Basic Concepts
MODULE 1
BASIC CONCEPTS IN MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
1. The major functions of management is (are):
A. strategic management and long-range planning.
B. planning and decision making.
C. identifying threats and opportunities for the firm.
D. all of the above.
A.
B.
C.
D.
Managerial accounting places more emphasis on precision than financial accounting.
Both are highly dependent on timely information.
Both rely on the same accounting information system.
Managerial accounting is concerned with external decision makers.
Bobadilla
8. Which of the following is true of managerial accounting rather than financial accounting?
A. The outputs of this accounting system are the primary financial statements.
B. The methods of this accounting system are established by an overseeing board.
C. The accounting methods are standardized to allow comparisons among companies.
D. The accounting system would be unique to each company.
Bobadilla
Bobadilla
2. The process of identifying, measuring, analyzing, interpreting, and communicating information
in pursuit of an organization's goals is called
A. managerial accounting
C. management
B. financial accounting
D. promotional activities
Bobadilla
9. Management accounting’s role in the control processes is to provide
A. managers with information that can be used to determine customer satisfaction levels.
B. investors and creditors information on the financial stability of the company.
C. managers with relevant information to compare with expectations.
D. input to managers on the best ways to achieve continuous improvement in the production
process.
Bobadilla
3. The primary objective of management accounting is
A. to provide stockholders and potential investors with useful information for decision making.
B. to provide banks and other creditors with information useful in making credit decisions.
C. to provide management with information useful for planning and control of operations.
D. to provide supervising government agencies with information about the company’s
management affairs.
Bobadilla
10. Which of the following statements are true regarding financial and managerial accounting?
I. Both are mandatory.
II. Both rely on the same underlying financial data.
III. Both emphasize the segments of an organization, rather than just looking at the
organization as a whole.
IV. Both are geared to the future, rather than to the past.
A. I, II, III, and IV
C. Only II and III
B. Only II, III and IV
D. Only II
Bobadilla
4. Management accounting information
A. uses historical cost as the basis for reports to managers who are making decisions about
future courses of action.
B. should be developed and provided only if its benefits exceed its costs.
C. does not reflect the financial criteria of verifiability or consistency.
D. should serve the basic needs of investors and creditors.
Bobadilla
11. Managerial accounting activity adds value to an organization by pursuing five major objectives,
which include
A. providing information for decision making and planning.
B. measuring the performance of activities within an organization.
C. assisting managers in directing and controlling operational activities.
D. all of them
Bobadilla
5. Which of the following is included in the day-to-day work of the management team?
A. decision making
C. controlling
B. planning
D. all of the above
Bobadilla
6. Paying rent, purchasing supplies, and purchasing inventory are which of the day-to-day work
activities of the management team?
A. decision making
C. directing operational activities
B. planning
D. only A and B
Bobadilla
12. Managerial accounting places considerable weight on:
A. generally accepted accounting principles.
B. the financial history of the entity.
C. ensuring that all transactions are properly recorded.
D. detailed segment reports about departments, products, and customers.
7. Which of the following statements is true when comparing managerial accounting to financial
accounting?
1
Bobadilla
Basic Concept
identity of the client is concealed.
13. Which of the following statement is FALSE?
A. Managerial accounting need not conform to GAAP.
B. Financial accounting reports focus on subunits of the organization.
C. Managerial accounting is not required
D. Managerial accounting focuses on the needs of internal users.
Bobadilla
14. For internal uses, managers are more concerned with receiving information that is:
A. completely objective and verifiable.
B. completely accurate and precise.
C. relevant, flexible, and immediately available.
D. relevant, completely accurate, and precise.
Bobadilla
18. The primary purpose of management advisory services is
A. To conduct special studies, preparation of recommendations, development of plans and
programs, and provision of advice and assistance in their implementation.
B. To provide services or to fulfill some social needs.
C. To improve the client’s use of its capabilities and resources to achieve the objectives of the
organization.
D. To earn the best rate of return on resources entrusted to its care with safety of investment
being taken into account and consistent with firm’s social and legal
responsibilities.
