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Week One
Accounting Principles
·
Define basic accounting concepts, terminology, and transactions.
· Illustrate the accounting cycle.
· Identify the four types of financial statements.
· Describe the impact of the regulatory and compliance environment on accounting.
Course
Assignment
s
1. Readings
· Read the materials listed on the course page on the University of Phoenix student Web site for Week One.
· Read Ch. 1 of Accounting: concepts and applications.
· Read Ch. 2 of Accounting: concepts and applications.
· Read Ch. 3 of Accounting: concepts and applications.
· Read Ch. 4 of Accounting: concepts and applications.
· Read Ch. 5 of Accounting: concepts and applications.
· Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.
2. Discussion Questions
· What accounting issues does the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 address? How do the act’s provisions change the behavior of senior corporate executives and accounting professionals? Do you think this is an effective solution or will it create additional paperwork? Explain.
· What are consequences of a certified public accountant or public accounting organization rendering an opinion based on unethical practices? How does unethical accounting behavior affect the profession? How may managers stop unethical accounting practices in the workplace?
· What are some items that appear on an organization’s balance sheet? How does an organization calculate net income? What statements are useful in explaining how much cash an organization uses or generates during an accounting period? Why?
· What are steps of the accounting cycle? Why is it necessary to make adjusting entries at the end of each accounting period? What would happen if all steps were not completed in a specific period?
3. Individual Assignment: Ethics Article Review
· Resources: Electronic Reserve Readings, Internet
· Locate an article discussing ethics in accounting and financial decision-making.
· Prepare a 350- to 700-word review of your selected article. Use the Electronic Reserve Readings (ERR) for FIN/324, the Internet, or other resources locate an article discussing ethics in accounting and financial decision making. Address the following items in your review:
o
Summarize the article.
o Relate the article to the week’s assigned readings.
o Discuss how the concepts of the article relate and/or apply to your current or former organization.
o Make recommendations for improvement for your organization based on the article.
o Explain the importance of ethics in accounting and financial decision-making.
o Include a description of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and its impact on accounting and financial decision-making.
Format
your paper according to APA standards
Weekly Reminders
Weekly Summaries
Weekly summaries will be required in this course and counted as class participation.
Discussion Questions
Discussion question responses will count towards the class participation requirement.
Only posts in the
Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score.
Participation
All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.
Summary of Week 1 Deliverables
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Individual or Learning Team |
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Due |
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Enter assignment in this column |
Enter Individual or Learning Team in this column |
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Ethics Article |
Individual |
Assignments |
Week Two
Principles Of Financial Statement Preparation
· Prepare financial statements from a trial balance.
· Assess the key relationships between the basic accounting equation and the financial statements.
· Assess the key relationships between the four financial statements.
· Determine the importance of ethics and internal control programs, and describe effective control techniques.
Course Assignments 1. Readings
· Read the materials listed on the course page on the University of Phoenix student Web site for Week Two.
· Read Ch. 2 of Accounting: concepts and applications. (Suggested Reading for Review)
· Read Ch. 14 of Accounting: concepts and applications.
· Read Ch. 17 of Fundamentals of corporate finance.
· Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings. 2. Discussion Questions
· Why are dates on financial statements important? How do primary financial statements—income statement, balance sheet, and cash flow—tie together? What managerial assessments may you make about an organization that has a profit and negative cash flow in the same accounting period?
· Compare and contrast the balance sheet treatment of a car purchased with cash and a car purchased on credit. How is equilibrium of the basic accounting equation maintained in both instances? Clarify why the methods may be treated differently.
· What are some areas that may require internal controls at your organization? How does the Sarbanes-Oxley Act affect the preparation and control of financial statements? Why can’t ethics replace internal controls?
3. Individual Assignment: Assignments from the Readings
· Resource: Accounting Concepts and Applications
· Prepare answers to the following questions and exercises:
o Discussion Questions 5 and 7 (Ch. 1) of Accounting Concepts and Applications
o Practice Exercises 3-1, 3-2, 3-11, 3-12, 3-17—related to 3-11 and 3-12—and 3-19—related to 3-17 (Ch. 3) of Accounting Concepts and Applications
o Exercise 3-34 (Ch. 3) of Accounting Concepts and Applications
o Discussion Questions 7, 9, 15, and 16 (Ch. 4) of Accounting Concepts and Applications
4. Learning Team Assignment: Review of Financial Statements Paper
You are attending a managerial meeting in your publicly held organization to hear a proposal for a possible corporate merger with a competitor. After a brief discussion, the chief financial officer conducts a presentation showing the competitor’s financial statements. Some of your colleagues have little or no financial background. You have decided to further their understanding by conducting a financial comparison of two publicly traded organizations.
