1.     Instructor:

Michael L. Costigan, Associate Professor of Accounting, Department Chair
Founders Hall, Room 2117
Phone: 650-2657
e-mail: mcostig@siue.edu
website: http://www.siue.edu/~mcostig

Tuesday and Thursday - 11:00 AM - 11:30 AM; 1:00 PM - 2:15 PM; or by appointment

King, Lembke, Smith; Financial Accounting: A Decision-Making Approach, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997.

King, Lembke, Smith; Study Guide to Accompany Financial Accounting: A Decision-Making Approach, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997. [available, but not required]

The purpose of this course is to help you better understand accounting information, especially the financial statements of businesses, not-for-profit entities, and government units, and to help you make better decisions. Accounting is one important type of information used in making decisions, and a better understanding of accounting information can improve your decision making. Toward this end, the course examines the decision-making process, how information affects decisions, and especially how accounting information is used in decision making.

This course aims at providing you with an understanding of accounting information that you may use in your future decisions. The emphasis in the course is on understanding the accounting information from a user's perspective. This means being familiar with the types of decisions that can benefit from the use of accounting information and understanding what type of information can best be used to make those decisions. In addition, it means being familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of accounting information for different types of decisions.

The key to benefit from this course is in understanding the nature of accounting information, why it is the way it is, and how it can be used for decision making. Instead, you should always focus on the various types of decisions that might be made and how different types of information can improve those decisions.

This course also aims at helping you improve your reasoning, communication, and interpersonal skills. Accordingly, you will be given the opportunity to think through problems, consider different issues, and interact with other students.

Successful completion of Economics 112 and MIS 108, and sophomore standing.

Classes will be conducted using a variety of formats. Lectures will be used to introduce new material and as a focal point for discussion. Discussion and cooperative learning will be used to help derive and reinforce ideas and procedures.

Participation by all is an essential part of the learning experience in this course. You should be ready to answer questions that arise in class concerning the assigned topics and homework problems. You always should feel free to question that which you do not understand or that with which you do not agree. Be prepared to express your opinions concerning the topics under discussion, along with your reasons for those opinions.

Advance preparation is important for full participation. By having carefully completed all assigned reading before coming to class, you will be better able to answer and ask questions in class, and the class lectures and discussions will be more meaningful. By having completed all written assignments to the best of your ability before coming to class, you will have a better appreciation of difficult and troublesome areas, and you will know what questions to ask in class to better understand the material and to better achieve your objectives.

There will be one examination given during the term and a final examination given at the end of the course. The final examination will be composed of two parts: the first part will be a 100 point exam over material covered in the second half of the semester and the second part will be a 50 point comprehensive exam. You must be present for the examinations at the scheduled times. If, due to a legitimate emergency, you miss the mid-term examination, the course grade will be based on the remaining coursework. If, due to a legitimate emergency, you miss the final examination, you will be assigned a grade of "Incomplete" for the course and will be required to retake the course, or otherwise satisfactorily complete the course in a manner acceptable to the instructor, within one year. If you must miss an examination, contact the instructor immediately. No make-up examinations are given under any circumstances. Examinations missed without a reason acceptable to the instructor will be assigned a grade of zero.

Six quizzes will be given during the semester. Quizzes are scheduled for the following days: 1/21, 2/4, 2/18, 3/25, 4/8, and 4/22. Each quiz will be worth 20 points and five quiz scores will be included in the final grade calculation - the lowest quiz score will be dropped. Normally, a quiz will be concerned with the material from the previous class meetings. Recognize, however, that accounting is cumulative in nature, and, accordingly, any areas previously covered may be tested on quizzes. Missed quizzes may not be made up under any circumstances, and a grade of zero will be assigned.

