MBA 505: Managerial Accounting

Course Syllabus
MBA 505: Managerial Accounting
Syllabus Overview
This syllabus contains all relevant information about the course: its objectives and outcomes,
the grading criteria, the texts and other materials of instruction, and weekly topics, outcomes,
assignments, and due dates.
Consider this your roadmap for the course. Please read through the syllabus carefully and ask
questions if you would like anything clarified. Please print a copy of this syllabus for reference.

Course Description
3 Credits
Prerequisites: MBA501: Strategic Leadership and Management
MBA502: Applied Quantitative Methods for Business
Managerial Accounting at the graduate level offers real world tools for decision making within
the context of organizational strategy. Effective tools are linked with management concepts
such as strategic position analysis, value chain analyses, and affects on decisions of how a
business competes in the marketplace. Both financial and non-financial information is
integrated for better strategic, organizational and operational decisions.
The course objective is to offer todays managers effective tools to use comparatively when
considering alternative strategies and making decisions. This is the insiders perspective to
keeping an entity competitive. Traditional cost behavior concepts, cost-volume-profit (CVP)
analysis, and product costing are updated with real world examples and decision cases. New
measures for relevant costs and reflective performance reports are prepared with reporting
alternatives by segment, with transfer pricing and ending with an overall balanced scorecard.
In this era of global competition, continuous improvement, process reengineering and employee
empowerment, decision makers at all levels within the organization can benefit from special
tools. Ethical dilemmas within the context of measurement and decision situations also receive
extensive coverage. This experience will provide valuable references for comparative decision
making on multiple levels, well into the future of your organization.

Course Outcomes
At the completion of this course, students should be able to:
Apply their accounting knowledge to solve real business problems.
Make informed critical business decisions using financial and non-financial tools.
Reasonably estimate and pick out relevant costs and benefits for decision making.
Use cost behavior, volume and activity analysis to impact planning.
Analyze and contrast traditional job costing, variable and process product costing.
2010 New England College of Business and Finance

Page 1 of 9

MBA 505: Managerial Accounting

Compare make-or-buy decision strategies including an assessment of outsourcing.
Apply activity based costing (ABC) and activity based management topics including
customer profitability analysis.
Critique current trends toward lean production and lean accounting for just-in-time
inventory management, service department costs, target costing, continuous
improvement and benchmarking.
Make an operational budget with variance analysis for a revenue center.
Bring together the combination of events at multiple levels, which produce profits.
Apply the meaning of ethics and ethical behavior.
Be sensitized to the ethical behavior expected at different levels of operations
throughout the organization by current changes in private expectations by CPA firms,
public and governmental standards boards and International Financial organizations
Bloom level: Application, Analysis, Evaluation

Faculty Information
Faculty information can be found in the Getting Started section of your course, under the title of
Meet Your Professor.

Materials and Resources

Required or Supplemental Text or Resources:
Required Text:
Hartgraves, Morse and Davis. Managerial Accounting. 5th Edition, 2009.
ISBN: 193431918X
Alternative Text or Resources:
Study guides and additional workbooks are optional but are not required.
Helpful Background Resources:
Note to the Student: How to Study and Discuss Cases by Robert F. Bruner, Darden Graduate
School of Business Administration. 2008. International Journal of Entrepreneurship Education,
Vol. 6, pp.191-198.
Learn the basics of spreadsheet modeling on a computer. This will speed up your work as well
as extending the reach of your knowledge. A convenient lesson in using a pivot table to
compare customer data, in grouping data by date, and the consolidation command is described
and shown in Microsoft Excel by Bill Jelen in Year-Over-Year Analysis using Excel. Strategic
Finance, Jan. 2010, Vol. 91, Issue 7, pp. 54-55.
Library Services:
Detailed information about online and on-ground library services can be found in the Getting
Started section of the course, or at www.necb.edu.

