Category: Accounting

This journal assignment measures your mastery of CLO 4.
Reflect on what you have learned in the first four units of this course, and assume that you are planning on opening your own new business. Now, consider the structure of a corporation and the financial implications of incorporation. If you were to start this new business venture, what factors would you need to take into consideration to determine if you want to incorporate or not? Explain your rationale, detailing the specific effects or ramifications for your particular business.
Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.

This journal assignment measures your mastery of CLO 4.

Reflect on what you have learned in the first four units of this course, and assume that you are planning on opening your own new business. Now, consider the structure of a corporation and the financial implications of incorporation. If you were to start this new business venture, what factors would you need to take into consideration to determine if you want to incorporate or not? Explain your rationale, detailing the specific effects or ramifications for your particular business.

Your journal entry must be at least 200 words in length. No references or citations are necessary.

🟥 Struggling with where to start this assignment? Follow this guide to tackle your assignment easily!

Writing your journal entry doesn’t have to be overwhelming! Follow these step-by-step instructions to structure your response effectively:

Step 1: Understand the Purpose of the Assignment

• You need to reflect on what you’ve learned in the first four units.
• The focus is on deciding whether to incorporate your new business and analyzing the financial implications.

Step 2: Brainstorm Key Points

Consider the following factors when deciding on incorporation:

• Legal Structure: How does incorporation protect personal assets?
• Tax Implications: Would incorporation help reduce tax burdens?
• Costs & Fees: What are the costs of incorporating vs. staying a sole proprietorship?
• Liability Protection: How much risk does your business carry, and do you need legal separation?
• Funding & Investors: Do you plan to seek outside investment?

Step 3: Outline Your Journal Entry

1. Introduction (2-3 sentences)
   • Briefly introduce your business idea.
   • State that you are considering incorporation and why it’s an important decision.
2. Analysis (2-3 paragraphs)
   • Discuss key factors influencing your decision.
   • Explain how each factor applies to your specific business.
   • Highlight potential advantages and disadvantages of incorporation.
3. Conclusion (2-3 sentences)
   • Summarize your decision (incorporate or not) and why.
   • Reflect on how this decision could impact your business in the long run.

Step 4: Write in a Clear and Concise Manner

• Keep your tone reflective and analytical.
• Use real-world examples where possible.
• Stay within the 200-word minimum requirement.

By following this guide, you’ll have a well-structured and thoughtful journal entry ready to submit! 🚀

Required: Develop an Excel spreadsheet that uses the following inputs to calculate the following outputs.
Inputs Outputs
Variable cost per unit Break-even point in units
Total fixed costs Break-even point in sales (dollars)
Sales price per unit Units sales required to achieve a target profit
Target profit Sales (dollars) required to achieve a target profit
Unit contribution margin
Assume that this report is going to be used by one of your clients. For this Excel assignment and all Excel assignments going forward unless otherwise specified, it is expected that your report:
1. Will use cell referencing to calculate outputs when appropriate.
2. Will clearly indicate which cells should be manipulated by the user (inputs).
3. Is organized in a way that the information is easy to navigate and useful for decision making.
4. Will document relevant assumptions.
5. Will be submitted as an Excel file. (.numbers files or links will be given a grade of zero)

Struggling with where to start this assignment? Follow this guide to tackle your assignment easily!

Step-by-Step Guide to Structuring Your Excel Spreadsheet

1. Understand the Required Inputs and Outputs: To begin, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the required inputs and the outputs you need to calculate. Here are the specifics you’ll need to set up in your spreadsheet:

• Inputs:
  • Variable cost per unit
  • Total fixed costs
  • Sales price per unit
  • Target profit
• Outputs:
  • Break-even point in units
  • Break-even point in sales (dollars)
  • Units sales required to achieve a target profit
  • Sales (dollars) required to achieve a target profit
  • Unit contribution margin

2. Organize Your Spreadsheet Layout: A well-organized spreadsheet will make it easy to navigate and modify. Use the following structure:

• Column A: Label the rows with descriptions like “Variable cost per unit,” “Total fixed costs,” etc.
• Column B: Input values for the variables.
• Column C: Outputs calculated by formulas.
• Ensure that all input cells (in Column B) are clearly labeled so the user knows where to input values.
• Use borders and colors to differentiate input cells (e.g., highlight input cells in yellow).

