AC 301- COST ACCOUNTING I                                 Fall 1999

COURSE WEB PAGE:

http://wwwsb.ccsu.edu/faculty/stoneback/

COURSE WEB PAGE:

TEXT:

• Budgeting Basics by Shim and Siegel
• Financial Basics for Non-profit Managers by McLaughlin

OTHER:

• Negotiating Rationally by Bazerman and Neale (optional, reserve)
• Vital Signs by Hronec (optional, reserve)
• Politics of the Budgetary Process by Wildavsky (reserve)
• A Logic for Strategy by Gilbert, Hartman, Mauriel, and Freeman (optional, reserve)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Role of budgetary systems in an organization's planning and control activities. Topics include behavioral impact of budgets, responsibility centers, budget preparation and analyzing performance reports.

COURSE OBJECTIVE

PREPARATION

Each student is expected to complete the assigned reading before it is covered in class. The student should always bring the text and calculator to class. Please sit in your assigned seat. The lecture and class problems are not intended to be a substitute for student preparation It is intended that the lecture clarify and highlight important points. Student questions are encouraged. Lectures should fortify the reasoning and make students aware of common mistakes. Do not fall behind, it is difficult to catch up. Be prepared to do in-class exercises and group-work.

EVALUATION:

The final grade will be based upon the following

Testing will focus upon conceptual understanding, analytic ability, and written communication of ideas. THIS COURSE ADOPTS THE TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY --"DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME" . There is no extra credit, retakes of exams or additional projects.

POLICIES:

Attendance Policy: YOU are the most important person in the class. Attendance is essential. If you are absent it is your responsibility to obtain class notes, discussion topics and assignments from other class members. There will be a seating chart. Please sit in your assigned seats. Attendance will be noted but no grade or penalty will be assigned for attendance alone.

Drop And Withdrawl Policy: The deadline to drop this course, so that it does not appear on your transcript, is October 21, 1997. Forms are available in the Registrars Office. After this deadline, withdrawal from this course may only be granted by the student providing a written justification, a SEVERE EXTENUATING CIRCUMSTANCE such as a hospital illness, which can be documented. This will require a series of signatures and paper work.

Makeup Policy: NO MAKEUP EXAMS ARE GIVEN. If an exam is missed, the student must provide a written explanation with valid supporting documentation or a 0 score will be given. If the absence is approved, no makeup will be given but the final will be weighted with more points. Make sure to adjust your schedule to the exam dates posted.
NO MAKEUP IN-CLASS GROUP-WORK ARE GIVEN. The lowest grade will be dropped to allow for illness or any other unforeseen circumstance.

Late Assignment Policy: No assignment may be handed in later than one week after the due date. Late assignments will have a penalty of one letter grade. Assignments are due at the beginning of class the day due.

Late Exam Policy: NO final exams will be given to students earlier than the scheduled date. The student should make travel arrangements after the final exam dates of December 18, 1997.

Special Needs: If there is a student with special needs due to physical or learning disability. Please discuss this with me so that we can accommodate your needs.

ASSIGNMENTS:

Computer Assignment:

Project -- DESCRIBE THE PLANNING AND CONTROL SYSTEM OF A MANUFACTURING FIRM: Approximately 4 people to a group. The purpose of this assignment is to understand the planning and control system of an actual company. The student must examine the planning and control system of a company relating the design, issues and reporting to the material studied in the course. It also provides students the opportunity to talk with planners and financial managers as well as write and communicate this materials to others. This project is worth 100 points.

1. Visit a sizable firm.
2. Write a brief description of the industry, company product lines, and the segment you are examining.
3. Examine the organization structure determining the flow of planning and reporting.
4. Describe the strategic process of the firm, the extent of the long range planning, what kinds of goals and objectives are established. What is the mission? What generic strategy is to be used? What grand strategy are they following?
5. How does their annual budget process work?
6. How does their capital budgeting process work? Do they do project scheduling? Project evaluation?
7. What sorts of performance reports are prepared? Variances? Operating measures? ROI?
8. How are conflicts resolved?
9. What sort of scanning and monitoring of the environment and competitors is done?.
10. Analyze the strengths and weaknesses? Draw a conclusion.
11. Organize your data into a written report as well as an oral presentation. Be creative. Act as if this were a corporate presentation.
12. Send your written report to your contact and ask them to assign you a grade of 20 points or less based on how well you understood their system. Please turn in their graded report and provide the name and number of the contact person in your written report. (Please type or print report.) Grading: 20 points - company financial manager; 20 points - presentation; 40 points - written report.

ARTICLES:

Each student will be given a topic and one article. Students should read the article and find 2 more relevant articles and present them to class. Students must submit copies of the articles found.

TENTATIVE READING SCHEDULE

Codes:

BB = Budgeting Basics by Shim and Siegel
FB = Financial Basics for Non-profit Managers by McLaughlin
NR = Negotiating Rationally by Bazerman and Neale (optional, reserve)
VS = Vital Signs by Hronec (optional, reserve)
PBP = Politics of the Budgetary Process by Wildavsky (reserve)
LS = A Logic for Strategy by Gilbert, Hartman, Mauriel, and Freeman (optional, reserve)
G = Managerial Accounting by Garrison (reserve)

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