ACCOUNTING 1020
DECISION MAKING WITH ACCOUNTING
Spring 2014
Course Description:
Preparations and Uses of accounting information for making business decisions, which include study
of cost behavior, master and flexible budgets, elementary capital budgeting, basic cost accumulation
systems, relevant costs identification, cost control, and performance evaluation.
Course Learning Objectives:
A list of summarized learning objectives is provided below. A student who successfully completes
this course will be able to:
1. Be able to identify and categorize variable and fixed costs in order to prepare a contribution
margin income statement.
2. Separate fixed and variable components of a mixed cost using the high-low method.
3. Prepare a master budget for a merchandising company, including the sales budget, purchases
budget, selling & administrative budget, cash budget, proforma income statement, and
proforma balance sheet.
4. Evaluate simple investment decisions for investment centers using capital budgeting
techniques, including net present value, internal rate of return, and payback period.
5. Identify relevant costs and know how to use them to make managerial decisions, including
special order decisions, outsourcing decisions, and segment elimination decisions.
6. Be familiar with the basic management control tools, including flexible budget, variances,
and responsibility accounting, and understand how to use these tools to promote goal
congruence.
7. Become proficient in using Microsoft Excel to meet objectives above.
8. Apply the IMA Standards of Ethical Conduct to various situations.
Prerequisites: Accounting 1010 AND Economics 1030; honors tutorial students are exempted from
these prerequisites. If you do not meet these specific requirements, you shall be dropped from this
course at approximately mid-quarter. An audit of all COB enrollments is made to verify that students
do meet the prerequisites. If you have any questions about your eligibility, please make sure of your
status as quickly as possible.
Note on Calculator use: You may NOT use any programmable calculator or cell phone calculator
during an exam. Doing so will be considered an act of academic dishonesty.
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Text:
Decision Making with Accounting: ISBN# 9781121600997 (customized textbook, only available
on campus bookstores)
With selected materials from the following two books:
Introduction to Managerial Accounting, Sixth Edition, by Brewer, Garrison, and Noreen. 2013
Fundamental Managerial Accounting Concepts, Sixth Edition, by Edmonds, Tsay, and Olds, 2011.
NOTE: When you purchase a new textbook from the bookstore you will receive an access code for
Connect, your online homework program. This code will give you access to Connect AND the Ebook. If you choose not to purchase a new customized textbook from the bookstore, you must
purchase an access code for Connect separately (this can be done on the McGraw-Hill website).
Grading:
Exam #1
Exam #2
Exam #3
Comprehensive Final Exam
CONNECT Homework
Excel Assignments
Instructor Designated Points
Total possible points
60
60
60
120
75
55
30
460
Note 1: See below for more details on each grading component.
Note 2: Each instructor may individually determine the allocation of the Instructor Designated Points
(i.e., for attendance, additional homework, quizzes, etc.).
Extra Credit:
There is NO extra credit in this course under any circumstances. So, please do not talk to your
instructor for any requests.
Grades:
Final grades for this course will generally be based on the following scale:
A: 92% - 100%
C: 72% - 77%
A-: 90% - 91%
C-: 70% - 71%
B+: 88% - 89%
D+: 68% - 69%
B: 82% - 87%
D: 62% - 67%
B-: 80% - 81%
D-: 60% - 61%
C+: 78% - 79%
F: 59% and below
Exams:
Exams dates and times are listed on the course calendar. The final exam is comprehensive. There
will be no make-up exams. Students may reschedule an exam for valid, documented reasons that are
cleared with the instructor before the exam. In case of an emergency, notify your instructor as soon
as possible. If you are ill enough to miss an exam, you should obtain a note from your doctor that
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states the date/place/time that you sought medical help. Any unexcused missed exam or quiz will
result in a zero (0) for that exam or quiz.
You should bring to each exam: a photo identification, a NON-PROGRAMABLE calculator, and
pencils.
Connect Homework:
You are required to complete weekly homework on-line through McGraw-Hill CONNECT
Homework web site. The due date for each homework assignment is listed on the course
calendar, and the due time is 11 pm.
For each homework, you are allowed two attempts. The highest score of the two attempts will be
counted. Connect also has ungraded practice problems and practice exams set up for you to work as
extra practice. The ungraded practice problems are very similar to the homework problems. You
have unlimited attempts for practice problems and you are encouraged to use these problems to help
you master the topics and to study for exams. These ungraded practice problems and practice exams
do not affect your grade.
If you purchased a new textbook from the bookstore, access code to this website is provided with
your textbook. DO NOT LOSE THE ACCESS CARD THAT IS PACKAGED WITH YOUR
TEXTBOOK. If you do not purchase a new textbook from the bookstore, you must purchase a
Connect access code online. Instructions for purchasing an access code will be provided in class.
Each ACCT 1020 instructor has a separate Connect site for his/her class and you must register AT
YOUR INSTRUCTOR’S SITE. The web address of your instructor’s site is listed below.