Bobadilla
19. Managerial accounting information:
A. pertains to the entity as a whole and is highly aggregated.
B. pertains to subunits of the entity and may be very detailed.
C. is prepared only once a year.
Bobadilla
D. is constrained by the requirements of generally accepted accounting principles.
15. Which of the following statements is correct?
A. A certified public accountant can readily render management advisory services to the
public.
B. A CPA with MBA and DBM degrees is automatically qualified to render management
advisory services.
C. Competence as a standard in the rendition of management advisory services by a CPA
may be equated to having excellent scholarly preparation to include the usual
baccalaureate degree, an MBA and other post graduate studies.
D. Adequate training and experience in both the analytical approach and process in a particular
undertaking are requisites for the CPA to be involved in a management advisory service
engagement.
(RPCPA)
16. The following characterize management advisory services except
A. It involves decision for the future
B. It broader in scope and varied in nature
C. It utilizes more junior staff than senior members of the firm
D. It relates to specific problems where expert help is required
(RPCPA)
Bobadilla
20. Managerial accounting is primarily concerned with:
A. segments of a company rather than the company as a whole.
B. the data needs of stockholders and creditors.
C. meeting the requirements of generally accepted accounting principles.
D. the company as a whole rather than a segment of the organization.
Bobadilla
21. The major reporting standard for presenting managerial accounting information is
A. relevance
B. generally accepted accounting principles
C. the cost principle
D. the current tax law
Bobadilla
22. With respect to the time dimension, how does managerial decision compare with external
performance evaluation?
Bobadilla
A.
B.
C.
D.
Managerial Decision Making
Past
Past
Future
Future
External Performance
Past
Future
Past
Future
17. Which of the following statements is incorrect?
A. CPAs provide management advisory services to go around the ethical constraints as
mandated by the Accountancy Law.
B. Businesses hire management consultants to help define specific problems and develop
solutions.
C. CPAs who are performing management advisory services may be considered to be in the
practice of management consulting.
D. Included in the practice of consulting is the provision of confidential service in which the
23. Managerial accounting differs from financial accounting in that it is
A. more concerned with segments of a company.
B. less constrained by rules and regulations.
2
Basic Concept
C. more concerned with the future.
D. all of the above.
Bobadilla
24. The distinction between traditional accounting and cost management is
A. the focus of the former on accounting matters and the latter in support to management in
making the right decisions for staying on a competitive position
B. the emphasis of former on record keeping and the latter on reporting
C. the focus of the former on cost cutting and the latter on product differentiation
D. the focus of the former on efficiency and the latter on quality.
Bobadilla
25. Which of the following activities is not usually performed by a management accountant?
A. Assisting managers to interpret data in managerial accounting reports.
B. Designing systems to provide information for internal and external reports.
C. Gathering data from sources other than the accounting system.
D. Deciding the best level of inventory to be maintained.
Bobadilla
Bobadilla
30. Management accounting is similar to financial accounting in that
A. both are governed by generally accepted accounting principles.
B. both deal with economic events.
C. both concentrate on historical data.
D. both classify reported information in the same manner.
Bobadilla
31. How frequent is management accounting report when compared to report to external users?
Management Accounting Report
External Report
A.
More frequent
Less frequent
B.
More frequent
More frequent
C.
Less frequent
Less frequent
D.
Less frequent
More frequent
Bobadilla
26. Which of the following statements correctly distinguishes financial and managerial accounting?
A. managerial accounting reports on the whole organization
B. financial accounting is oriented toward the future
C. financial accounting is primarily concerned with providing information for internal users
D. managerial accounting is oriented more toward the planning and control aspects of
management
Bobadilla
32. Managerial accounting differs from financial accounting in that financial accounting is
A. more oriented toward the future.
B. primarily concerned with external financial reporting.
C. concerned with nonquantative information.
D. heavily involved with decision analysis and implementation of decisions.
Bobadilla
27. How does managerial decision making compare with external performance evaluation?
Managerial Decision Making
External Performance Evaluation
A.
Detailed
Detailed
B.
Detailed
More aggregated
C.
More aggregated
Detailed
D.
