Business Finance - Management Week 1 Assignment- Account for Management Decision Making

Account for Management Decision Making

Week 1: Learning Resources

Understanding Financial Statement

Financial statements are some of the building blocks that organizations need to help them analyze where they have been and where they are heading in the future. Through these resources, you will explore the four basic financial statements that are prepared. Public companies are required to submit them to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although private companies are not required to do so, they still need them for other purposes, such as loans, planning, and reflection on the past year.

· U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (2007, February 5).  Beginners’ guide to financial statementLinks to an external site. . https://www.sec.gov/reportspubs/investor-publications/investorpubsbegfinstmtguidehtm.html

· Walden University, LLC.  (2024).  Financial statements  [PDF]  Download Financial statements [PDF] . Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com 

· Walden University, LLC. (2021).  The four financial statements [Video]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com

Strategic Planning, Budgeting, and Forecasting

Strategic planning, budgeting, and forecasting can each take many different forms, yet they are all part of moving an organization toward achieving its goals for a successful future. In these resources, you will explore what they are, how they are different, how they fit together, and how they contribute to success.

· Makridakis, S., & Spiliotis, E.  (2021).  The M5 competition and the future of human expertise in forecastingLinks to an external site. .  Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting , (60), 33–37.

· Shim, J. K., Siegel, J. G., & Shim, A. I. (2012).  Strategic planning and budgeting: Process, preparation, and controlLinks to an external site. . In  Budgeting basics and beyond (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

· Walden University, LLC. (2024).  Strategic planning, budgeting, and forecasting  [PDF]  Download Strategic planning, budgeting, and forecasting [PDF] . Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com

Preparing The Budget

The ability to implement and adhere to a budget is a key factor in any organization’s success. Leaders rely on budgets to help them make critical decisions related to operational and resource-related matters, among other things. Budgeting is also a key aspect of an organization’s strategic planning. Through these resources, you will examine the use of budgets for an organization.

· Franklin, M., Graybeal, P., & Cooper, D. (2019).  Why it mattersLinks to an external site. . In  Principles of accounting, volume 2: Managerial accounting . OpenStax.   https://openstax.org/books/principles-managerial-accounting/pages/7-why-it-matters

· Franklin, M., Graybeal, P., & Cooper, D. (2019).  7.1 describe how and why managers use budgetsLinks to an external site. . In  Principles of accounting, volume 2: Managerial accounting . OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/principles-managerial-accounting/pages/7-1-describe-how-and-why-managers-use-budgets

· Onwuzulike, U. (2015, September 17).  Is budgeting drowning strategic planning in your organisation?Links to an external site.   Vanguard . https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/is-budgeting-drowning-strategic-planning-in-your-organisation/

· Rivera, J., & Milani, K.  (2020).  Budgeting for international operationsLinks to an external site. .  Strategic Finance, 102 (6), 46–52.

· Shim, J. K., Siegel, J. G., & Shim, A. I. (2012).  Strategic planning and budgeting: Process, preparation, and controlLinks to an external site. . In  Budgeting basics and beyond (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

Responsibility Centers

Are managers responsible for all activities in an organization or only for their area? Managers should only be held responsible for activities they can control. For example, if a manager is in charge of a production department, that manager should be responsible for what is produced as well as the labor and materials needed for production. However, the manager should  not be responsible for whether the items produced are sold, as that is the responsibility of the sales department. Using these resources, you will examine various types of responsibility centers.

· Franklin, M., Graybeal, P., & Cooper, D. (2019).  Why it mattersLinks to an external site. . In  Principles of accounting, volume 2: Managerial accounting . OpenStax.   https://openstax.org/books/principles-managerial-accounting/pages/9-why-it-matters

· Franklin, M., Graybeal, P., & Cooper, D. (2019).  9.3 describe the types of responsibility centersLinks to an external site. . In  Principles of accounting, volume 2: Managerial accounting . OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/principles-managerial-accounting/pages/9-3-describe-the-types-of-responsibility-centers

