COURSE SYLLABUS

School of Management
The University of Texas at Dallas

Course: AIM 6201 – Financial Accounting

Instructor: Dr. Mark Anderson
Semester: Spring 2006

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

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

Course Information
Course Description

Welcome to AIM 6201 with Dr. Mark Anderson. My objectives in this course are to help you
understand financial reports and learn to use financial statement information. Financial
statements are the windows through which investors and external parties view the performance
and evaluate the financial health of a company. As managers, you need to know how the
results of your business decisions and activities are reflected in the financial statements. You
also need to know how financial statement information is interpreted by investors, creditors and
other external parties.

This is a basic course in financial accounting with two distinguishing features. First, we move at
an accelerated pace and second, we emphasize your role as managers using financial
information. Accounting is an action word and it is learned by doing. So this course is set up to
give you a variety of opportunities to do things. There are six modules. Each module has a
variety of learning activities. Content is delivered through textual presentation, video and
PowerPoint with audio. The other activities are intended to get you more involved.

Self-study exercises and/or problems are given for each learning objective. Working through
these exercises and problems is critical to preparing for the tests that occur at the end of the
third and sixth modules. If you have worked through the exercises and problems carefully and
understand them well, you should do well on the tests. Solutions are available for the
suggested exercises and problems so you can check your work. But avoid the temptation to
read the solutions before you have worked the exercises and problems.

Team assignments that require you to access financial statements of publicly traded companies
are given for each of the first four modules. These assignments are intended to help you read
and understand financial reports prepared by some leading companies. Your final team
assignment (module 6) is a project where you will perform a comprehensive financial analysis of
two competing companies. You should not wait until the last week to do this project. Select
your companies early and work on the project throughout the class.
Instructor Information

You should normally contact me through WebCT e-mail. Here is my other contact information:

e-mail: mark.anderson@utdallas.edu

Office: SM 4.813 Telephone: 972-883-2056 Fax: 972-883-6811

I am typically in my office for consultation from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Monday and Wednesday.

Teaching assistants will also be available to help you throughout the course. They will introduce
themselves and provide you with contact information through the main discussion board.

Course Materials

The required text for this class is:

Financial Accounting: A Business Process Approach

by Reimers (1st Edition), published by Prentice-Hall

The required text for AIM 6202 – Managerial Accounting is:

Introduction to Management Accounting

by Horngren, Sundem and Stratton (13th Edition), published by Prentice-Hall

If you are taking both AIM 6201 and AIM 6202 this semester, you can buy both books for a
package price that is a little more than the cost of one book purchased singly. The ISBN
number for the package is 0-13-238648-8. If you prefer to buy the Reimers book independently,
the ISBN number is 0-13-022266-6. The ISBN number for the Horngren book (AIM 6202)
separately is 0-13-144131-0.

Textbooks and some other bookstore materials can be ordered online through MBS Direct
Virtual Bookstore. They are also available at the UTD Bookstore and Off-Campus Books.

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Important, Time-Sensitive Requirement

Study teams will be formed immediately at the start of the course. To facilitate the process,
the following information, formatted as shown below, must be sent to the instructor
immediately upon logging in to the course via WebCT e-mail.

1. Last Name; First Name; UTD Degree Program and Expected Graduation Semester
2. Collegiate Degree(s) Earned; Year(s) Earned; Name(s) of the Granting Institution(s)
3. Number of Earned Collegiate Semester Hours of Accounting; Where Earned (Institution)
4. Name of Current Employer; Your Position or Title; Months with Employer
5. Short Summary of Prior Business Experience with Most Recent Experience First
6. A Short Statement of Your Career Objectives and How You Expect This Course to Help
7. Times and Days of the Week that You Are Available to Work on this Class
Technical Requirements
Certain minimum technical requirements must be met to enable a successful learning
experience. Technical requirements include:

Hardware
• A Pentium processor or equivalent Mac system; Windows 98/Me/2000/XP or Mac OS
9.x or OS X 10.1.
• Internet access with modem (56.6 minimum) but preferably with other faster
connections.
• 32 MB system Ram; 200 MB free disk space or sufficient storage
• Sound card
• CD-ROM capabilities

Software
• Netscape Navigator 6.2.x (see notes) and 7.0 (4.78, 4.79 and 6.0-6.1 not supported), or
Internet Explorer 5.0 to 6.0 (but 5.5 SP1 not supported), or AOL 7.0 and 8.0. See
browser configuration info below.
• MS Office 97/98 is the minimum standard. (Microsoft software is available at a nominal
cost from UTD Microsoft Program. For more information, visit Global MBA Online
Student Service web page at:
http://som.utdallas.edu/globalmba/gmba_online_services.htm).
• Virus detection/protection software such as McAfee
• “Plug-ins” tools such as current version of RealPlayer/RealOne Player (available at:
http://www.real.com/realone/index.html) and Adobe Acrobat Reader (available at:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)
• A zip file expansion tool such as WinZip or Stuffit Expander (available at:
http://www.download.com).

