Ashworth College
MA610 Managerial Accounting Discussion
Question 1-1
Discussion Question
1_01
Instructions
Upon completion of the
Required Readings, write a thorough, well-planned narrative answer to the
following discussion question. Rely on your Required Readings and the Lecture
and Research Update for specific information to answer the discussion question,
but turn to your original thoughts when asked to apply, evaluate, analyze, or
synthesize the information. Your Discussion Question responses should be both
grammatically and mechanically correct and formatted in the same fashion as the
questions themselves. If there is a Part A, your response should identify a
Part A, etc. In addition, you must appropriately cite all resources used in
your responses and document them in a bibliography using APA style.
Chapters 2 and 3
introduce you to basic cost behavior, cost-volume relationships, and ways to
measure cost behavior. Based on these readings, perform the following. (25
points) (A 1½-page response is required.)
1.
Complete a solution set for Fundamental Assignment Material -
Exercise 2-A1, "Cost-Volume-Profits and Vending Machines" (p. 66). Be
sure to show or explain how you arrive at each answer.
2.
Complete the Cognitive Exercises 3-25, 3-26, 3-27, and 3-28 (p.
113).
3-25 Mixed Costs
And The Sales Force
Wysocki Company Pays
Its Sales Force A Fixed Salary Plus A 5 Commission On All Sales Explain Why
Sales Force Costs Would Be Considered A Mixed Cost
3-26 Committed
and Discretionary fixed costs in manufacturing
Among the fixed cost
of Howarth company are depreciation and research and development (R&D).
Using these two costs as examples, explain the difference between committed and
discretionary fixed costs.
3-27 Cost Functions
and Decision Making
Why is it important
that decision makers in corporation know the cost function for producing the
companies' products?
3-28 Statistical
Analysis and Cost Functions
What advantages does
using regression analysis have over the visual-fit method for determining costs
functions?
MA610 Managerial Accounting Discussion
Question 1-2
Lesson 1: Managerial
Accounting Basics
a. Complete a solution
set for Fundamental Assignment Material Exercise 3-A1, "Activity
Analysis" only (p. 106).
b. Complete a solution
set for Fundamental Assignment Material Exercise 3-A2, "Division of Mixed
Costs into Variable and Fixed Components" (p. 106).
MA610 Activity 2_06 Activity-Based Costing
Activity 2_06
Instructions
Activity-Based Costing
(ABC) has been developed as a methodology for determining the cost of products
and services. Activity-Based Management (ABM) has been developed as a basis for
the use of financial information for managerial decision-making. This
assignment introduced you to the basic concepts and applications of activity
analysis and ABC. Utilize the knowledge base you gained from the Lecture and
Research Update and your Required Readings to complete this activity.
Research at least two
(2) articles that include a description of a company's design and
implementation of an ABC system. Good sources include Strategic
Finance, Management Accounting Quarterly, and the Journal of Cost Management.
Then prepare a report on
your findings. Your response should include the following.
1. Company Name
2. Company Industry
3. Description of the ABC Application
4. Assessment of the Benefits of the ABC System for
the Company
5. Discussion of the Implementation of an ABC
Project
Your Activity responses
should be both grammatically and mechanically correct and formatted in the same
fashion as the Activity itself. If there is a Part A, your response should
identify a Part A, etc. In addition, you must appropriately cite all resources
used in your response and document them in a bibliography using APA style. (100
points) (A 4-page response is required.)
MA610
Managerial Accounting Discussion Question 3-1
Look at the most recent
Consolidated Statement of Operations for Dell. What were the costs of goods
sold and the selling, administrative, and engineering expenses for the current
year? Refer to the cash flow statement for the current year. How much was the
depreciation and amortization for the current year? Assume that $3 billion of operating
expenses in addition to the depreciation and amortization are all fixed
expenses. Compute the average variable cost of goods sold percentage. Compute
the average contribution margin percentage. What would be the break-even sales
dollars under this scenario? Does this seem reasonable, given the current
operating income reported by the firm?