Professor Bagwell:
http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/class/bagwell_spring_2014
Professor Hire:
http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/class/hire_spring_2014
Professor Lin:
http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/class/lin_sp_2014
Professor Senteney:
http://connect.mcgraw-hill.com/class/senteney_spring_2014
NOTE: Connect sites CHANGE EACH SEMESTER. DO NOT REGISTER AT A SITE
THAT WAS USED AT PREVIOUS SEMESTER, AS IT IS NO LONGER VALID FOR THIS
SEMESTER. If you are re-taking this class, you must RE-REGISTER for Connect this semester.
The registration you used from a previous semester CANNOT be used again for this semester.
You will work more than 75 points of Connect homework problems. Therefore, your grade
will be prorated and equal to your total Homework points earned from the Connect website
divided by the total points available, times 75.
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EXCEL Assignments:
You are also required to complete several assignments using Microsoft EXCEL. Excel assignments
and other helpful resources, such as instructional videos of the Excel Assignments, are posted on the
Excel Assignment Website.
Excel Assignment Website: www.acct1020.com
ACCESS TO THIS WEBSITE IS MANDATORY. Registration for this website is $10.00. You can
pay through your PayPal account (if you have one) or by using a credit card. Detailed instructions
will be provided in class.
To prevent any unauthorized hacking, you will need to answer a security question before you can
register for the website. The security question is “What is OU’s Mascot?” And, the answer, of
course, is bobcat.
Warning: Each student must purchase his/her own access to the website. Excel assignments are
specially coded for each individual student to prevent academic dishonesty.
You must download the Excel Assignment and Template from www.acct1020.com. Moreover, you
must use this semester’s Excel Templates. Prior semester’s Excel Templates will NOT be accepted.
All of these Excel projects are open book. These assignments are designed to assure that you have a
mastery of the underlying dynamic relationships among the variables so as to develop a more
complete understanding of the topics. There are instructional videos on www.acct1020.com to
demonstrate how to complete each assignment set-by-step. The Excel assignments will cover the
following topics:
Excel #1: Contribution Margin Income Statement (INDIVIDUAL)
Excel #2: High-Low Method (INDIVIDUAL)
Excel #3: Comprehensive Master Budget (GROUP) – see below
Excel #4: Capital Budgeting (INDIVIDUAL)
Excel #5: Segment Elimination Decision (INDIVIDUAL)
Excel #6: Responsibility Accounting: ROI vs. RI (INDIVIDUAL)
Excel assignments #1, #5, and #6 are worth 5 points each, Excel #2 and #4 are worth 10 points,
and the Comprehensive Budgeting Project (Excel #3) will count for 20 points.
Except Excel 3 assignment, all the other assignments are INDIVIDUAL projects and it would be
considered academic dishonesty to solicit or otherwise engage the help of any other student (see
below for consequences of academic dishonesty) or instructor other than your own. The third
project is a comprehensive master budgeting project, which will be completed as a GROUP.
Rules regarding the completion of the Excel Assignments:
1) You MUST use the Excel Templates provided on www.acct1020.com for this semester.
2) You MUST download the Excel Templates using YOUR account from www.acct1020.com.
Each template is individually coded to prevent academic dishonesty. Any student found
using the template from another student’s account will receive an automatic zero on the
assignment and be subject to further penalties for academic dishonesty. In addition, any
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student allowing another student to use his/her account from www.acct1020.com will also
receive a zero on the assignment.
You MUST sign the academic honesty pledge or you will lose points per your instructor’s
discretion.
You MUST use formulas and links whenever possible. If you simply type in your solutions
rather than use formulas (in ANY part of the assignment), you will receive a ZERO – NO
EXCEPTIONS.
You MUST submit your Excel files per your instructor’s request. Failure to submit your
Excel file correctly according to your instructor’s request will result in points lost per your
instructor’s discretion. Please note that each instructor may have his/her own required
method of turning in the assignment!
To receive credit, your instructor must RECEIVE your assignment by the due date (no later
than 11pm without exception).
NOTE 1 on Excel Assignment Rules: These rules are followed for EVERY assignment
WITHOUT EXCEPTION. Please make sure you READ and UNDERSTAND the rules before
submitting any Excel assignment. If you have questions as to what a particular rule means, please
ASK your instructor BEFORE the due date of the assignment. Students that do NOT follow the
rules COMPLETELY will receive point deduction on the assignment. Following directions is an
important skill to master before entering the workforce and we expect you to begin learning how to
follow directions in this class. You will be reminded of the rules on EVERY Excel
assignment…please make sure you follow them.
NOTE 2 on Excel Assignment Rules: Internet malfunction and/or website being down is not a
valid excuse for not submitting Excel assignments by their assigned due date/time. In most cases
you are given several days to complete the assignments… Do NOT wait until the last minute to
complete these assignments.
RECOMMENDATION ON EXCEL ASSIGNMENTS:
Make sure that you SAVE your Excel file either on your personal computer or on a flash drive if you
are using a public computer in a computer lab, after you have completed the assignment. Also, if you
are a Mac user, make sure you use Microsoft Excel to complete your assignments. Your instructor
will use a grading software and ONLY files in the format with the file extension of .xls or .xlsx can
be graded.
We recommend that before you submit the file, check it to make sure that all rules have been
followed (i.e., signing the Honesty Pledge, and no numbers typed in any cells).
