COURSE SYLLABUS

School of Management
The University of Texas at Dallas

Course: Managerial Accounting (AIM 6202.56M)

Instructor: Surya Janakiraman
Semester: Summer 2008
Classes meet: Mondays and Wednesdays 5:30 – 8:30 PM
Office hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 4:15 – 5:15 PM

| Course Information | Technical Requirements | Course Access | Communications |

| Student Assessment | Scholastic Dishonesty | Course Evaluation | Course Outline |

Course Information
Course Description

This course provides an introduction to accounting techniques used by managers when

they are faced with planning, directing, controlling and decision-making activities in their
organizations. Accounting information can be used to identify and analyze alternatives and to
guide the manager to a course of action that will yield the greatest benefit to the firm. While the
major emphasis in financial accounting is on the accumulation and presentation of accounting
data to external decision makers, the emphasis in managerial accounting is on the presentation
and analysis of accounting data by internal decision makers.

One of the main objectives of this Managerial Accounting course is to familiarize you
with the requisite technical skills for problem solving; for example, determining unit product
costs, measuring production process costs, budgeting, performance reporting, allocating
resources efficiently within the firm, and maximizing profits while maintaining the ability to meet
long-term goals. As mangers, you will need to identify the relevant information, the appropriate
method for analyzing that information, and the manner in which to communicate your
observations and recommendations to others in the organization. This course is structured in a
manner so that the course contents will help you to develop these skills.

Course Organization

Learning is a complex process. Various aspects of this course have been designed to
help you with the learning process. I am giving below a set of guidelines which may help you to
get the maximum benefit out of this course. Of course, the learning process is highly
individualistic and hence you may want to explore and find out what works for you the best.

(i) Text book: I would strongly encourage you to read the textbook on an
ongoing basis (and not just before a quiz or exam!). This helps you in two ways.
First, this will reinforce the concepts that are discussed in the lectures.
Secondly, it will also help you to get the maximum out of future lectures since
some of the same key concepts tend to repeat over and again in the course. For
each lecture, I have indicated the chapter(s) from the text book that you need to
be familiar with. Please spend at least an hour or two reading the text book
before and after you go through the PowerPoint file for each lecture. PowerPoint
 lectures closely follow the contents in the text book. However, please keep in
mind that the PowerPoint lecture does not cover every aspect discussed in the
book and not everything discussed in the PowerPoint lecture can be found in the
text book. You will be held responsible for everything in the textbook and the
contents of PowerPoint in quizzes and exams.

(ii) Practice Problems: I have provided to you suggested solutions to selected

problems from your textbook for each module. You should try to solve these
problems on your own (i.e. without looking at the suggested solutions first) as
soon as you go through the PowerPoint file and after reading the chapter from
your book. This will really help you to test your understanding of the material
covered in the book and the lecture. It is imperative that you solve the problems
that are identified as “core assignment material” for each of the module. Also, it
is a good idea to try to solve as many problems as possible, in addition to the
problems in the “core assignment material” as this will help you to absorb the
concepts. Just like any mathematics course, the more problems you solve, the
better you are in an accounting course!

(iii) Quiz: You will be taking 1 quiz during the course. The purpose behind the
quiz is to test your basic understanding of the course material. At least 25% of
the quiz questions will be similar to the “core assignment material”. I expect you
to carefully go through the PowerPoint files, read the relevant chapters in the text
and work out as many problems diligently as possible before you sit for the quiz.
All the quiz questions are going to be in “multiple choice” format. They can
involve conceptual thinking or problem solving or both.

(v) Exams: There are two exams in this course; one in the middle of the
semester (roughly after half of the course) and one at the end. The final exam is
not cumulative (However, you should remember that the concepts that you learn
are often cumulative in the sense they may be based on material covered in the
first half of the course). Again, at least 25% of the questions in the exam will be
similar to the core assignment material. The questions in the exam will be either
“True or False”, or “multiple choice” or “structured problems”.

(vi) Practice quizzes: For each module, I have provided you a self-assessment
quiz in WebCT. You should take this quiz after going through the PowerPoint
lecture(s) for the module, the practice problems and the relevant chapters from
the textbook. You will get immediate feedback to these quizzes. However, the
grades you obtain in these quizzes will not affect your course grade. They are
just for your feedback. Quizzes and exams will include a few questions that are
very similar to the practice quiz questions.