Cost of Goods--$67,403,00.00
Selling, Administrative, and
Engineering-$18,998,00.00
Depreciation and
Amortization-$6,158,00.00
MA610 Managerial Accounting Discussion
Question 3-2
Lesson 3: Cost
Management Systems – Part II
Go to La-Z-Boy's
website () and click on the "Our Furniture Line" tab.
Then click on the "Recliners" icon. Find and compare the
characteristics (size and movement) and options (types and color of
fabrics) available for the Artie, Atlas, and Baxter recliner models.
In addition, think about how and where these products may be purchased.
a. What type of
costing system do you think would work best for La-Z-Boy in manufacturing
recliners? Give three (3) reasons/rationales for using the type of
system you chose.
b. Do you think
that an activity-based costing system could be used for the
La-Z-Boy recliners? Why or why not?
MA610
Managerial Accounting Activity 4
Part
A
Complete Problem 8-44 (p. 341) on
the Lucerne Chocolate Company. (A 1½-page response is required.)
Part B
Case 8-54 (pp. 346-347) is an
application to assess your ability to work with flexible budgets. This case
provides budgetary information about Hopkins Community Hospital, an outpatient
clinic. This is a good example of the use of a flexible budget for analyzing
performance at a service sector organization. Use the information in the
narrative and the supporting schedules to answer the "Required"
questions. (A 1½-page response is required.)
MA610
Managerial Accounting Discussion Question 5-1
DISCUSSION
QUESTION 5-1
MA610
Managerial Accounting
Lesson 5:
Management Control Systems
Upon
completion of the Required Readings, write a thorough, well-planned narrative
answer to the following discussion question. Rely on your Required Readings and
the Lecture and Research Update for specific information to answer the
discussion question, but turn to your original thoughts when asked to apply,
evaluate, analyze, or synthesize the information. Your Discussion Question
response should be both grammatically and mechanically correct, and formatted
in the same fashion as the question itself. If there is a Part A, your response
should identify a Part A, etc. In addition, you must appropriately cite all
resources used in your responses and document in a bibliography using APA
style.
Discussion
Question 1 (50 points)
Decentralized
operations provide unique challenges for organization-wide management. A key
cost figure for decentralized operations is transfer pricing across divisions.
A transfer price can be based on cost, market-based, variable, or negotiated
prices. Attention to behavioral aspects of managing the organization is
critical to overall performance.
The key
financial measures of performance include return on investment (ROI), residual
income (RI), and economic value added (EVA). Please review the material on performance
metrics on pages 393-403, including the discussion of invested capital, asset
allocation to division, and gross versus net value of assets to prepare for the
discussion questions. See the "Summary Problems for Your Review" on
page 404 of the text for an example of ROI and EVA analyses with a solution
set. Then complete Problem 10-43 on page 425 for these three financial
measures. (A 2-page response is required.)
MA610 Managerial Accounting Discussion
Question 5-2
Lesson 5: Management
Control Systems
Discussion Question 2
(50 points)
Complete Problem 10-41
(p. 424). (50 points) (A 1-page response is required.)
MA610 Managerial Accounting Activity 6
Lesson 6: Managerial
Decision Making
Activity 6: Pricing
& Costing (100 points)
Part A : For this
activity, you need to complete Problems 5-56 (pp. 218) and 5-57 (pp. 218).
First, however, you need to perform the following before completing the
problems. (A 1-page answer is required.)
Part B: Complete text Problems 5-59 (pp. 219), 6-32 (pp. 252), and
6-56 (p. 261). Show all computations. (A 2-page response is required.)
MA610 Managerial Accounting Stand-Alone
Project - Mercedes-Benz
MA610 Stand-Alone
Project Case Study in Managerial Accounting
Stand-Alone Project:
Case Study in Managerial Accounting (250 points)
You should begin
working on the Stand-Alone Project early in the course. Each assignment
provides a benchmark for completing the Stand-Alone Project in a timely manner
while working through the course. You will find this information in the
"Stand-Alone Project Benchmark" section of each assignment.
