13 Jan Use Internet to research

Module 1 discussion

Managerial vs. Financial Accounting

Let us explore the differences between financial and managerial accounting. Financial accounting is rule-oriented, since the information is used to communicate with third parties. Managerial accounting, on the other hand, is for internal use. Anything goes as long as the information is a valuable tool for decision-making purposes, and the benefit of the information exceeds the cost of accumulating and analyzing it.

References:

Accounting for Management. (n.d.). Difference Between Financial and Managerial Accounting.

Principlesofaccounting.com. (n.d.). Chapter 17 Multiple Choice Questions.

Required:

Below are some questions for discussion.

How is the purpose of managerial accounting different from financial accounting?

Are more accountants involved in the financial or managerial function today?

Comment on the use of a variable costing approach vs. absorption income statement. Describe the differences in the presentation and use of each type of income statement.

How is the concept of “cost of goods sold” different from “contribution margin”?

Explain the contribution margin concept/computation and when to use the information.

Choose one or two topics for further investigation and share your knowledge with the class. Provide factual information (not merely opinions) backed up by current news, examples, or other interesting details. Your comments should be in your own words and include references in APA format, if applicable.

Presence during both weeks of the module and a minimum of three postings are required, one original posting and two responses to colleagues. Minimum required participation does not guarantee a perfect score.

Module 2 discussion

Modern Managerial Accounting Techniques

Managerial accounting is changing rapidly as a result of technology and new types of enterprises. Below is an article that states the opposite (Talha et al, 2010).

How can we reconcile the two statements? What is a managerial accounting model? Read the article and comment on some aspect of the discussion in an attempt to shed some light on this topic. What are your thoughts at this juncture?

Talha, et al. (2010). A New Look at Management Accounting. The Journal of Applied Business Research. Volume 26, Number 4, July/August 2012.

It is not necessary to discuss every question or comment mentioned above. Choose one or two relevant aspects for further investigation and share your knowledge with the class. Try to add information not previously discussed by others. Please, provide factual information (not merely opinions) backed up by details or examples. Your comments should be in your own words and Include references in APA format.

Module 3 discussion

Transfer Pricing

Transfer pricing is an important topic from multiple perspectives. It is a global issue affecting taxation, financial results, performance evaluations, and managerial motivation. Ratios are based on the underlying financial information. Transfer pricing is a topic in itself, but it also affects popular financial measures such as EVA (economic value added).

References:

Hiemann, M. and Reichelstein, R. The Dual Role of Transfer Prices in Multinational Firms: Divisional Performance Measurement and Tax Optimization. The European Financial Review. http://www.europeanfinancialreview.com/?p=5741

PWC. (2012). Transfer Pricing. Retrieved from http://www.pwc.com/gx/en/tax/transfer-pricing

Slideshare. (2011). Global Management Accounting. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/costmgmt/issues-in-global-management-accounting-transfer-pricing

Value Based Management.net. (n.d.). Economic Value Added (EVA). Retrieved from http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_eva.html

Required:

In this module, we’ll emphasize transfer pricing issues and responsibility centers. Comment on the importance of these issues, how they are related, and why they are very important in the business environment.

Above find some resources for some of these topics that you can use as a starting point. The links are not meant to provide any particular viewpoint but are a mix of resources viewed both from an accounting and a business perspective.

Choose one or two topics for further investigation and share your knowledge with the class. Provide factual information (not merely opinions) backed up by current news, examples, or other interesting details. Your comments should be in your own words and include references in APA format, if applicable.

Presence during both weeks of the module and a minimum of three postings are required, one original posting and two responses to colleagues. Minimum required participation does not guarantee a perfect score.

Module 4 discussion

Management Approaches

Corporate citizenship, lean manufacturing, TQM, activity based management, benchmarking, and Goldratt’s Theory of Constrains are concepts used by many corporations to streamline operations, meet demands of stakeholders, and ultimately to improve profitability.

Required:

Use Internet to research at least one of the above concepts. How are these relevant to managerial accounting? Please be specific and provide an example or a corporate story as an illustration in your original posting.

Presence during both weeks of the module and a minimum of three postings are required, one original posting and two responses to colleagues. Minimum required participation does not guarantee a perfect score.

Module 4 reflective discussion

Managerial Accounting Is an Interdisciplinary Topic

You have worked your way through four managerial-accounting-related Cases and a Session Long Project. Provide three specific examples about how you would use your new skills in your current position or a possible future position.