· Resources: Electronic Reserve Readings, Week Two readings
· Select two publicly traded organizations.
· Prepare a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper to provide an introductory overview of the financial statements, addressing the following:
o Provide a brief overview of each organization and highlight key information available on each statement, including the following items for each organization:
· What is the organization’s product or service?
· When was the organization established?
· What accounting organization audited its financial statements?
o Identify the financial statements utilized by your selected organizations.
o Define basic accounting concepts, terminology, and transactions discussed in the organization’s financial statements, and list the accounts affected by the transaction. Also, identify financial statements affected by the transaction.
· Format your paper according to APA standards
.
Weekly RemindersWeekly Summaries Weekly summaries will be required in this course and counted as class participation.Discussion Questions Discussion question responses will count towards the class participation requirement.Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score. Participation All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.
Summary of Week 2 Deliverables
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Assignments from the Text |
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Financial Statement Review |
Learning |
Week Three
Financial Statement Analysis
· Analyze financial statements using financial ratio analysis.
· Recognize the impact of variable costs, margins, and profitability.
· Determine fixed and operating costs, and the application of operating leverage.
Course Assignments
5. Readings
· Read the materials listed on the course page on the University of Phoenix student Web site for Week Three.
· Read Ch. 6 of Accounting: concepts and applications.
· Read Ch. 7 of Accounting: concepts and applications.
· Read Ch. 8 of Accounting: concepts and applications.
· Read Ch. 15 of Accounting: concepts and applications.
· Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.
6. Discussion Questions
· What financial information does the current ratio measure? How does the current ratio relate to other liquidity ratios? What financial ratios would you use to determine whether or not an organization meets its commercial bank loan payments? How?
· What are some examples of fixed and variable costs in your workplace? Which costs may have both components? How can this be resolved for analysis purposes?
· What is the definition of operating leverage? How does operating leverage differ in manufacturing, service, merchandising, and e-commerce organizations? How can operating leverage be used to increase an organization’s profitability? How do categories of ratios provide a full picture of an organization’s health?
· How could you assess which organization in an industry was best managed from a financial standpoint? How could you use comparative analysis to perform a three-year trend analysis? If you combined your organization with one in a different industry segment, how could you use comparative analysis to estimate its performance?
7. Individual Assignment: Assignments from the Readings
· Resource: Accounting Concepts and Applications
· Prepare answers to the following exercises:
o Practice Exercise 2-14 (Ch. 2) of Accounting Concepts and Applications
o Exercises 2-25, 2-27—Part 1—2-32, 2-29, and 2-33 (Ch. 2) of Accounting Concepts and Applications
8. Learning Team Assignment: Key Financial Relationships Paper
· Resource: Review of Financial Statements Paper
· Prepare a 1,050- to 1,400-word summary comparing the organizations’ two most recent fiscal years based on the following:
o Discuss the interrelationships noted among data provided by each statement.
o Describe where key components of the basic accounting equation are illustrated in the organization’s financial statements.
o Describe any control techniques or issues discussed in the statements.
· Format your paper according to APA standardsWeekly RemindersWeekly Summaries Weekly summaries will be required in this course and counted as class participation.Discussion Questions Discussion question responses will count towards the class participation requirement.Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score. Participation All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.
Summary of Week 3 Deliverables
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Assignments from the Readings |
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Key Financial Relationships Paper |
Learning Team |
Week Four
Managerial Accounting
· Describe the elements of working capital and the cash conversion cycle.
· Identify various inventory management concepts.
· Examine the concepts of receivables, payables management, and cash management.
· Explain the importance of TVM analysis within an organization.
Course Assignments
9. Readings
· Read the materials listed on the course page on the University of Phoenix student Web site for Week Four.
· Read Ch. 22, Section: “Conceptual Basis of Capital Budgeting” of Accounting: concepts and applications.
· Read Ch. 7 of Accounting: concepts and applications.
· Read Ch. 19 of Fundamentals of corporate finance.
· Read Ch. 20 of Fundamentals of corporate finance.
· Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.
10. Discussion Questions
· Define the purpose of working capital. How does extending credit affect working capital requirements and the cash conversion period? Evaluate consequences of inventory costs on working capital needs and the cash conversion period.
