BRIDGEWATER STATE COLLEGE

DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTING AND FINANCE

Course: AF 350 Managerial Accounting Spring 2003

Professor: Shannon Donovan, BA, MFS, DBA

104 Harrington, 1-508-531-2684, S1donovan@bridgew.edu, website: http://webhost.bridgew.edu/s1donovan or from the faculty web pages at the Bridgewater site www.bridgew.edu. Class information will be available on Blackboard (http://plato.bridgew.edu).

Office Hours: M: 12pm – 1:30pm, T: 1:00pm- 3:00pm & 8:40pm-9:10 pm, W: 12:00pm- 1:00pm, and by appointment. I also respond quickly to e-mail.

Course Description: This course presents the analysis and interpretation of accounting information: statement of changes in financial position; cost terms, cost-volume-profit relationships; break-even computations; product costing using the job order method; budgeting; responsibility accounting; standard costs; flexible budgets; and cost-behavior patterns.

Students should have an adequate background in Financial Accounting (AF-241 or equivalent) and spreadsheet fundamentals (CS-105 or equivalent).

Method: Instructional methods employed may include lecture, cases, skill-building exercises, problem solving, student presentations, spreadsheets and other activities. These events heighten understanding of the course material. The student’s preparation before class and serious participation in these activities will contribute to learning in this course.

Each chapter and each class will build upon one another in this course, so students need to be prepared prior to each class. If you find yourself falling behind, please see me right away. As you can see from my schedule above, I am available often and in many different formats (class, Blackboard, office, phone and e-mail), so there is no excuse for you not to contact me. If you have a question that is general in nature, one where the entire class might be interested in the answer, I prefer you use Blackboard rather than e-mail me directly.

Course Objectives/Outcomes

Objectives	Outcomes
1. To familiarize students with concepts and principles of managerial accounting.	Students will pass in-class examinations and quizzes.
2. To let students demonstrate their ability to use the techniques they have mastered.	Students will hand in at least one problem or case in which they will use the techniques examined in the course and the use of a spreadsheet.
3. Give students the opportunity to learn collectively and to exchange ideas in accounting.	Students will participate both individually and in teams in problem solving and discussion in class to demonstrate their working knowledge of the subject.

Required Reading: Managerial Accounting, Garrison and Noreen, 10th Edition, McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Student Evaluation

1. Class Participation and homework 10%

2. Spreadsheet Problem 15%

3. Exams (2) 36%

4. Quizzes (bottom 1 will be dropped) 14%

5. Comprehensive Final 25%

1. Class Participation: Attendance, timeliness, preparation of assigned readings, and constructive comments and activity during class sessions are included in Class Participation. Assigned readings, problems, and cases should be done prior to the class meeting for which it is assigned in the schedule (below) or in class. Participation in in-class activities is necessary for enhanced learning in the course. Quality participation is more important than mere attendance. Participation is graded in each class and includes preparation of the material, thoughtful questions, and insights. The text provides the foundation of knowledge for class activities and discussion. The course assumes that the student has read the text and that the student’s role is active and dynamic. The final grade in this area will reflect the student’s oral contribution to the classroom learning environment.

Three unexcused absences will be allowed, for every two classes missed after that the grade will be dropped by 1/3, In other words, if you miss five classes and have a B average, then you will receive a B-. If you miss nine classes and you have a B average, then you will receive a C.

Participation and attendance is important. Each chapter builds on the other and there will be information and discussion given in class that will be included in exams and is not in the text. You will be responsible to get every assignment, so it is advised that you exchange phone numbers or e-mails with class mates if you miss class.

2. Spreadsheet Problem/Case: The presentations or projects will give students the ability to demonstrate their knowledge of the techniques. This project may be a group or an individual effort depending on the size of the class. More details will be given in class.

3. Exams : Two exams will be given covering about four chapters at a time. A detailed study guide will be given before the exam to help you prepare.

4. Quizzes: Approximately 4 quizzes will be given throughout the course. These quizzes will be very short and may be unannounced. The bottom quiz will be dropped for grading purposes.

5. Comprehensive Exam: This exam will test the student’s comprehension of all the material in the course. This will be given during the final exam period.

Schedule

Module	Week of	Topic	Assignment
1	1/13	Ch. 1: Accounting as a form of Communication	Read Chapter 1 Review all Ch. 1 questions, E1-1,2; P1-5
2	1/20 (No Monday Class)	Cont. Ch. 1 Ch. 2: Cost Terms, Concepts, and Classications	Complete assigned Problems Read Chapter 2
3	1/27	Cont. 2 Ch. 3: Systems Design: Job-Order Costing	Read Chapter 3 & Complete assigned Problems
4	2/3	Cont. Ch. 3 Exam 1	Complete assigned Problems Exam 1
5	2/10	Ch. 5: Cost Behavior: Analysis and Use	Read Chapter 5 Complete assigned Problems
6	2/17	Ch. 6: Cost-Volume- Profit Relationships	Read Ch. 6 and Complete assigned Problems
7	2/24	Ch. 7: Variable Costing (Overview only –pp. )	Read Ch. 7 and Complete assigned Problems
8	3/17	Ch. 12: Segment Reporting and Decentralization	Read Ch. 12 and Complete assigned Problems
9	3/24	Exam 2 Ch. 9: Profit Planning	Read Chapter 9 & Complete assigned Problems
10	3/31	Cont. Ch. 9 and Ch. 10: Standard Costs and the Balanced Score Card	Read Chapter 10 & Complete assigned Problems
11	4/7	Cont. Ch. 10	Complete assigned Problems
12	4/14	Ch. 11: Flexible Budgets and Overhead Analysis (overview – ignore overhead variances)	Read Ch. 11 and Complete assigned Problems
13	4/21 (no Monday Class)	Ch. 13: Relevant Costs for Decision Making	Read Chapter 13 & Complete assigned Problems
14	4/28	Ch 8: Activity Based Costing (Overview) and Review	Read Ch. 8 and Complete assigned Problems
15	5/5	Final Exam	Final Exam

Problems and cases will be assigned each class.

Schedule and Syllabus is subject to change.