UNIVERSITY OF ST. FRANCIS

BSAD 126 – Managerial Accounting

3 semester hours, Spring, 2003 Wednesdays 6:00 – 8:45 N218

Instructor: Tony Zordan, D.B.A., CPA, CMA

Office: N222-D   815-740-3608

Home: 773-238-5558  (before 9 p.m. only)

Email: azordan@stfrancis.edu

Office hours: M 10:30-12:00, T, R 10:45-12:00; W 5:00-6:00; Other times by appointment

Teaching hours: MW 12:30-1:45 (N219), TR 8:00-9:15 (N219), 9:30-10:45 (N216), W 6:00-8:45 (N218)

Approximate on-campus hours: M, T, R 8:00-5:00, W 12:00-9:00

COURSE PREREQUISITES:

            BSAD 125 – Financial Accounting (minimum grade of C)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

            This course introduces students to management accounting as a system of producing information for use in managing a business internally. This course emphasizes the identification, accumulation, and interpretation of information for planning, controlling, and evaluating the performance of the separate components of a business. Included is the identification and measurement of the cost of producing goods and services and how to analyze and control these costs. Decision models commonly used in making specific short-term and long-term business decisions also are included.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

1.      To provide an understanding of basic managerial accounting concepts and applications and an understanding of how the accounting function interacts with other areas of business administration. Emphasis is placed on the statement of cash flows and the development and analysis of information for management decision-making.

2.      To provide the accounting and non-accounting major alike with the basic knowledge of managerial accounting to be used in other business courses and in your personal and professional business and financial transactions.

            3. To develop the ability to think analytically and independently.

            4. To improve communication skills.

REQUIRED MATERIALS:

            Needles, B. E. Jr., Powers, M., & Crosson, S. V., (2002) Financial & Managerial Accounting, 2002 ed. Houghton Mifflin, NY. ISBN 0-618-10231-0.

            One red pen or pencil.

OPTIONAL MATERIALS:

Study guide to accompany text

Working Papers to accompany text

            "The Wall Street Journal"

CLASS POLICY / FORMAT:

            The above objectives will be met through lectures / discussions, problem solving, discussion of current events, examinations and quizzes. I expect that you will have read the assigned material before class at least once. You should attempt to outline the chapter before class, then annotate your notes from the lecture material. In addition to class handouts, an author-provided PowerPoint presentation is available on the St. Francis network on the O: drive (USF1\Data1) at Global Common\Business_Admin\Zordan\BSAD 126 Man Acctg.  Students are encouraged to visit the text’s website at http://college.hmco.com/students.  Go to Select Your Course Area, then select accounting, then Introductory Accounting (not College Accounting), then to Needles, Financial and Managerial Accounting 2002e (not Principles of …).

            Attendance is strongly recommended and is mandatory on the days tests are given. Excessive absences (>2) will affect your grade. Each absence above this number will reduce your total points by 20. As an alternative, the professor, at his discretion, may assign additional work. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of class. You are responsible for all material discussed, handed out or assigned in class even if you are absent. Please make every effort to be on time for class.  Please don’t wear hats in class.

EXAMS:

            There will be four exams. Each exam may consist of true/false, multiple choice, essays and problems. If you must miss an exam due to a hardship you must talk to me before the exam. Failure to do this may result in a zero for that exam. You may use calculators but you must write down formulas and steps in the process of solving the problems. Take calculators out of their jackets and be sure nothing is written on them. Correct answers must be supported by calculations to receive credit. Also, clearly mark your answers. If you answer on the back, clearly note this.

            Cheating will not be tolerated. The guidelines on academic integrity in the University Catalog, p. 37, state that "students have an obligation to exhibit honesty in carrying out their academic assignments. Students may be found to have violated this obligation if they plagiarize or cheat. Plagiarism is presenting the work of others as one's own; cheating is taking, giving, or accepting any illicit advantage for any course work inside or outside of the classroom." Penalties are described on p. 38.

HOMEWORK:

            In order to gain a thorough understanding of the topics covered in this class it is essential that your homework be completed before class. We will review your completed homework in class. Check figures for the problems are available beginning on p. xliii (53) of the preface. Be sure to use them. You should be prepared to present your solutions in class and defend them. Any corrections or additions should be made in red. The homework for most chapters will be collected before class and returned immediately or collected after class. It is worth one to three points per chapter. When submitting homework, please use these procedures: 1) Start each problem or exercise on a separate page however, two exercises may be put on one page; 2) Do not write on the back side of the page; 3) Don't submit paper with frayed edges; 4) Write your name on each page; 5) Use a staple or paper clip.

            You must make an honest effort at each problem to receive credit. In order to demonstrate honest effort you are to do the following for each assigned exercise or problem that you are unable to complete: 1) Turn in all scratch work used trying to work the problem; and 2) On a separate sheet of paper, letter the page a through f and provide the following information:

            a. The problem attempted.

            b. The amount of time you spent trying to work the problem.

            c. Identify the requirements you were able and unable to work.

            d. State what you did not understand about the problem and its requirements.

            e. State which pages in the textbook you read in your attempt to solve the problem.

            f. Identify by page number which examples in the text you looked at for assistance.

            No late homework will be accepted (i.e., after the end of the class in which it is covered). Normally, your homework cannot "attend" class without you. Cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated. Again, see the guidelines on academic integrity in the University Catalog.

            Additional readings and problems will be assigned at my discretion.

QUIZZES:

            Two types of quizzes will be used extensively throughout the course – online and in-class. The online quizzes, called ACE, are found at the author’s website at http://college.hmco.com/students. (Follow the instructions on page 2 of this syllabus.)  These should be completed and emailed to me at azordan@stfrancis.edu by 5:45 p.m. on the class day when we will begin covering the chapter. (Chapter 14 is due on January 22.)  Each consists of 20 questions which you can retake until you get them all correct.  Each completely correct quiz received on time is worth two points.

In-class quizzes may be given on some chapters after the chapter is discussed in class. Each will be worth approximately five points. The lowest grade will be dropped. No make-up quizzes will be given.

WITHDRAWAL / DROP:

            In order to drop this course submit the appropriate form, signed by your advisor, to the Registrar by Friday, January 24, 2003. In order to withdraw from this course submit the appropriate form, signed by myself and your advisor, to the Registrar by Friday, April 4, 2003.

GRADING SYSTEM:

            Four exams                              400 points        A = 90-100% of total points

            Homework/quizzes                   50 points         B = 80- 89.99%

                                                                                    C = 70- 79.99%

            Total approximate                  450 points         D = 60- 69.99%

                                                            =======        F = Below 60%

Note: All students with documented disabilities who need accommodations should contact your professor within the first two weeks of school and schedule an appointment with the Disabilities Coordinator. Please call Dr. MeShelda Jackson at 815-740-3461.

Note: Skim all appendixes, read all footnotes. Q=Question, SE=Short exercise, E=Exercise, P=Problem, SD=Skills development, MRA=Managerial reporting & analysis. Additional HW may be assigned.