ACCT 611: Advanced Issues in Managerial Accounting Master Syllabus
Course Instructor:
Office Number:
Office Hours:
Email:
Course Meeting Times:
Course Website: Canvas
Text and Required Materials
K. A. Merchant & W. A. Van der Stede (2017), Management Control Systems: Performance Measurement, Evaluation and Incentives. Pearson Education Limited, 4th edition. (ISBN-10: 1292-11055-4; ISBN-13: 978-1-292-11055-4)
* Additional readings posted on Canvas.
Technology Requirement
Students should have a video camera and microphone that feed or stream audio and video in real time to or through the internet. This course is asynchronous, but students may need to activate the camera and microphone for class activities such as office hours and group project discussions.
Course Description
This course is designed particularly for those who aspire to be managers, management consultants, financial specialists (e.g. controllers, financial analysts, auditors), or human resource specialists (personnel directors, compensation consultants). It teaches accounting and control issues and mechanisms from a management perspective.
Management control includes everything managers must do to ensure that the organization’s objectives and strategies are carried out effectively. Managers can use a combination of mechanisms to achieve organizational control: (1) personnel controls, i.e., to hire and retain qualified people who can be relied on; (2) cultural controls, i.e., to shape organizational behavioral norms and to encourage mutal monitoring among employees; (3) action control, i.e., to ensure that employees do not harm the organization by their actions; and (4) results control, i.e., managers can achieve organizational control by rewarding employees for generating good results. The course also explores the critical decisions in using accounting-based controls like choice of responsibility structures, performance measures, performance standards, and performance-based incentives.
Learning Objectives
ACCT 611 students will be competent in their discipline and will have the ability to communicate effectively. They will have the ability to apply critical thinking to business applications as well as to make decisions that are sound and ethical. Specifically, upon the successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Explain the structure and the contents of a management control system in an organization, including the technical applications;
- Categorize different types of budgets, performance measurements and incentives;
- Apply the theoretical concepts of behavioural management control to companies in various industries;
- Critically analyze and evaluate, both orally and in written form, the consequences of different management control decisions, including an ethical perspective;
- Provide recommendations, including prioritizing, in formal business reports using an appropriate business style format.
Approach to Learning
The course utilizes a mixture of lectures, assigned readings, class discussions, individual and group case analyses.
Netiquette and other Expectations
First, what you can expect from me as the instructor:
- I will take all your questions, comments, and concerns seriously;
- I will respond promptly to your requests for help (see contact information above).
- I encourage each of you to be both teacher and learner in this course. To that end, I would encourage interactions among all students, especially on the Blackboard Discussion Board.
- I will provide feedback about your assignments within a week of your submission.
Next, what I expect from you:
- Listen and read actively.
- Think critically. Critical thinking, grounded in intellectual integrity, is expected. In other words, seek clarity of meaning and understanding. For example:
- Question ideas, not people.
- Attempt to see things from other perspectives. o Use supporting relevant information.
- Attempt to recognize and assess implication of your ideas.
- Think creatively. Creative thinking is encouraged.
- Brainstorm possibilities.
- Consider how to make the impossible possible.
- Think about how results would change if some conditions change (sensitivity analysis)
- Communicate assertively. A person communicates assertively by not being afraid to speak her or his mind or trying to influence others, but doing so in a way that respects the personal boundaries of others.
Grading Policy
The grading for this course will be based on the following:
| Discussion Board Participation | 15 pts |
| Individual Case Assignment 1 | 10 pts |
| Individual Case Assignment 2 | 10 pts |
| Group Case Project | 30 pts |
| Final Exam | 35 pts |
| Total | 100 pts |
Final grades will be assigned using the plus or minus designation (e.g., A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C, and F). As a general guideline, the following are the cut-off points for the letter grades: A+: top student in class, A: 95%, A-: 92%, B+: 88%, B: 85%, B-: 82%, C: 75%, and F: below 70%. However, the instructor has the right to modify the cut-off points depending on class performance.
Assignment Descriptions
- Discussion Board Participation (15 pts)
Students are expected to participate by responding to the instructor’s questions as well as asking questions and/or commenting on the responses of their classmates on Discussion Board.
Good participation grades, with a maximum total of 15 points, are assigned to students who: (1) are always well prepared; (2) provide thoughtful answers; (3) ask insightful and penetrating questions; and (4) push the discussions to a higher and more sophisticated level.