· Franklin, M., Graybeal, P., & Cooper, D. (2019).  9.4 describe the effects of various decisions on performance evaluation of responsibility centersLinks to an external site. . In  Principles of accounting, volume 2: Managerial accounting . OpenStax.   https://openstax.org/books/principles-managerial-accounting/pages/9-4-describe-the-effects-of-various-decisions-on-performance-evaluation-of-responsibility-centers

· Walden University, LLC. (2024).  The differences between cost centers, profit centers, and investment centers  [PDF]  Download The differences between cost centers, profit centers, and investment centers [PDF] . Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com

Account for Management Decision Making

Week 1 Assignment

Using Accounting Information for Decision Making- Financial Information and Budgets

For this Assignment, you will take on the role of a consultant and provide two reports on using accounting information for decision making to a fictitious organization so it can better prepare for the future. This week, you will submit the first report, which will focus on financial information and budgeting. Next week, you will submit the second report, which will focus on performance reports and balanced scorecards.

AMcarParts, Inc., a midsize manufacturer of after-market automotive parts, has had an unexpected amount of turnover in its leadership staff, leaving the owners in need of someone who can help them understand accounting concepts, such as strategic planning, budgeting, and forecasting. You have been hired as a consultant to help the owners understand this information for future planning and to assist them with some immediate budgeting needs and concerns.

The product of your analysis will be a business report on using accounting information for decision making that will be delivered to the owners of a midsize manufacturer. In addition to the requirements that follow, be sure to incorporate references to appropriate academic sources, such as those found in this week’s Learning Resources or those in the Walden Library.

To prepare for this Assignment:

· Download Week 1 Part 1 Assignment Template.

· Download Week 1 Part 2 Assignment Template.

· Your instructor will provide part of the data to complete the calculations for the “Budget Preparation” part of this week’s Assignment. To access that information, refer to  Doc Sharing .

Submit your completed business report and accompanying Excel file. Your report should be 4–5 pages in length (excluding title page and references) and should address the following:

For this part of your business report, you are to provide an analysis on financial statements, strategic planning, budgeting, and forecasting. In the context of this Assignment, the organization’s leaders would use this information to develop their draft budget, which they would then provide to you for the budget preparation. In your analysis, address the following:

· Describe the four basic financial statements—income statement, statement of stockholders’ equity, statement of financial position (also known as a balance sheet), and statement of cash flows—and the purpose of each.

· Compare the concepts of strategic planning, budgeting, and forecasting for an organization. Specifically:

· Describe each concept and the ways they are interrelated as well as their differences.

· Analyze the role that each concept plays within an organization. In your analysis, be sure to include how strategic planning, budgeting, and forecasting are used to improve organizational performance.

· Be sure to include citations and references to support your work.

· Explain what responsibility centers are (in general) as well as the three types of responsibility centers: cost centers, profit centers, and investment centers.

· Identify the decision rights assigned to each type of center, being sure to include examples for each type of responsibility center.

For this part of your business report, you will prepare a budget in Excel and demonstrate how it was developed. You will use the organization’s year-end income statement and ideas the company has for the upcoming year. Be sure to address the following:

· Using the Week 1 Part 2 Assignment Template and the data provided by your Instructor in the  Doc Sharing  area, prepare a budget of the upcoming year for the organization.

· Illustrate to the organization how each line item in the budget was prepared. ( Note: You will include these notes in the indicated cells within the Assignment Template.)

· Note: In addition to submitting your work in Excel, you will insert your budget and your notes into your main document. For information on inserting data from Excel into Word, refer to the following:

· Microsoft. (n.d.).  Insert a chart from an Excel spreadsheet into Word  Links to an external site. . https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/insert-a-chart-from-an-excel-spreadsheet-into-word-0b4d40a5-3544-4dcd-b28f-ba82a9b9f1e1

Account for Management Decision Making

Week 1: Learning Resources

Understanding Financial Statement

Financial statements are some of the building blocks that organizations need to help them analyze where they have been and where they are heading in the future. Through these resources, you will explore the four basic financial statements that are prepared. Public companies are required to submit them to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although private companies are not required to do so, they still need them for other purposes, such as loans, planning, and reflection on the past year.

