Question: What is an enterprise resource planning (ERP)

> Meredith Corporation publishes books and magazines, owns and operates television stations, and has a real estate marketing and franchising service. Meredith has 11 different systems that do not communicate with each other. Management wants an executive i

> A large organization had 18 months to replace its old customer information system with a new one that could differentiate among customer levels and provide appropriate products and services on demand. The new system, which cost $1 million and was install

> Nielsen Marketing Research (NMR), with operations in 29 countries, produces and disseminates marketing information. Nielsen has been the primary supplier of decision support information for more than 70 years. NMR’s most recognizable product is the Niels

> Mark Mitton, the liaison to the IS department, has eliminated all but the best three systems. Mark developed a list of required features, carefully reviewed each system, talked to other users, and interviewed appropriate systems representatives. Mark use

> This case involves creating a database from an integrated REA diagram and then using the REA diagram to guide the writing of queries to prepare financial statements. Required a. Create the tables necessary to implement Figure 19-9 in a relational datab

> The Web site for this book contains an adaption of Russell L. Ackoff’s classic article “Management Misinformation Systems” from Management Science. In the article, Ackoff identified five common assumptions about information systems and then explained wh

> UpTown Mfg. custom manufactures machine parts used by other companies. The following data relate to production of Part #33: Annual quantity produced in units ………………………….3,600 Cost

> Compute annual estimated demand for a product if the economic order quantity is 1,600 units, carrying cost is $0.35 per unit, and ordering cost is $140.00 per order.  

> Determine the carrying costs for an item costing $6.80, given the following per-unit cost information: Storage cost …………………………………………$0.24

> Farm Fresh manufactures a variety of animal food products from alfalfa “pellets.” The firm has determined that its EOQ is 80,000 pounds of pellets. Based on the EOQ, the firm’s annual ordering cost for pellets is $16,700. Given this i

> Diane Delbert operates a health food bakery that uses a special type of ground flour in one of its high-margin products. The bakery operates 365 days a year. Delbert finds that she seems to order either too much or too little special flour and asks for

> What are the three costs associated with inventory? Explain each and give examples.  

> Rocky Natore, owner of Rocky’s Pizza, has a policy to put 36 slices of pepperoni on a large pizza. Natore recently hired two college students to work part-time making pizzas and decided to observe them at their jobs for a few days. Natore gathered the fo

> According to the 2008 J.D. Power and Associates Reports, Porsche models have the fewest quality problems in the industry, with just 87 problems per 100 vehicles. Infiniti and Lexus products follow with 98 and 99 problems per 100 vehicles. Source: J.D. Po

> The call center of Wobegon Electric Company handles 1.2 million calls per year. The average call requires six minutes of operator time and 40 percent of the calls require a supervisor to be involved for at least half of the call time. Operators are paid

> Mark each of the following statements as true or false and explain why the false statements are incorrect. a. Results benchmarking relies only on comparisons to firms within the same industry. b. SPC control charts are used to plot the costs of quality o

> Rogal and Associates Legal Services hires full- and part time professional employees. Full-time experienced staff can be hired for a salary of $60,000 per year; fringe benefit costs for each full-time employee amount to 20 percent of base salary. Rogal a

> Sometimes a company, in its efforts to reduce costs, might also reduce quality. a. What kinds of costs could an organization reduce that would almost automatically lower product/service quality? b. If quality improvements create cost reductions, why woul

> Forsythe Furniture has gathered the following data on its quality costs for 2009 and 2010: a. Compute the percentage change in the two quality cost categories from 2009 to 2010. b. Write a brief explanation for the pattern of change in the two categorie

> The accounting system for Amaldi Co. reflected the following quality costs for 2009 and 2010: a. Which of these are costs of compliance, and which are costs of noncompliance? b. Calculate the percentage change in each cost and for each category. c. Disc

> Seymour Inc. has prepared the following summary quality cost report for 2010: Prevention costs …………………………………..$1,560,000 Appraisal costs ………………………………………1,800,000 Internal failure costs ……………………………..2,280,000 External failure costs ……………………………..1,680,000

> Hartigay Manufacturing is evaluating its quality control costs for 2010 and preparing the budget for 2011. Quality costs incurred at the company for 2010 are as follows: Prevention costs ………………………………………$ 450,000 Appraisal costs …………………………………………….150,000

> Koss Corp. makes high-quality headphones for a variety of applications. Koss is a Milwaukee-based company but has significant manufacturing operations in China. When manufacturing operations were moved to China, CEO Michael Koss was a strong proponent of

> For a benchmark, assume that the average firm incurs quality costs in the following proportions: Prevention ……………………………………..25% Appraisal ……………………………………….25% Internal failure ……………………………..25% External failure ……………………………..25% Total costs …………………………………..1

> Find The Benchmarking Exchange on the Internet. a. What are the five most actively benchmarked business processes of members of the exchange? b. Why do you think benchmarking processes related to managing human resources rank highly on the benchmarking i

> Your company is interested in developing information about quality but has a traditional accounting system that does not provide such information directly. In a three- or four-person team, prepare a set of recommendations about how to improve the company