- Individual Case Assignments (20 pts)
There will be two 10-point homework assignments. Students are required to finish the individual case assignments all by theirselves and submit their work through “SafeAssign”. Due dates and other requirements of these assignments will be posted on Canvas.
- Group Case Project (30 pts)
Students will work in groups of three or four and analyze one group cases (read course schedule for details). The case analysis should be word-processed and written in memo form, as if it were to be presented to the plant manager and should represent a staff managerial accountant’s opinion as to the appropriate treatment of the problem. The memo should include assumptions, conclusions, and other pertinent data and information that the group feel necessary. As a guideline, the case analysis should also include a comprehensive analysis using Excel. The References should be made to the appropriate accounting literature, wherever necessary.
The maximum total grade for Group Case Project is 30 points, with 25 points for the memo and another 5 points for presentation. Grade for the memo will be based on both the answer and rationale for analysis. The form of the memo will also be evaluated, which includes proper style, grammar, spelling and so forth. Group projects also need to be submitted through “SafeAssign”.
Ongoing and substantive participation in the group activities is important to your learning and to the success of your group. To assess the nature and extent of work contributed by each member of a group, group members will complete a Peer Assessment of your groupmate' contributions to the group interactions. Your instructor will also review your posts and interactions in the Canvas or shared Google Documents. Because participation is being evaluated, it is recommended that you use the Collaborate Group Space in Canvas for document sharing and asynchronous group communications. Members of the same case group could receive different grades for case assignments based on their respective peer assessments and collaborate group activity records.
- Final Exam (35 pts)
Final exam will be 4-hour, open-book and covers all chapters students learn in the course. Exam may consist of a combination of case discussions and essay type questions. Both computational and conceptual questions may be tested.
Students are expected to take the final exam during the time specified (see class schedule). If a last minute emergency arises that will prevent a student from taking the take-home final exam, the student must get in touch with the instructor as soon as possible before the exam begins. Students will be required to present documentation in support of their absence. An unapproved absence will result in a zero credit grade on the exam.
Student Responsibilities
Communication: George Mason policy requires faculty to communicate exclusively through the George Mason email system. This means that I can respond to emails from your George Mason account only and cannot respond to emails you send from your personal or work email account. I will answer emails within 24 hours during the work week (Monday through Friday) and 48 hours over the weekend and holidays.
Course Schedule
The schedule for the course is given below. Please note that the schedule may be changed at the discretion of the instructor during the term.
| Date | Lecture Topics | *Readings, #Cases, and Assignments |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Introduction Ch 1: Management and Control Ch 15: Management Control-Related Ethical Issues |
*Read Chs. 1 & 15 # Leo’s Four-Plex Theater # Wong’s Pharmacy Week 1 Discussion Board due |
| Week 2 | Ch 2: Results Controls Ch 3: Action, Personnel and Cultural Controls Ch 4: Control System Tightness |
*Read Chs. 2, 3, &4 # EyeOn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. # Controls at the Bellagio Casino Resort Individual Case Assignment 1 due |
| Week 3 | Ch 5: Control System Costs Ch 6: Designing & Evaluating MCS Supplemental: The Effects of Environmental Uncertainy, Organizational Strategy, and Multinationality on MCS |
*Read Chs. 5 & 6 # Fit Food, Inc. # Family Care Specialists Medical Group, Inc. Week 3 Discussion Board due |
| Week 4 | Ch 7: Financial Responsibility Centers Ch 8: Planning and Budgeting |
*Read Chs. 7 & 8 # Zumwald AG # Multiple Versions of the Plan Individual Case Assignment 2 due |
| Week 5 | Ch 9: Incentive Systems Ch 10: Financial Performance Measures & Their Effects |
*Read Chs. 9 & 10 # Raven Capital, LLC # Las Ferreterías de México, S.A. de C.V. Week 5 Discussion Board due |
| Week 6 | Ch 11: Remedies to the Myopia Problem Ch 12: Using Financial Results Control in the Presence of Uncontrollable Factors |
*Read Chs. 11 & 12 # Catalytic Solutions, Inc. # Olympic Car Wash Week 6 Discussion Board due |
| Week 7 | Ch 13: Corporate Governance & Boards of Directors Ch 14: Controllers & Auditors |
*Read Chs. 13 & 14 # Pacific Sunwear of California, Inc. Week 7 Discussion Board due Group Case Project due |
| Week 8 | Ch 16: Management Control in Not-forprofit Organizations | *Read Ch. 16 *Watch Group Case Presentations Week 8 Discussion Board due 4-hour Open-book Final Exam |
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