More aggregated
More aggregated
Bobadilla
28. Management accountants would not
A. assist in budget planning.
B. prepare reports primarily for external users.
C. determine cost behavior.
D. be concerned with the impact of cost and volume on profits.
B. common emphasis on standardization and standard costs.
C. development and implementation of the business strategy.
D. all of the above.
33. Managerial accounting provides data for all of the following major objectives except:
A. planning and control of costs
B. supporting management planning
C. compliance with SEC reporting requirements
D. determining the costs of products
Bobadilla
34. Which statement is false? Managerial accounting information:
A. involves planning for the future
B. should be requested and used by management even if it is very costly to gather and analyze
C. helps managers make financing decisions
D. need not comply with generally accepted accounting principles
Bobadilla
Bobadilla
35. Internal reports must be communicated
A. daily
B. monthly
29. In the contemporary business environment, cost management focus is on
A. financial reporting and cost analysis.
3
C. annually
D. as needed
Bobadilla
Basic Concept
36. Which of the following does not apply to the content of managerial reports?
A. Reporting standard is relevant to the decision to be made.
B. May extend beyond double-entry accounting system.
C. Pertain to subunits of the entity and may be very detailed.
D. Pertains to the entity as a whole and is highly aggregated.
D. may require more customized reports than external financial statements
Bobadilla
43. The role of the managerial accountant in today’s corporate world includes all of the following
except:
A. interpreting financial information
C. financial modeling
B. financial planning
D. bookkeeping
Bobadilla
Bobadilla
37. Which consideration influences the frequency of an internal report?
A. The wishes of the managers receiving the report.
B. The frequency with which decisions are made that require the information in the report.
C. The cost of preparing the report.
D. All of the above.
Bobadilla
44. Which of the following is most associated with managerial accounting?
A. Must follow generally accepted accounting principles.
B. May rely on estimates and forecasts.
C. Is prepared for users outside the organization.
D. Always reports on the entire entity.
38. Which of the following statements about internal reports is not true?
A. The content of internal reports may extend beyond the double-entry accounting system.
B. Internal reports may show all amounts at market values.
C. Internal reports may discuss prospective events.
D. Most internal reports are summarized rather than detailed.
Bobadilla
45. Which statement about the extent of detail in a management accounting report is true?
A. It may depend on the frequency of the report.
B. It depends on the type of manager receiving the report.
C. It depends on the level of the manager receiving the report.
D. All of the above.
Bobadilla
39. Management accountants help develop and maintain reporting systems that are aligned with
organizational structures and that provide useful information on an organization’s performance.
Management decision processes fall into three categories that consist of
A. Nonrepetitive, nonprogrammed, and nonstrategic.
B. Repetitive, nonprogrammed, and strategic.
C. Repetitive, programmed, and strategic.
D. Nonrepetitive, nonprogrammed, and strategic.
Bobadilla
46. Managerial accounting information
A. pertains to the entity as a whole and is highly aggregated.
B. pertains to subunits of the entity and may be very detailed.
C. is prepared only once a year.
Bobadilla
D. is constrained by the requirements of generally accepted accounting principles.
40. Internal reports are generally
A. aggregated
B. detailed
C. regulated
D. unreliable
41. Managerial accounting reports can be described as:
A. general-purpose
C. classified financial statements
B. special purpose
D. macro-report
47. Which of the following characteristics is inherent to management accounting?
A. Reporting of historical information
B. Compliance to generally accepted accounting principles
C. Contribution approach income statement
D. External users of financial report
Bobadilla
Bobadilla
Bobadilla
48. In order to be useful to managers, management accounting reports should possess all of the
following characteristics except:
A. Provide objective measures of past operations and subjective estimates about future
decisions.
B. Be prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
C. Be provided at any time management needs information.
D. Be prepared to report information for any unit of the business to support decision
making.
Bobadilla
Bobadilla
42. The informational needs of internal users/management:
A. are historical in nature
B. emphasize the company as a whole
C. emphasize accuracy over timeliness
4
Basic Concept
A. competence
B. confidentiality
49. The following are inherent to either management accounting or financial accounting:
1. External report
2. Historical information
3. Contribution approach income statement
4. Generally accepted accounting principles
5. Prospective financial statements
Which of the foregoing are related to management accounting and financial accounting,
respectively?
Bobadilla
A.
B.
C.
D.
Management Accounting
1, 2, 5
3, 5
2, 3
3
Financial Accounting
3, 4
1, 2, 4
1, 4, 5
1, 2, 4, 5
C. integrity
D. objectivity
Bobadilla
54. Under which ethical standard of conduct does the managerial accountant have the responsibility
to communicate information fairly and objectively?
