AMIS 4200
Advanced Financial Accounting
Spring 2014
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
Email:
Office Hours:
Sam Bonsall
432 Fisher Hall
688-1329
bonsall.2@osu.edu
4:00 – 5:00 M
4:00 – 6:00 W
Course objective and content:
The objective of this course is to provide a foundation for understanding the conceptual
and practical issues surrounding the accounting for fair values, business combinations, structured transactions, derivatives, and foreign operations. In addition to learning the current
accounting rules for complex transactions, students will critically analyze the implications of
how accounting standards influence the information available to financial statements users.
Students will also analyze, critique, and debate how academic accounting research influences
contemporary financial reporting issues.
Textbook:
Halsey and Hopkins, 2013. Advanced Accounting. Cambridge Business Publishers, 2nd edition (ISBN: 978-1-61853-042-4).
You can purchase an ebook at the following link: https://mybusinesscourse.com/purchasean-ebook
Grading policies and procedures:
The following are the fundamental principles for grading in this course:
• The requirements of the course are identical for everyone. This means it is not possible
to “make up” for poor performance through “extra credit” work.
• Assignments and related deadlines cannot be rescheduled except under circumstances
of extreme hardship. Any assignment, quiz, or exam submitted after the relevant deadline will result in a grade of zero.
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• Grading will be based on relative rather than absolute standards. Thus, no standard percentages will be applied in determining final grades (i.e., do not assume that
90%=A, 80%=B, ...).
• It is possible to earn any of the official OSU grades, from A to E, in this course.
• You may not remove any quizzes from the classroom. Any quiz taken from the classroom will result in a grade of zero for that quiz.
• Sometimes alleged cases of academic misconduct arise due to apparent confusion over
the degree of collaboration allowed on assignments. University policy clearly states
that it is each student’s responsibility to resolve issues that appear ambiguous directly
with the faculty member. However, to help create clarity and avoid potential misunderstanding, I use the following letters to indicate the degree of collaboration allowed
on each assignment: N=No Collaboration of Any Kind Allowed, T=Collaboration with
Teammates Only Allowed.
Assignments and corresponding weights for grading in this class are as follows:
Class participation
Homework
Quizzes
Group project
Final exam
10%
10%
30%
20%
30%
The ex ante approximate grade distribution will be:
Letter Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C and below
Cutoff percentile
80
70
55
30
20
15
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Class participation:
The class participation portion of the grade is designed to encourage constructive classroom
participation and will depend more on the quality than the quantity of the contributions
to the class discussion. Regular attendance and class participation are necessary, but not
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sufficient, for a student to receive one of the higher letter grades in this class. I will evaluate
class participation on the basis of our in-class discussions, problem solving, and case studies,
as well as out-of-class blog-style discussions. Discussions will be based on readings uploaded
to Carmen.
Homework (N):
Homework will consist of problems or small case studies. Each student should submit his/her
response through MyBusinessCourse (http://www.mybusinesscourse.com). You should be
able to access the system using login information provided with your textbook. Homework
assignments are due before the beginning of the assigned class periods. All assignments
should represent your own views. No late homework assignments will be accepted, nor will
emailed or faxed assignments. Assignments will be graded for presentation, writing, and
grammar, as well as content. They must meet the standards that would be required in a
professional context.
Quizzes (N):
Quizzes will be administered according to the tentative class schedule found at the end of
the syllabus. If the need arises to change the schedule, I will inform the class at least one
week in advance of the originally scheduled quiz date. Quizzes will be objective in nature.
No collaboration of any kind is allowed on quizzes.
Group project (T):
During the last segment of the course, groups will choose an accounting research topic, collect
data to execute the project, conduct basic analyses of the data, and present their findings
to the class. Groups will also submit a formal research paper for grading. More details to
follow later in the semester.
Final exam (N):
The final exam will be objective in nature and will be held during the final exam period for
the semester. Your final exam will constitute 30% of your final grade. No collaboration of
any kind is allowed on the final exam.
Disability policy:
Students with disabilities or requiring special accommodations should work directly with
The Ohio State University Office of Disability Services (ODS). ODS is expert at working
with individual students to provide the appropriate accommodations. ODS is located in 150
Pomerene Hall, and its phone number is 614-292-3307.
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Grade appeal policy:
Grades are intended to reflect the overall quality of performance of the student(s). If you
think your grade on an exam or assignment does not reflect the quality of your performance,
submit a clearly written explanation of your reasoning within one week after the return
of your assignment or quiz . The written document does not need to be long, but it must
clearly identify the problem or issue of concern. I will carefully consider all such appeals.
There will be no grading appeals after the one-week deadline has passed.
Office appointments:
I am available to discuss issues of concern with you on an individual basis either after class
or in my office. If the scheduled office hours do not fit your schedule at some point, you
may email me to make an appointment. So that I can be better prepared for your visit,
please give me a general idea about the topic you would like to discuss. I typically schedule
15 minute appointments; if you believe you will require more time, please request a longer
appointment.
Cell phone/pager policy:
All cell phones and pagers must be silent during class and especially during quizzes and the
final exam.
Tentative course schedule:
Class #
1
Date
1/6
2
1/8
1/10
1/13
1/15
1/17
1/20
1/22
1/24
1/27
1/29
1/31
2/3
2/5
2/7
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Topic
Introduction
Review of investment accounting
Equity method
NO CLASS
Equity method
Equity method
NO CLASS
MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY – NO CLASS
Quiz
Consolidation basics
Consolidation basics
Consolidation basics
Consolidation after acquisition
Consolidation after acquisition
Consolidation after acquisition
Consolidation after acquisition
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Class #
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
Date
2/10
2/12
2/14
2/17
2/19
2/21
2/24
2/26
2/28
3/3
3/5
3/7
3/10
3/12
3/14
3/17
3/19
3/21
3/24
3/26
3/28
3/31
4/2
4/4
4/7
4/9
4/11
4/14
4/16
4/18
4/21
Topic
Quiz
Non-controlling interests
Non-controlling interests
Step acquisitions
Intercompany transactions
Intercompany transactions
Intercompany transactions
Quiz
Intercompany debt
Intercompany debt
Variable interest entities
Variable interest entities
SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS
SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS
SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS
Introduction to derivatives
Introduction to derivatives
Derivatives and foreign exchange markets
Hedging foreign exchange risk
Translation of foreign currency financial statements
Translation of foreign currency financial statements
Quiz
Regression analysis primer
Event study basics
Earnings and the stock market
Disclosure and the cost of capital
Equity analysts
Earnings management
Presentations
Presentations
Presentations
Review for final exam
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