Syllabus

Accounting 402 - Cost and Managerial Accounting

Winter 2022
Professor Cassy Budd (Section 4) Steve Smith (Sections 1,2) Monte Swain (Sections 3,5,6)
Office 528 TNRB 531 TNRB 520 TNRB
Phone 801-422-5012 801-422-1969 801-422-3174
E-mail cassybudd@byu.edu stevesmith@byu.edu monte@byu.edu
Office Hours By appointment By appointment By appointment

Learning Objectives
As you know, financial accounting is critical to the process of reporting the overall financial
performance of public companies. Fundamentally, financial accounting exists within a context of
compliance with GAAP. In contrast, this class is about management accounting, and management
accounting is limited only by the ingenuity of managers’ and accountants’ efforts to organize and
use information to create a competitive advantage. Good managers who compete well in the
business world know how to use management accounting to plan, control, and evaluate business
processes with the focus being a more effective organization and (hopefully) strong financial
accounting results.

Once the course is over, we expect that you will be able to:
 Use management accounting to plan, control, and evaluate business processes;
 Apply management accounting concepts to real-world settings;
 Integrate management accounting with other business disciplines, including economics,
operations, strategy, financial reporting, and tax accounting;
 Demonstrate that you have improved your ability to function in a team setting;
 Use Excel effectively to analyze business problems that directly impact financial performance.

Class Philosophy
Our teaching philosophy for this course reflects three major areas: responsibility, added value, and
improvement. To maximize learning, both students and the instructor have responsibilities to meet.
We have selected a good textbook resource and will use numerous cases for the class. These
materials form the foundation of learning in ACC 402. We plan to make class time a “value-added”
experience beyond the textbook by using various teaching methods to address different learning
styles. In this effort, we feel strongly that continual improvement is critical. We are open to
feedback and are constantly working to improve our instruction. We challenge you to seek honest
feedback from your instructor and from your peers as you work to improve your understanding of
the material and your class performance throughout the semester.

Required Resources
Cost Management: A Strategic Emphasis 9th Edition (2021), with Connect, by Blocher et al.,
McGraw-Hill.

This bundled resource (called Inclusive Access) is posted to the BYU mybooklist site for Acc 402.
A discounted price of $105.50 will be charged to your student account simply by virtue of your
enrollment in Acc 402. McGraw-Hill Connect gives you access to the e-book. There is a discounted
loose-leaf purchase option if you would like to have the physical book.

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Other Course Materials
Articles, handouts, cases, templates, etc. are all made available on Canvas for download. You may
also access other helpful student resources from the textbook publisher through Connect.

Dodge Company Case

As part of ACC 402 we use an extensive group case that carries forward through much of the
semester. This case, based on an actual small CPA firm, is used to explore several basic
management accounting topics, and presents some new challenges as well. The case contains four
assignments that are used to form three of our group projects and our one partner project (see
below). Dodge case files are made available as part of relevant preparation Pages on the Canvas
calendar.

Assigned Homework
Assigned homework is not submitted or graded. Solutions are provided on Canvas and through the
publisher’s Connect system. You are encouraged to work with any other student(s) in the Junior
Core on the assigned homework.

Pre-Class Quizzes
An individual pre-class quiz is posted to Canvas before every session of class for which homework
is assigned. The quiz will usually have four questions with one question asking you to rate (on the
honor system) your reading and homework preparation for class, two questions based on the
homework, and one review question from previous material. Your top 15 quiz scores will be used to
compute your total pre-class quiz score out of 75 points. You have until 30 minutes before class
each day to complete the quiz. To receive credit for a pre-class quiz, it must be submitted before
7:30 AM (sections 1-3) or 12:00 PM (sections 4-6). We anticipate 18 pre-class quizzes during the
semester. In addition, you may drop one additional pre-class quiz if you participate in a study in the
Marriott School behavioral lab. Hence, make-up quizzes will not be provided under any
circumstances. 

Post-Class Quizzes
There is a post-class quiz posted to Canvas on most class days. These quizzes are generally taken as
a group, but some are individual (you won’t know until the quiz is announced in class). These are
short, timed quizzes due before midnight on the same class day. Unless specifically stated, these are
closed-book quizzes. No use of notes or Excel are permitted. We are trusting the integrity of our
students for these learning and assessment events.