Your Stand-Alone
Project responses should be both grammatically and mechanically correct and
formatted in the same fashion as the project itself. If there is a Part A, your
response should identify a Part A, etc. In addition, you must appropriately
cite all resources used in your response and document them in a bibliography
using APA style.
Each assignment in
this course focuses on a different concept in managerial accounting. These
concepts apply whether a firm is involved in manufacturing, merchandising, or
service, as well as non-profit organizations. The purpose of this project is to
help you understand the use and application of the concepts covered in the
course. You are being asked to study an actual firm and to report on its use of
the concepts covered in this course. (250 points) (A 20-page response is
required.)
|
Part A |
Select a firm that is publicly
traded. This ensures you can access the needed data and information from
published financial disclosures and articles found in various business
journals such as Strategic Finance, Management Accounting Quarterly,
etc. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note: For large firms, you may
want to study only a segment of the firm. If so, ensure that you break down
company data for the segment chosen. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Provide the following background
information on the firm you selected. (25 points) |
|
|
|
1. |
Firm Name |
|
|
2. |
Description of the Industry in
Which the Firm Operates |
|
|
3. |
Type of Business or Segment of the
Firm (manufacturing, merchandising, service, or non-profit organization) |
|
|
4. |
General Description of the Firm's
Operations, Organization, Products, and Markets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note: The rest of the report will
deal with the concepts covered in this course. Following are concepts that
should be discussed in your report. Although some discussion relating to each
concept is expected, please feel free to place a greater emphasis on topics
of special interest to you. You may also want to place an emphasis on an area
of weakness that may result in corrective action by the firm. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Conversely, for your benefit, you
may want to explore in depth a topic in which the firm has a real strength.
Your study may find areas in which the firm needs improvement. A
"no" answer for many of the questions would indicate a weakness in
the firm's systems. In those instances, you should make recommendations.
Provide complete details of the recommendations that you make, including why
the recommendation is being made and the benefits to be gained. Each of the
following components of your report requires a minimum of two (2) pages. This
allows flexibility for you to emphasize your areas of specific interest. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Part B |
Cost Behavior and
Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) (Lesson #1): Assess your firm's use of these tools.
(45 points) |
|
|
|
1. |
Does the firm break down their
costs by behavior? |
|
|
2. |
Do they determine their break-even
point? |
|
|
3. |
Do they use these concepts in the decision-making
process? Do you have any recommendations to make? |
|
|
|
|
|
Part C |
ABC, Job Order, and Process
Costing and Cost Allocations (Lesson #2): Describe the cost system used by
your firm. (45 points) |
|
|
|
1. |
If your firm is not using ABC costing,
do you think that it is a good candidate to do so? Why or why not? |
|
|
2. |
Do you have any recommendations to
make? |
|
|
|
|
|
Part D |
Budgeting and Variance Analysis
(Lesson #4): Describe the budgeting process used by your firm. (45 points) |
|
|
|
1. |
Does the process follow the
responsibility concept? |
|
|
2. |
Can you ascertain how employees
view the process? |
|
|
3. |
Is a flexible budget concept used?
Do you have any recommendations to make? |
|
|
|
|
|
Part E |
Cost, Profit, and Investment
Center (Lesson #5) (45 points) |
|
|
|
1. |
Is decision making centralized or
decentralized? |
|
|
2. |
How is performance evaluated? |
|
|
3. |
Does the firm follow the
decision-making and evaluation concepts covered in this course? |
|
|
4. |
Does the firm use a balanced
scorecard? |
|
|
5. |
Do you have any recommendations to
make? |
|
|
|
|
|
Part F |
Decision-Making Policies (Lesson
#6): You were given a number of examples showing how relevant financial
information was used in decision making. Review the firm's policies regarding
these decisions. (45 points) |
|
|
|
1. |
Does it follow the concepts
covered in this course? |
|
|
2. |
Do you have any recommendations to
make? |
MA610
Stand-Alone Project Case Study in Managerial Accounting
Instructions
Stand-Alone Project: Case Study in Managerial
Accounting (250 points)
You should begin working on the
Stand-Alone Project early in the course. Each assignment provides a
benchmark for completing the Stand-Alone Project in a timely manner while
working through the course. You will find this information in the
"Stand-Alone Project Benchmark" section of each assignment.