A. competence
C. integrity
B. confidentiality
D. objectivity
Bobadilla
55. Under which ethical standard of conduct does the managerial accountant have the responsibility
to refuse any gift, favor, or hospitality that would influence or appear to influence his or her
decision?
A. competence
C. integrity
B. confidentiality
D. objectivity
Bobadilla
50. Which of the following is an incorrect statement?
A. There is no overlap between financial and managerial accounting.
B. Managerial accounting sometimes relies on past information.
C. Managerial accounting does not need to conform to generally accepted accounting
principles.
Bobadilla
D. Financial accounting must conform to generally accepted accounting principles.
56. Under which ethical standard of conduct does the managerial accountant have the responsibility
to refrain from either actively or passively subverting the attainment of an organization's
legitimate and ethical objectives?
A. integrity
C. objectivity
B. competence
D. confidentiality
Bobadilla
57. Under which ethical standard of conduct does the managerial accountant have the responsibility
to disclose fully all relevant information that could reasonably be expected to influence an
intended user's understanding of the reports, comments, and recommendations presented?
A. objectivity
C. confidentiality
B. competence
D. integrity
Bobadilla
51. For managerial reports, the accounting data used:
A. must be the same accounting data for reporting to shareholders, but may use different data
for tax purposes.
B. must be the same accounting data for tax purposes, but may use different data for reporting
to shareholders.
Bobadilla
C. must be the same accounting data for both tax purposes and reporting to shareholders.
D. may be different accounting data for both tax purposes and reporting to shareholders.
58. For managerial decision purposes, the volume of information should be evaluated on the basis
of
A. cost-benefit relationship.
B. A cost, but not benefit.
C. A benefit, but not cost.
D. Neither costs nor benefits, but some other criteria.
Bobadilla
52. Which of the following is an ethical standard of conduct for managerial accountants?
1. competence
2. confidentiality
3. integrity
4. objectivity
A. All of them
C. 1, 2, 3 only
B. 1, 3, 4 only
D. 1 and 3 only
Bobadilla
59. What is the primary criterion for the preparation of managerial accounting reports?
A. Relevance of the reports.
C. Timing of the reports.
B. Meet the manager’s needs.
D. Cost of the reports.
53. Under which ethical standard of conduct does the managerial accountant have the responsibility
to prepare complete and clear reports and recommendations after appropriate analyses of
relevant and reliable information?
60. The first step in managerial decision making is to
A. specify the standard or expected outcome.
5
Bobadilla
Basic Concept
B. gather information about the consequence of each alternative.
C. identify a problem.
D. list alternative courses of action.
67. Management accounting reports are prepared
A. to meet the needs of decision makers within the firm
B. whenever stockholders request them
C. according to guidelines prepared by the SEC
D. by CPAs
Bobadilla
61. In a broad sense, cost accounting can be defined within the accounting system as
A. internal and external reporting that may be used in making nonroutine decisions and in
developing plans and policies.
B. external reporting to government, various outside parties, and stockholders.
C. internal reporting for use in management planning and control, and external reporting to the
extent its product-costing function satisfies external reporting requirements.
