ACG 3341 – Cost Accounting and Control I
Spring, 2013
Section 591: Wednesday 6:00-8:50 p.m. in SMC B226
Instructor:
Kristine Del Vecchio, Master of Accountancy, CPA, CIA, CGMA
Office hours: Sarasota – SMC C264 – Wednesday 4:30-5:30 p.m. or by appointment
Tampa – BSN 3314 – Thursday 5-6 p.m. or by appointment
Email: kdelvecchio@usf.edu
Phone: (941) 351-1731
Normally scheduled time on campus (either Sarasota or Tampa campus) is limited but I can be reached at any
time via email and can schedule time to meet on campus between class meetings. I will always be available
after each class to meet with students.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: ACG 3341 is a study of cost accounting systems for different entities, cost
behavior patterns, cost-volume-profit analysis, relevant information for decision making, budgets and standard
costs for planning and control.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
We will discuss concepts and practices used by accountants to provide useful information to management for
decision-making. At the conclusion of this course, you should be able to use skills developed to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Allocate costs to production departments
Determine product costs using job-order costing and activity-based costing
Develop and implement cost-volume-profit analysis
Prepare operating budgets
Compute and analyze variances from cost standards for direct material, direct labor, and manufacturing
overhead
6. Analyze business decisions using relevancy costing
7. Perform well on relevant sections of professional exams
PREREQUISITES:
ACG 2021 and ACG 2071 with grades of “C” or better.
COURSE MATERIALS:
Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis (14th Edition - 2012) by Horngren et al. (Prentice
Hall). ISBN # 978-0-13-210917-8. Do not purchase the international edition. There is a looseleaf edition available but it may or may not be bundled with the My Accounting Lab access code.
My Accounting Lab: My Accounting Lab is web-based tutorial and assessment software for accounting
that we will use for many assignments. We will discuss procedures and details in class. It is also a
supplementary resource for additional learning materials. You will register for My Accounting Lab at
www.pearsonmylabs.com.
Computer: You will need access to a computer and Microsoft Office – for spreadsheet (Excel), word
processing, access to Blackboard/Canvas and internet research.
Publishers Website: The textbook has a very useful website at www.prenhall.com/horngren features
current topics relating to the information we study as well as additional practice material (including
PowerPoint slides, additional practice questions, video cases, and check figures). I strongly encourage you
to use it as we study each chapter. www.pearsonmylabs.com
CLASS POLICIES:
1. ACADEMIC HONESTY: Academic honesty is expected in all areas of the course (exams, homework,
quizzes, etc.). Cheating will not be tolerated and will be punished to the maximum extent allowed under
University guidelines. From the USF-SM Undergraduate Catalog: “Academic integrity is the foundation of
the University of South Florida’s commitment to the academic honesty and personal integrity of its
University community. Academic integrity is grounded in certain fundamental values, which include
honesty, respect and fairness. Broadly defined, academic honesty is the completion of all academic
endeavors and claims of scholarly knowledge as representative of one’s own efforts. Knowledge and
maintenance of the academic standards of honesty and integrity as set forth by the University are the
responsibility of the entire academic community, including the instructional faculty, staff and students.”
2. GRADES: Final letter grades will be based on total points earned as follows:
Exam 1 (Chapters 1, 2, 3, 10, 11)
Exam 2 (Chapters 4, 5, 6, and 17)
Exam 3 (Chapters 6, 7, 21)
Final Exam (Chapters 9, 16 and 19)
Excel Assignments
Quizzes, Homework, Attendance, Participation
Total Possible Points
15% of final grade
20%
20%
15%
15%
15%
100% of final grade
Grades will be posted on Canvas/Blackboard. No grades will be released by email or telephone. The +/grading system will NOT be used for final letter grades in this course. The standard grading
scale (A=90%, B=80%, etc.) will be used in this class.
3. EXAMS: There will be four exams in this class. The final exam is NOT cumulative but 10 Academic
Learning Concept (ALC) questions are included on this exam. The exam dates for this semester are:
Exam 1– January 30th, 2013
Exam 2 – February 27th, 2013
Exam 3 – April 1st, 2013
Final Exam – May 2nd, 2013
All exams will be held at the regular class time (Wednesday, 6 p.m.). Any scheduling conflicts with these
dates must be resolved before the end of the add/drop period (the first week of classes).
All exams will include objective questions, computational and accounting exercises, and short answers.
Supporting calculations for exercises must be clearly shown and labeled in order to receive full credit.
ONLY basic 4-function calculators may be used during exams. Calculators that can store equations,
formulas or written text in memory or those with time value of money functions may NOT be used during
any exam. Calculators may not be shared between students. Smart phones, cell phones, or any other
electronic devices are NOT permitted during any exam.
RETURN OF EXAMS: Anyone failing to return a test to the instructor at the end of an exam or at the
end of the class when the exam is reviewed may receive an F for the course. All exams will be retained
for one month after the end of the semester and then will be destroyed.
MAKE-UP EXAMS: Make-up exams will be allowed ONLY at the discretion of the instructor and for highly
unusual, extenuating circumstances only. Any request for a make-up exam must be discussed
with the instructor in advance of the scheduled exam time unless circumstances make such
notice impossible. Written documentation will be required to support the reason for missing an exam.
