Solved by verified expert :Week 1
Ethics and Ethical Behavior (graded)
The
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX) has emphasized the importance of ethical
behavior and codes of conduct. Discuss the costs and benefits of the ethical
environment. If a poor ethical environment results in costs to an organization,
what are they? Conversely, what are the benefits of a good ethical environment?
Managerial and Financial Accounting (graded)
Flexibility,
timeliness, and forward looking are said to be the prominent traits of modern
management accounting, whereas standardization and consistency describe
financial accounting. Explain why the focus on these two accounting systems
differs.
Week 2
Job-Order Costing (graded)
The job
cost sheet is used to accumulate the three product costs: direct material,
direct labor, and factory overhead. Discuss the source documents for
determining these amounts (that is, where do we get these numbers, and how we
arrive at the overhead?). Why is overhead the most difficult to assign?
Week 3
Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis (graded)
Based on
your ebook readings and review of both the lecture and Becker content, discuss
the basic assumptions of CVP analysis and how we can use CVP analysis as
managers in making decisions.
Variable Costing and Full Costing (graded)
Discuss
the difference between variable costing and full costing. Why would income
computed under full costing exceed income computed under variable costing if
production exceeds sales?
Week 5
Pricing Techniques (graded)
Compare
target costing and cost-plus pricing. When is each the most appropriate method
to use? Provide an example of each. Why is cost-plus pricing inherently
circular for a manufacturing firm?
Capital Budgeting Techniques (graded)
Suppose a
company has five different capital budgeting projects from which to choose but
has constrained funds and cannot implement all of the projects. Explain why
comparing the projects’ NPVs is better than comparing their IRRs. How is the
IRR determined if there are uneven cash flows? Why does the failure to consider
soft benefits discourage investment?
Week 6
Budgeting (graded)
How does
a company effectively use budgets in the planning and control process? As it is
preparing the budget, what is the difference between the top-down and the
bottom-up approach to development? Which do you think is more commonly used and
why?
Standard Costs and Variance Analysis (graded)
What role
do standard costs play in controlling the operations of a business? How are
standard costs developed for direct materials, direct labor, and manufacturing
overhead? Are there ever costs that we can’t develop standards for related to
manufacturing the goods?
Week 7
Responsibility Centers (graded)
Compare
and contrast the three types of responsibility centers. What is the best way to
evaluate a manager’s performance in each type of center? What is the problem
with using only financial measures of performance?
Financial Statement Analysis (graded)
Why do
managers analyze financial statements? What are they looking for? List three
types of decisions that managers can make by analyzing financial statements.
