Condominium Townhouse Investment

This accounting case involves the evaluation of various alternatives based on a real‐life personal property investment. The Condominium Townhouse Investment (CTI) case uses introductory management accounting concepts and analyses to introduce students to the case method of learning. The main concepts reinforced are relevant costs and revenues, including differentiating between opportunity and sunk costs. Students are not only asked to define and identify these items, but to consider choices centered on the decision alternatives in their role as accountants in public practice. This case is especially valuable because it offers students the chance to become engaged in an analysis and decision‐making situation that they can relate to both personally and professionally because, one day, they themselves are likely to become involved in a home ownership decision. The case focuses on real estate as a personal business investment, and requires both qualitative and quantitative analysis, with more emphasis on the qualitative aspect. In addition, the teaching notes include methods and strategies for students to use in an introductory managerial accounting class or level‐1 MBA class.     

Two Classroom Simulations in Financial Risk Management and Insurance

ABSTRACT: Few classroom experiences provide as much educational value as a simulation exercise. A properly structured simulation provides students with the motivation to learn, the opportunity to explore strategies in an environment conducive to experimentation, and the immediate instructional benefit of watching their decisions affect the outcome of the collective simulation experience. This article describes the procedure and relative success of two classroom simulations for students in introductory and intermediate risk management and insurance courses. The first simulation replicates the risk management function of futures contracts through the use of hypothetical traders in the corn market with different risk management needs. The corn futures trading simulation achieves several goals for an introductory course in risk management and insurance: (1) students learn the importance of capital market risk management mechanisms; (2) students understand the transfer of risk among hedgers and speculators; and (3) students receive exposure to the concept that risk management is both possible and necessary for both speculative and pure risks. The second simulation mimics the operation of the market for homeowners insurance. By dividing students into consumer groups and insurer groups, participants experience the effect of chance events and insurance purchase decisions on their wealth. Small groups of upper‐level students act as insurers, and must price, package, and sell their product with a limited amount of surplus. Introductory students serve as consumers with limited resources who must survey the market and decide what product to buy and from whom. The competitive element and relatively unregulated market provide students with the incentive to innovate in a market for a common type of insurance and also demonstrates the need for some amount of insurance regulation. These simulations supply a simple way to enhance students' understanding of important basic concepts in a format that provides a welcome break from the traditional lecture format.     

Quantifying the advantage of secondary mathematics study for accounting and finance undergraduates

We examine the role that secondary mathematics plays in the performance of students in introductory business courses. Students who pass more advanced secondary mathematics subjects perform significantly better in introductory business courses. This ‘mathematics effect’ is significantly stronger than the effect of other business‐related secondary subjects, such as economics or accounting. Our findings also confirm previous studies showing that secondary accounting is beneficial for studying first‐year tertiary accounting. Interestingly though, we find that studying secondary economics can detract from a student's introductory tertiary results in some courses. Our findings have implications for educators and administrators as well as current secondary students.     

Implications of student‐generated screencasts on final examination performance

While educational technologies can play a vital role in students’ active participation in introductory accounting subjects, learning outcome implications are less clear. We believe this is the first accounting education study examining the implications of student‐generated screencast assignments. We find benefits in developing the graduate attributes of communication, creativity and multimedia skills, consistent with calls by the profession. Additionally, we find improvement in final examination performance related to the assignment topic, notably in lower performing students. The screencast assignment was optional, and the findings suggest a tailored approach to assignment design related to students’ developmental needs is appropriate.     

The Bakery: a cross-functional case study for introductory managerial accounting

This instructional case is designed to achieve four educational objectives: (1) to give students a more complete appreciation of the importance of considering accounting information along with marketing and economics-related information, avoiding a myopic focus on accounting data, (2) to give students practice in pricing, cost volume profit analysis (CVP) and outsourcing decisions, (3) to help students learn to build spreadsheets that are capable of what-if analysis, and (4) to provide an active learning experience that engages introductory accounting students. The Bakery is a non-profit organization whose primary function is to sell baked goods and beverages to students in a large campus residence hall complex. In completing the case, students utilize information provided about the costs and previous pricing structure of The Bakery, along with information they collect about competitors' product offerings, prices, and accompanying services, and their own knowledge of The Bakery's customers, college students and their parents, as a basis for making pricing decisions. Once they have completed the pricing analysis, students use the resulting variable costing income statement to perform CVP and to analyze a decision to potentially outsource The Bakery's operations.     