3. Set Up Cell References and Calculations:

• Input Cells (Column B):
  • These cells should be easily identifiable (use a light yellow fill or bold text).
  • Here, the user will input the values for the variable cost per unit, total fixed costs, sales price per unit, and target profit.
• Output Calculations (Column C):
  • Break-even point in units: This is calculated using the formula: Break-even in units=Total fixed costsSales price per unit−Variable cost per unit\text{Break-even in units} = \frac{\text{Total fixed costs}}{\text{Sales price per unit} – \text{Variable cost per unit}}Break-even in units=Sales price per unit−Variable cost per unitTotal fixed costs​
  • Break-even point in sales (dollars): This is calculated using the formula: $$\text{Break-even in sales}=\text{Break-even in units}\times \text{Sales price per unit}$$
  • Units sales required to achieve a target profit: This can be calculated using: Units for target profit=Total fixed costs+Target profitSales price per unit−Variable cost per unit\text{Units for target profit} = \frac{\text{Total fixed costs} + \text{Target profit}}{\text{Sales price per unit} – \text{Variable cost per unit}}Units for target profit=Sales price per unit−Variable cost per unitTotal fixed costs+Target profit​
  • Sales (dollars) required to achieve a target profit: This is: $$\text{Sales for target profit}=\text{Units for target profit}\times \text{Sales price per unit}$$
  • Unit contribution margin: This is calculated using: $$\text{Unit contribution margin}=\text{Sales price per unit}-\text{Variable cost per unit}$$

4. Document Assumptions: In the Excel spreadsheet, create a section at the bottom or in a separate sheet for documenting assumptions. Example assumptions might include:

• The sales price per unit and variable cost per unit remain constant.
• The target profit is set by the user.
• The calculations are based on linear relationships (e.g., fixed costs are constant).

5. Test the Spreadsheet: After setting up your spreadsheet:

• Input some test values for the variables.
• Check if the formulas for the outputs are calculating correctly.
• Make sure that changing the input values updates the output values dynamically (this demonstrates the use of cell referencing).

6. Review and Final Touches:

• Double-check the clarity of your input and output sections.
• Ensure that the spreadsheet is easy to navigate.
• Add any necessary instructions or comments to clarify how users should interact with the file.
• Make sure your file is saved as an Excel file (.xlsx) and not in other formats (such as .numbers).

Final Tips:

• Be mindful of user-friendliness: Make sure it’s clear where to input values and where the outputs will be displayed.
• Keep the sheet as simple and clean as possible to avoid confusion, especially for clients who may not be familiar with Excel.
• Test your calculations to ensure everything works as intended, especially when inputs change.

Perform financial statement analysis on Amazon.com versus Walmart, using ratios and Excel spreadsheet for the most recent published year end date (Fiscal 2022). Prepare a one-page persuasive memo explaining the comparison and attach an Excel image showing your ratio calculations for Amazon. Combined, I believe you can submit both on a single two-page document. Ensure your Excel file is clearly labeled and easily readable and your essay is cogent.
First paragraph:
Introduce your companies (walmart and amazon)
Introduce your method (using ratio analysis and business valuation)
Preview your message
Body of your paper:
Deliver your message … for this assignment use two paragraphs… one for ratio analysis (profitability, productivity and financial leverage) and the other for your two methods of business valuation.
Conclusion:
Summarize your findings and give your advice based on your findings.

Struggling with where to start this assignment? Follow this guide to tackle your assignment easily!

Step 1: Understand the Task

You’re asked to perform a financial statement analysis comparing Amazon and Walmart using ratio analysis and business valuation methods. Your deliverable will be:

1. A one-page memo explaining the comparison.
2. An Excel spreadsheet showing the ratio calculations for Amazon, with clear labeling. Both of these should fit together in a two-page document.

Step 2: Introduce the Companies and Your Methods

Start by introducing Amazon and Walmart:

• Briefly describe what each company does, highlighting their business model (e.g., e-commerce and cloud computing for Amazon; retail for Walmart).
• Explain that you will analyze their financials using ratio analysis and business valuation methods.

Preview your message:

• In this memo, you will compare the financial performance of Amazon and Walmart through ratio analysis and business valuation, providing insights into their profitability, productivity, financial leverage, and overall market valuation.