Your Stand-Alone Project responses should be
both grammatically and mechanically correct and formatted in the same fashion
as the project itself. If there is a Part A, your response should identify a
Part A, etc. In addition, you must appropriately cite all resources used in
your response and document them in a bibliography using APA style.
Each assignment in this course focuses on a
different concept in managerial accounting. These concepts apply whether a firm
is involved in manufacturing, merchandising, or service, as well as non-profit
organizations. The purpose of this project is to help you understand the use
and application of the concepts covered in the course. You are being asked to
study an actual firm and to report on its use of the concepts covered in this
course. (250 points) (A 20-page response is required.)
|
Part A |
Select a firm that is publicly traded. This ensures you can
access the needed data and information from published financial disclosures
and articles found in various business journals such as Strategic
Finance, Management Accounting Quarterly, etc. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note: For large firms, you may want to study only a segment of
the firm. If so, ensure that you break down company data for the segment
chosen. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Provide the following background information on the firm you
selected. (25 points) |
|
|
|
1. |
Firm Name |
|
|
2. |
Description of the Industry in Which the Firm Operates |
|
|
3. |
Type of Business or Segment of the Firm (manufacturing,
merchandising, service, or non-profit organization) |
|
|
4. |
General Description of the Firm's Operations, Organization,
Products, and Markets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note: The rest of the report will deal with the concepts covered
in this course. Following are concepts that should be discussed in your
report. Although some discussion relating to each concept is expected, please
feel free to place a greater emphasis on topics of special interest to you.
You may also want to place an emphasis on an area of weakness that may result
in corrective action by the firm. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Conversely, for your benefit, you may want to explore in depth a
topic in which the firm has a real strength. Your study may find areas in
which the firm needs improvement. A "no" answer for many of the
questions would indicate a weakness in the firm's systems. In those
instances, you should make recommendations. Provide complete details of the
recommendations that you make, including why the recommendation is being made
and the benefits to be gained. Each of the following components of your
report requires a minimum of two (2) pages. This allows flexibility for you
to emphasize your areas of specific interest. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Part B |
Cost Behavior and Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) (Lesson #1): Assess
your firm's use of these tools. (45 points) |
|
|
|
1. |
Does the firm break down their costs by behavior? |
|
|
2. |
Do they determine their break-even point? |
|
|
3. |
Do they use these concepts in the decision-making process? Do
you have any recommendations to make? |
|
|
|
|
|
Part C |
ABC, Job Order, and Process Costing and Cost Allocations (Lesson
#2): Describe the cost system used by your firm. (45 points) |
|
|
|
1. |
If your firm is not using ABC costing, do you think that it is a
good candidate to do so? Why or why not? |
|
|
2. |
Do you have any recommendations to make? |
|
|
|
|
|
Part D |
Budgeting and Variance Analysis (Lesson #4): Describe the
budgeting process used by your firm. (45 points) |
|
|
|
1. |
Does the process follow the responsibility concept? |
|
|
2. |
Can you ascertain how employees view the process? |
|
|
3. |
Is a flexible budget concept used? Do you have any
recommendations to make? |
|
|
|
|
|
Part E |
Cost, Profit, and Investment Center (Lesson #5) (45 points) |
|
|
|
1. |
Is decision making centralized or decentralized? |
|
|
2. |
How is performance evaluated? |
|
|
3. |
Does the firm follow the decision-making and evaluation concepts
covered in this course? |
|
|
4. |
Does the firm use a balanced scorecard? |
|
|
5. |
Do you have any recommendations to make? |
|
|
|
|
|
Part F |
Decision-Making Policies (Lesson #6): You were given a number of
examples showing how relevant financial information was used in decision
making. Review the firm's policies regarding these decisions. (45 points) |
|
|
|
1. |
Does it follow the concepts covered in this course? |
|
|
2. |
Do you have any recommendations to make?
|
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