1. Financial Accounting: A Business Process Approach, J.L. Reimers, 2nd Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, 2008.
2. BUS A201 Class Notes available via Blackboard (elearning.ipfw.edu).

1. principles that govern the ways in which information about a business is recorded in the financial accounting system.
2. procedures that are used to collect the information disclosed in the financial reports of a business.
3. ways in which the information collected by the accounting system is reported to decision makers.
4. how business decisions impact the financial statements of a business entity.

1. Exam 1 (Chapters 1-3), 100 points
2. Exam 2 (Chapters 4-6), 100 points
3. Exam 3 (Chapters 7-11), 100 points
4. Annual Report Project, 50 points

Your grade will be based on the total points you accumulate during the semester. The grading scale will be discussed in class by the instructor, but will normally be A = 90-100%, B = 80-89%, C = 70-79%, D = 60%-69%, F = below 60%. Throughout the semester, you can view your grades via Blackboard (elearning.ipfw.edu) and your final grade will be posted on both Blackboard and OASIS (oasis.ipfw.edu).

EXAMINATIONS:
Students taking the course via Warsaw 2-Way Audio/Visual should make arrangements to take their exams at the Warsaw site on the dates given on the attached table labeled A201 Schedule. Similar to students taking the class in the TV Studio, you will have 1 hour and 25 minutes to complete the first two exams and 2 hours to complete the third exam. Each exam is noncomprehensive and will consist primarily of multiple choice, short problems, and short essay. To schedule an exam, call (574) 269-6562.

Failure to take a scheduled exam without being excused in advance of the exam will result in a grade of zero. Calculators may be used on exams. However, calculators that can be programmed and/or display text are not permitted.

Click on the appropriate link to access a review sheet for each exam:

EXERCISES AND PROBLEMS:
On the attached table labeled BUS A201 Assignments, a number of Exercises and Problems are assigned. Note that all the assigned exercise and problems are from Series A rather than Series B. For example, the Exercises column of the assignment sheet for Chapter 1 has the number "2" which indicates you should complete Exercise 1-2A on p. 35, not Exercise 1-2B on p. 38. Similarly, the Problems column of the assignment sheet for Chapter 1 has the number "1" which indicates you should complete Problem 1-1A on p. 41, not Problem 1-1B on p. 3. None of the exercises or problems will be collected, but are considered an integral part of the lecture and you should attempt these assignments before they are covered in class.

FINANCIAL STATEMENT ANALYSIS:
For Chapters 1-9, there will be a Financial Statement Analysis (FSA) assignment that requires you to answer a series of questions regarding the 2005 Staples Annual Report located in Appendix A of your textbook. These assignments are in the "FSA" column of the BUS A201 Assignments table and the questions can be found via a link on Blackboard (elearning.ipfw.edu).

For comparative purposes and to become acquainted with the firm you will be analyzing in the Annual Report Project (see next section), you are asked to to answer the same questions using the 2007 Staples Annual Report which is accessible via the web.  Go to the next section for instructions to access and print the 2007 Staples Annual Report.

None of the FSA assignments will be collected, but are considered an integral part of the lecture and will help students prepare for the Annual Report Project.

ANNUAL REPORT PROJECT:
The Annual Report Project requires you to use the 2007 Staples Annual Report and other data resources to locate relevant information about that firm as well as determine how well the company has performed. The project will be distributed in class and will address topics not covered in the cases that are assigned throughout the semester. The annual report is accessible via the web at:

The Annual Report Project must be postmarked on or before Tuesday, December 9. You can also drop the project off at my office by the same deadline, if that is convenient for you. Late projects will not be accepted and will receive a grade of zero. The project should be mailed to:

SOLUTIONS ON RESERVES EXPRESS:
The solutions to Questions, Multiple-Choice Questions, Short Exercises, Exercises (Series A only), and Problems (Series A only) found at the end of each chapter are available via Blackboard (elearning.ipfw.edu) in PDF format.

1. Attend class and take notes on the lecture. Read each chapter before it is covered in class. It is not necessary that you understand all of the material, but it is important for you to be familiar with the topic before it is discussed in class.
2. Attempt homework assignments before they are covered in class. Accounting exams test your ability to do accounting problems, so you need to practice. The assigned problems will help you understand the principles that govern financial accounting procedures, give you practice in recording business transactions and preparing financial reports, and help you use financial accounting information to make informed decisions.
3. Prior to an exam, read the relevant chapters again and study your notes. This will reinforce concepts and procedures covered in the classroom and practiced in the assigned homework.
4. Take advantage of the web resources available to you.
5. Whenever you are having difficulty in understanding a topic, do not hesitate to contact the instructor about resolving the difficulty.

MISCELLANEOUS:
Students are expected to be honest. You should avoid dishonesty or the appearance of dishonesty such as submitting the work of others for credit or allowing your work to be copied by another person. Penalties for academic dishonesty can range from receiving zero credit for the exam or assignment to failure of the course. The last date for withdrawal from the class with a grade of "W" is Friday, October 31.

BUS A201 SCHEDULE

BUS A201 ASSIGNMENTS