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MGT 200A - Financial Accounting

Fall Quarter, 2012
Syllabus

Contact Information:
Professor: Chelle Yetman
Office: Gallagher Hall, room 3408
Office phone: 530-754-7808
Email: mhyetman@ucdavis.edu (Please indicate 200A in the subject line when emailing me)
Office Hours: by appointment email to schedule

Teaching Assistant: Tiffany Tan (your first source for answering questions on the course material)
Email: jttan@ucdavis.edu (Please indicate 200A in the subject line when emailing me)
Help Sessions: Tuesdays 1-2:30 beginning October 9

**Please contact Chelle for assignment clarification questions or for administrative issues. Please
contact both Chelle and Tiffany for questions on the course material, and one of us will respond.

Course Objective:
To make you informed users of financial information prepared under United States Generally
Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). GAAP define the set of accounting method and
disclosure practices from which firms select when providing information to external parties, such as
investors, financial analysts, lenders, and regulators. The Financial Accounting Standard Board
(FASB), a private-sector regulatory authority, sets GAAP. The primary emphasis of this course is to
assist you in developing the basic skills required to interpret, analyze and evaluate information
contained in GAAP financial statements. The course will introduce a variety of financial reporting
topics. Later elective courses in the program cover many of the same topics, as well as additional
topics, in more depth.

Waiving Out of the Course:
Students who earned a bachelor or master degree in accounting are/or who are certified public
accountants will be automatically waived from taking the core Financial Accounting Course
(200A). The student should email me (mhyetman@ucdavis.edu) and summarize the relevant
education or certification that qualifies them for the exemption. I will send an email to you and
student services confirming your exemption.

Other students who feel they have a very good understanding of basic accounting principles may
request to take the waiver exam. Students who minored in accounting or have already taken a few
financial accounting courses may attempt the waiver exam. I do not recommend waiving the course
for students who have had only one previous undergraduate financial accounting course, as
beginning undergraduate accounting courses are typically taught with an emphasis towards
bookkeeping, whereas this course is taught with an emphasis towards analysis of financial
information and managerial decision-making.


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Course Materials:
Textbook. I have selected a basic textbook that gives you the background material for our class.
It is a starting point for learning accounting, but not the ending point. We will go beyond the
book in class in developing critical analysis of financial statements.
Textbook: Financial Accounting: A Business Process Approach, Third edition.
Author: Jane L. Reimers. Publisher: Pearson (Prentice-Hall).
ISBN-10: 0-13-611527-6 or ISBN-13: 978-0-13-611527-4.
Solutions to the textbook problems are posted on SmartSite under Resources, Text Solutions.
Diagnostic Reviews (DRs) will be provided on SmartSite under Resources, Diagnostic Reviews
a week before each class. We will use the DRs as part of the class discussion, but I do not
collect the solutions.
Cases will be provided on Study.net and SmartSite under Resources, Cases. We will use the
cases as part of the class discussion, but I do not collect the solutions.
Class Notes will be provided on SmartSite under Resources, Class Notes the evening before
class. There is no need for you to review them before class, but you may want to either print
them or download them onto your computer to assist in note taking during class. Note that
electronic copies of the class notes are not a substitute for the material covered in class. They
are intended to assist you in note taking during class.