2010 New England College of Business and Finance

Page 2 of 9

MBA 505: Managerial Accounting

Bookstore Information:
Students can order books directly from the NECB Bookstore online. Just log on to
www.necbbookstore.com and fill out the appropriate information. If your company pays for your
textbooks, NECBs bookstore can directly invoice your company if it has a purchase order or
file. Call NECBs bookstore at 1-800-876-4636 for more details.
Additional contact information:
Phone:
1-800-876-4636
Fax:
1-585-254-0152
Mail:
NECB Bookstore, 844 Dewey Avenue, Rochester, NY 14613
Email:
orders@necbbookstore.com
Help Desk and Technical Questions:
If you experience problems accessing your course, downloading content items, or posting
discussion threads, your first troubleshooting resource is the Technical Services Help Desk.
There are 3 ways to contact them:
Using the Student Support Request Form at http://www.necb.edu/support_epic.asp
By email at support@necb.edu
By phone at 1-800-997-1673
Additional Epic support and resources, including the Student Support Request Form
(generates a ticket # to track your resolution) and Student Reference Guides, are available on
our website: http://www.necb.edu/support_epic.asp.
Be sure to notify your professor of any technical difficulties you are experiencing since it may be
impacting other students as well.

Student Orientation Tutorial:

It is essential that you know how to navigate the online teaching and learning environment. If
you have not yet taken the Epic orientation tutorial, it is essential that you do so before getting
started with the course. It will be of great help to you.

2010 New England College of Business and Finance

Page 3 of 9

MBA 505: Managerial Accounting

Week by Week Schedule

Week 1

Outcomes

Introduction and Overview

Understand the role of management accounting tools, and their use for
making decisions within an organization.
Identify the major differences and similarities between financial and
managerial accounting.
Understand the basic concepts underlying cost behaviors, activity
analysis, cost estimations and CVP analysis.
Prepare and interpret a cost-volume-profit (CVP) graph.
Use the contribution margin ratio (CM ratio) to compute changes in
contribution margin and net operating income resulting from changes
in sales volume.
Show the effects on contribution margin of changes in variable costs,
fixed costs, selling price, and volume.
Compute the break-even point.
Bloom Level: Application, Synthesis

Readings

Text Chapters 1, 2 and half of 3

The Gatekeepers Tools by Hurtt, David; Robinson, Michael; Stuebs, Martin.
Strategic Finance, Jan 2010, Vol 91, Issue 7, p.37-43.
Spread the Gospel by Charles Tiley. Financial Management, Apr.2010, p.48
Careful attention should be paid to the Business Insight boxes and Managerial
Decision boxes within each chapter.

Discussion

Our discussions will emphasize different tools that may be more effective for
financial assessment and decision making at different levels and units of an
organization. We will also discuss the ethical standards we all have to believe
are in place, for an organization to function and be profitable.
Bloom Level: Application

Assignments

First case assigned: Financial Misrepresentation

Exercises
Bloom level: Evaluation

Week 2

Relevant Costs and their Behaviors and Ethical Considerations

Outcomes

Record the flow of materials, labor, and overhead through a process

costing system.
Distinguish between product costs and period costs and give examples
of each.
Identify and give examples of each of the three basic manufacturing
cost categories.
Assess the differences between variable costs and fixed costs.
Assess the differences between direct and indirect costs.
Apply cost classifications used in making decisions: differential costs,
opportunity costs, and sunk costs.
Distinguish between process costing and job-order costing and identify
companies that would use each costing method.

2010 New England College of Business and Finance

Page 4 of 9

MBA 505: Managerial Accounting

Use T-accounts to show the flow of costs in a job-order costing system.

Readings

Text: Chapters 3 (finish), 4 & 5

The Management of Accounting Numbers: case study evidence from the
crash of an airline by Jorissen, Ann; Otley, David. Accounting and Business
Research, 2010, Vol40, Issue 1, p.3-38, 36p

Discussion

Discuss cost behaviors, their influence and ethical considerations

Mini case
Bloom level: Synthesis

Assignments

First Case is due Saturday by mid-night. Please use APA style to reference
all resources used.
Exercises
Bloom level: Evaluation

Week 3

Methods of Product Costing and Activity Based Management

Outcomes

Explain how changes in activity affect contribution margin and net

operating income.
Compute predetermined overhead rates and explain why estimated
overhead costs (rather than actual overhead costs) are used in the
costing process.
Compute the break-even point for a multiple product company and
explain the effects of shifts in the sales mix on contribution margin and
the break-even point.
Bloom level: Application, synthesis, evaluation

Readings

Text: Chapters 6 and 7.

Outwest Products Inc. A financial modeling and decision analysis case by
Danvers, et al. Journal of Accounting Education, March 2009, Vol 27, #1, P
40-57

Discussion

Discussion of financial modeling and ramifications

Mini case
Bloom level: Synthesis

Assignments

First part of the second case is due Saturday by mid-night. Students build a
comprehensive financial model supporting planning and decision-making.
Part 1 is a team oriented Excel project constructing a baseline model.
Bloom level: Evaluation

Week 4

Price, Product, and Budget Decisions for Profitability

Outcomes

Determine the level of sales needed to achieve a desired target profit.