· U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (2007, February 5).  Beginners’ guide to financial statementLinks to an external site. . https://www.sec.gov/reportspubs/investor-publications/investorpubsbegfinstmtguidehtm.html

· Walden University, LLC.  (2024).  Financial statements  [PDF]  Download Financial statements [PDF] . Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com 

· Walden University, LLC. (2021).  The four financial statements [Video]. Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com

Strategic Planning, Budgeting, and Forecasting

Strategic planning, budgeting, and forecasting can each take many different forms, yet they are all part of moving an organization toward achieving its goals for a successful future. In these resources, you will explore what they are, how they are different, how they fit together, and how they contribute to success.

· Makridakis, S., & Spiliotis, E.  (2021).  The M5 competition and the future of human expertise in forecastingLinks to an external site. .  Foresight: The International Journal of Applied Forecasting , (60), 33–37.

· Shim, J. K., Siegel, J. G., & Shim, A. I. (2012).  Strategic planning and budgeting: Process, preparation, and controlLinks to an external site. . In  Budgeting basics and beyond (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

· Walden University, LLC. (2024).  Strategic planning, budgeting, and forecasting  [PDF]  Download Strategic planning, budgeting, and forecasting [PDF] . Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com

Preparing The Budget

The ability to implement and adhere to a budget is a key factor in any organization’s success. Leaders rely on budgets to help them make critical decisions related to operational and resource-related matters, among other things. Budgeting is also a key aspect of an organization’s strategic planning. Through these resources, you will examine the use of budgets for an organization.

· Franklin, M., Graybeal, P., & Cooper, D. (2019).  Why it mattersLinks to an external site. . In  Principles of accounting, volume 2: Managerial accounting . OpenStax.   https://openstax.org/books/principles-managerial-accounting/pages/7-why-it-matters

· Franklin, M., Graybeal, P., & Cooper, D. (2019).  7.1 describe how and why managers use budgetsLinks to an external site. . In  Principles of accounting, volume 2: Managerial accounting . OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/principles-managerial-accounting/pages/7-1-describe-how-and-why-managers-use-budgets

· Onwuzulike, U. (2015, September 17).  Is budgeting drowning strategic planning in your organisation?Links to an external site.   Vanguard . https://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/09/is-budgeting-drowning-strategic-planning-in-your-organisation/

· Rivera, J., & Milani, K.  (2020).  Budgeting for international operationsLinks to an external site. .  Strategic Finance, 102 (6), 46–52.

· Shim, J. K., Siegel, J. G., & Shim, A. I. (2012).  Strategic planning and budgeting: Process, preparation, and controlLinks to an external site. . In  Budgeting basics and beyond (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

Responsibility Centers

Are managers responsible for all activities in an organization or only for their area? Managers should only be held responsible for activities they can control. For example, if a manager is in charge of a production department, that manager should be responsible for what is produced as well as the labor and materials needed for production. However, the manager should  not be responsible for whether the items produced are sold, as that is the responsibility of the sales department. Using these resources, you will examine various types of responsibility centers.

· Franklin, M., Graybeal, P., & Cooper, D. (2019).  Why it mattersLinks to an external site. . In  Principles of accounting, volume 2: Managerial accounting . OpenStax.   https://openstax.org/books/principles-managerial-accounting/pages/9-why-it-matters

· Franklin, M., Graybeal, P., & Cooper, D. (2019).  9.3 describe the types of responsibility centersLinks to an external site. . In  Principles of accounting, volume 2: Managerial accounting . OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/principles-managerial-accounting/pages/9-3-describe-the-types-of-responsibility-centers

· Franklin, M., Graybeal, P., & Cooper, D. (2019).  9.4 describe the effects of various decisions on performance evaluation of responsibility centersLinks to an external site. . In  Principles of accounting, volume 2: Managerial accounting . OpenStax.   https://openstax.org/books/principles-managerial-accounting/pages/9-4-describe-the-effects-of-various-decisions-on-performance-evaluation-of-responsibility-centers

· Walden University, LLC. (2024).  The differences between cost centers, profit centers, and investment centers  [PDF]  Download The differences between cost centers, profit centers, and investment centers [PDF] . Walden University Canvas. https://waldenu.instructure.com