Zicklin School of Business, Baruch College, CUNY

INTRODUCTION AND COURSE ROADMAP

Igor Vaysman
Managerial Accounting

OBJECTIVES

 Explore the role of managerial accounting in creating shareholder value

 Equip you with tools to understand, evaluate, use accounting reports

when making decisions

 Look at common pitfalls

 Discuss “traditional” techniques

 Explore modern innovations

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 COURSE OVERVIEW

I. Estimating and managing profitability of products, services, customers

 Using simple reports to capture complex economic reality.

 What do managers want from reports?

 How are the numbers computed?

 Problems and opportunities: reports and value creation or

destruction.

COURSE OVERVIEW

II. Tactical and strategic decisions. Incentives

 Value-maximizing decisions: relevant and irrelevant info in reports.

 Decisions and cost of capital.

 Strategic issues.

 Separation of ownership and control: incentive problems and

solutions.

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 COURSE INFO

Optional Textbook: Managerial Accounting, Garrison, Noreen, and Brewer:

new 17th or old (used) 16th edition. Syllabi linked to both editions

Class session: mix of lecture and cases

Two copyrighted cases

Readings and cases: prepare before class

Lecture slides: on Blackboard before class

Hand-written notes: on Blackboard shortly after class

Feedback: PLEASE

GRADES

Midterm: Blackboard October 26, 6:30pm – 8:30pm 40%

covers only ideas, topics, concepts from class
no make-up midterm

Final: Blackboard tentatively December 21, 6:00pm – 8:00pm 40%

covers only ideas, topics, concepts from class

Cases: Roomrunner Security Solutions in-class October 12 10%

Falco Scooters (A) due November 23, 5:30pm 10%
case write-ups graded based on effort

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 GRADES

No extra credit: above weights are the same for everyone

- not possible to make up for poor performance by doing extra work

Re-grading: after each exam, you have one week to review the exam for
errors in grading. After that period, no re-grading any part of your exam
- all requests for re-grading must be submitted in writing

SAMPLE PROBLEMS, EXAMS

LOW- to MID-LEVEL COMPLEXITY:

Self-study problems from textbook, in syllabus
Much better textbook problems for second half of course

SAMPLE EXAMS: Will post on Blackboard

SOLUTIONS: On Blackboard