6 Dec 2021

THE CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG

School of Accountancy
ACCT 2121G – Introductory Management Accounting
(2nd Term, 2021–2022: 11 January 2022 Tue – 22 April 2022 Fri)

LECTURER
Name: Simon Lee
Office: Room 1039, 10/F, Cheng Yu Tung Building
Telephone: 3943 8779
Email: simonsplee@cuhk.edu.hk
Office hour: by appointment

TEACHING ASSISTANT
Name: Cliff Lee
Office Location: Room 1049, 10/F, Cheng Yu Tung Building
Telephone: 3943 7644
Email: cliffl@baf.cuhk.edu.hk
Office hour: Monday to Friday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

COURSE OBJECTIVE

This course is an introduction to management accounting. It is designed to provide students the concepts and
techniques of management accounting, with the emphasis on the uses of management accounting information
by managers in planning, controlling, and decisions making. The course emphasizes the links between
accounting information and management activities such as operational decision making, financial planning
and control. Major topics will include costing systems, activity-based costing, cost-volume-profit analysis,
budgeting, standard costing and relevant costs for decision making.
The classes will be a combination of lectures and discussions of problems. Most of the concepts and
techniques taught in this course are best illustrated and learned through problem solving. Therefore, we will
analyze problems during class. In addition to attending the classes, reading the relevant chapter of the textbook
before coming to class will be vitally helpful for students to understand the lectures.
Prerequisite: ACCT2111.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After completing this course, students should be able to:

(1) Master the management accounting concepts and apply the knowledge to manufacturing, merchandising
and service companies.
(2) Use the information from management accounting systems to improve the competitiveness of the
companies in operational excellence, product leadership, and customer service.
(3) Develop analytical skills and ability to solve problems that they will need to succeed in a business
environment.
(4) Learn how to study and manage their own tasks that will help them acquire further knowledge on their
own.

COURSE ASSESSMENT

Course grade will be based on the following elements:

1
Learning Activity (Individual) Course Assessment
Homework Assignments 8%
Case Assignment 6%
Class Participation 6%
Mid-term Examination 30% (Ch 1 to 5, and 10)
Comprehensive Final Examination 50% (Ch 1 to 11)

Grades in this course will be based on a combination of absolute achievement and relative performance.

GRADE DESCRIPTORS

A Outstanding (must be nearly perfect, almost 100% attained) performance on all learning outcomes.
A- Generally outstanding performance on all learning outcomes.
B Substantial* performance on all learning outcomes, OR high performance on some learning outcomes
which compensates for less satisfactory performance on others, resulting in overall substantial
performance.
(* B+ Very close to generally outstanding performance on all learning outcomes and learning
activities.)
C Satisfactory performance on the majority of learning outcomes, possibly with a few weaknesses.
D Barely satisfactory performance on a number of learning outcomes.
F Unsatisfactory performance on a number of learning outcomes, OR failure to meet specified assessment
requirements.

RECOMMENDED TEXTBOOK

Datar & Rajan, Horngren’s Cost Accounting – A Managerial Emphasis, Pearson, 16th edition (Global
Edition)

To gain access to the publisher’s MyLab Acccounting, students need to purchase the Bundle Print Book +
MyLab Accounting with eTEXT Student Access Code OR Standalone MyLab Accounting with eTEXT
Student Access Code. The Pearson Course ID for this course is li42549.

HOMEWORK

Students are required to complete assigned homework by themselves and submit their work for grading on
Blackboard. Due to the add/drop period in the beginning of the term, only homework of chapters 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,
8, 9, and 11 will be accounted for credit. Assignments are usually due ~5 days after the lecture of each chapter.
Due dates can be found in the course outline table on the last page. Turnaround time is approximately one week
after due date. Late homework will only be accepted if solutions have not been posted, but may incur a penalty.
Missing homework assignments will receive a zero point. It is a student’s responsibility to make sure that
his/her homework is submitted/uploaded on time.

CASE ASSIGNMENT

An individual case assignment will be due on the last day of the term, 22 April 2022, Friday, by 11:59 PM via
Blackboard. The case material and the instructions will be uploaded to Blackboard after midterm exam.

Late case assignment will not be accepted, and together with missing case assignment(s), will receive a zero
point. Do NOT wait until the deadline to submit. Excuses such as having completed but forgetting to submit,
not feeling well on the due date, the communication/connection being down, or computer encountering
technical problem, etc. will not be acceptable. It is a student’s responsibility to make sure that his/her case
assignment is submitted/uploaded on time.

2
CLASS PARTICIPATION

I do not record regular attendance, but 4-5 random attendance checks will happen throughout the
semester. The random attendance checks will account for 3% of your participation score. Apart
from merely sitting in for the lectures, you are also expected to actively participate in the in-class
discussions, which accounts for another 3% of your participation score.

MID-TERM EXAMINATION

A mid-term examination was held on 3 March 2022, Thur, 18:30 – 20:30 (Hong Kong Time). This
close-book exam covers prescribed textbook: Chapters 1 to 5 and 10. Students are allowed to use a
non-programmable calculator without communication features.

The Section “Rule to be Observed by Candidates at Examination Centre” of the Undergraduate Student
Handbook provides the University Regulations for the conduct of exams. The turnaround time is about three
weeks following the exam. Answer will be discussed later.