Canvas does not accommodate group quizzes. As such, each group member can and should open
each quiz, but only the first quiz submitted will be graded for the group. All group members will
receive the score of that first quiz. Hence, it is important to determine who in the group will submit
the quiz. That student should open the quiz before any other students do. The best approach for
other students is to not submit their quiz, but let the timer run out and the system will automatically
submit at the end. This approach guarantees that the designated submission will, in fact, be first. In
addition, only group members who participate in the group effort will receive credit for the quiz.
Each quiz has a place to indicate which (if any) group members did not participate.

You may not consult or share your responses with other students until the day after the quiz is
submitted. Your top 16 quiz scores will be used to compute your total post-class quiz score out of
160 points.. We anticipate at least 18 post-class quizzes during the semester. Hence, make-up
quizzes will not be provided under any circumstances. 

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Group Projects
ACC 402 has six group projects. The Dodge Company Case provides four of our group projects.
One of the other two projects (Paper Airplanes) will be completed in class on February 22. Students
must attend class on that day in order to turn in this project. Mark the date for paper airplanes on
your calendar! Do not schedule any personal or recruiting events on this date. (University excused
absences will be accommodated.)

Partnership Projects
ACC 402 has one partnership project: Assignment 5 of the Dodge Company Case (this is a major
spreadsheet project). You will be assigned a partner (from outside your assigned group) for this
project. Important – you must work only with your assigned partner for this project. There will be a
peer evaluation as part of the project.

Course Policies
The Marriott School has adopted certain policies that govern classroom behavior and practice.
These policies can be found at https://marriottschool.byu.edu/policies/classroom/. In addition, the
Junior Core has several additional policies critical to the success of this important educational
process. These policies are found in the fall semester Junior Core Common Course on Canvas.
Students are expected to be familiar with and follow these policies in this class.

Course Grading
The final grade will be determined as follows:
Points
Post-class Quizzes (10 points each, count the top 16) 160
Pre-class Quizzes (5 points each, count the top 15) 75
Six Group Projects (Group Red)
--Dodge 1 15
--Dodge 2 10
--Dodge 3 10
--Dodge 4 15
--Red’s Furniture 15
--Paper Airplanes 10
One Partnership Project (Partner Red)
--Dodge 5 25
Exams
Midterm Exam #1 170
Midterm Exam #2 190
Final Exam (comprehensive) 230

Common Core Activities 75

Professionalism +/− ?
Total points 1,000

Comments on Professionalism
Professionalism is a specified grading criterion for ACC 402; however, no specific point value has
been assigned. We will not attempt to define for you a comprehensive list of what is expected in
terms of professional behavior. That said, our expectation of you for professional behavior is very
high and professional behavior (or the lack of) may impact your grade substantially in either a
positive or negative manner. The basics of these expectations should be common sense, but that
does not mean they are easy to adopt or easy to demonstrate. To help you understand how we view
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your professionalism commitment for this class, we have provided some expanded discussion and
guidance below. These comments are not all-inclusive. At the center of our professionalism
expectations is the principle that you will take responsibility for your own actions, and you will also
take responsibility for the consequences of your actions.

Basic Components: The basics of professionalism include such things as courtesy to peers and
faculty, coming to class on time and prepared, not eating food or using electronic devices in the
classroom, following instructions received from faculty, and following the Junior Core Policies on
Canvas, which includes following the laptop policy in the classroom – all the time.

Higher Components: The higher level of professionalism extends beyond the basics by not only
focusing on your behaviors, but also focusing on your contributions to our class and our learning
environment. We expect you to come to class fully prepared on assigned materials and prepared to
offer insights and connections between these assigned materials and the topics we are working on in
class that day. One aspect of professionalism is the ability to offer and discuss the meaning and
implication of the material assigned as opposed to simply restating facts already provided. Another
strong indication of professionalism is the ability to ask questions and offer comments at
appropriate times while allowing others to have the same opportunity.

BYU Marriott School of Business Inclusion Statement

At Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Business, we embrace the university’s mission
to “assist individuals in their quest for perfection and eternal life.” We strive to foster an
environment that is respectful of all backgrounds, perspectives, and voices, that “all may be edified
of all” (D&C 88:122). By extending a spirit of consideration, fellowship, and charity to everyone,
we enable the discovery of common values and unique insights as we each pursue our worthy
secular and spiritual goals.