D. internal reporting for use in planning and controlling routing operations.
Bobadilla
62. The cost management function is usually under
A. the chief information officer.
C. purchasing manager.
B. treasurer.
D. controller.
68. Which of the following is true of managerial accounting rather than financial accounting?
A. The outputs of this accounting system are the primary financial statements
B. The methods of this accounting system are established by an overseeing board.
C. The accounting methods are standardized to allow comparisons among companies
D. The accounting system would be unique to each company
Bobadilla
Bobadilla
63. If a distinction is made between cost accounting and managerial accounting, managerial
accounting is more oriented toward
A. valuation of inventory.
B. analysis of variances including spoilage.
C. financial reporting to third parties.
D. the planning and controlling aspects of the management process.
Bobadilla
64. Management accounting and financial accounting differ in that management accounting
information
A. is prepared following prescribed rules
B. is prepared using whatever methods the company finds beneficial
C. is prepared for stockholders
D. is prepared following Generally Accepted Accounting Principles
Bobadilla
65. Which of the following does not describe managerial accounting?
A. internally focused
C. externally focused
B. emphasis on the future
D. detailed information
66. Management accounting
A. reports are always objective
B. provides information to external users
C. generates general purpose financial statements and reports
D. has few externally imposed standards
Bobadilla
69. Traditional managerial accounting systems are often criticized for:
A. not focusing on the activities that actually drive the costs.
B. only looking at historical data.
C. being too GAAP oriented.
D. not emphasizing cost control.
Bobadilla
70. The managerial function of controlling
A. is performed only by the controller of a company.
B. is only applicable when the company sustains a loss.
C. is concerned mainly with a operating a manufacturing segment.
D. includes performance evaluation by management.
Bobadilla
71. Planning is a function that involves
A. hiring the right people for a particular job.
B. coordinating the accounting information system.
C. setting goals and objectives for an entity.
D. analyzing financial statements.
Bobadilla
72. In determining whether planned goals are being met, a manager is performing the function of
A. planning
C. motivating
B. controlling
D. follow-up
Bobadilla
Bobadilla
73. Which of the following is not a separate management function?
A. Motivating
C. Controlling
B. Planning
D. Decision-making
Bobadilla
6
Bobadilla
Basic Concept
74. Total quality management emphasizes
A. zero defects
B. continual improvement
C. elimination of waste
D. all of the above
82. In the planning and control process, what is the proper sequence of events?
A. Set goals, set objectives, develop plans, implement plans, evaluate performance
B. Establish a master budget, set standard costs, develop variance analysis
Bobadilla
C. Develop engineered costs, develop pricing targets, calculate contribution margins
D. Identify variable costs, identify fixed costs, project the sales mix, determine breakeven
Bobadilla
75. Automation of the manufacturing process increases
A. the quantity of information
C. the number of production employees
B. the timeliness of information
D. both a and b
Bobadilla
83. Which of the following is a staff position?
A. vice-president of production
B. vice-president of marketing
76. Which of the following emerging themes in cost accounting deals with managers striving to
create and environment which will enable workers to manufacture perfect (zero defect)
products?