> The following production information about quality costs has been gathered for June 2010: Total defective units ……………………………………………..580 Number of units reworked ……………………………………380 Number of units returned …………………………………….100 Total prevention cost …………………………

> Use the Internet to find four definitions of quality. a. Compare and contrast each of the four definitions with specific emphasis on whether the definition includes conformity or customer orientation. b. Assume that you are the manager of (1) a copy stor

> Idaho Industrial is a medium-size manufacturing corporation in a capital-intensive industry. Currently, actual profits are not meeting expectations. As a result, investment funds are limited and hiring is restricted. These consequences of the corporation

> By building quality into a process rather than having quality inspections at the end of the process, certain job functions (such as that of quality control inspector) can be eliminated. Additionally, the installation of automated equipment to monitor pro

> Johnson Consumer Electronics operates in an industry in which the demand for products is cyclical and often unpredictable. Discuss a strategy for dealing with uncertainty associated with the cycles that would be appropriate for Johnson Consumer Electroni

> Assume that you are in the market for a new car. Since your promotion at work, price is no object. You are considering purchasing a Porsche, but your spouse has suggested the purchase of a Kia. a. What do you perceive to be Porsche’s strategy relative to

> What is a quality audit? Most large companies view their markets on an international rather than a domestic basis. To compete effectively in a global environment, companies must recognize the need for, and be willing to initiate, compliance with a variet

> Assume that you are a management consultant who advises manufacturing firms regarding production technologies. One of the hot issues you often discuss with management is whether a pull system or a push system is superior in a particular situation. Consid

> Omaha Metal Products manufactures a variety of industrial products from stock metal components. The firm is engaged in its annual process of budgeting costs and revenues for the coming year. The cost of metal consumes approximately 50 percent of total re

> How can Pareto analysis help focus managerial efforts on reducing the costs of quality related problems?

> How is technology affecting supply-chain purchasing practices and transaction costs?

> In 2002, a green engineering case study about automobile emissions and saving energy was performed. The study generated designs for both gasoline- and diesel-powered automobiles with the following characteristics: a mid-size sedan that would get 52 miles

> What types of discretionary costs are subject to control as engineered costs? Provide several examples.

> Choose one product and one service with which you are well acquainted. Indicate how the product and service each meet (or do not meet) the eight overall quality characteristics. For the service, indicate how it meets (or does not meet) the three addition

> Go to the Web site for the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and find the questionnaire titled “Are We Making Progress?”. a. Download the questionnaire and answer the questions relative to your place of employment or university. Ask four of your co

> Business process reengineering and downsizing often occur together. Why?

> In conducting activity analyses, the presence of certain activities indicates low production process quality. List five of these activities.

> How does the cost control system interact with the overall cost management system?

> Tyler Tubing’s management has been evaluating company policies with respect to control of costs of corrugated metal, one of the firm’s major component materials. The firm’s controller has gathered the following financial data, which may be pertinent to c

> How does the implementation of open-book management require an organization’s accountants to change their traditional practices?

> You have been assigned the task of projecting the cost of 2011 employee fringe benefits for your firm and have identified number of employees, total labor hours, and total labor cost as candidate independent variables for use in the estimation equation.

> Open-book management is a relatively new philosophy about the use of information in organizations. Describe open-book management and how it differs philosophically from the traditional view of the management of financial information in an organization

> New strategic alliances are formed every day. What are they, and why are they increasingly being used by businesses?

> Besides increasing globalization, what trends within the United States are causing firms to seek more diversified workforces?

> How has the globalization of firms affected the diversity of their employees? Why has increased diversity put an additional burden on accounting systems?

> Describe “downsizing,” its causes, and its primary risks.

> Describe the three generic strategies for dealing with the environmental effects of operations. Is one of the strategies always preferred to the others? Discuss.

> What is business process reengineering? Does it lead to radical or modest changes in business practices? Discuss.

> IMeg manufactures various electronic assemblies that are sold primarily to computer manufacturers. IMeg’s reputation has been built on quality, timely delivery, and products that are consistently on the cutting edge of technology. IMeg’s typical product

> How would switching from a traditional manufacturing system to a flexible manufacturing system affect a firm’s inventory and production control systems?

> What changes must occur in a production environment to effectively implement JIT? Why are these changes necessary?

> You are employed by a firm engaging in heavy manufacturing. Its direct materials are sourced globally, but its non operating inputs are sourced from a variety of U.S. vendors. You have been charged with making a presentation to the CFO about the benefits

> What are the primary goals of the JIT philosophy, and how does JIT attempt to achieve these goals?

> What is kaizen costing, and how does it differ from target costing?

> Why does the development stage have such a significant influence on a product’s profitability over its life cycle?

> What is target costing, and how is it useful in assessing a product’s total life cycle cost?

> How does a product’s life cycle stage influence production cost management?

> Differentiate between the push and pull systems of production. Is JIT a push or a pull system?

