apparent violations to the appropriate persons. Students who do not understand the policy or its application to a particular assignment are responsible for raising such questions with their faculty member. You may want to examine the Academic Integrity Policy yourself at: Other CommentsWhile it is understood that graduate students have busy schedules that include business conflicts, please exercise good judgment in missing class only when necessary. Part of this responsibility is to understand that assignments will be accepted early, but no assignment will be accepted late. In the event that you must miss class, assignments due at the beginning of class can be sent electronically, but must be received prior to the start of the class. You may make arrangements with me to take tests early; no tests will be given late. Keep in mind, in a class meeting for only 7 weeks absences can quickly become a problem. Thus, excessive absences can result in indirect grade reductions. There are no opportunities for extra credit in this course.The material in this course may be difficult for some. However, it is vital to your professional success. If you are having problems understanding the topics presented, see me. Don’t wait until it is too late. Since this course builds on cumulative knowledge, problems in the early portion of the class will only compound as the semester ICS AND ASSIGNMENTS – Weekly ScheduleNote: Any clarification or revision in the assignments will be announced in class. Announcements may also be sent via email lists maintained by the Bryan School.WEEK ONE – Part 1: Overview and Basic ConceptsDateTopicReadingWarm Up ExercisesWork Due10/22(1) Managerial Accounting FrameworkRead HBR article: “You Need A New Cost System When…”, by Robin Cooper.In-Class Focus:Discussion of course objectives, format, schedule, and requirements.Lecture: Introduction to managerial accounting.C11.21, 1.23, 1.26None(2) Product CostingRead HBR article: “One Cost System Isn’t Enough”, by Robert Kaplan.In-Class Focus:Lecture: Introduction to product costing – basic cost concepts: cost classification, cost assignment, and cost behavior.Lecture: Discussion of cost allocation.Lecture: Discussion of traditional costing techniques.In-class exercises and discussion of solutions.C2, 33-45C5, 141-1502.28, 2.34, 2.43IC 2.37** IC numbered items refer to in-class problems. I encourage you to attempt these problems prior to the class session. We will develop answers to these problems during class sessions.WEEK TWODateTopicReadingWarm Up ExercisesWork Due10/29(3) Activity-Based ManagementRead HBR articles: “Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing”, by Robert Kaplan and Steven Anderson.In-Class Focus:Lecture: Introduction to activity-based costing (ABC).Lecture: Discussion of activity-based management (ABM) and how it benefits management.Lecture: Discussion of the limitations of traditional costing systems and the benefits of contemporary costing systems.In-class exercises and discussion of solutions.C33.27, 3.28IC 3.39HW 2.44(4) Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) AnalysisRead HBR article: “Vital Truths About Managing Your Costs”, by Charles Ames and James Hlavacek.In-Class Focus:Lecture: Discussion of CVP techniques and how they aid management in short-term decision-making.In-class exercises and discussion of solutions.C66.18, 6.22, 6.29IC 6.31WEEK THREE – Part 2: Managerial Decision MakingDateTopicReadingWarm Up ExercisesWork Due11/05(5) Tactical Decision MakingIn-Class Focus:Lecture: Discussion of differential analysis, pricing, and other strategic short-term decision-making techniques.In-class exercises and discussion of solutions.C77.22, 7.28, 7.38, 7.60IC 7.46HW 3.36HW 6.34(6) Case and Mid-Term Exam ReviewIn-Class Focus:Discussion of John Deere Component Works (A).CaseWrite-upWEEK FOURDateTopicReadingWarm Up ExercisesWork Due11/12(7) EXAM – held in class – C1, 2, 3, 5, 6Mid-term ExamPart 3: Motivating Managers to Make Good Decisions(8) ExperimentWEEK FIVEDateTopicReadingWarm Up ExercisesWork Due11/19(9) BudgetingRead HBR articles: “What Kind of Management Control Do You Need?”, by Richard Vancil.In-Class Focus:Lecture: Discussion of budgeting and how it assists management.In-class exercises and discussion of solutions.C99.21, 9.25, 9.36, 9.38HW 7.57HW 7.61 (parts a-d)IC 9.39IC 9.48(10) Variance AnalysisIn-Class Focus:Lecture: Discussion of variance analysis techniques and how they assist management.In-class exercises and discussion of solutions.C1010.28, 10.29WEEK SIXDateTopicReadingWarm Up ExercisesWork Due12/03(11) Transfer PricingRead HBR article: “Control with Fairness in Transfer Pricing”, by Robert Eccles.In-Class Focus:Lecture: Discussion of transfer pricing techniques and their use to management.In-class exercises and discussion of solutions.C1111.21, 11.29HW 9.44HW 10.57IC 11.33(12) Performance Evaluation, Course Wrap-Up and Exam ReviewRead HBR articles: “Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System”, by Robert Kaplan and David Norton.In-Class Focus:Lecture: Discussion of return on investment (ROI).Lecture: Discussion of economic value added (EVA?).Lecture: Discussion of the balance scorecard (BSC).In-class exercises and discussion of solutions.Course ReviewFinal Exam ReviewC11C12, 433-43911.22, 11.32IC 11.37WEEK SEVENDateTopicReadingWarm Up ExercisesWork Due12/10EXAM – held in class: C7, 9, 10, 11, 12Final Exam(All topics are tentative and subject to change) ................
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