Step 3: Perform Ratio Analysis

Use the most recent Fiscal 2022 data for both Amazon and Walmart. Focus on three types of ratios:

1. Profitability Ratios:
   • Gross margin, operating margin, and net margin.
2. Productivity Ratios:
   • Asset turnover, inventory turnover.
3. Financial Leverage Ratios:
   • Debt-to-equity ratio, interest coverage ratio.

Perform these calculations for Amazon in an Excel spreadsheet, ensuring the calculations are clearly labeled and easy to follow.

What to include in your memo for Ratio Analysis:

• Amazon vs Walmart: Compare the profitability, productivity, and financial leverage of both companies.
• Highlight differences or similarities in their ratios and what they tell you about each company’s financial health.

Step 4: Apply Business Valuation Methods

Use two methods for business valuation:

1. Price-to-Earnings (P/E) Ratio: Compare the market value of Amazon and Walmart relative to their earnings.
2. Enterprise Value to EBITDA (EV/EBITDA): This ratio helps evaluate a company’s total value, including debt, in relation to its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.

What to include in your memo for Business Valuation:

• Compare the P/E ratio and EV/EBITDA of both companies.
• Discuss what these ratios suggest about the market’s view of each company’s potential for growth and profitability.

Step 5: Conclusion

In the conclusion:

• Summarize your findings from the ratio analysis and business valuation.
• Provide your advice based on the comparison. For example, if Amazon has higher growth potential but more financial leverage, and Walmart has stable profitability and lower risk, how should investors view these companies differently?

Step 6: Prepare Your Excel Spreadsheet

Create an Excel spreadsheet with the following:

• Clearly label your Amazon ratio calculations.
• Ensure the layout is simple, with distinct columns for each ratio and an easy-to-read format.
• Consider including charts or graphs for visual clarity if needed.

Step 7: Review and Finalize Your Memo

Before submitting, ensure:

• Clarity and organization: Make sure your memo flows logically, with clear introductions and conclusions.
• Excel clarity: Your Excel sheet is easy to follow and properly labeled.
• APA format for citations (if needed), and make sure there are no spelling or grammar issues.

By following this step-by-step guide, you will have a comprehensive and well-organized financial analysis comparing Amazon and Walmart. Best of luck with your assignment!

Discussion Questions:
Managerial Perspective: How does differentiating between product and period costs influence decision-making within your concentration? Consider how this impacts resource allocation and strategic planning in your field.
Example: For Marketing students, distinguishing between product and period costs can greatly influence how marketing campaigns are budgeted and assessed. For instance, advertising expenses are often categorized as period costs, which might downplay their long-term strategic value. Understanding this distinction can help marketing teams more effectively allocate resources and justify budget needs during strategic planning.
Transparency and Accountability: How does classifying costs this way contribute to transparent and accountable external reporting? What role does this play in supporting strong corporate governance?
Example: For Marketing professionals, segregating product and period costs can clarify financial statements, ensuring that stakeholders have a transparent view of how resources are allocated for brand-building activities versus operational costs.
Critical Evaluation: Are there situations where differentiating between product and period costs could be limiting? What are some arguments against strict classification in your focus area?
Example: Marketing professionals might argue that classifying certain expenses, like extensive market research, as period costs could undervalue their role in product development, leading to reduced investment in critical initiatives.
Dual-Purpose Accounting: Should internal management of these costs differ from external reporting? If so, how can this be balanced without compromising integrity and compliance?
Example: From a Marketing perspective, advertising and promotional expenses, categorized as period costs externally, might be prioritized differently internally to focus on long-term brand growth while still ensuring compliance with reporting standards.
Recommended Reading:
Van der Stede, W. A. (2015). Management accounting: Where from, where now, where to? Journal of Management Accounting Research, 27(1), 171-176. doi:10.2308/jmar-51059
Man, M., & Ravs, B. (2017). Implementation of management accounting tools solution to enhance the performance of public capital companies in difficulty: Case study: Romanian Television Company. Internal Auditing & Risk Management, 12(1), 1-15.
Chiarini, A., & Vagnoni, E. (2015). World-class manufacturing by Fiat: Comparison with Toyota Production System from a strategic management, management accounting, operations management, and performance measurement dimension. International Journal of Production Research, 53(2), 590-606. doi:10.1080/00207543.2014.958596
I look forward to reading your diverse perspectives and analyses. Your contributions will greatly enrich our discussions!
Discussion Guidelines:
Initial Response: Please post your initial response by Wednesday to set the tone for the week.
Substantive Engagement: Support your viewpoints with course concepts and scholarly citations, including at least one peer-reviewed source. The TAMUCT Electronic Library is an excellent resource for finding scholarly references.
Peer Interaction: Engage meaningfully with at least two classmates’ initial posts, offering critical analysis or constructive feedback.
Ongoing Dialogue: While continuous engagement is encouraged, ensure your contributions fulfill the two-peer reply requirement.
Complete Responses: Address all aspects of the discussion questions in your posts.