Class Format:
Following is an outline of the typical class format so you can predict a routine each week:
1) Class assignment is provided on this syllabus. There are two parts:
a) Background Assignment from Textbook: You are expected to have read the textbook
material and understand the background assignment prior to coming to class. The textbook
is straightforward and explains the basic concepts well. I do not collect the assignment.
Solutions are posted on SmartSite. I do expect you to understand most of the Background
Assignment before class.
b) Class Discussion Assignments: A Diagnostic Review (DR) and a Case will be posted on
SmartSite a week before class. I do not collect the assignments, but urge you to attempt
them and bring your solutions to class, as I will be going over them in class. I do not expect
you to fully understand the Class Discussion Assignment before class.
2) The class lecture will consist of 3 parts.
a) First, together we will work through the DR, which reviews the concepts from the chapter. It
is easy in accounting (as in other analytical classes) to become seduced into thinking that we
understand a concept that we read or apply in a written assignment, only to find that we
dont when it is presented in a different way. To understand the basics of accounting, we
literally need to understand it backward and forward, upside down and right side up.
b) Next, well extend the basic concepts from the textbook to analyzing cases and/or financial
statements of companies to understand how companies report the accounting choices just
studied and to assess companies financial performance in light of what we have learned.
c) Finally, Ill provide an overview on the material for the following session.
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Attendance:
Although I do not take attendance, I strongly suggest that you attend class, as it is valuable in
helping you understand the material. Because the textbook covers the basic concepts, I will be
building on these concepts in class. Thus, much of the material I cover in class will not be in the
textbook. If you do need to miss class, you will need to rely on a classmate for any notes taken in
class. I am happy to answer questions about the material, but only after you attempt to work through
it yourself.

Classroom Etiquette (including cell phone and laptop policies):
Please do your best to arrive in time. I realize that circumstances may occur where you may be late
to class. Please feel free to join the class late, but enter quietly and try to minimize disruption to the
class. Also, please turn your cell phone off during class. If you must have your cell phone on during
class then please turn it on vibrate and sit in an area of the class room where you can minimize
disturbance should you need to leave the room to take a call. Laptops are allowed to be used in
class, but only for tasks relating to the course, such as taking notes or using excel worksheets for
problems. Using laptops for tasks unrelated to the course during class time, such as watching
YouTube or checking email, is not allowed, as it is distracting to other students sitting around you.
Finally, please be respectful to all of your classmates and do not talk to your neighbors during class.

Performing well in the course:
This course does not require a prerequisite and will be taught assuming no prior knowledge of
accounting. Because this is a masters course we move through the material quickly. This gives you
little time to digest the material before we move on. Not understanding the basic framework
presented in the first three chapters of the book will prevent the understanding of material in later
chapters since the accounting concepts build on this framework. Financial accounting takes a lot of
effort to get the basic idea. Once you have the basic idea, it is relatively easy. With this in mind,
before the first class I strongly encourage you to read chapters 1-3 and work through the assignment
(on the last page of this syllabus).

Assessment and Exam Policy:
Your final grade will be determined as follows:
Quizzes (3 take home, 1 in class @ 25 points each) 100 points
Midterm Exam 100
Final Exam 100
Total 300 points
The in class quiz, midterm and final exam are closed book, and the three take home quizzes are
open book. You are expected to take the quizzes and exams at the scheduled time. If circumstances
arise such that you will miss one, please contact me regarding the situation. Requests for regrading
must be made in writing within one week from the return of the graded item. I will regrade the
entire item and, therefore regrading may result in a higher or lower score.
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Schedule:

Week
No.
Date Quiz and Exams
1
Text Reading
Background Assignment from Textbook
(Solutions on SmartSite)
Class Discussion Assignment
2

1 Oct 3

Chapters 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

SE1-1A, SE1-2A, SE1-3A, SE1-4A, E1-21A, P1-45A,
P1-50A, P1-51A, FSA1-1, FSA1-2
SE2-3A, SE2-4A, SE2-6A, SE2-7A, SE2-8A, SE2-9A,
E2-21A, E2-22A, P2-37A, P2-41A, FSA2-1, FSA2-3
SE3-1A, E3-25A, E3-26A, E3-28A, E3-29A, E3-30A,
E3-33A, E3-39A, P3-63A, P3-66A, FSA3-2, FSA3-3
DR1-3
2 Oct 10
3 Oct 17
In Class Quiz
Chapters 1-3
Chapter 4
3
E4-21A, E4-26A, E4-28A, P4-49A, P4-50A, FSA 4-3
DR4 and Case (MGM Mirage -
Accounts Receivable)
4 Oct 24
Chapter 5
Appendix 5A
E5-30A, E5-31A, P5-49, P5-60
P5A-5A
DR5 and Case (Merrimack
Tractors and Mowers, Inc.)
5 Oct 31 Take home Quiz #1 Due
Chapter 6