Web Browser Configuration

For the WebCT courses to work properly, you need one of the WebCT supported
browsers listed above with JavaScript enabled and cookie enabled. It is also important
that you set the cache settings of your browser to verify web documents “Every
Time”. The methods for configuring these settings vary among browsers. Please follow
this web link provided by WebCT to tune-up your browser:http://www.webct.com/tuneup/.

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Course Access and Navigation
This course is developed using a web course tool called WebCT. It is to be delivered entirely
online. You will be notified by email about the course access information at the start of the
course. 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 log in 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 lists all the courses you’re registered
in. 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 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 the UTD computer help call center at: 972-883-2911.
If you encounter any technical difficulties with the course, you can send an email to
gmbasupport@utdallas.edu.

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Communications

WebCT built-in communication tools: There are four built-in communication tools to facilitate
learning, communication and collaboration. A course conferencing system, the Discussion
board, allows communication 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 the instructor and classmates. The Chat tool can be used for real
time communication among course participates. Please see specific information for accessing
Chat tool. Finally there is a Whiteboard tool that allows real-time interaction among course
participants using a graphical interface. The instructor may schedule times to use the Chat
and/or Whiteboard tools for office hours and/or class discussion sessions. Small groups may
also use Chat for group discussions.
Interaction with Instructor: The instructor will communicate with students primarily through the
course Discussion boards. Students may send personal concerns or questions to the instructor
using course Email tool. The instructor will reply to student emails or Discussion board
messages within 2 working days under normal circumstances.
The Discussion boards are information areas where students communicate with each other,
the instructor and teaching assistants. Anytime you would like to ask other students in this
course a question or discuss a particular issue you should use the Discussion boards. Be
sure to visit often (at least twice a week).

NOTE: The instructor anticipates that all students will read the Discussion boards
regularly. Email sent to the instructor asking questions that would more
appropriately be answered in the general discussion area will be returned and the
student will be asked to send the questions to the Discussion board. Only send Email
if you have a private issue, such as a question about your grades. Soft skills that you
should learn in this class include skills in communication and the use of technology to
communicate as a member of a community.

MeetingPlace TeleConference System: UTD maintains a telephone conferencing system from

Latitude Communications. Online instructors can use the system for class teleconference
sessions during the semester. Participants can access a meeting by dialing a “972” area code
number using any touch tone phone and entering a meeting code. If a teleconference is
scheduled during the course, times and access instructions will be posted. A class
teleconference is usually recorded and can be reviewed over the phone after the conference.
Please see TeleConference Guide for general conference participation and review instructions.

While different online programs in the School of Management use the system for class
discussions, conferencing is also available for smaller groups of students for group discussions
or group assignment preparations. If a group wants to reserve a time slot during the workweek
of Monday through Friday, please send an email one week in advance to
gmbasupport@utdallas.edu with course name, student names and email addresses, choice of
date, and start and end times. Once a reservation has been made, students will receive a
confirmation and participation instructions.

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Student Assessment
This course consists of six modules. The first module provides you with an overview of
accounting information and how it is used including a description of the four financial statements
and the concepts and principles underlying the preparation of those financial statements.

The second and third modules take you through the major activities of a business and
demonstrate how information about those business activities is reported in the financial
statements. These activities include the acquisition and use of productive assets, purchase of
and payment for inventory, and sales and collection of cash from customers.

The fourth and fifth modules focus on financial activities. Companies finance their operations by
obtaining money from lenders and shareholders. You will see how financing transactions
involving debt and equity are reported in the financial statements and learn how information
about debt and equity is used to evaluate financial health and flexibility. You will also learn how
companies report investments in stocks and bonds issued by other companies.

The sixth module is aimed at providing you with opportunities to use and interpret financial
statement information. You will prepare a statement of cash flows using information from the
other financial statements. Cash is the lifeblood of a business. Preparing the statement of cash
flows helps you see how cash is generated and used in operating, investing and financing
activities. You will also prepare a financial analysis of two competing companies. This exercise
will use information resources that are publicly available and accessible through the internet.

Managing involves working with other people. Working with other students will help you get
more out of this course and will provide you with valuable experience in online communication
and coordination. For this reason, each of the first four modules has a team assignment
associated with it. The team assignments require you to access information about companies
and their industry peers through the internet. These assignments will give you exposure to
financial statements for a variety of companies. The company analysis project in the sixth
module will also be prepared by your team. A description of the project is provided at the end of
this syllabus.

