AC231 MANAGERIAL ACCOUNTING Course Syllabus - Megan Magaña

Class Program

AC231:

Credits 4
Description
A continuation of AC230. The study of accounting for manufacturing firms and activities. Includes the study of short-term decision making, budgeting, pricing, performance evaluation, and capital investment. In addition, the course examines accounting for cash flows and the analysis of financial statement information.

Prerequisites

Meeting Times, Location, & Course Delivery Details

Meeting Days:
Tuesdays and Thursdays
Meeting Times:
9:40 – 11:10 A.M
Location:
CSA 316

Contact Information

Instructor:
Megan Magaña
Instructor Email:
megan.magana@wilmington.edu
Office Location:
CSA 106
Office Hours:
I will be available for consultations on Tuesdays from 3:00 – 4:00pm or on Wednesdays by appointment.
Course Learning Outcomes

1.0
Upon successful completion of this course…
1. The student will be able to compare/contrast debt and equity financing, and statements of cash flows
using ratio analysis.
2. The student will be able to demonstrate calculation of cost-volume profit analysis including break
even points in units to be sold and calculation of target operating profit and after-tax profit goals based
on the appropriate formula.
3. The student will be able to calculate and articulate the difference between sunk cost, relevant cost
and opportunity cost when considering a project.
4. The student will be able to show basic knowledge of job vs. process costing, activity-based costing,
cost estimation, budgeting, and cost variance.

Course Materials

Financial and Managerial Accounting, Information for Decisions, 9th Edition, by Wild, ISBN: 9781264098675, 2022

Instructor's Course Objectives

Prerequisite: AC230

Course Description: Includes the study of short-term decision making, budgeting, pricing, performance evaluation, and capital investment. In addition, the course examines accounting for cash flows and the analysis of financial statement information. This course introduces students to the fundamentals of managerial accounting. Managers use the provisions of accounting information to better inform themselves before they decide matters within their organizations, which aids their management and performance of control functions. According to the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA): "Management accounting is a profession that involves partnering in management decision making, devising planning and performance management systems, and providing expertise in financial reporting and control to assist management in the formulation and implementation of an organization's strategy". After completing this course, the students are expected to understand how to use and interpret managerial accounting tools. 

It is doubtful that a student could successfully complete this course by memorizing each new situation in which transactions arise (trying to remember the handling for each as a separate operation). This course has been labeled difficult because many persons try this approach. It is the objective of this course to acquire knowledge about methods for recording and evaluating data that will be generally applicable. In this way, with the use of relatively few tools (relatively little when considering the infinite variety of business transactions), a student can handle large volumes of data properly. The most closely related field to accounting with respect to the methodology would perhaps be mathematics, where you learn relatively few axioms, theorems, and basic mathematical approaches to solve a potentially infinite number of problems.

Communication Expectations: Students and instructors will communicate in class or through their official Wilmington email accounts. Your instructor will answer all emails during weekdays within one business day. On weekends and holidays a response may not be sent until the next business day.

Student Resource Center: The Wilmington College Student Resource Center offers interdisciplinary learning assistance through a variety of services to help students become more efficient and effective learners. All services, except credit courses, are free to Wilmington College students and Wilmington College Online students are welcome to reach out to the Student Resource Center with questions. Tutoring is available via Zoom.

For additional information, please visit the academic support services at this link: https://www.wilmington.edu/academics/academic-resources

Course Schedule

Tentative Schedule

Subject to change during the semester. Adequate notice of changes will be given.

Course Assignments

Homework and Out of Class Workload: A minimum of three hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each credit hour awarded. Not all material covered in the book will be covered in class and some material covered in class will not be found in the book. Accordingly, there is an expectation that preparation time will be spent outside of class each week. For this four-hour course I expect that you spend another eight to twelve hours on homework. It is important that you have prepared ahead of class all materials listed in the syllabus for a particular class and not fall behind.

Preparation for each class should include reading the assigned chapter material and identifying areas that are giving you problems and then asking relevant questions. You are expected to complete assigned homework on the date indicated in the schedule as we will review and discuss the problems/solutions in class. It is extremely important that you keep up with the reading and homework assignments. Much of what you learn in this course is cumulative and if you fall behind it is very difficult to catch up. Whatever you do, don’t fall behind! The textbook has several features designed to provide you additional help. Take advantage of all of the book’s resources and be sure to see me if you are having any difficulties.

 

Evaluation of Work

Grading:

A 90-100% 

B 80-89% 

C 70-79% 

F 0-59% 

Homework: 40% 

Tests: 40% 

Final Exam: 20%

Instructor Course Policies

Instructor's Course Attendance Policy

You are expected to attend every class. If there are unforeseen circumstances that prevent you from attending, it is your responsibility to get the notes, homework problems, etc. on your own from another student. More than three absences (excused or unexcused) will reduce the final grade by a letter grade per subsequent session missed. See the current Student Handbook for the college’s Attendance Policy, especially as it pertains to excused absences.