Reading and homework assignments should be completed by the day for which they are assigned. One homework assignments will be collected at each class meeting. Homework will be assigned a grade of 2 points if it is complete, 1 point if it is only partially complete or 0 if it is substantially incomplete or not turned in. A total of 50 homework points will be included in the final grade calculation. Homework should be prepared in good form with each problem on a separate sheet of paper. Quantitative solutions should be presented neatly, with all work properly labeled. Essay-type answers should be written in the appropriate form, using proper grammar, punctuation, and style. All assignments are due at the beginning of class, and no late assignments will be accepted under any circumstances.

The reading and written assignments are critical to the satisfactory completion of this course. Although the assignments are time-consuming, they provide the means by which a solid understanding is gained. A conscientious effort must be made on the assignments prior to class or the class session will be of little value. Failure to complete assignments invariably leads to an unsatisfactory course grade.

All assignments must be completed and submitted on an individual basis. Assignments are most valuable when you struggle through a solution rather than seeing what someone else has done. On the other hand, collaborative efforts also can be valuable and are not discouraged. Keep in mind, however, that you must each learn and be responsible for the course material individually, and written assignments must be prepared individually, even when you have conferred with others. When identical or unreasonably similar assignments are submitted, they will be assigned a grade of zero. A repeat occurrence will result in a failing grade for the course, as will cheating on an examination or plagiarism.

A manual with solutions for all homework problems is available for short-term use from the instructor or the accounting tutor. The manual is available for you to check your homework answers after you have completed the assignment. The manual may also be helpful if, after considerable effort, you are unable to complete a problem. However, do not rely too heavily on the solutions manual or examples in the text, or you will not develop the ability to complete problems on your own. After consulting with the solutions manual, you may change individual incorrect answers in your homework before turning in the assignments, but assignments copied entirely from the solutions manual will be assigned a grade of zero. In all cases, do not just rely on determining the correct answers, but make sure that you understand why the correct answers are correct.

All professionals, especially those in the field of business, must be able to communicate clearly and with proficiency. The need for well developed communication skills is not limited to any specific area of business, but rather is crucial throughout all areas of business. Accordingly, the School of Business places heavy emphasis on developing its students' communication skills. Accounting 200 has been designated by the School as a course in which written communication skills will be emphasized. Thus, several assignments in this course are designated as special writing assignments.

Special writing assignments must be neatly typed. They should be checked with the appropriate spelling and grammar software and should be carefully proofread before submission. All special writing assignments will be collected on the date indicated in the schedule and will be graded for both content and writing. Each assignment counts for a maximum of 10 points. The grade on any special writing assignment submitted late will be reduced by 2 points. Any special writing assignment not submitted before the beginning of the class session after the one for which it is assigned will be given a grade of zero.

If a paper has three or more significant errors on any page, or more than six errors in the full paper, it may be rejected, at the instructor's option, without further grading and returned without a grade. If this occurs, the paper must be resubmitted within one week of being returned or it will be assigned a grade of zero. Only one resubmission is permitted; if a paper is rejected a second time under this significant errors policy, it will be assigned a grade of zero. A paper that is resubmitted after being rejected for errors will receive a 2-point grade penalty. Errors that could trigger a significant-errors rejection include, but are not limited to, typographical errors, lack of conformity with assignment format or requirements, misspelled words, sentence fragments, comma splices, run-on sentences, lack of subject-verb agreement, incorrect grammar or word usage, improper capitalization, punctuation errors, and lack of appropriate references or citations. Because of the critical importance of good communication skills, you should make sure to seek assistance from the instructor or the SIUE writing lab if you find that you are unable to write in a clear and concise fashion or if your writing contains numerous errors.

Class attendance and active participation in class are both essential for mastering the material. Repeated absences will result in a lack of understanding of the material and will result in grade penalties. Similarly, coming into class late will cause you to miss important material. In addition, it will disrupt the class and possibly cause other students to miss important material. Accordingly, repeated tardiness will result in grade penalties. If you are late for a quiz or an examination, you will not be given additional time; if you arrive for class after the time at which homework is collected, you will receive a zero for that assignment.

In determining the course grade, the following factors will be considered, with the maximum number of points possible on each, as follows: