SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY
Business 220S-‑Financial Accounting & Analysis III
FALL 2006 (10 meetings) 11/16/06 (Thur.) through 12/5/06 (Tue.)
Class Time: 0745-1145

I.  INSTRUCTOR RELATED INFORMATION:

II. COURSE TEXT AND OTHER MATERIAL:

Advanced Accounting, Arnold J. Pahler; Thomson Learning/South-Western Publishing 2006, 9^th ed.(SEE CHECKLIST OF KEY FIGURES IN REAR OF BOOK.)

Appendices:  These are located on the publisher’s website at      
             http://pahler.swlearning.com for you to download.
             Appendices 3B, 13A, 16A, and 16B are assigned.

Study Guide (with Working Papers in the rear) to Accompany Advanced Accounting.  Optional.

Spreadsheet Software.  Download 8 Excel software models (for chapters 2, 3, 8, 9, 15, 16) that are on my personal web page at San Jose State University under Business 220S.

Downloading Files.  To download a file (or any other file on my web page), RIGHT CLICK and select “Save Target as” (or “Save as”) so that the file is saved directly to your computer’s hard drive (or your floppy diskette). (NEVER TRY TO OPEN A FILE ON THE INTERNET FOR PURPOSES OF TRYING TO DOWNLOAD THAT FILE—PROBLEMS OFTEN ARISE.)  Thus “download first and then open (”as opposed to “open first and then saving”).

III. COURSE CONTENT AND PREREQUISITES:

Accounting for multi-unit domestic and foreign operations and intercompany transactions.  Key topics include: corporate mergers and acquisitions, purchase accounting, goodwill, equity versus cost method of valuing investments in subsidiaries, intercompany inventory transfers, unrealized intercompany profits, basics of preparing consolidated financial statements, translation of foreign currency transactions and financial statements, and international accounting (foreign accounting practices, foreign tax structures, transfer pricing issues, alternative foreign organization structures, and causes of foreign exchange rate changes).  Blends in finance concepts to accounting situations using real world cases.

 A significant portion of this course is devoted to developing your financial analytical skills using real world situational cases—thus the course does not consist solely of learning textbook topics.

THE FINAL EXAMINATION INCLUDES A 25 PT. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS PROBLEM.

Selection of Topics.  Because of time constraints, it is not possible to cover each and every chapter of the text.  Accor­dingly, the material to which most of you will have the greatest exposure has been selected.  Unless otherwise indi­cated, those chapters (or portions of certain chapters) which have been selected will be covered intensively.  ANYTHING I DISCUSS OR COVER IN CLASS MAY APPEAR ON THE EXAMINATIONS.

IV. GRADING SCALE & TESTING:               

"PLAGIARISM:  University regulations (as explained on pages 448-49 of the 2002-2004 "SJSU Catalog") require that instructors report any instance of academic dishonesty to the Judicial Affairs Officer.  One form of academic dishonesty is plagiarism--taking ideas, writing, or work from another person or source and representing them as one's own.  Plagiarism includes both having someone else write your papers and cutting and pasting from the Internet.  For advice on how to avoid plagiarism, consult the following site: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html."

Grading Rationale:  A grading curve is not used so as to prevent the overall intellectual caliber of the class (which can and often does vary significantly from class to class) from entering into the determination of a student's final grade.  Thus, a student's performance is measured solely against the standard of the grading scale‑‑not against those around him or her.  No subjective evaluation is made for the trend of the test scores whether such trend is upward or downward.  Variations are more a result of the relative difficulties of the various topics, the sequence in which the topics are covered having no relationship to their degree of difficulty.

Distinction Between Effort and Results:  Occasionally, a student indicates to me that a grade based solely on exami­nations is not reflective of the hours of study and prepa­ration that they have incurred.  Their implication is that those who spend more time (regardless of the extent that the material has been learned or not learned) should possibly receive a higher grade than their test score grade merely because they incurred more time and effort than others, which time, of course, could not be verified anyway.  The amount of time incurred in learning the topics is totally irrelevant in determining the final grade.  The amount of time spent study­ing and preparing depends on an individual's motivation and ability.  Everyone is equal in the sense of having the same opportunity to earn a desired grade.  The grade is and should be a reflection only of how well a student has mastered the material without regard to the amount of individual time incurred in learning the material.  In other words, a differentiation must be made between effort and results.

Preparing for Exams:  Some exercises from each chapter will be reviewed in class.  To be prepared properly for tests, you should work all exercises and some additional problems in each assigned chapter.  Anything I discuss in class may be tested on either the interim examination or the final examination.

Review of Tests:  The interim examination will be returned and reviewed at the very next meeting.

Examination Make‑up Procedures:  If a student is unable to take the interim examination, please notify me immediately.

V.  COMPUTER ASSIGNMENT USING SPREADSHEET MODELS:

The following homework problems can be worked on the computer using the spreadsheet models that accompany the text:

When printing, print out only the worksheet (and for chapters 2 & 9 the Investment account analysis section and the basic elimination section). Do not print out:

(1) The instructions at the top of each model.
(2) The macro section of the model (stored below the worksheet).
(3) The problem data section (stored to the right of the worksheet).

Caution: Be sure to keep copies on your disk until the end of the semester.
 

College of Business Policies and Procedures

To ensure that every student, current and future, who takes courses in the Boccardo Business Center has the opportunity to experience an environment that is safe, attractive, and otherwise conducive to learning, the College of Business at San José State has established the following policies:

Eating

Eating and drinking (except water) are prohibited in the Boccardo Business Center.  Students with food will be asked to leave the building.  Students who disrupt the course by eating and do not leave the building will be referred to the Judicial Affairs Officer of the University.

Cell Phones

Students will turn their cell phones off or put them on vibrate mode while in class.  They will not answer their phones in class.  Students whose phones disrupt the course and do not stop when requested by the instructor will be referred to the Judicial Affairs Officer of the University.

Computer Use

In the classroom, faculty allow students to use computers only for class-related activities.  These include activities such as taking notes on the lecture underway, following the lecture on Web-based PowerPoint slides that the instructor has posted, and finding Web sites to which the instructor directs students at the time of the lecture.  Students who use their computers for other activities or who abuse the equipment in any way, at a minimum, will be asked to leave the class and will lose participation points for the day, and, at a maximum, will be referred to the Judicial Affairs Officer of the University for disrupting the course.  (Such referral can lead to suspension from the University.)  Students are urged to report to their instructors computer use that they regard as inappropriate (i.e., used for activities that are not class related).

Academic Honesty

Faculty will make every reasonable effort to foster honest academic conduct in their courses.  They will secure examinations and their answers so that students cannot have prior access to them and proctor examinations to prevent students from copying or exchanging information.  They will be on the alert for plagiarism.  Faculty will provide additional information, ideally on the green sheet, about other unacceptable procedures in class work and examinations.  Students who are caught cheating will be reported to the Judicial Affairs Officer of the University, as prescribed by Academic Senate Policy S98-1. 

4/04                           Mission

The College of Business is the institution of opportunity, providing innovative business education and applied research for the Silicon Valley region.

                                   CP = Computer Problem

                                  FAP = Financial Analysis Problem