Accounting & Management – (M.Sc.)

Contents

Course Descriptions

Note about prerequisites: Students are encouraged to carefully evaluate the prerequisites for each course to make sure they are properly prepared. Descriptions of courses in sequenced programs may not list all of the preceding courses in the prescribed sequence. Students should review the program description section of the catalog carefully and direct any questions concerning prerequisites to an academic advisor.

ACMG 6100 Effective Communication for the Accountant (3 sem. cr.)This course explores various written and presentational forms of communication that accountants use within organizational and managerial settings. The learner will be exposed to effective techniques for developing white papers, memoranda that communicate issues and recommendations to management, the presentation of both financial and nonfinancial information, and concepts in balanced communication coverage. The course emphasizes the importance of accounting communication as a tool for managing both organization internal and external relationships.

ACMG 6110 Legal and Ethical Issues in Accounting (3 sem. cr.)This course will review the many different legal and professional responsibilities of which both public and private accountants must be aware when developing financial statements and reports and reporting financial information. Through the extensive use of current and seminal case studies, learners will examine the best practices of doing business in today’s sociopolitical climate from both a legal and an ethical perspective.

ACMG 6120 Financial Management Tools for Decision Making (3 sem. cr.)This course examines a variety of tools that are often used by managers as they seek to evaluate alternatives and make sound decisions. Using relevant management articles, case studies, and current topic analyses, students will hone their diagnostic critical-thinking skills and will learn to construct effective, ethical, fact-based arguments, which are among the fundamental capabilities of effective managers. Tools to be covered include breakeven and cost-volume-profit analysis for model pricing and cost sensitivity, forecasting and cost prediction, variance cost analysis, relevant cost analysis, project valuation and prioritization using payback, rates of return, and discounted cash flow methods. The course emphasizes topics such as how to align business needs with fact-based solutions, how to identify new opportunities, and how to manage and enhance an organization’s competitive position.

ACMG 6130 Managerial Accounting for Organizational Performance (3 sem. cr.)This course focuses on the accountant’s role in preparing internal accounting information that can be used by management for effective decision-making and organizational performance. This course includes case study review and analysis of pricing and contribution margin analysis, cost management and allocation, activity-based costing and throughput accounting, and inventory management. Learners will assess performance measurements, including key performance indicators, balanced scorecard and forecasting. Learners will also explore operating and capital budgeting and financial planning techniques and will become familiar with quantitative models and approaches used in management accounting.

ACMG 6140 Current Trends in Accounting Standards (3 sem. cr.)This course allows the learner to enhance and utilize advanced accounting research skills in order to investigate and review the current and emerging accounting issues and changes in promulgated accounting standards that could impact 21st-century business. The learner will examine a variety of up-to-date and relevant topical areas that are discussed in sources such as: The Financial Accounting Standards Board, International Accounting Standards Board, and Securities and Exchange Commission. As a result of their studies in this course, learners will be able to anticipate changes in accounting standards, and analyze potential impacts for making informed decisions and recommendations to management.

ACMG 6600 Managing Operational and Financial Business Risks (3 sem. cr.)This course examines a variety of the tools used by accountants and managers in managing a range of business risks. Learners will examine the various processes used to identify, analyze, and assess risks, and will learn the appropriate use of financial and operational controls to mitigate such risks. Additionally, learners will learn how to implement techniques such as developing a risk control matrix and using the concepts of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) framework to improve an organization’s enterprise risk management.

ACMG 6610 Managing Regulatory Compliance (3 sem. cr.)This course explores the role of accounting with respect to corporate governance within an organizational setting and will focus on how organizations can build transparency into their governance and compliance systems. Learners will review and explore the responsibilities of management in terms of compliance and auditing, and will explore the complex processes of checks and balances that comprise compliance systems. Specific contexts for examining regulatory compliance will include a review of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as an evaluation of decisions made by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Public Corporation Accounting Oversight Board.

ACMG 6620 Accounting Theory and Application (3 sem. cr.)This quantitative course examines the process by which accounting policies are formulated and modified. Based on research and case analyses, learners are asked to make critical evaluations of fundamental accounting concepts and foundations, such as revenue recognition, lease accounting, and other current issues, in light of their theoretical, empirical, practical, and political aspects. The learner will be expected to demonstrate the ability to use the accounting promulgated literature to improve their general decision-making skills in the area of accounting.

ACMG 6621 Global Information Systems Development (3 sem. cr.)Students learn how to organize development projects in the global service marketplace, based on key considerations and best practices in outsourced and offshore development. Topics include legal, economic, cultural and intellectual property issues; 24-hour development; strategic division of labor; case studies of specific geographies; quality and process standards.