Compute the margin of safety and explain its significance.
Compute the degree of operating leverage at a particular level of sales
and explain how the degree of operating leverage can be used to
predict changes in net operating income.
Explain why organizations budget and the processes they use to
create budgets.
Prepare a sales budget, including a schedule of expected cash
collections.
Prepare a production budget.

2010 New England College of Business and Finance

Page 5 of 9

MBA 505: Managerial Accounting

Prepare a direct materials budget, including a schedule of expected
cash disbursements for purchases of materials.
Prepare a cash budget.
Prepare a budgeted income and cash flow statement.
Prepare a budgeted balance sheet.
Bloom level: Application

Readings

Text: Chapters 8 and 9

OutWest Products, Inc: A financial modeling and decision analysis case by
Danvers, Kreag; Brown, Charles, A.. Journal of Accounting Education, March
2009, Vol.27, Issue: Number 1, p.40-57, 18 p.

Discussion

Discuss use of budgeting variables and implications in decision making

Bloom level: Synthesis

Assignments

Second part of the second case may be done individually or as a team. It is

due Saturday by mid-night. Students begin sensitivity analysis and decision
making extensions incorporating managerial and cost concepts of CVP,
accounting income vs cash flow, and benchmarking analysis

Week 5

Reporting, Transfer Pricing and the Balanced Scorecard

Outcomes

What is Evidence based decision-making?

Determine the level of sales needed to achieve a desired target profit.
Compute the margin of safety and explain its significance.
Compute the degree of operating leverage at a particular level of sales
and explain how the degree of operating leverage can be used to
predict changes in net operating income.
Bloom level: Application, Synthesis

Readings

Text: Chapters 10, 11 and Appendix A

Discussion

Discuss various aspect of decision making, evidence and implications

Bloom level: Application, synthesis

Assignments

Exercise, Problems and Mini-Case #2 will be due Saturday by mid-night.

Final Exam is open book, open notes, open mind due Sunday by mid-night.
An excellent review includes revisiting the Mid-Chapter and End of Chapter
Reviews within your text. These help to recall and apply the managerial
accounting techniques and concepts covered in the text.
Bloom level: Evaluation

2010 New England College of Business and Finance

Page 6 of 9

MBA 505: Managerial Accounting

Grading and Evaluation

Your grades will reflect the way in which you present and support your topics and positions in
the various learning activities used in this course. The grades will be based on the quality and
quantity of your comments and responses in the various activities.
The various graded activities are weighted as follows:
Course Element

% of Grade

Exercises

11

Discussions

14

Mini Cases

33

Case 1

11

Case 2

17

Exams

14

Total

100%

Please refer to the rubrics provided in the course for specific grading criteria.
The final course grading criteria is described in the table below.
Letter Grade

Grade %

Description

94 100%

A-

90 93%

Very Good to Excellent. Comprehensive

knowledge and understanding of the
subject matter.

B+

87 89%

83 86%

B-

80 82%

C+

77 79%

73 76%

C-

70 72%

60 69%

Below 60%

Good. Moderately broad knowledge and

understanding of the subject matter.

Satisfactory. Reasonable knowledge and

understanding of the subject matter.

Marginal. Minimum knowledge and

understanding of subject matter.
Failing. Unacceptable level of knowledge
and understanding of subject matter.

Make-Up Exams or Assignments

To be determined by the instructor on a one-to-one basis.
All Assignments are due on time and the Mid Term and Final Exams must be completed during
the stated exam period. There will be NO exceptions.

2010 New England College of Business and Finance

Page 7 of 9

MBA 505: Managerial Accounting

Reasonable Accommodations Policy Individuals with Disabilities

NECB does not discriminate against individuals on the basis of physical or mental disability and
is fully committed to providing reasonable accommodations, including appropriate auxiliary aids
and services, to qualified individuals with a disability, unless providing such accommodations
would result in an undue burden or fundamentally alter the nature of the relevant program,
benefit, or service provided by NECB. To request an auxiliary aid or service please contact the
VP for Academic Affairs at NECB, 10 High Street, Boston, MA 02110
Individuals requesting an auxiliary aid or service will need to complete an Application for
Auxiliary Aid. To enable NECB to timely provide an auxiliary aid or service, NECB requests that
individuals complete and submit the Application for Auxiliary Aid six weeks before the first day of
classes, or as soon as practicable. Disagreements regarding an appropriate auxiliary aid and
alleged violations of this policy may be raised pursuant to NECBs grievance procedures.