Appendix 6
SE6-26B, SE6-27B, E6-30A, E6-35A, E6-37A, E6-
44A, E6-68B, P6-72A, P6-73A
DR6 and Case (Lewis Driscoll
and Delta Cargo)
6 Nov 7
In Class Midterm Exam
Chapters 1-6



7 Nov 14
Chapter 7
Appendix 7
E7-30A, P7-62A, P7-63A, FSA7-1
SE7A-1A and SE7A-2B
DR7 and Bond Example
8 Nov 21
Chapter 8

Chapter 10
E8-32A, E8-37A, P8-56A and P8-57A

No Assignment for Chapter 10
DR8 and Apple Exercise
9 Nov 28 Take home Quiz #2 Due Chapter 9
SE9-2A, SE9-3A, SE9-4A, SE9-9A, E9-24A, E9-26A,
E9-32A, P9-49A part 1
DR9 and Cash Flow Example
10 Dec 5 Take home Quiz #3 Due Chapter 11

To Be Announced
Dec 12
In Class Final Exam
Comprehensive




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The in class assessments are closed book and the take home assessments are open book.
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Diagnostic Reviews (DR) and Cases will be provided on SmartSite a week before class. I do not collect the solutions, but urge you to attempt them and bring
your solutions to class, as I will be going over them in class. I do not expect you to fully understand the Class Discussion Assignment before class.
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I dont assign problems on bank reconciliations, nor will I test you on bank reconciliations. However, you will find this material useful for your own personal
use.


Assignment Week 1:

UC Davis Daytime MBA Students:

Welcome to the UC Davis MBA program! I look forward to teaching you financial accounting
(MGT 200A) this fall.

Some of you may be feeling overwhelmed at the coursework ahead of you, especially if you have
not ever taken any business courses. Not to worry, my course does not require a prerequisite and
will be taught assuming no prior knowledge of accounting. However, because this is a masters
course we move through the material quickly. Also, the fundamentals of the course will be covered
in the first few weeks, and the remainder of the course builds on these fundamentals. Thus, the first
few weeks are especially important in my course.

With this in mind, before the first class I strongly encourage you complete the assignment for the
first class. I expect you to learn the basic concepts from the textbook and Ill be building on that
knowledge in class. I will not be collecting the assignment. Solutions to the textbook problems will
be posted on the course website on SmartSite. If you need the solutions before you have access to
SmartSite, please send me a request for the solutions via email at mhyetman@ucdavis.edu and Ill
email you a pdf file with the solutions. Please put 200A in the subject line of your emails to me
regarding our class.

Assignment:
Chapter 1 Assignment:
Read chapter and work Your Turn questions within the chapter (solutions at end of chapter)
Review Chapter Summary Problem on page 28-29
Work SE1-1A, SE1-2A, SE1-3A, SE1-4A, E1-21A, P1-45A, P1-50A, P1-51A,
FSA1-1, FSA1-2

Chapter 2 Assignment:
Read chapter and work Your Turn questions within the chapter (solutions at end of chapter)
Review Chapter Summary Problem on page 77-81
Work SE2-3A, SE2-4A, SE2-6A, SE2-7A, SE2-8A, SE2-9A, E2-21A, E2-22A, P2-37A,
P2-41A, FSA2-1, FSA2-3

Chapter 3 Assignment:
Read chapter and work Your Turn questions within the chapter (solutions at end of chapter)
Review Chapter Summary Problem on page 124-126

Textbook: Financial Accounting: A Business Process Approach, Third edition.
By Jane L. Reimers. ISBN-10: 0-13-611527-6 or ISBN-13: 978-0-13-611527-4.

I look forward to meeting you all soon!

Michelle Yetman
Associate Professor of Accounting
Graduate School of Management, University of California at Davis
mhyetman@ucdavis.edu