If your instructor has you e-mail Excel Assignments that you also e-mail the assignment to yourself.
You are responsible for assuring that you have sent the file to the correct e-mail address of your
instructor. When you receive it, make sure that you can open the file.
By the way, do not assume that you can choose how to send the Excel file to your instructor. Your
instructor will tell you how he/she will accept it. If you do not know, do not guess…ASK. Only
those assignments that have been received by your instructor in the manner they require as of the due
date will be graded, or you will lose points. For the Excel 3 group project, make sure that someone in
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the group actually sends the file to your instructor. If your instructor does not receive this group
assignment by the due date all members of the group will receive a zero.
My instructor’s name is: _________________________
She/He requires my Excel assignments to be turned in: _____________________________
Comprehensive Master Budget Project (Excel Assignment #3):
You are required to complete a group project on a master budget. Each group will consist of not less
than two members. The process for selecting the group will be determined by your instructor. This
assignment is NOT an INDIVIDUAL assignment – it MUST be completed as a group. This is
an open book project and cooperative learning within your group is encouraged. However, seeking
answers from individuals outside your specific group is not allowed for this project.
Check figures for each budget will be provided to help determine if you have an error. These check
figures will be available on www.acct1020.com.
Your instructor cannot help you find the solution to the comprehensive budgeting problem.
NOTE on Excel #3 – You MUST use formulas AND links wherever possible in this assignment. If
you do not use formulas and links wherever possible (and we WILL be checking) you WILL receive
a serious point deduction on the assignment.
Attendance:
Attendance is the scholarly obligation of every student. You are expected to attend class every day
without exception. Your instructor may have his/her own attendance policy. Please check with your
instructor about the details.
Due Dates:
Due dates for all assignments are listed in the course calendar (distributed the first day of class; the
course calendar may also be downloaded from the ACCT 1020 website). Late homework is not
accepted under any circumstance, even in the event of an illness or university excused absence.
Your course calendar provides several days between the assignment being assigned and due. You
are responsible for keeping up with due dates.
Academic Dishonesty:
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated in any aspect of the course and will result in a course
grade of F. All matters of academic dishonesty, whether they are related to an exam or homework
assignment will be forwarded to the OU University Judiciaries. Please refer to your student Code of
Conduct for the definition of academic misconduct (http://www.ohio.edu/communitystandards/academic/students.cfm).
Advice: a few points on an exam or homework assignment is nothing compared to having to explain
an F to a future employer. Don’t do it.
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Cell Phones/Smart Phones:
All cell phones must be turned off during class. Students who are identified as texting, web surfing,
or otherwise using their cell phones in class will be asked to leave and will receive a 5 point
deduction on their final grade point total. Similarly, if your cell phone rings during class you will
similarly be excused from class and have 5 points deducted from your final grade point total. If you
need to have your cell phone on during class you must receive permission prior to class and all
students will be informed of this situation. Having a cell phone visible during an exam will
constitute academic dishonesty and will result in an automatic failing grade for the quarter.
Other Matters:
In the case of conflicts on class assignment due dates, tests, or other requirements of this class with
observation of a religious holiday, intercollegiate sports, or other important events (as deemed
appropriate by your instructor), you must notify the instructor a minimum of two weeks in advance
so that alternate plans/arrangements may be made. Such advance arrangements will ensure that you
are afforded equal opportunity and treatment with your fellow students.
Every reasonable attempt will be made to remove any physical barrier that may hamper the ability of
an individual to learn in this classroom. Anyone who has a physical or learning limitation that
would impact attendance, preparation, participation, or timely completion of assignments should feel
welcome to discuss this limitation with instructor. The College of Business and its faculty are
committed to helping meet your individual needs and to supporting your efforts for a quality
education. If you suspect that you may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability,
you should contact the class instructor privately to discuss your specific needs and provide written
documentation from the Office of Student Accessibility Services. If you are not yet registered as a
student with a disability, you should contact the Office of Student Accessibility Services.
List of Accounting 1020 Instructors:
COURSE COORDINATOR: Ting-Ting Lin, 332 Copeland Hall, 593-2023, lint@ohio.edu
Please contact your individual instructor for his/her office hours.
Bagwell, Jennifer Copeland 632, 597-3049 bagwell@ohio.edu
Gist, Willie Copeland 634, 593-2014 gist@ohio.edu
Hire, Tanya (Chillicothe) 107 Tech Building, 740-591-0127, biblert@ohio.edu
Hoshower, Leon Copeland 409 D, 593-2011 hoshower@ohio.edu
Kirch, Christine Copeland 632, 597-2975 kirchc@ohio.edu
Lin, Ting-Ting,
Copeland 332, 593-2023, lint@ohio.edu
Peng, Grace (Zanesville) Gpeng@zanestate.edu
Sarikas, Zeke
Copeland 628 593-2080, sarikas@ohio.edu
Senteney, Dave Copeland 510, 593-2129 senteney@ohio.edu
Stock, Toby
Copeland 526, 593-2016 stockt@ohio.edu
Yost, Christine Copeland 540, 593-0577 yostc@ohio.edu
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