Bach Music Inc.: Impact of Price Pressure,Capacity Constraints,and a Special Order on Management Decision Making

This case has been developed for an introductory management accounting course at the undergraduate and MBA levels. Although the setting is relatively simple, it illustrates several management accounting issues that are relevant to firms of every size that produce a product or service under competitive pressures and capacity constraints. The case also integrates several topics that are often viewed as abstract by the students. Specifically, it deals with the concepts around cost‐volume profit analysis in a realistic environment, the tension between short‐term and long‐term decisions, discounted cash flow analysis, the impact of managerial incentives and compensation on decision making and the impact of operating leverage on profitability. The case was used successfully several times in an introductory course at the MBA level. Surveys of the students reveal that the case has contributed significantly to their learning and has clarified the concepts introduced in the case.     

Using an historical account book as a teaching tool

Historical account books from the 18th and 19th centuries are valuable historical documents reflecting the activities of individuals many years ago and shedding light on the way they lived. Such books can be used to teach accounting. From our experience, these books serve to motivate students to learn about the basic aspects of the accounting process. Students are curious about how a book of this nature was prepared, what specific purposes it served, and how it is similar to and different from modern account books. Using these books can also foster interdisciplinary instruction, i.e. accounting and history. Both subject areas relate to an account book. Attempting to explain and understand transactions requires some knowledge of the history of the period in which the book was prepared. In this study, specifics are given on the instructional approach we recommend. While a book of this kind can be used in different ways and degrees in a variety of accounting courses including introductory financial, intermediate, and advanced at the undergraduate and graduate levels, we focus in this case study on its use in introductory financial accounting.     

CAP Forum on E‐Business: Assurance Reporting for XML‐Based Information Services: XARL (Extensible Assurance Reporting Language)*

Extensible business reporting language (XBRL) is an XML‐based method for financial reporting. XBRL was developed to provide users with an efficient and effective means of preparing and exchanging financial information over the Internet. However, like other unprotected data coded in XML, XBRL (document) files (henceforth “documents") are vulnerable to threats against their integrity. Anyone can easily create and manipulate an XBRL document without authorization. In addition, business and financial information in XBRL can be misinterpreted, or used without the organization's consent or knowledge. Extensible assurance reporting language (XARL) was developed by Boritz and No (2003) to enable assurance providers to report on the integrity of XBRL documents distributed over the Internet. Providing assurance on XBRL documents using XARL could help users and companies reduce the uncertainty about the integrity of those documents and provide users with trustworthy information that they could place warranted reliance upon. A limitation of the initial conception of XARL was its tight linkage with the XBRL document and the comparatively primitive approach to codifying the XARL taxonomy. In this paper, we have reconceptualized the idea of XARL as a stand‐alone service for providing assurance on potentially any XML‐based information being shared over the Internet. While our illustrative application in this paper continues to be XBRL‐coded financial information, the code that underlies this version of XARL is a significant revision of our earlier implementation of XARL, is compatible with the latest version of XBRL, and moves XARL into the Web services arena.     

Rosalind Enterprises: A mini-case for ensuring student mastery of cost behavior concepts in short-term decisions

Cost behavior and its use in decision making is a fundamental part of all cost and managerial accounting courses. Yet, our experience is that students often accept treatment of differential costs and revenues, and the related emphasis on contribution margin, based on faith rather than understanding. In many cases, even after solving problems considering fixed costs as irrelevant, they still express a great deal of intellectual conflict and doubts. Statements like: “If the company only considers variable costs, how is it going to cover its fixed costs and make a profit?” and “All products should be made to bear their fair share of all costs” are far from rare occurrences. Such statements reflect a less-than-thorough grasp of the uses and limitations of some key cost concepts and their use in decision making. This is a worrisome state of affairs because as managers, students will mostly see unit costs that lump together variable and fixed costs. Even when given a breakdown of costs by behavior, the information still may not be in a form needed to facilitate effective decision making. The aim of this case is to deepen student understanding of the uses and limitations of unit cost data that include averaged or allocated fixed costs. The case, which is best used as an introductory exercise to the topic area, focuses on a two-product situation where the profitability of both products is affected by changes with respect to one product. The accompanying teaching note shows how different types of questions asked by students can be used as the basis for an exciting and fruitful class discussion. While textbooks are full of problems like this case, their accompanying solutions in manuals typically do not go beyond the provision of the correct computations. Given this background, the contribution of this case is not in the presentation of a novel situation or problem. Rather, it is in showing how the discussion process of a typical, simple end-of-chapter problem can be structured to actively involve the students through layers of complexity to solidify their understanding of some key concepts.     