Course Pre-requisites

If you are required to take AIM 6201 (Financial accounting) and AIM 6202, then
the preferred sequence is to take 6201 before you take 6202. Even though 6201 is not a
pre-requisite for this course, some exposure to financial accounting is desirable.
Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes for this course

1. To illustrate the use of cost and management accounting concepts to assess challenges and
develop solutions in production and service entities

2. Learn to analyze the accounting systems designed for performance measurement and
appraisal to arrive at optimum solutions.

3. Learn to analyze and evaluate specific aspects and apply the course concepts in a team
mode to a “real world” situation

Instructor Information

Instructor: Surya Janakiraman

Associate Professor of Accounting and Information Management
Office: SM 4.806
Telephone: 972 883 6370
Fax: 972 883 6811
E-mail: Use WebCT mail.

Course Materials

This course requires the following text book:

Introduction to Management Accounting (14th edition)

Authored by Horngren, Sundem and Stratton
Published by Pearson / Prentice Hall

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Course Access and Navigation

This course is developed using a web course tool called WebCT. All the course related
materials will be posted in WebCT. You’ll need to have a UTD NetID and password (your UTD
Unix/Email ID and password) to access the course. If you have not used a UTD NetID account
yet, you can go to http://netid.utdallas.edu to initiate your account shortly before or at the
start of the semester. Your UTD NetID is your WebCT ID to be used to log on to the UTD
WebCT courses. For more information, please check out this NetID FAQs page. The URL for
the course login page is: http://webct.utdallas.edu. You can login to the course whenever you
want. You are required to meet any deadlines for the assignments and exams and also any
schedules for class activities or tasks the course requires. You should login to the course site
regularly to check course updates, discussion board messages and so on.

You’ll access “My WebCT” page after you login. The page listed all the courses you’ve
registered. You can click the course title to access the course Home page which displays
several icon links. Clicking each icon link will take you to different subsidiary pages containing
the course content elements or built-in course tools. Some navigation components such as the
Navigation Bar with Course Menu on the left side, the Menu Bar and the path link on the top and
the Action Menu on the content page can help you navigate within the course site.
To get started with a WebCT course, please see Getting started: Student WebCT Orientation.
For more information about WebCT tool usage, please see the WebCT’s Student Help Index.
Within the course site, you can always click HELP on the WebCT Menu Bar to find information
and answers. You can also check out the Orientation Center to Online Learning and WebCT
provided on WebCT’s web site. For more WebCT information and its learning resources, visit
http://www.webct.com.

If you have any problem with your UTD account or connection to the UTD WebCT server, you
may email to: assist@utdallas.edu or call UTD computer help call center at: 972-883-2911.

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Communications
WebCT built-in communication tools: There are several built-in communication tools to
facilitate learning, communication and collaboration. A course conferencing system, the
Discussion, allows the communications among all course participants. Discussion topics or
groups can be set up for topic discussions and homework assignments. You can use course
Mail tool to communicate privately with instructor and classmates. The Chat tool can be used for
real time communication among course participates. Please see specific information for
accessing Chat tool.

Interaction with Instructor: I will communicate with you mainly using course Discussion
board. You may send personal concerns or questions to me using course Email tool. I will reply
to student emails or Discussion board messages within 3 working days under normal
circumstances.

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Student Assessment
Grading Information

Your course grade will be determined based on the following weights to the quizzes, exams and
assignments:

Component Points
Quiz 1 20
Mid-term exam 40
Final exam 60
Group project 30
Total points 150

Translation of the total point score into a letter grade will be based on the judgment of the
instructor. This translation process will be based on many factors including the student’s
relative performance (with respect to the rest of the students in the class), the consistency of
performance across all the components of assessment (such as quizzes, exams and
assignments), and the standards that are expected in a rigorous master’s program.

Course & Instructor Policy

Any one abstaining from a quiz or an exam without my prior approval will automatically
be given a grade of zero for the missed quiz or exam. Usually, I do not give makeup exam
or entertain any request for additional work to earn extra credit.