Students are strongly advised not to be absent from this mid-term examination. Only legitimate medical
condition(s) can be allowed for absence in this regard. If a student is absent from the mid-term examination for
a legitimate and adequately documented medical reason, the student must provide written evidence
(documentation) within about the same week (by 18:30 on 11 March 2022, Friday, Hong Kong Time). A
payment receipt is not enough to be considered as written evidence in this regard. The student must sit for
a make-up midterm exam within the following week. Otherwise, the student will receive zero points in the
midterm exam.

The turnaround time is about three weeks following the exam. Answer will be uploaded to Blackboard under
Course Content at the end of 25 March 2022.

FINAL EXAMINATION

A final examination is centralized by Registration and Examinations Section (RES) and will be
given to all ACCT2121 students. Date and time will be determined by the RES.

This is a comprehensive, 2-hour, close-book examination covering prescribed textbook: Chapters

1 to 11. You may use a non-programmable calculator without communication features.

FEEDBACK FOR EVALUATION

Students are warmly welcomed to send their comments/feedback to the course instructor. The channels
include: (1) e-mails to the instructor; (2) appointment with the instructor; and (3) formal CTE exercise.

SELF-STUDY AND TUTORIAL SESSIONS (OPTIONAL)

Accounting can be considered a “do-it-yourself” course. Self-study is as important as lectures. The minimum
required study time outside the classroom is six hours each week. The best way for self-study is to focus on the
textbook and lecture notes. Besides asking teacher, students may approach Teaching Assistant (TA) for further
assistance. To obtain solutions to non-homework exercise questions at the end of each chapter of the textbook,
please following these simple steps: Once when a student finishes any of those questions, send to TA for brief
marking so that the student will be able to learn about the answers.

Another optional tutorial session will be conducted by TA before final exam. Participation is optional. Detailed
information about the tutorial sessions will be announced on the Blackboard.

3
LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Lecture (including in-class Lab / tutorial (hr) Case discussion (hr) Expected out-of-class
discussion / presentation) (hr) in / outside class in / outside class activities (hr)
in class outside class
3 0 2 0 0 1 0 4

POLICY ON SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY

The Chinese University of Hong Kong places very high importance on honesty in academic work submitted by
students, and adopts a policy of zero tolerance on cheating and plagiarism.

While "academic dishonesty" is the overall name, there are several sub-categories as follows:
(i) Plagiarism
(ii) Undeclared multiple submissions
(iii) Buying or selling, possibly through third parties, papers/essays/dissertations
(iv) Violating rules 15 or 16 of the University’s Rules to be Observed by Candidates at Examination
Centre (Examination Rules) (Annex)
(v) Cheating in tests and examinations (including violation of rules 17 or 18 of the University’s
Examination Rules)
(vi) Impersonation fraud in tests and examinations (including violation of rule 19 of the University’s
Examination Rules)
(vii) All other acts of academic dishonesty

Any related offence will lead to disciplinary action including termination of studies at the University.
Attention is drawn to University policy and regulations on honesty in academic work, and to the disciplinary
guidelines and procedures applicable to breaches of such policy and regulations.
Everyone should make himself/herself familiar with the content of this website and thereby help avoid any
practice that would not be acceptable. See http://www.cuhk.edu.hk/policy/academichonesty/ for details

4
COURSE SCHEDULE & LIST OF TOPICS

Date(s) Topic Chapter Homework Assignments *

Jan 12 The Manager and Management Accounting 1

Jan 19 An Introduction to Cost Terms and Purposes 2 2-37
Jan 26 Determining How Costs Behave
Exclude: Learning Curve, Cumulative Average-Time Learning Model, Incremental
10
Unit-Time Learning Model, and Incorporating Learning-Curve Effects into Prices and
Standards 10-27,10-28
Feb 9 Cost-Volume-Profit Analysis 3 3-41
Feb 16 Job Costing 4 4-39
Feb 23 Activity-Based Costing and Activity-Based Management
5
5-39
Mar 2 Master Budgets and Responsibility Accounting
6 6-35
Mid-Term Exam – 3 Mar (Thur), 1830 to 2030 hours. Cover chapter 1,2,10,3,4
and 5
Mar 9 Flexible Budgets, Direct-Cost Variances, and Management Control 7 7-36
Mar 16 Decision Making and Relevant Information
11 11-38
Mar 23 Flexible Budgets, Overhead Cost Variances, and Management Control
8 8-39
Mar 30 Inventory Costing and Capacity Analysis
9
9-25
Apr 6 Reading Week
Apr 13 Inventory Costing and Capacity Analysis
9
9-25
Apr 20 Round-up. Revision
Case Assignment (Due TBA before 5:00 pm via Blackboard with Veriguide receipt)
Final Exam (Date and venue to be determined by University)

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Supplemental Notes to Topics (Required Reading of Textbook)
Required Reading of Textbook Supplemental Notes
Ch.10 Exclude:
• Learning Curve, Cumulative Average-Time Learning Model, Incremental Unit-Time Learning Model, and
Incorporating Learning-Curve Effects into Prices and Standards, p. 410 – p.418
• Appendix (Regression Analysis), p. 420 – p.428
Ch.3 Exclude Appendix (Decision Models and Uncertainty)
Exclude ‘Kaizen Budgeting’ p.242
Ch.6
Include Appendix (Cash budget) p. 246 – p.252
Ch.11 Exclude Appendix (Linear Programming)
Ch.8 Exclude Variance Analysis and Activity-Based Costing p.327 – p.332
Ch.9 Exclude Appendix (Breakeven points in variable costing and absorption costing) p.377 – p.378