The textbook provides the basic content for the course. Lecture and PowerPoint presentations
will help guide your study and prepare you for the team assignments. Tests are given at the
end of the third and sixth modules. These tests are based primarily on the text and lecture
material. Working through the suggested exercises and problems from the textbook will help
you prepare for the tests. Preparation of a statement of cash flows (chapter 10) will be a major
part of the second test.

Grading Information

Tests at 25% each 50%

Team assignments for modules 1, 2, 3 and 4 at 5% each 20%
Final team project: Analysis of a Company 20%
Evaluation of participation by other team members in 10%
assignments and project
Total 100%

You can check your grades by accessing the “My Grade” icon on the Student Tools page after
the grade for each assessment task is released.

Group Assignments

Groups will be assigned at the beginning of the class. Please see the Groups icon for group
lists. Each group can also use the group area for file exchanges within the group. Please click
the WebCT Help menu on how to use the features of the group tool. A private discussion forum
will be set up on Discussions board for each group for group communications. One member
from each group should submit each assignment.
Tests

The first test will be administered on-line and will be accessible during the days indicated in the
course schedule. You will download the test in Word format, answer the questions and then
return the test as if you were submitting an assignment. You should download the test and
return it within a three-hour time period.

Here are the instructions for accessing the tests.

1. Go to Tests/Assignments -> then select the test and download the file

To submit the completed test:

1. Select “Upload File”
2. Browse for the desired file
3. Select “Submit Assignment”

The second test will be a proctored exam. Students living close to the UT Dallas campus may
take the exam on the campus at a time and place that will be announced during the course.
Other students will need to take the exam at an approved testing center …

Need information here on proctored exams.

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Scholastic Dishonesty

The University has policies and discipline procedures regarding scholastic dishonesty. Detailed
information is available on the 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 should 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 end of the course. Your feedback and comments are greatly
appreciated.

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Course Outline/Schedule

Module Team Assignment Assignment Test Dates

(Dates) Due
Module 1 Internet Exercises: Disney (IE 1-1 and 1-2, January 18
(1/9 to 1/18) p. 43) and Darden (IE 3-1 thru IE 3-5, p.
122).
Module 2 Internet Exercises: Best Buy (IE 5-1 and 5- January 25
(1/19 to 1/25) 2, pp. 208-209) and Coca Cola (IE6-1
only, p.253).
Module 3 Internet Exercises: Intel (IE 7-1, 7-2 and 7- February 1
(1/26 to 2/1) 3, p. 293).

Test #1 On-line Exam February 2 to 5

(2/2 to 2/5) (online)
Module 4 Internet Exercises: Starbucks (IE 8-2, p. February 15
(2/6 to 2/15) 345) and Hershey Foods (IE 9-1 thru IE 9-
6, pp. 378-379).
Module 5 No assignment. Work on project for
(2/16 to 2/22) module 6.
Module 6 Project – Financial Analysis of Two March 1
(2/23 to 3/1) Competing Companies (description
below).
Test #2 Proctored Exam – Times and locations at March 2 to 4
(3/2 to 3/4) UTD to be announced. Students not living (proctored)
near UTD must make arrangements at an
approved testing site.

Team Assignments

The team assignments for the first four modules are taken from the Internet Exercises included
at the end of each chapter. The directions for getting to the Internet exercise company link
given in each chapter are not quite complete. Go to www.prenhall.com/reimers. Then click on
“Student Resources”. Then, click on “Internet Exercise Company Links” under any chapter. A
direct link is also provided in the modules section of this course. The team assignments are not
intended to take a long time – they are intended to get you reading some financial statements
and talking to each other about them. Answers to the questions should be concise. I don’t like
reading long answers when a short answer is sufficient.
 Final Project – Analysis of Two Competing Companies
Notes:
1. Use “Analysis of Financial Information”, pp. 423-436 as a guide.
2. Annual reports (10Ks) may be obtained at
http://edgarscan.pwcglobal.com/servlets/edgarscan

You may use the Excel versions of the financial statements if they are available.

Questions:

1. For the most recent three years for each company, compute ROE and ROA
and other ratios described in exhibit 11-8, p. 426. You will have to use more
than one annual report to get all of the numbers.

2. Also prepare common-sized income statements (vertical analysis) for the

most recent three years.

3. Make a comparison of the performance and financial health of the two

companies in terms of profitability and risk (liquidity and solvency).

4. Comment on the information found in the cash flow statements for each
company, e.g., what are the primary sources and uses of cash? How stable
are the major sources of cash? What activities consume the preponderance
of the cash?

5. Comment on the business (economic), financial, operating and technological

risk facing the Company.

6. Would you invest your personal or corporate assets in either company? Why
or why not?

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