Out-West Products, Inc.: A financial modeling and decision analysis case

The Out-West Products, Inc. instructional case requires students to build a comprehensive financial model to support planning and decision-making. Part 1 of this team-oriented Excel project requires students to construct a baseline model, while Part 2 provides sensitivity analysis and decision-making extensions. The case incorporates cost-volume-profit, accounting income versus cash flow, and benchmarking analyses. Case objectives provide students with a realistic financial modeling experience that includes: building models; linking data across financial statements; testing solutions and analyzing scenarios; and improving critical thinking skills. These objectives closely align to the AICPA Core Competency Framework for Entry into the Accounting Profession. The case can be used in introductory and upper-division managerial accounting, upper-division cost accounting, and MBA managerial accounting courses, and can be modularized to achieve instructor-specific objectives.     

IFRS within the Multi‐GAAP Canadian Reality: A Teaching and Learning Imperative for Intermediate Financial Accounting

Intermediate accounting instructors need to be engaged in the specific complexities and challenges of the new international financial reporting standards (IFRS) reality within the Canadian multi‐GAAP environment. Intermediate accounting courses are directly affected because they represent substantive coverage of the corporate reporting environment. In this article I make the case that these courses should primarily reflect IFRS standards in order to entrench IFRS competencies in students who wish to pursue a professional designation, to prepare students for the global environment, and to concentrate IFRS expertise issues in a robust instructor group. The competency maps of each of the three Canadian professional accounting bodies clearly reflect IFRS. Students can analyze the implications of major areas of policy differences between IFRS and private enterprise GAAP (PEGAAP) through specific targeted course coverage, but also through active learning elements, particularly research elements. This commentary reflects some of the active debate occurring regarding postsecondary curriculum as Canada adapts to IFRS and PEGAAP, and encourages action.     

Kill a brand, keep a customer

Most brands don't make much money. Year after year, businesses generate 80% to 90% of their profits from less than 20% of their brands. Yet most companies tend to ignore loss-making brands, unaware of the hidden costs they incur. That's because executives believe it's easy to erase a brand; they have only to stop investing in it, they assume, and it will die a natural death. But they're wrong. When companies drop brands clumsily, they antagonize loyal customers: Research shows that seven times out of eight, when firms merge two brands, the market share of the new brand never reaches the combined share of the two original ones. It doesn't have to be that way. Smart companies use a four-step process to kill brands methodically. First, CEOs make the case for rationalization by getting groups of senior executives to conduct joint audits of the brand portfolio. These audits make the need to prune brands apparent throughout the organization. In the next stage, executives need to decide how many brands will be retained, which they do either by setting broad parameters that all brands must meet or by identifying the brands they need in order to cater to all the customer segments in their markets. Third, executives must dispose of the brands they've decided to drop, deciding in each case whether it is appropriate to merge, sell, milk, or just eliminate the brand outright. Finally, it's critical that executives invest the resources they've freed to grow the brands they've retained. Done right, dropping brands will result in a company poised for new growth from the source where it's likely to be found--its profitable brands.     

Preparer versus user introductory sequence: the impact on performance in Intermediate Accounting I

The normal subject matter in the first semester of a traditional introductory accounting course closely parallels the content in Intermediate Accounting I. Because research shows that student performance in college accounting courses is influenced by prerequisite courses, one would expect that those who take a user-approach introductory sequence will not perform as well in later courses. The research reported in this paper compares the performance of students in a traditional Intermediate Accounting I course who took either a preparer-or-user approach introductory sequence. Of the 150 accounting majors in the sample, 53 (97) took a user-approach (preparer-approach) introductory sequence. Of the 97 preparer-approach students, 47 (50) were four-year (transfer) students. The results are consistent with prior research and indicate that SAT scores and student effort are significant for each of the individual tests and for the overall average in course examinations. Gender is not consistent a factor in performance, which also supports prior research. The data indicate that students who took a preparer-approach sequence did not score higher in Intermediate Accounting I and that entry status is not a factor in this performance. This finding leads to the question of whether or not a user-approach would better service those students in our introductory accounting courses who are not accounting majors.     

Sustainability Northwest: An Integrative Case of a Not‐for‐Profit Organization

Sustainability Northwest (SNW) is a fictional not‐for‐profit organization (NPO) that seeks to develop thought leaders for a sustainable future. This instructional case allows professors to assign students with up to six different roles, including SNW's chair of the board, executive director, volunteer treasurer, and the external auditor. Unique learning objectives include (i) the application of the CPA Canada Handbook, Accounting—Part III to prepare an NPO's financial statements using fund accounting, (ii) the development of recommendations to improve an NPO's board of directors, (iii) the analysis of system flow documents to identify control weaknesses, and (iv) the preparation of an audit planning memo. Instructors can use this case in several milieus. First, professors can foster a student's ability to integrate technical knowledge by (i) assigning students all six roles in a capstone course to promote integration within an individual course or (ii) assigning multiple roles across multiple courses to promote integration across a program of studies. Second, instructors can focus on a particular technical skill by assigning specific roles. This case is ideal for senior‐level undergraduate students or graduate students.     