ACMG 6630 Tax Analysis and Decision-Making (3 sem. cr.)This course focuses on current topics in taxation strategies for individuals and corporations. Learners will familiarize themselves with the Internal Revenue Code on tax differences between book and tax accounting, inclusions, exclusions, deductions, credits, and tax aspects of property transactions. A “walk-through” technique is employed to give learners firsthand experience in the use of tax research services. Students will also explore how economic, social, and cultural forces influence tax policy.

ACMG 6640 Solving CPA Problems (3 sem. cr.)This course provides students with analysis opportunities, taken directly from prior CPA exams, within the areas of current accounting, managerial accounting, and regulatory topics and issues. Students will conduct research and discuss and analyze the answers to prior CPA exam questions so that they can understand the concepts and principles underlying the exam questions and so that they can be better prepared for the exam.

ACMG 6650 Forensic and Advanced Auditing Topics (3 sem. cr.)This course will provide the learner with tools, techniques, and insights to evaluate the potential for fraud within their current operating and financial reporting systems. The course will examine some of the creative accounting techniques and red flags of fraud such as the development of false financial statements, misuse of corporate resources, false revenue recognition, and fraud perpetrated for the benefit of third parties, shareholders, and managers. Special topics will include the override of existing controls and absence of proper accounting documentation. The learner will understand how to develop forensic audit objectives, the principles of legal evidence, and the concepts of the Daubert Rule. The learner will also examine strategies for identifying sources of securing evidence to prevent loss, corruption, and contamination.

ACMG 6660 International Perspectives in Accounting (3 sem. cr.)This course is designed to examine current topics in international standards for accounting, including financial statement presentation, auditing, and accounting for importers, exporters, and multinational corporations. The learner will examine foreign exchange rates and markets, controlled economy accounting, social responsibility reporting, inflation accounting, and international taxation and its impact on an organization’s international financial statements. Additionally, the learner will analyze issues in accounting for multinationals, including areas of accounting and financial reporting standards, and will conduct an evaluation of the international accounting harmonization effort.

ACMG 6665 Initiating and Managing Change (3 sem. cr.)This course explores effective strategies to initiate change in order to achieve organizational goals, as well as how to manage unplanned or unwelcome change. Learners will explore a variety of approaches and methods to transition individuals and organizations within a changing environment. Learners will distinguish between reactive responses and proactive responses to change, including examining the implications of culture, inertia, and uncertainty. Additionally, learners will explore the importance of understanding motivation and effective communication in mitigating negative reactions to change and facilitating the change process itself.

ACMG 6670 Not-for-Profit and Government Accounting (3 sem. cr.)This course explores accounting and financial reporting principles for nonprofit and governmental organizations. Learners will examine issues regarding fund accounting principles, budgetary accounting, and financial reporting practices. Learners will develop and hone their diagnostic skills in the nonprofit or government accounting arena and will increase their analytical problem-solving ability. This course emphasizes the concepts, procedures, and mechanics of financial and managerial accounting and the role of accounting information in nonprofit organizations.

ACMG 6675 Critical Thinking for Effective Management (3 sem. cr.)This course is designed to improve the learner’s overall critical-thinking and reasoning skills within a managerial context. Using relevant management articles, case studies, and current topics analyses, learners will hone their diagnostic reading skills and will learn to construct effective, ethical, evidence-based arguments, which are fundamental capabilities of effective managers.

ACMG 6680 Leadership in a Global Landscape (3 sem. cr.)This course examines the implications and challenges faced by leaders as people from different cultures, social structures, religions, and languages participate in a globalized landscape and workforce. Learners will develop an understanding of the interrelatedness of nations in the global economy, explore the changing nature of international business and leadership, and evaluate the concepts of sustainable business strategies, international trade, foreign direct investment, and regional economic integration.

ACMG 6685 Creating Sustainable Solutions Through Systems Thinking (3 sem. cr.)This course explores systems thinking as a process whereby problems are viewed as individual components within a larger system. The course provides a framework for analyzing relationships within a system and for avoiding the risks associated with viewing problems in isolation. Learners will use systems thinking tools to model single, double, and multiple-loop feedback systems, both at the micro and macro levels of analysis. In addition, learners will be introduced to scenario building and will examine how the practice of systems thinking lays the foundation for creating sustainable outcomes for organizations and society.

ACMG 6690 Principles of Project Management (3 sem. cr.)This course introduces students to the knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques needed to successfully manage projects throughout a project lifecycle. Students are exposed to project management knowledge areas and process groups as well as the distinguishing characteristics of each. Students study the ways these two dimensions of project management interact in initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing a project.

ACMG 6695 Leading Strategic Initiatives for Growth and New Value (3 sem. cr.)This course focuses on the development and implementation of business strategies that enable a competitive advantage, with an emphasis on understanding the current environment in which the organization competes and forecasting how that environment may change.

Accreditation

Walden is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, www.ncahlc.org. The North Central Association is one of the six regional accrediting associations recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).