A. customer orientation
C. total quality management
Bobadilla
B. global competition
D. advance in information technology
C. vice-president of finance
D. plant foreman
Bobadilla
84. Which management position is responsible for raising capital?
A. Internal auditor
C. Controller
B. Treasurer
D. CFO
Bobadilla
85. All of the following would be considered staff functions EXCEPT:
A. the vice-president of finance
B. the vice-president of corporate planning
C. the vice-president of research and development
D. the vice president of marketing
Bobadilla
86. Management accountants generally exercise which type of authority?
A. Company.
C. Line.
B. Functional.
D. Staff.
Bobadilla
87. The treasurer function is usually not concerned with
A. investor relations.
B. financial reports.
C. short-term financing.
D. credit extension and collection of bad debts.
Bobadilla
80. The setting of objectives and the identification of methods to achieve those objectives is called
A. planning
C. decision making
B. controlling
D. performance evaluation
Bobadilla
88. Which of the following duties is usually assigned to the controller?
A. directing the granting of credit to clients
B. investing the organization’s funds
C. tax planning
D. independently evaluating the firm’s financial statements
Bobadilla
81. Which of the following best describes what performance evaluation should be designed to do?
A. Modify goal and objectives each month C. Compare actual results to plan
B. Establish sales goals and targets
D. Establish blame
Bobadilla
89. Developing a company strategy for responding to anticipated new markets is an example of:
A. decision making
C. planning
77. Managerial accounting creates value by:
A. by forcing managers to analyze historical figures and interpret the results
B. by eliminating all pricing and costing errors
C. by focusing managers attention on the relationship between financial and non-financial
factors
D. all of the above
Bobadilla
78. Systems implemented to reduce defects in finished products with the goal of achieving zero
defects are
A. activity-based costing systems.
B. enterprise resource planning systems.
C. value chain systems.
D. total quality management systems.
Bobadilla
79. Which of the following functions is most directly related to management by objective?
A. Reporting
C. Control
B. Decision making
D. Planning
Bobadilla
7
Basic Concept
B. controlling
D. motivating
Bobadilla
chain is called
A. the theory of constraints
B. the value chain
C. activity-based management of activities
D. strategic cost management
Bobadilla
90. Strategic cost management has emerged from a blending of:
A. cost driver analysis
C. value chain analysis
B. strategic position analysis
D. all of the above
Bobadilla
91. Strategic cost management includes all of the following tools except:
A. standard cost variance analysis
C. activity based management
B. value chain analysis
D. all of the above
98. The set of processes that transform raw materials into finished products is known as a
A. value chain
C. lowest cost strategy
Bobadilla
B. differentiation strategy
D. flexible manufacturing system
Bobadilla
99. The period that begins with the arrival of materials and ends with the shipment of a completed
goods refers to
A. performance period.
C. manufacturing cell.
B. computer-integrated manufacturing.
D. cycle time.
Bobadilla
92. Strategic planning is different from operational planning in that operational planning:
A. involves large sums of money
B. would be involved in determining production levels for next quarter
C. involves only long range goals
D. operational and strategic planning are the same
Bobadilla
100. Conventional and just-in-time manufacturers differ in that the conventional manufacturer is likely
to
A. have a longer production cycle than its JIT competitors.
B. need less storage space than its JIT competitors.
C. have a flexible manufacturing system.
D. a high degree of quality control.
Bobadilla
93. Which of the following might be a performance measure for the financial perspective of a
balanced scorecard?
A. percentage of on-time deliveries by the organization
B. percentage of product defects
C. return on assets
D. percentage of market share held by the organization
Bobadilla
101. A form of strategy that a management may adopt in order to attempt in creating a perception of
uniqueness that will permit a higher selling price.
A. Value chain.
C. Lead time.
B. Lowest cost.
D. Differentiation.
Bobadilla
94. The initiative to reduce non-value added activity is meeting which balanced scorecard objective?
A. internal operations perspective
C. financial perspective
Bobadilla
B. customer perspective
D. learning and growth perspective
95. The balanced scorecard internal operations perspective includes
A. customer complaints
C. market share
B. number of engineering changes
D. inventory turnover
102. Deciding whether to sell a product or process it further is an example of a(n):
A. controlling activity
C. planning activity
B. operating activity
D. none of the above
Bobadilla
103. The benefits lost or forfeited as a result of selecting one alternative over another are called
A. Differential costs
C. Opportunity costs
B. Sunk costs
D. Indirect costs
Bobadilla
Bobadilla
96. Items that prevent the organization from attaining a higher level of achievement within its value
chain are called the
A. theory of constraints
C. strategic costs management
B. value chain
D. cost management systems
Bobadilla
104. Obtaining feedback is generally identified most directly with which of the functions of
management?
A. Planning
C. Controlling
B. Directing and motivating
D. Decision making
Bobadilla
97. The overall recognition of the importance of cost relationships among the activities in the value
chain and the process of managing those cost relationships among the activities in the value
105. A staff position:
8
Basic Concept
A.
B.
C.
D.
relates directly to the carrying out of the basic objectives of the organization.
is supportive in nature, providing service and assistance to other parts of the organization.
is superior in authority to a line position.
none of these.
Bobadilla
106. The controller occupies:
A. a line position.
B. a staff position.
C. neither a line nor a staff position, since the accounting department must be independent.
D. both a line and a staff position.
Bobadilla
107. “Racing with no finish” refers to
A. developing the best selling product.
B. research and development.
C. benchmarking and continuous improvement.
D. designing the highest quality product in a given segmented market.
Bobadilla
108. A company’s value chain reflects the
A. organizational levels of authority and responsibility.
B. stages of production from raw materials to finished goods.
C. linked set of activities that increase the value of products or services.
D. sales distribution network for the company’s products and services.
Bobadilla
109. The process of comparing, investigating, and evaluating the company’s processes or products
against the best level of performance is known as
A. attestation.
C. product review.
B. feedback.
D. benchmarking.
Bobadilla
110. Benchmarking allows managers to:
A. determine who in the industry performs similar processes most effectively.
B. determine the processes that have high value-to-cost relationships.
C. compare certain internal processes, services and activities to those of other companies in
order to identify strengths and weaknesses.
D. reproduce another company’s product design and manufacturing processes to eliminate
competitive advantage.
Bobadilla
9