Leaning Tower of Pizza: A Business Start‐up

The following take‐out pizzeria restaurant simulation highlights the information sources that an entrepreneur can use to prepare a cash budget and financial forecast for a new business venture. Based on the information contained in this simulation, students make a capital budgeting decision and prepare pro forma financial statements.     

Accounting Students’ Planning,Writing, and Performance on a Time‐Constrained Case Analysis: Effects of Self‐Talk and Prior Achievement

When writing a case analysis, most students first allocate time to plan the content and structure of their response, and then proceed to write with differing degrees of urgency, the outcomes of which are case responses of differing quality. This study examines the extent to which planning time influences writing urgency and, ultimately, the quality of case responses in a time‐constrained setting. It also investigates whether these behaviors and outcomes depend on students’ frame of mind, by experimentally inducing differing types of pre‐examination self‐talk. Analyses show that planning time was negatively associated with writing urgency; students who spent more time planning subsequently wrote with less urgency. Writing urgency was positively associated with case response quality and, after controlling for differences in writing urgency, planning time was positively associated with response quality. Results indicate that different planning and writing behaviors can be induced by different forms of self‐talk prior to the writing task. Relative to interrogative self‐talk (“Will I …?”), exclamatory self‐talk (“I will …!”) caused higher‐achieving students to spend more time planning, but then write with less urgency and subsequently produce lower‐quality case responses. Conversely, after engaging in exclamatory rather than interrogative self‐talk, lower‐achieving students spent less time planning but then wrote with greater urgency and produced higher‐quality responses. These results indicate that (i) planning significantly affects writing and performance, (ii) students can influence their own planning behavior through pre‐task self‐talk, but (iii) pre‐task self‐talk can be beneficial or detrimental depending on students’ prior achievement.     

Canada Generators Limited*

This case depicts an armchair situation involving a newly formed small private Canadian company that has recently begun operations in Western Canada. Of concern to the owners is their understanding that Canadian generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) are about to be replaced by International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) at the end of 2010, and so the statements in their present form will have to be conformed to the new standards if the company decides to go public with a share offering, which is an option it is considering. Other issues facing the company concern the appropriate accounting and reporting requirements that will be required in order to allow the company to secure additional financing and engage in some necessary research and development. This case is suitable for students who have progressed beyond the introductory financial accounting level; it involves adjustments to inventory and capital asset accounts as well as income effects including taxation, and it draws out some of the more important nontransitional differences between GAAP and IFRS.     

Great Galway Goslings: Organizational Context of Managerial Accounting*

This case seeks to enhance student understanding of the relationship between accounting information and the order fulfllment and production activities of a manufacturing frm, Great Galway Goslings. Great Galway Goslings manufactures goose sculptures and has been suffering losses in recent years. Students draw on the skills they learned in financial accounting to analyze the company's order fulfllment activities, identify economic transactions, and prepare journal entries. The case provides a link to managerial accounting topics as students use segment financial statements to create contribution margin income statements, perform break‐even analyses, and recommend whether Great Galway Goslings should keep its retail business segment. Students will become familiar with the key features of business process management (BPM) and the extensive, real‐world activities that a manufacturing entity engages in to fll an order. Students will analyze the company's existing order fulfllment process and apply their knowledge of BPM to recommend process improvements for Great Galway. This case contributes to the accounting case literature by serving as a bridge from financial accounting to managerial accounting, intertwining many topics from managerial accounting into one cohesive case, and providing real‐world business process knowledge. Student feedback indicates that, overall, the case met its stated learning objectives. Great Galway Goslings is appropriate for an undergraduate introductory managerial accounting course but can be adapted to the equivalent graduate‐level course or an accounting information systems course.     

Selecting instructional design for introductory accounting based on the experiential learning model

Introductory accounting courses are usually taken by all business majors. The teacher is the manager of the instructional system and must select an instructional strategy from among the many combinations available. It is important for educators to recognize the diversity of learning styles of students in the introductory accounting class so the course can be a more enriching experience for both accounting and nonaccounting majors. The experiential learning model is discussed in association with the teaching modes available to accounting educators. Kolb's Learning Style Inventory (1985) was used to determine the learning preferences for a large group of introductory accounting students. The results of this inventory and direction for the instructional design of introductory accounting courses are presented in this study.