Course Contract (syllabus) Cost Accounting/Management-Accounting 66 Fall 2011 (Online Class)

Transcription

1 Course Contract (syllabus) Cost Accounting/Management-Accounting 66 Fall 2011 (Online Class) Professor Christopher Kwak, CPA, CFE*, CFF*. Office Hour: Online /By Appointment. Phone: (Voice Mail). Course Instructional Website Address: Note: please find the detail information (the last page) regarding McGraw-hill Connect account registration step by step instruction for new students. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course deals with the behavioral aspects of accounting. The course presents the theory, procedures & practice relating to product costs, including job order, process & standard cost systems. It also includes analytical skills used to interpret accounting data used by management in planning and controlling business activities. Cost accounting is concerned with the use of accounting data by managers to plan and control (evaluate) personnel and operations of the firm. The focus is on planning, decision-making, and control by the organization and on the accounting systems that managers have to assist them in their decisions about resource allocation, performance evaluation, etc. In addition to students in accounting, the course is designed for those who plan careers in management at all levels and in all functions and who will need to motivate other employees and evaluate both managers and business units in the organization. As such, it is also particularly useful for those interested in general management, operations, and management consulting careers. The course can be categorized into two areas; cost management systems (the information managers require to make informed decisions) and management control systems (the organizational structure that determines the performance evaluation and reward systems). The emphasis will be on cost information how it is computed and how it is used in decision-making. It is assumed that everyone has completed an undergraduate introductory managerial accounting course. Trends in Cost Accounting Cost accounting continues to experience dramatic changes. Developments in information technology (IT) have nearly eliminated manual bookkeeping. Emphasis on cost control is increasing in banks, hospitals, manufacturing industries (from computers to automobiles), airlines, school districts, and many other organizations that have traditionally not focused on it. Cost accounting has become a necessity in virtually every organization, including fast-food outlets, professional organizations, and government agencies. 1

2 One reason for this rapid change is that managers at each stage of the value chain require information on the performance of products, services, suppliers, customers, and employees. Managers of the activities and cost accountants must work together at each stage to make decisions that increase firm value. Because these processes themselves have undergone great change in recent years, cost accountants and cost accounting methods must continuously adapt to changes in all business areas. COURSE OBJECTIVES Since the goals of an organization are achieved through the decisions made by managers, the text emphasizes three recurring themes: (1) The manger s job is to make decisions that determine the performance of the organization. (2) Accounting systems are a primary source of information for managers to make decisions. (3) Accounting systems also provide information to the owners of the organization, who are not managers, to evaluate the performance of the organization and the managers. Therefore, cost accounting information adds value to an organization by improving managers decisions. Students entering the business world will benefit from the knowledge of cost concepts, informed decision-making process, and a perspective that takes in the whole picture as provided by the new text. Tell me, I ll forget Show me, I may remember Involve me, I ll understand -Confucius Philosophy of Learning & Course Expectations: In a learning environment, everyone becomes a teacher and everyone becomes a student. Learning is your personal responsibility. The instructor is a mentor, facilitator, and coach in your active and unique learning process. Class sessions will be informal and class participation is strongly encouraged. Questions pertaining to the course or relating to the accounting/finance/business field are also welcome throughout the semester. Class lectures will be focused on helping students understand the WHY s (the concept behind the mechanics) rather than the mere mechanics of the subject matter. Please do not use memorization as a substitute for understanding. After observing students for many years and drawing from my own experiences as a student, I believe that students learn best by actively questioning and explaining. In this course, I encourage you to join in class discussions and bring questions to class. This means that in order to receive the maximum benefits out of classroom time, you will need to read the assigned topics and attempt the homework before coming to class. It is obvious that you will both need and be expected to attend all class meetings. You also must be prepared to take part in class discussions. This does not mean that you should have all topics mastered and learned; otherwise there would be no reason for class. It does mean that you should not be hearing about the topic for the first time in class. You will become successful by helping others become successful. One of most effective ways of learning any subject matter is to teach it to someone else. By actively engaging in-group learning, you will be practicing the attributes of questioning, organizing, and connecting 2

3 knowledge. Also, you will be learning to learn and to teach others, and you will be developing interpersonal skills you will need for successful careers in accounting or any other business field. Learning is a collaborative process between all the members of the class. I hope we can help each other to create a supportive learning environment throughout the term. Required Course Textbook and other Study Aid course materials: Textbook: Fundamentals of Cost Accounting, Third Edition, Lanen, Anderson, and Maher, McGraw-hill, *Required reading book title: The Goal, a Process of Ongoing Improvement / Theory of Constraint (TOC), authors: Eli Goldratt and Jeff Cox, The North River Press. Free Study guide materials: Please also access a wealth of course materials (mostly free of charge) at the below linked textbook support site: Recommended Reading: Wall Street Journal, if you would like to take advantage of deep student discount of WSJ subscription, please go to the link below. Assessment of Student Achievement: Grading Points Grade Distribution Case discussions (online postings) 120 A= 90% Chapter assigned exercises/problems 120 B= 80% Online assessment quizzes 120 C= 70% Online Midterm Exam 120 D= 60% Online Final Exam 120 *Book Report ( The Goal ) 120 F= Below 60% Total 720 *Term paper guideline on book report: State the major points made in the book and please share your thoughts, ideas, or insights. (I.e. your business or personal experience you could relate to the episodes in the book, points that you agree, or disagree etc.) What major concepts from your textbook were addressed by this popular business love story fiction? (i.e. decision-making and cost accounting information, management tools and techniques, financial reporting and it s limitation, human resource issues, etc.) Length: Between 2 pages minimum, 4 pages maximum. Due: last day of instruction of quarter. 3

