Week 1 Discussion 

·                   5

"Financial Statements"  Please respond to the following.

For this week’s eActivity, review Apple Inc.’s most recent financial statements. Click to review Apple’s Financial Information.

·         Based on your analysis of Apple’s most recent financial statements, predict whether Apple’s financial health will likely improve or deteriorate over the next five (5) years. Provide a rationale for your response.

·         Examine Apple’s statement of cash flows. Recommend at least two (2) actions that Apple could take in order to maximize the use of its cash flows. Provide a rationale for your response.

Note: All students are required to post a minimum of two posts per online discussion thread. Students must have one original post and a minimum of one other post per discussion thread.  Click to review the Grading Rubric for Discussions.

Week 2 Discussion 

·                   5

"Accounting Systems and Accruals"  Please respond to the following:

For this week's eActivity, research the most common threats to a computerized accounting system using the Internet and/or Strayer databases. Be prepared to discuss.

·         Upon examination of the greatest threats to a computerized accounting system, suggest two (2) preventive measures or remedies that protect the system and/or mitigate any negative impacts to the system. Provide a rationale for your response.

·         Pretend that you are a criminal and want to commit fraud by altering your company’s accruals. Create a brief plan (approximately one [1] paragraph in length) of how you would commit the fraud. Predict the major potential resulting damage(s) to the company’s financial statements from the fraud.

Note: All students are required to post a minimum of two posts per online discussion thread. Students must have one original post and a minimum of one other post per discussion thread.  Click to review the Grading Rubric for Discussions.

 

Week 3 Discussion 

·                   5

"Accounting for Inventories"  Please respond to the following:

·         As a Financial Accountant, determine the best type of income statement a retailer should use. Defend your suggestion.

·         Analyze inventory valuation methods discussed in the textbook. Based on your analysis, recommend the most accurate valuation method that reflects current economic conditions. Provide a rationale for your recommendation.

Note: All students are required to post a minimum of two posts per online discussion thread. Students must have one original post and a minimum of one other post per discussion thread.  Click to review the Grading Rubric for Discussions.

Week 4 Discussion 

·                   5

"Internal Controls"  Please respond to the following:

·         Imagine that a coworker wants to circumvent an internal control to steal money from your company. Speculate on two (2) internal controls that your coworker might attempt to circumvent in order to steal the money. Recommend two (2) actions that the company could take in order to prevent the theft.

·         Outline an anti-fraud program that you would implement at your company (current or previous). Suggest the approach you would take to sell this program to your senior executives. Provide a rationale for your response.

Note: All students are required to post a minimum of two posts per online discussion thread. Students must have one original post and a minimum of one other post per discussion thread.  Click to review the Grading Rubric for Discussions.

Week 5 Discussion 

"Accounts Receivable Management"  Please respond to the following:

·         Examine the five (5) steps to managing accounts receivable. Speculate on the step that is most vulnerable to fraud. Suggest at least two (2) actions that a company can take in order to protect this step from fraud.

·         Imagine that your company has tasked you with developing a plan for factoring accounts receivables. Create one (1) scenario that demonstrates the key benefits and / or detriments to your company from factoring accounts receivable.

Note: All students are required to post a minimum of two posts per online discussion thread. Students must have one original post and a minimum of one other post per discussion thread. Click to review the Grading Rubric for Discussions.

Week 6 Discussion 

·                   5

"Plant Assets"  Please respond to the following:

·         Imagine that you are the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of a startup airline company. The executive management team has tasked you with making a recommendation about whether the company should buy or lease airplanes. Analyze the major pros and cons for leasing and buying assets. Based on your analysis, provide a recommendation to the executive team.

·         Compare and contrast the three (3) methods for depreciating plant assets. Recommend the method that maximizes profits for both a shorter period of time and a longer period of time.

Note: All students are required to post a minimum of two posts per online discussion thread. Students must have one original post and a minimum of one other post per discussion thread.  Click to review the Grading Rubric for Discussions.

Week 7 Discussion 

·                   5

"Liabilities"  Please respond to the following:

·         Analyze the major pros and cons of preparing company budgets. Determine at least two (2) critical budget items that you believe are essential in managing a company. Provide a rationale for your response.

·         Analyze the most common responsibility reporting systems. From your analysis, argue at least one (1) pro and one (1) con of using responsibility reporting systems.

Note: All students are required to post a minimum of two posts per online discussion thread. Students must have one original post and a minimum of one other post per discussion thread.  Click to review the Grading Rubric for Discussions.

Week 8 Discussion

5

"Liabilities"  Please respond to the following:

For this week's eActivity, research one (1) publicly traded company in which you are interested using the Internet and/or Strayer databases. Locate the company Website and focus on the types of bonds the company issues. Be prepared to discuss.

· Hypothesize a scenario in which one could intentionally misstate liabilities for his or her personal financial gain. Recommend two (2) actions that companies can take to prevent or detect intentional misstatements of liabilities for personal financial gain. Justify your response.

· Imagine that you are advising an investor who is considering purchasing bonds from the selected company. Analyze the types of bonds the chosen company issues, and make a recommendation to the investor as to which type of bond would provide the most value. Justify your response.

Note: All students are required to post a minimum of two posts per online discussion thread. Students must have one original post and a minimum of one other post per discussion thread. 

Week 9 Discussion 

·                   5

"Cash Flows"  Please respond to the following:

For this week's eActivity, research one (1) publicly traded company in which you are interested using the Internet and/or Strayer databases. Review its most recent statement of cash flows and income statement on the company Website. Be prepared to discuss.

·         Outline a strategy for companies to spend excess cash and maximize the value of that spend. Provide a rationale for your response.

·         Compare and contrast the selected company’s statement of cash flows to its income statement. Suggest at least two (2) items from each statement that investors should analyze when deciding whether or not to purchase the company’s stock. Justify your response.

Note: All students are required to post a minimum of two posts per online discussion thread. Students must have one original post and a minimum of one other post per discussion thread.  Click to review the Grading Rubric for Discussions.

Week 10 Discussion 

·                   5

"Sustainable Income and Ratio Analysis"  Please respond to the following:

·         Describe sustainable income and the importance of sustainable income in the evaluation of the income statement. Choose at least two (2) items or events that will affect sustainable income of a company.

·         Propose the manner in which you would disclose these items or events to investors. Justify your response.

Note: All students are required to post a minimum of two posts per online discussion thread. Students must have one original post and a minimum of one other post per discussion thread.  Click to review the Grading Rubric for Discussions.

Week 11 Discussion

·                   5

"Sum It Up"  Please respond to the following:

·         Provide two (2) examples that demonstrate a change in your theories of financial accounting for managers since the beginning of this course.

·         Rate the three (3) most important concepts that you have learned in this course in order of importance (one [1] being the most important; three [3], the least). Provide a rationale for your rating scheme.

Note: All students are required to post a minimum of two posts per online discussion thread. Students must have one original post and a minimum of one other post per discussion thread.  Click to review the Grading Rubric for Discussions.