> What is Pareto inventory analysis? Why do A items and C items warrant different inventory control methods? What are some methods that can be employed to control C items? Companies making purchasing (rather than production) decisions often compute the eco

> Gale’s Garden grows and sells a variety of indoor and outdoor plants and garden vegetables. One of the firm’s more popular vegetables is a red onion, which has an annual sales quantity of approximately 30,000 pounds. T

> How are ordering costs and carrying costs related? Companies making purchasing (rather than production) decisions often compute the economic order quantity (EOQ), which represents the least costly number of units to order. EOQ indicates the optimal balan

> What is the theory of constraints? How is this concept appropriate for manufacturing and service companies?

> What is the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award? Why would an organization apply for that award?

> New England Automotive manufactures aftermarket automobile parts that are sold in a variety of outlets including auto parts stores and discount retailers. The following account data (in millions) have been taken from a recent balance sheet: Current Asset

> What is TQM? What are the four important tenets of TQM, and why are they important?

> Describe four types of benchmarking. Use the Internet to find a company that has engaged in benchmarking. Describe the type of benchmarking used and the benefits and costs of the company’s experience.

> Compare and contrast the eight characteristics that constitute overall quality from the customer’s perspective with the three additional characteristics that constitute service quality from the customer’s perspective.

> Why might a common set of global quality standards be needed or desirable? Most large companies view their markets on an international rather than a domestic basis. To compete effectively in a global environment, companies must recognize the need for, a

> Compare and contrast the EFQM Excellence Model with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria. Most large companies view their markets on an international rather than a domestic basis. To compete effectively in a global environment, companies

> What factors create uncertainty when estimating future costs and revenues?

> Recent years have been characterized by high, and volatile, energy prices. Some critics of the energy industry suggest that the oil companies’ use of JIT inventory management has contributed to the volatility in prices and the supply constraints. Further

> What are the four generic approaches to reducing uncertainty? Describe the context in which each approach is typically used.

> How does strategic cost management link information to corporate strategies?

> Why do firms hold cash balances? Why do some firms hold larger cash balances than other firms?

> In the production–sales cycle, what are the four points at which quality costs are incurred? How are these costs interrelated through these points?

> Assume that Honda Motor Co. Ltd. paid for a full page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal. The ad neither discussed any Honda products nor referred to year-end earnings or a new stock issuance. Instead, the ad informed readers that “buying quality p

> Define the terms efficiency and effectiveness and distinguish one from the other. Why is measuring the efficiency of discretionary costs often difficult? Explain how the effectiveness of discretionary cost activities can be measured.

> Why is it often difficult to measure the output of activities funded by discretionary costs?

> Differentiate between committed and discretionary costs. Could a cost be considered discretionary by one firm and committed by another? If so, discuss and give an example. If not, discuss why not.

> What factors can cause costs to change? Which of these factors are subject to cost containment and which are not? What creates the difference in controllability?

> At what points in time is cost control for any specific organizational activity exercised? Why are these points of cost control important?

> Wisconsin Wire (WW) has implemented a just-in-time inventory system for the production of its insulated wire. Inventories of raw material and work in process are so small that WW uses a Raw and In-Process account. In addition, almost all labor operations

> Why does the general control model begin with planning activities?

> What is meant by the term quality? In defining quality, from what two perspectives can a definition be formulated? Why are both important?

> Strategic alliances and joint ventures are being used with increasing frequency to exploit market opportunities. Virtually all larger firms are involved in several to many strategic alliances. a. From the perspective of controlling the quality of product

> Employees expect that all parties will honor their explicit and implicit obligations. Distrust occurs when these obligations are not met or when the parties have different expectations regarding the obligations. When downsizing is employed as an organiza

> Borders and Amazon .com are competitors in vending books and other consumer items. The two are differentiated to an extent by their marketing strategies. Although Amazon.com relies exclusively on Internet marketing, Borders operates both retail stores an

> Find a company’s Web site that provides information on the characteristics that are desired for that company when establishing long-term/preferred supplier relationships. a. What characteristics are listed? Why do you think each of these is important? b.

> Dayna Moore, CEO of Layton Transmissions, sat dejected in her chair after reviewing the 2011 first-quarter financial reports on one of the company’s core products: a standard, five-speed transmission (product #2122) used in the heavy equipment industry i

> Automakers provide an interesting study in cost management strategies. General Motors often provides a contrast to other U.S. manufacturers. For example, Chrysler and Ford opted to outsource many product components, but GM continues to manufacture a much

> Most experienced CEOs have seen command-and control management come and go. They’ve been through downsizing and rightsizing. Now they’re seeing most companies (their own included) working to recast themselves as ‘high-performing’ organizations, with stre

> One of the key drivers of downsizing and outsourcing is globalization. Recently, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) acknowledged “growing unease about globalization.” The organization expressed concerns that in some countrie

> Allridge University formed a new department to recruit top out-of-state students. The department’s funding for 2010 was $1,600,000, and the department was given the goal of recruiting 600 new nonresident students. By year-end 2010, the department was cre

> Most accounting professionals would agree that the accounting profession has developed effective tools for measuring and reporting events involving tangible assets. Most might also agree that the profession has miles to travel to report as effectively on