Struggling with where to start this assignment? Follow this guide to tackle your assignment easily!

Step-by-Step Guide for Structuring and Writing Your Paper

Step 1: Understand the Assignment

• Carefully read the discussion questions: Identify key aspects like the focus on differentiating product and period costs, transparency in financial reporting, critical evaluation of these classifications, and dual-purpose accounting.
• Review examples provided: Note how marketing professionals’ perspectives are illustrated to draw parallels to your own field of concentration.
• Highlight requirements: Take note of deadlines, word count, scholarly citation expectations, and peer interaction requirements from the discussion guidelines.

Step 2: Research and Gather Information

• Leverage the recommended readings:
  • Van der Stede, W. A. (2015)
  • Man, M., & Ravs, B. (2017)
  • Chiarini, A., & Vagnoni, E. (2015)
• Search additional sources: Use the TAMUCT Electronic Library to find peer-reviewed journal articles relevant to your concentration.
• Organize findings: Categorize information under key topics like decision-making, transparency, critical evaluation, and dual-purpose accounting.

Step 3: Draft Your Initial Post

1. Introduction:
   • Start with a brief overview of the importance of differentiating product and period costs in your field.
   • Provide a thesis statement outlining what your post will cover.
2. Managerial Perspective:
   • Explain how understanding product and period costs influences resource allocation and strategic planning in your field.
   • Include a specific example from your area of concentration.
3. Transparency and Accountability:
   • Discuss how proper classification of costs supports transparent financial reporting and corporate governance.
   • Relate this to stakeholder trust and organizational integrity.
4. Critical Evaluation:
   • Evaluate situations where differentiating between costs may be limiting.
   • Present arguments against strict classifications and propose alternative approaches.
5. Dual-Purpose Accounting:
   • Explore whether internal management of costs should differ from external reporting.
   • Suggest strategies to balance internal priorities with compliance requirements.
6. Conclusion:
   • Summarize the key points discussed.
   • End with a reflective question to encourage peer engagement.

Step 4: Review and Edit

• Proofread for clarity and coherence.
• Check citation format: Ensure scholarly references follow the required style (e.g., APA).
• Align with discussion guidelines: Confirm your post addresses all questions and includes a peer-reviewed source.

Step 5: Engage with Peers

• Read classmates’ posts: Identify insights and areas where you can contribute.
• Provide meaningful feedback: Use examples and scholarly support to strengthen your replies.
• Foster dialogue: Ask follow-up questions to deepen the discussion.

Step 6: Submit on Time

• Post your initial response by Wednesday.
• Complete peer replies by the end of the week.

By following this guide, you can confidently approach the assignment, ensuring a well-structured and thoughtful contribution to the discussion.