Please review the dates of the exams to ensure there are no schedule conflicts.
4. ASSIGNMENTS: It is important that class time be used as effectively as possible. Therefore, assigned
readings are to be completed outside of class and prior to our class meeting. Most classes will begin
with a quick quiz to assess understanding of basic concepts in the assigned readings. Class time will be
devoted to lecture, demonstration and practice of exercises and review of homework.
There are also assigned quizzes to be completed at the end of each chapter. These quizzes are
scheduled and completed through My Accounting Lab and are to be taken outside of class after successful
completion of the homework assignment. My Accounting Lab is set up to provide review additional
material and exercises for the content areas that were missed on the quiz.
Completion of homework assignments is essential and is a minimum requirement of the course. Each
week, there will be a homework assignment to be completed during the week.
Three excel exercises will be assigned this semester. Details on these assignments will be provided with
the final assignment schedule.
5. ATTENDANCE & CLASS BEHAVIOR CODE: Regular attendance is imperative to successfully complete
this course. Attendance will be recorded for each class. Excessive absences may negatively impact final
grades. Students are expected to attend class and participate appropriately. Participation is defined as
attentiveness, volunteering answers to questions, asking questions and providing feedback on lecture
material. Students are expected to conduct themselves in a professional and respectful manner at all
times.
Each class is approximately 3 hours long. If you need to leave early please let the instructor know in
advance. Leaving early will otherwise be treated as not attending at all.
ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT: During lectures and discussion, the use of electronic equipment is disruptive
and distracting. There is no need to access the internet during class, therefore, it is not allowed during
class. All cell phones and devices must be set so no audible signals are emitted during class. Taking
calls or sending or receiving text messages during class is not allowed.
6. S/U GRADES: No upper level accounting courses may be taken on an S/U basis.
7. WITHDRAWAL: No "W" grades can be obtained after the official drop or withdrawal date of Saturday,
March 23rd, 2012. All students still enrolled after Saturday, March 23rd will receive a letter grade of
A, B, C, D, or F. Accounting faculty will NOT comment on petitions for late withdrawal after Saturday,
March 23rd.
8. INCOMPLETE GRADES: Incomplete (I) grades are given only in those rare instances where the course
cannot be completed for a valid reason and the student is otherwise passing the course. An 'I'
grade must be completed (not by repeating the course) in the first subsequent semester. An 'I' grade
cannot be used to avoid a poor course grade.
9. RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES: Students who anticipate being absent from class due to the observance of
a major religious holiday are must provide notice of date(s), in writing, to the professor, no later than the
2nd class meeting.
10. DISABILITIES: Reasonable accommodations will be made for students with disabilities. Students in
need of academic accommodations for a disability may consult with the office of Students with Disabilities
Services (SDS) to arrange appropriate accommodations.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Pat Lakey,
Coordinator, (941) 359-4714, plakey@sar.usf.edu , http://www.sarasota.usf.edu/students/disability/
Students must give reasonable notice (typically 5 business days) for any accommodation request and
provide the professor with a copy of the Memo of Accommodation.
11. EMERGENCIES: The University uses the MoBull Plus Emergency Communication System to notify
students, faculty and staff in the event of a life-threatening emergency on campus. See
www.mobull.usf.edu and become familiar with the system. Important information about emergencies
also will be communicated by Canvas and USF websites. The USF hotline (800) 992-4231 is updated with
pre-recorded information during an emergency. Students are responsible for monitoring these systems.
In an emergency, it may be necessary for USFSM to suspend normal operations. During this time, USFSM
may opt to continue delivery of instruction through methods that include but are not limited to: Canvas,
Elluminate, Skype, email messaging and/or alternate schedules.
In the event of a fire alarm or bomb threat, all scheduled classes will be held in an alternate room. At the
beginning of each semester please note the emergency exit maps posted in each classroom. These signs
are marked with the primary evacuation route (red) and secondary evacuation route (orange) in case the
building needs to be evacuated. For more information, please refer to the University’s Emergency
Evacuation Procedures (http://www.sarasota.usf.edu/Facilities/documents/EAP_FAQ.pdf).
Date
Topic
Jan 9
Jan 16
Course Introduction and Review of Basic Concepts
Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis
Jan 23
Determining How Costs Behave/Relevance
Jan 30
Feb 6
Exam 1: Chapters 1-2-3-10-11
Job Costing
Chapter 4
Feb 13
Activity-Based Costing and Activity-Based Management
Chapter 5
Feb 20
Process Costing
Feb 27
Exam 2: Chapters 4-5-17
Master Budget and Responsibility Accounting
Mar 6
Mar 13
Chapter Reading
Chapters 1-2
Chapter 3
Chapter 10
Chapter 11 pp. 390-394
Chapter 6
Spring Break
Flexible Budgets, Direct-Cost Variances, and Management
Control
Capital Budgeting and Cost Analysis
Chapter 21
Apr 10
Exam 3: Chapters 6-7-21
Inventory Costing & Capacity Analysis
Chapter 9
Apr 17
Cost Allocation; Joint Products and By Products
Chapter 16
Apr 24
Balanced Scorecard
Chapter 17
May 1
Exam 4: Chapters 9-16-19
Mar 20
Mar 27
Apr 3
Chapter 7