4 Weekly Course Calendar Week 1: Course Introduction and online discussions begin (All Students must complete the required online orientation through the Distance Learning Center at Also, students must be registered at the McGraw-hill Connect Enterprise instructional site. Chapter 1: Cost Accounting: Information for Decision Making Week 2: Continue on Ch.1 Week 3: Chapter 2: Cost Concepts and Behavior Week 4: Chapter 3: Fundamentals of Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis Week 5: Chapter 4: Fundamentals of Cost Analysis for Decision Making Chapter 5: Cost Estimation Week 6: Chapter 6: Fundamentals of Product and Service Costing Chapter 7: Job Costing Model Week 7: Chapter 8: Process Costing Model (selective coverage) Review for midterm exam Week 8: Midterm Exam (covering Ch.1-8) date will be announced and posted at the course website well in advance of the exam date. Week 9: Chapter 9: Activity-Based Costing Week 10: Chapter 10: Fundamentals of Cost Management Week 11: Chapter 11: Service Department and Joint Cost Allocation Week 12: Comprehensive final exam Midterm and Final Exam date will be announced and posted at the course website homepage as well as to all active students well in advance of exam dates. Important Note: Daily chapter reading, daily log-in to our instructional web site, and doing homework questions on a daily basis (at least Monday thru Friday) are essential and required in order for you to have adequate level of learning covering all 12 chapters in this intense 12-week course period structure. The average student workload is minimum two hours of work outside of class for every credit hour of coursework on a weekly basis (10 4

5 hours per week for a 5 credit unit course). Note: End-of-chapter homework assignments and all case analysis will be posted by chapter at the Course Content/ Course Sessions area in our instructional web site. Thorough chapter reading should be completed prior to case analysis, assigned questions, papers, and homework attempts. Instructor s lecture notes, chapter outlines, power point slides, mini-cases, relevant real-world examples, news articles, and other study aid materials will be available at the Course Content/Connect Library tab area by chapter and by topic. Following schedule is subject to change and may be adjusted to reflect student learning and class progress. Statement on Academic Integrity: It goes without saying that academic integrity is expected from each student. As such, if there is a reasonable basis for concluding that a violation of academic integrity has taken place; all suspected parties would be awarded a course grade of F, with a letter to the Dean explaining why this grade was awarded. It will be up to the students involved to convince the instructor that the violation did not take place. (Refer to DeAnza College catalog and class schedule.) Course Admission and Withdrawal: Please register for this course through De Anza College. All students must register and pay all fees within the specified days by college Admission Office; otherwise, student would be dropped from the course by the Admission Office automatically. Registering via PageOut only allows you to sign up to take quizzes, exams, and participate in discussions for the course. Registering only for a PageOut account does not make you a registered student in the course. You must register for this course through the college and then setup a PageOut account with your user name and own password in PageOut site. It is your responsibility to withdraw from the course; otherwise, the appropriate grade will be assigned at the end of the term. Please notify your instructor if you drop the course so that he can delete your PageOut account. Failure to notify the instructor could possibly result in receiving an F in the course. I hope your will greatly benefit from this course. Have an enjoyable and successful summer term. If at any time you have a question, please contact me via [email protected]. 5

6 About the Instructor, Christopher Kwak, CPA, CFE*, CFF*: Licensed CPA in the state of California with over 20 years of industry experience in major firms such as Hewlett Packard (HP), PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and Chevron USA, specializing in cost management, financial reporting, mergers & acquisitions, and forensic accounting. Chris Kwak has held many positions at HP including Senior Corporate Internal Auditor, Senior Financial Analyst, and Business Control Manager (Division Controller level). He also worked as a Senior Associate and a manager at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (formerly Coopers & Lybrand), one of the Big Four ( Final Four for now ) international accounting/consulting firms, specializing in Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Reporting, Business Litigation and Investigation services, and Start-up and Emerging business advisory services. Current academic postings & professional affiliations: Full-time faculty member at De Anza College Business-CS Division. Adjunct Professor of Accountancy at Santa Clara University MBA program-leavey School of Business Adjunct Professor of Accountancy at S.F. Golden Gate University. Adjunct Professor of Accountancy at Saint Mary s College of California. A member of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and California Society of Certified Public Accountants. A CFF member, AICPA, Certified in Financial Forensic (CFF). A CFE member, Association of Certified Fraud Examiner (ACFE). Chris Kwak wants to be one of your learning partner in your active learning process and would like to encourage you be a passionate, life-long learner. *CFE, Certified Fraud Examiners, a license issued by ACFE (International Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, World Headquarters in Austin Texas) *CFF, Certified Financial Forensics, a license issued by AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, national headquarters in New York City) 6

7 McGraw-Hill(MH) Connect system Registration Instructions for Acct.66 Cost Accounting course in Fall 2011 at De Anza: 1. Go to the Connect Web Address: 2. Click on Register Now. 3. Enter your address (this will become your Connect username). 4. Enter a registration code that you received with your text or choose Buy Online to purchase access online. 5. Follow the on-screen directions. TIP: Please choose your Security Question and Answer carefully. MH will ask you for this information if you forget your password. MH recommends that you provide a secondary address should you forget your Security Question and Answer. 6. When registration is complete, click on Go to Connect Now and logout. 7. Wait at least 2 hours and then you can login to your full course website at: Use this site going forward. You will NOT have to use your Connect URL that was listed above after the initial login. If you experience any problems or difficulties, please call the McGraw-Hill Customer Experience Group at