Group Assignment

This course includes a group assignment. The group assignment will be posted during week #
3. Each group will submit only one assignment on behalf of all the group members.

You need to form a group of no more than 4 members within the first two weeks of the course.

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Student Conduct & Discipline

The University of Texas System and The University of Texas at Dallas have rules and
regulations for the orderly and efficient conduct of their business. It is the responsibility
of each student and each student organization to be knowledgeable about the rules and
regulations which govern student conduct and activities. General information on student
conduct and discipline is contained in the UTD publication, A to Z Guide, which is
provided to all registered students each academic year.

The University of Texas at Dallas administers student discipline within the procedures of
recognized and established due process. Procedures are defined and described in the
Rules and Regulations, Board of Regents, The University of Texas System, Part 1,
Chapter VI, Section 3, and in Title V, Rules on Student Services and Activities of the
university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures. Copies of these rules and regulations
are available to students in the Office of the Dean of Students, where staff members are
available to assist students in interpreting the rules and regulations (SU 1.602, 972/883-
6391).

A student at the university neither loses the rights nor escapes the responsibilities of
citizenship. He or she is expected to obey federal, state, and local laws as well as the
Regents’ Rules, university regulations, and administrative rules. Students are subject to
discipline for violating the standards of conduct whether such conduct takes place on or
off campus, or whether civil or criminal penalties are also imposed for such conduct.

Academic Integrity

The faculty expects from its students a high level of responsibility and academic
honesty. Because the value of an academic degree depends upon the absolute integrity
of the work done by the student for that degree, it is imperative that a student
demonstrate a high standard of individual honor in his or her scholastic work.
 Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts or omissions
related to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission as
one’s own work or material that is not one’s own. As a general rule, scholastic
dishonesty involves one of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion and/or
falsifying academic records. Students suspected of academic dishonesty are subject to
disciplinary proceedings.

Plagiarism, especially from the web, from portions of papers for other classes, and from
any other source is unacceptable and will be dealt with under the university’s policy on
plagiarism (see general catalog for details). This course will use the resources of
turnitin.com, which searches the web for possible plagiarism and is over 90% effective.

Email Use

The University of Texas at Dallas recognizes the value and efficiency of communication
between faculty/staff and students through electronic mail. At the same time, email
raises some issues concerning security and the identity of each individual in an email
exchange. The university encourages all official student email correspondence be sent
only to a student’s U.T. Dallas email address and that faculty and staff consider email
from students official only if it originates from a UTD student account. This allows the
university to maintain a high degree of confidence in the identity of all individual
corresponding and the security of the transmitted information. UTD furnishes each
student with a free email account that is to be used in all communication with university
personnel. The Department of Information Resources at U.T. Dallas provides a method
for students to have their U.T. Dallas mail forwarded to other accounts.

Withdrawal from Class

The administration of this institution has set deadlines for withdrawal of any college-level
courses. These dates and times are published in that semester's course catalog.
Administration procedures must be followed. It is the student's responsibility to handle
withdrawal requirements from any class. In other words, I cannot drop or withdraw any
student. You must do the proper paperwork to ensure that you will not receive a final
grade of "F" in a course if you choose not to attend the class once you are enrolled.

Student Grievance Procedures

Procedures for student grievances are found in Title V, Rules on Student Services and
Activities, of the university’s Handbook of Operating Procedures.

In attempting to resolve any student grievance regarding grades, evaluations, or other

fulfillments of academic responsibility, it is the obligation of the student first to make a
serious effort to resolve the matter with the instructor, supervisor, administrator, or
committee with whom the grievance originates (hereafter called “the respondent”).
Individual faculty members retain primary responsibility for assigning grades and
evaluations. If the matter cannot be resolved at that level, the grievance must be
submitted in writing to the respondent with a copy of the respondent’s School Dean. If
the matter is not resolved by the written response provided by the respondent, the
student may submit a written appeal to the School Dean. If the grievance is not resolved
by the School Dean’s decision, the student may make a written appeal to the Dean of
Graduate or Undergraduate Education, and the deal will appoint and convene an
 Academic Appeals Panel. The decision of the Academic Appeals Panel is final. The
results of the academic appeals process will be distributed to all involved parties.