· What costs are associated with inventory? Why is controlling turnover in the inventory important? How can improvements in inventory management affect profitability?
· How can management practices speed receivables collection? Which practices slow this collection? How have recent changes in the banking industry influenced the process?
· How can cash discounts improve collections? What are ramifications if an organization has too much cash on hand? How can marketable securities be appropriate investments in cash management?
· How is a car loan an example of TVM? Under what circumstances should an individual take out a loan versus paying in cash? How have recent zero money down and zero money interest for 12 months offers affected potential cash buyers?
11. Individual Assignment: Assignments from the Readings
· Resource: Accounting Concepts and Applications· Prepare answers to the following questions and exercises:
o Discussion Questions 9-11, 16, and 18 (Ch. 15) of Accounting Concepts and Applications
o Practice Exercise 15-8, 15-12, and 15-14 (Ch. 15) of Accounting Concepts and Applications
o Exercise 15-23 (Ch. 15) of Accounting Concepts and Applications
12. Learning Team Assignment: Final Report and Presentation
The chief executive officer of your organization has asked you to compare the organization you are thinking of acquiring with a competitor. Obtain financial statements for the organization under investigation and its competitor, and perform the following tasks:
· Prepare a 700- to 1,050-word summary comparing the organizations’ two most recent fiscal years, based on the following:
o Profitability ratios
o Management efficiency ratios
o Leverage ratios
· Select and calculate 6-8 financial ratios from your materials for both fiscal years, analyzing the above topics. Additionally, briefly discuss the concept of operating cost. Finally, evaluate annual and year-to-year results to interpret where your takeover target compares to its competition.
· Format your paper according to APA standardsWeekly RemindersWeekly Summaries Weekly summaries will be required in this course and counted as class participation.Discussion Questions Discussion question responses will count towards the class participation requirement.Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score. Participation All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.
Summary of Week 4 Deliverables
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Assignment from the Reading |
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Final Report |
Week Five
Principles of Finance
· Describe the different sources of capital used by organizations.
· Examine the functions of financial markets, intermediaries, and regulatory bodies.
Course Assignments
13. Readings
· Read the materials listed on the course page on the University of Phoenix student Web site for Week Five.
· Read Ch. 5 of Accounting: concepts and applications. (Suggested Reading for Review)
· Read Ch. 2 of Fundamentals of corporate finance.
· Read this week’s Electronic Reserve Readings.
14. Discussion Questions
· What is the difference between stocks and bonds? Which represents more risk to the organization? Why?
· Does an organization receive money when its stock is traded in the secondary market? How does the organization affect its stock price? Why is an organization concerned about its stock price in the secondary market?
· Which intermediary is the primary source of working capital for small business? What obstacles impede it from using other intermediaries? Explain why and how large organizations develop other relationships.
· What are some agencies in the Department of Commerce? What are some tools they use to regulate their industries? Why is it effective to have agencies that focus on specific industries?
15. Individual Assignment: Assignments from the Readings
· Resource: Fundamentals of Corporate Finance, Accounting Concepts and Applications
· Prepare answers to the following problems:
o Quiz Problems 1 and 5 (Ch. 19) of Fundamentals of Corporate Finance
· Prepare answers to the following question:
o Discussion Question 3 (Ch. 22) of Accounting Concepts and Applications
16. Individual Assignment: Final Examination
· Prepare to take a Final Examination.
5. Learning Team Assignment: Investor Profile Paper
· Resource: Mergent Online database
· Select one of the organizations you have analyzed during the course.
· Prepare a 350- to 700-word paper in which you address the following:
o Identify two lenders the organization uses.
o Identify the investment bank the organization uses to issue stock.
o Identify and discuss the role these intermediaries play for the organization.
o Discuss which government entities regulate securities this organization issues.
o Examine the role these entities play for investors.
· Format your paper according to APA standards.
6. Prepare the Learning Team Log.
· Submit
your Learning Team Log.
Weekly RemindersWeekly Summaries Weekly summaries will be required in this course and counted as class participation.
Final Week Requirements
Discussion question responses will be required during the final week of the course.
Only posts in the Main classroom forum will count towards your class participation score. Participation All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4 out of 7 days during the week.
Summary of Week 5 Deliverables
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Assignment from Reading |
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Final Exam |
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Investor Profile Paper |
Learning Team |