Instructor's Academic Integrity Policy

Academic Integrity Policy: Students should consult the Student Handbook for policies regarding academic integrity issues including, but not limited to, guidelines for examinations, plagiarism, classroom behavior, and handling academic misconduct charges. Students with Academic Integrity violations may not be eligible for academic awards and honors (i.e. - academic honors, dean’s list/ merit list, Green Key Honor Society, Quaker Impact Award, and other Honorary societies). Here is the link to the Student Handbook: https://catalog.wilmington.edu/student-handbook

Americans with Disabilities Act: In accordance with ADA, Wilmington College provides reasonable accommodation to students with physical and mental disabilities. If you have a documented disability that requires accommodation, please notify the Academic Services Director (800 341-9318, ext.444) during business hours and the instructor by the end of the first class.

Copyright Policy: This course may contain copyright protected materials such as audio or video clips, images, text materials, etc. These items are being used with regard to the Fair Use doctrine in order to enhance the learning environment. Please do not copy, duplicate, download or distribute these items. The use of these materials is strictly reserved for this online 7:00 P.M. Virtual Zoom Classroom environment and your use only. All copyright materials are credited to the copyright holder.

Plagiarism Policy: Knowledge through reading assignments, lectures, multimedia presentations, and more. When that transmission of knowledge is successful, students learn new ideas, concepts, and perspectives. But instructors seek feedback to verify that students have learned the new knowledge. Students take tests, make presentations, complete projects, write papers, and so on. We all experience education at its best when students’ complete assignments that demonstrate subject matter mastery.

When completing writing assignments in particular, the best way for students to prove their mastery of the subject matter is to write in their own words. When students internalize knowledge and restate it in individualized ways, the students demonstrate retention and understanding. Copying the words of a source, pasting those words into an assignment, and presenting those copied words as if they are the words of students only demonstrates skills at copying and pasting. Such plagiarism does not confirm that students have gained knowledge and put that knowledge into meaningful contexts.

Plagiarism is defined as the representation of another’s words, ideas, concepts, research, or creative production without proper attribution whether intentional or unintentional. It is the student’s responsibility to be informed about what constitutes plagiarism. Plagiarism can occur in the submission of one’s own work or in work submitted by a group.

Examples of plagiarism include the following:

The submission of a paper not one’s own, including turning in a paper that has been purchased from a commercial research firm or obtained from the internet

  • Copying word for word information without quotation marks
  • Paraphrasing information (that is, the use of one’s own words with only minor changes to the original)
  • Use of information not considered general knowledge without proper citation
  • Listing of misleading or false sources on a reference page
  • The use of a paper or project for one course that was previously submitted for another course, either at Wilmington or at any other institution

Plagiarism is a serious academic offense and carries serious academic consequences. Violations will be recorded by the Vice President for External Programs.

When an instructor discovers plagiarism, the instructor will first consult with the Vice President for External Programs in order to determine if the student is a first-time offender. For first offenses, the student will receive no credit for the assignment that was plagiarized. Students with academic integrity violations may not be eligible for academic awards and honors (i.e., Academic Honors, Dean’s List/Merit List, Green Key Honor Society, Who’s Who Award, and other Honorary Societies). For a second offense or more, the Vice President for External Programs will consult with the instructor and other administrators regarding the appropriate penalty. It is possible that the student will receive a substantial reduction in grade for the course or will fail the course. Multiple instances could even lead to suspension or expulsion from Wilmington College.

There are many university, college and private websites students may consult about how to avoid plagiarism. Sites with particularly helpful suggestions can be found at:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/01/ 

http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml 

http://www.writing.utoronto.ca/advice/using-sources/how-not-to-plagiarize 

http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/08/intro/index.htm 

http://www.plagiarism.org/plag_article_preventing_plagiarism_when_writing.html http://citationmachine.net/index2.php

Third-Party Software and FERPA Policy: During this course you might have the opportunity to use public online services and/or software applications sometimes called third-party software such as a blog or wiki. While some of these could be required assignments, you need not make any personally identifying information on a public site. Do not post or provide any private information about yourself or your classmates. Where appropriate you may use a pseudonym or nickname. Some written assignments posted publicly may require personal reflection/comments, but the assignments will not require you to disclose any personally identity-sensitive information. If you have any concerns about this, please contact your instructor.

Institutional and Program-Level Policies

Final Exam Schedule

All exams will follow the Final Exam Schedule. Students scheduled to take three or more final examinations on one day may request to arrange their examination schedule, so no more than two exams occur on one day.
Requests for early or late exams are considered only under extreme circumstances. Prior to the exam period, the student must file a written request on the Early/Late Exam Form available in the Student One Stop Center, Academic Records, and on the WC portal. The form must be signed by the Instructor and the Academic Dean, approving the alternate exam time. This process must be completed prior to the scheduled exam period.

SP25 Final Exam Schedule 

 

Out-of-class Work Expectation

A minimum of 2 hours of out-of-class student work is expected for each hour of in-class time for traditional face-to-face courses. For online and hybrid courses, the combination of face-to-face time and out-of-class work should be equal to 3 hours per credit hour per week.

Instructional Course Delivery                                                                                                            

Definition of Courses

Academic Integrity Policy

The use of generative AI is prohibited except where expressly allowed in assignment instructions.

Academic Integrity Policy

Class Attendance Policy                              

Institutional Class Attendance Policy

ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)