Course Policies and Procedures

Learner Success Guidelines
These policies and guidelines will help you complete this course more successfully:
Participate in the class introduction activity on the first day of class.
Submit ALL assignments and take the Mid Term and the Final Exam by the posted due
dates and times.
Check your emails daily.
Put your first and last name and your course number (i.e., Joan Brown, ENG101), on
each of the emails you send to your Professor and/or other NECB staff.
Participate fully in all threaded discussions.
Contact the help desk by email (preferable) at support@necb.edu for resolutions to your
technology problems.
Contact your Professor (by telephone or by email) if you have questions about an
assignment or need additional help completing your work successfully.
Academic dishonesty is grounds for dismissal from the program.
Student Attendance
It is strongly recommended that students post class introductions the first day of class. In line
with the Colleges Add/Drop Policy, it is required that students post attendance (log into the
class and introduce themselves) within the first three days of the term. Students who are
registered for a course must officially withdraw from the course within the first three days of the
Term if they do not plan on continuing in the course. Registered students are not automatically
withdrawn from any course. Students who withdraw from the course after the third day
(Wednesday) will be subject to partial to full tuition charges as outlined in the Colleges
Withdrawal Policy. NECBs add/drop and withdrawal policies can be reviewed on NECBs
website in the Academic Catalog or Student Handbook.
Additional Expectations
Students will be expected to meet all the deadlines of the class as indicated throughout the
course and in the syllabus. This is primarily so we don't get behind in the course. In addition,
discussions cannot overlap from one unit to the next. This is to ensure that all discussions and
submissions take place within the week they are scheduled in order to be of value to the entire

2010 New England College of Business and Finance

Page 8 of 9

MBA 505: Managerial Accounting

class as well as to help you not get behind. If there are extenuating circumstances, you will
need to communicate that to the professor and make arrangement accordingly, if appropriate.
Asynchronous and Synchronous Work
All required work for the course may be done asynchronously; i.e., students can login to the
course, read/download materials, post to the Discussions, and submit assignments throughout
the course week. Please carefully follow syllabus and the weekly checklists to help manage
your time throughout the course week; once we enter week 2 or 3, students typically become
much more comfortable with the pace and flow of the course.
Feedback
You can expect frequent and consistent feedback from your instructor.
Academic Honesty & Student Integrity
Academic honesty and student integrity are of fundamental importance at NECB and we want
students to understand this clearly at the start of the term. As stated in the NECB Rights and
Responsibilities handbook, Every member of the NECB Community is expected to maintain the
highest standards of academic honesty. A student shall not receive credit for work that is not
the product of the students own effort. A student's name on any written exercise constitutes a
statement that the work is the result of the student's own thought and study, stated in the
students own words, and produced without the assistance of others, except in quotes, footnotes
or references with appropriate acknowledgement of the source." In particular, students must be
aware that material (including ideas, phrases, sentences, etc.) taken from the Internet and other
sources MUST be appropriately cited if quoted, and footnoted in any written work turned in for
this, or any, NECB class. Also, students will not be allowed to collaborate on work except by
the specific permission of the instructor. Failure to cite resources properly may result in a
referral being made to the Office of Student Development and Judicial Education. The outcome
of this action may involve academic and disciplinary sanctions, which could include (but are not
limited to) such penalties as receiving no credit for the assignment in question, receiving no
credit for the related course or suspension or dismissal from NECB.
Further information regarding academic integrity may be found in the NECB Academic Catalog
and the NECB Student Handbook. You should read these publications, which all can be
accessed from the NECB Web site, www.necb.edu. A student who is in doubt about standards
of academic honesty (regarding plagiarism, multiple submissions of written work,
unacknowledged or unauthorized collaborative effort, false citation or false data) should consult
either the course instructor or other academic staff of NECB.
Articles and full-text documents accessed through various online library databases may be
copyrighted. The distribution of published materials without prior permission of the publisher is
strictly prohibited.
Caveat
The above schedule, content, and procedures in this course are subject to change in the subject
field, changes in the knowledge base or other unforeseen circumstances.

2010 New England College of Business and Finance

Page 9 of 9