Topic: You are an auditor at a prestigious CPA firm. After several years of hard work, your boss informs you that you will be in charge of this year’s audit of the firm’s most important client, Bullseye, a general merchandise retailer with hundreds of stores throughout the United States. Bullseye is a publicly traded company with its corporate headquarters in Minneapolis, MN. It does not have any foreign operations. Local managers take care of all hiring/personnel issues but payroll is administered through corporate headquarters. Similarly, store managers order store supplies and inventory on account through approved suppliers who send the bill to corporate headquarters where it is paid and allocated to the appropriate store. Cash from sales is deposited on a daily basis into local branches of a national bank chain that handles all banking needs for Bullseye. and store managers have authority to withdraw cash to meet the daily business needs of their store. Each store has a bookkeeper on staff who records all transactions. Naturally, Bullseye relies heavily on technology to manage inventory, payroll, record keeping, and other financial issues at the store and corporate levels. They have an integrated system where information recorded at the store level is transmitted to corporate headquarters and entered into the appropriate accounts. Bullseye has been in generally good financial health for several years and there are no concerns about its ability to remain a going concern. All previous audits have only found minor problems that were the result of human error, such as transposing numbers or entering amounts into the wrong account, and these errors were easily corrected.
Your supervisor informs you that you will have a team of four other accountants, including an IT professional to assist on the audit. You will be flying to Minneapolis next month to conduct the audit at Bullseye corporate headquarters. While your boss assures you that you will have a sufficient budget to conduct a complete audit, the firm wishes to make the audit as efficient as possible. You can send your staff to stores throughout the country if needed.
Following the format for an integrated audit presented in the textbook, create a comprehensive plan, in essay form, for your audit of Bullseye, from establishing the scope of the audit through issuing the final report. Because Bullseye has been a client for several years, this is an ongoing audit, so you only need to be concerned with collecting information about the company to the extent that you can get the information you need for conducting this audit.
The plan should be 5-7 pages and should be in APA format, with a minimum of 2 outside sources used to support your plan. Be sure to include what accounts you will want to pay particular attention to, the risks that are relevant to this company and your audit, internal controls you will want to test and how you will test them, and any ethical concerns that may be anticipated.
Your assignment will automatically be submitted to Turnitin in the assignment dropbox. Originality reports will be returned to the faculty and student. Multiple submissions are allowed. Make sure that your Similarity Index does not exceed 25% for undergraduate work.

The writing assignment will demonstrate writing across the curriculum by responding to the following topic in a 500-700 words in length paper.
Topic: Two accounting students were discussing the timing of revenue recognition for long-term construction contracts. The discussion focused on which method was most like the typical revenue recognition method of recognizing revenue at the point of product delivery. Bill argued that recognizing revenue upon project completion was preferable because it was analogous to recognizing revenue at the point of delivery. John disagreed and supported recognizing revenue over time, stating that it was analogous to accruing revenue as a performance obligation was satisfied. John also pointed out that an advantage of recognizing revenue over time is that it provides information sooner to users. Discuss the arguments made by both students. Which argument do you support? Why?
Writing Assignment
The writing assignment will demonstrate writing across the curriculum responding to the topic selected in a 500-700 words paper. Please name your assignment file as ‘lastnamefirstinitial-ACCT-301-W8″, and submit
Turnitin.com is an excellent resource to check the content and quality of writing assignments and to avoid plagiarism. An Originality Report will be generated upon paper submission. The Originality Report does not actually recommend changes. It does point out where you may need to add a citation or quotation marks (if not already cited). Once you use it a few times, you will appreciate this tool, as it will assist you in improving quality and content, as well as avoid plagiarism. Your goal is to keep direct quotations to a minimum and to make sure that you do not just cut and paste material. Ensure that all your references are cited. A report less than 25% is acceptable for undergraduate level work.
Your assignment will be evaluated according to the following Writing Assignment Grading Criteria:
Writing Assignment Grading Rubric

I have 5 pearson assignments that need to be done by 12:00pm today. I am willing to pay 40 dollars per assignment some assignments already have some questions answered. they are 19 questions each

Stage 4 – you will present your findings to the family friend who wanted to invest in the company. In your presentation, you will review your research of QuickBooks Online and the alternative choices for the company′s accounting software. Be sure to also include a discussion on ways the company can plan to combat any internal control issues that arise from switching to a computerized accounting system.
For your presentation, use Microsoft PowerPoint to present your findings. You are encouraged to use tables or other graphics to compare/contrast along with other visual aids.
i attached parts 1-3

1. This exam is intended to measure group performance. The test is “open book” and “open notes.” The Honor Code applies to this exam and violations will not be tolerated.
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2. The portion of the Final Exam consists of 10 pages including this top page. Please, make sure that you have the complete exam.
3. Please answer the Questions posed in this Word document and return this as a PDF document (with your answers) by submission on the Canvas course page.
4. You may alter the spacing in the Word file to accommodate your answer. In other words, if you need more space to show a calculation than is shown in the problem, feel free to create the space.
5. In the event that a clarification about the test needs to be made, your instructor will send a communication via the “Announcements” in Canvas.

I have 5 pearson assignments that need to be done by 12:00pm today. I am willing to pay 40 dollars per assignment some assignments already have some questions answered. they are 19 questions each