Copies of these rules and regulations are available to students in the Office of the Dean
of Students, where staff members are available to assist students in interpreting the
rules and regulations.

Incomplete Grade Policy

As per university policy, incomplete grades will be granted only for work unavoidably
missed at the semester’s end and only if 70% of the course work has been completed.
An incomplete grade must be resolved within eight (8) weeks from the first day of the
subsequent long semester. If the required work to complete the course and to remove
the incomplete grade is not submitted by the specified deadline, the incomplete grade is
changed automatically to a grade of F.

Disability Services

The goal of Disability Services is to provide students with disabilities educational

opportunities equal to those of their non-disabled peers. Disability Services is located in
room 1.610 in the Student Union. Office hours are Monday and Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to
6:30 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday, 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; and Friday, 8:30 a.m. to
5:30 p.m.

The contact information for the Office of Disability Services is:

The University of Texas at Dallas, SU 22
PO Box 830688
Richardson, Texas 75083-0688
(972) 883-2098 (voice or TTY)

Essentially, the law requires that colleges and universities make those reasonable
adjustments necessary to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability. For
example, it may be necessary to remove classroom prohibitions against tape recorders
or animals (in the case of dog guides) for students who are blind. Occasionally an
assignment requirement may be substituted (for example, a research paper versus an
oral presentation for a student who is hearing impaired). Classes enrolled students with
mobility impairments may have to be rescheduled in accessible facilities. The college or
university may need to provide special services such as registration, note-taking, or
mobility assistance.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify his or her professors of the need for such an
accommodation. Disability Services provides students with letters to present to faculty
members to verify that the student has a disability and needs accommodations.
Individuals requiring special accommodation should contact the professor after class or
during office hours.

Religious Holy Days

The University of Texas at Dallas will excuse a student from class or other required
activities for the travel to and observance of a religious holy day for a religion whose
 places of worship are exempt from property tax under Section 11.20, Tax Code, Texas
Code Annotated.

The student is encouraged to notify the instructor or activity sponsor as soon as possible
regarding the absence, preferably in advance of the assignment. The student, so
excused, will be allowed to take the exam or complete the assignment within a
reasonable time after the absence: a period equal to the length of the absence, up to a
maximum of one week. A student who notifies the instructor and completes any missed
exam or assignment may not be penalized for the absence. A student who fails to
complete the exam or assignment within the prescribed period may receive a failing
grade for that exam or assignment.

If a student or an instructor disagrees about the nature of the absence [i.e., for the
purpose of observing a religious holy day] or if there is similar disagreement about
whether the student has been given a reasonable time to complete any missed
assignments or examinations, either the student or the instructor may request a ruling
from the chief executive officer of the institution, or his or her designee. The chief
executive officer or designee must take into account the legislative intent of TEC
51.911(b), and the student and instructor will abide by the decision of the chief executive
officer or designee.

Scholastic Dishonesty
The University has policies and discipline procedures regarding scholastic dishonesty. Detailed
information is available on Scholastic Dishonesty web page. All students are expected to
maintain a high level of responsibility with respect to academic honesty. Students who violate
University rules on scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the
possibility of failure in the course and/or dismissal from the University. Since such dishonesty
harms the individual, all students and the integrity of the University, policies on scholastic
dishonesty will be strictly enforced.

Course Evaluation
As required by UTD academic regulations, every student needs to do an evaluation for each
enrolled course at the end of the semester. An online instructional assessment form will be
made available for your confidential use. Please look for the course evaluation link on the
course Homepage towards the finishing of the course. Your feedback and comments are greatly
appreciated.

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Course Outline/Schedule

WEEK DATES TOPIC/LECTURE READING ASSIGNMENT /

(Relevant page ACTIVITY
numbers are given
in parentheses)

0 July 5 Course Access and Self-

Orientation
1 July 7 Introduction (Module 1A) Chapter 1

Cost behavior (Module 1B) Chapter 2 (42-48)

Chapter 3 (87-92)

CVP analysis (Module 2A – Chapter 2 (49-68)

part I)
1 July 9th CVP analysis (Module 2A – Chapter 2 (49-68)
Part II)

Cost estimation (Module 2B – Chapter 3 (93-109)

part A)

Quiz 1 Covers module 1 &

2A
2 July 14th Cost estimation (Module 2B – Chapter 4
part II)

Cost Management Systems

and activity based costing
(Module 3)

2 July 16th Relevant information analysis Chapter 5 Group project will

(Module 4A) be available on July
Relevant information analysis 16th
(Module 4B) Chapter 6
3 July 21st Mid-term exam covering Chapters 1 - 6 @ 5:30 PM in class
modules 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3,
4A and 4B
3 July 23rd The master budget (Module Chapter 7
5A)
Flexible budget and variance Chapter 8
analysis (Module 5B)
4 July 28th Responsibility accounting Chapter 9
(Module 6A)
Decentralization and
 management accounting Chapter 10
(Module 6B)
4 July 30th Job order costing (Module 7A) Chapter 14
Process costing (module 7B)
5 August Course Review
4th
6 August Group project due
4th by August 5th
6 Final exam covering modules 5 through 7 @ 5:30 PM (check
registrar’s schedule)

Please note that these descriptions and timelines are subject to change at the discretion
of the Professor.

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Core Assignment Material

The suggested solutions for the following problems are provided to you (check the link
“suggested solutions to selected problems”). It is highly recommended that you try to solve
the following problems before you consult the solutions. You can expect at least a few
questions in every quiz or exam will be similar to some of the following problems.

Module Chapter Topic Core assignment material Page # in textbook

1A 1* Managerial Accounting 1A-1; 1B-1 32 - 33
and the business
organization
1B 2 Introduction to cost 2A1; 2-5; 2-9; 2-27 73; 75; 76;
behavior
3 3A1; 3B1; 3.3; 3.4 116; 117; 118
2A 2 Introduction to Cost 2A2; 2A3; 2B2; 2B3; 2- 73 - 86
Volume Relationship 14; 2-17; 2-29; 2-37; 2-
42; 2-46; 2-47; 2-51; 2-
59
2B 3 Measurement of cost 3A2; 3A3; 3-31; 3-35;3- 117 – 123;
behavior 39;3-41; 3-43.
3 4 Cost management systems 4B1; 4B2; 4B4; 4-11;4- 175-187
and activity based costing 12; 4-24; 4-25;
4.42; 4.46; 4.49; 4.53;
4A 5 Relevant information and 5A1 through 5B3; 5-4; 5- 225-239
decision making; 5; 5.28; 5.33; 5.36; 5-37;
Marketing decisions 5.41; 5.48; 5.53; 5.54; 5-
 56
4B 6 Relevant information and 6A1 through 6B6; 6-1; 6- 271-286
decision making: 5; 6-17; 6.29; 6-32; 6.35;
production decisions 6.43; 6-50; 6.51; 6.59;
6.61
5A 7 Master budget 7A1; 7B1: 7-5; 7-6 7-7; 323 – 329
7-8; 7-9; 7.27; 7-28; 7.29;
7.31; 7.33; 7.35; 7.37;
5B 8 Flexible budget and 8A1 through 8B3; 8-7; 8- 365-374
variance analysis 10; 8.25; 8.29; 8.31; 8.35;
8.39; 8.43; 8.45
6A 9 Management control 9A1; 9A2; 9.9; 9.15 411-414
systems and
Responsibility Accounting
6B 10 Management control in 10A1 through 10B4; 10- 455-466
decentralized 1; 10-11; 10-15; 10-16;
organizations 10.27; 10.32; 10.34;
10.38; 10.42; 10.43;
10.47; 10.49;
7A& 14 Job costing and process 14A2; 14 B2; 14-2; 666-675
7B costing systems 14.27; 14.36; 14.45;

*Here is the breakup of problems from chapters 1, 2 and 3 between modules 1 and 2:

Module 1: 1A-1; 1B-1; 2.27; 3A1; 3B1;

Module 2: 2A1 through 2B2; 2.29; 2.49; 2.55; 3A2; 3A3; 3B2; 3B3; 3.31; 3:35; 3.39; 3.43

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