University of Missouri - St.

Louis
School of Business Administration
BA 4401: Financial Accounting & Reporting III
Spring 2011
COURSE SYLLABUS

Section E01: MW 5:30 pm 6:45 pm 335 SSB

Professor: Mary Beth Mohrman Office Hours: 4:45 5:15 MW
1201 SSB Tower
And just about any other time
Phone: 516-5524
call me.
Fax: 516-6420
email: mohrman@umsl.edu
Prerequisites: The prerequisites for this course are: Mathematics 1030 and Business Administration 3402 (each with
a grade of C- or better), an upper-level accounting GPA of at least 2.2 and an overall GPA of at least
2.0. If you are unsure about whether you satisfy the prerequisites, see me or an advisor in the College
of Business. If you fail to do so, you may be dropped from the class after it is too late to register for
another class.
Required Texts Spiceland, Sepe, Nelson and Tomassini, Intermediate Accounting, 5th edition, Volume II (Irwin
McGraw-Hill, 2009).
Hoyle, Schaefer, Doupnik, Advanced Accounting, 10th Edition or 8th Edition EBook of Chapters 14 and
15 only. I have arranged for the textbook publisher to provide an Ebook of Chapters 14 and 15 (the only
chapters we will use in this course). If you do not plan to take BA 4402 or you do not wish to purchase
the text at this time, you can purchase the Ebook for about $7. To do so, go to https://create.mcgraw-
hill.com/shop/#/catalog/details/?isbn=9780390794680 and follow the instructions.
Internet I use My Gateway to keep in touch with my classes. You should be certain that you have a My
Materials: Gateway account, and that you check the class page on My Gateway regularly. For more information,
log on to: http://mygateway.umsl.edu/. For additional useful information, visit the Accounting Area My
Gateway page.
Homework Manager: For those of you who wish to have access to extra problems, I will maintain a
page for this class on Homework Manager. To access this resource, go to
http://mh2.brownstone.net/classes/Mohrman-FinAcct/ . There you can obtain access to additional
problems and exercises for the chapters we will be covering in this class. There is no charge for this
resource.
Email I conduct all University business through UMSL email accounts. That includes this class. Please check
your University email regularly and use it in your communications with me. Clean out your mailbox as
necessary to be certain that you receive emails. If you send me an email from an account outside the
University (work, Yahoo, AOL, etc), I will answer it to your student email account.
Course This is the third part of the Financial Accounting & Reporting sequence, continuing an in-depth study of
Description: corporate financial accounting. I presume that all students have sufficient mastery of the material in
Financial Accounting I and II (BA 3401 and 3402). This course covers the following topics:
Intermediate Accounting (Spiceland, Sepe, Nelson & Tomassini, 5th Edition)
Chapter 15 Leases
Chapter 16 Accounting for Income Taxes
Chapter 17 Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits
Chapter 19 Share-Based Compensation and Earnings per Share
Appendix A Derivatives
Advanced Accounting (Hoyle, Schaefer & Doupnik, 8th, 9th or 10th Edition)
Chapter 14 Partnerships: Formation and Operation
Chapter 15 Partnerships: Termination and Liquidation

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 COURSE POLICIES

Classroom For each topic studied, one or more class periods will be devoted to lecture and class discussion. Your
Procedure: attendance and active participation in these discussions will affect your course grade. After the lectures
on each topic, an assignment will be due. In most cases I will not collect the assignments, but we will
work the entire assignment together in class on the due date. One exception is the Review Problem,
which will be due in class on January 24. In addition, two class periods will be devoted to discussions of
written assignments. The assignments are chosen and the discussions structured to deepen your
understanding of the material previously presented and to increase your skill in analyzing and
communicating issues facing the accounting profession. You will be required to hand in written solutions
and then they will be discussed in class. Your advance preparation, attendance and active participation
in these classes will affect your course grade.
Homework You should attempt all homework prior to its discussion in class. By attempting the problems prior to the
and Class class discussion, you can maximize the benefit of the class time and will be in a position to ask
Preparation: appropriate questions and identify areas where you need help. In addition, active participation in these
classes enhances the experience for the entire class. I will assess student preparation for these classes,
and such assessments will be included as part of the course grade. I will call on students to present their
solutions to some problems. I may decide to collect solutions to some of the problems without prior
notification. Completing these problems is a requirement of this course. They are NOT optional.
Preparation, I will assign grades for Preparation, Participation and Professional behavior (PPP Grade).
Participation,
Preparation refers to completing problem assignments before the class in which they are due.
Professional
Behavior Participation includes not only answering questions I ask, but also asking questions, contributing
(PPP Grade) information from sources or experiences beyond the course assignments, sharing your own ideas and
listening to and showing respect for the opinions and efforts of others.
Professional behavior includes attending class regularly, being prepared to contribute to class
discussions, and showing respect for the instructor and your classmates. Examples of unprofessional
behavior include arriving late and/or leaving early, leaving frequently during class, holding private
conversations during class, failing to disable cell phones and beepers, sleeping during class.
The best way to ensure a good learning experience as well as a high grade is to voluntarily contribute to
class discussions. Ask questions, answer my questions, add comments of your ownI want to hear
from you!
Academic Students who aspire to enter the accounting profession must display the highest level of ethical behavior.
Integrity (AI In a classroom, that means declining to participate in any behavior that violates the UM St. Louis Code of
grade) Student Conduct. The Code defines academic dishonesty very clearly. You can read it at
http://www.umsl.edu/studentlife/dsa/student_planner/policies/conductcode.html. If you are ever uncertain
about whether your actions or your work constitute academic dishonesty, I would be glad to discuss the
matter with you.
Because of its importance to accounting, academic integrity will be a component of your course grade. I
expect most students to receive the full 30 points for academic integrity. However, if I learn that a student
has engaged in dishonest behavior, I will assign a 0 for the grade on the exam or paper involved and that
grade will not be dropped in computing the final course grade. In addition, all students involved will forfeit
all academic integrity points. Any student who drops the course after engaging in dishonest behavior will
be assigned a failing grade.
In addition, as University of Missouri policy requires, I will report all incidents of academic dishonesty to
the office of the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs. That office will conduct an independent
investigation and assign appropriate sanctions on behalf of the University.
Do yourself a favordont let your academic record reflect poorly on your personal integrity.
Special If you have a health condition or disability which requires accommodation to enable you to effectively
Needs participate in this class, please contact the Disability Access Services Office in 144 Millennium Student
Center at 516-6554 as soon as possible. This office will assess your individual needs, maintain your
disability documentation confidentially on file, and coordinate appropriate classroom accommodations on
your behalf.
In addition, please arrange to meet with me in my office so that we can discuss accommodations to meet
your academic needs in this class.

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Exams: There will be four exams: three midterms and a final. Tentative exam dates are included on the enclosed
course outline. The final exam will cover the entire course, and will include problems similar to those on
the midterm exams.
Withdrawal Any student wishing to drop this course before March 9 (6:45 p.m.) will be given an "Excused" grade.
Policy: Between March 9 and April 6 (6:45 p.m.), a student will be given an "Excused" grade only if he or she is
earning a passing grade at the time the request is made. A student is earning a passing grade if the
average of all exams, quizzes, and collected homework given to date is above 59%. No scores will be
dropped in computing this average. No one will be given an "Excused" grade after April 6. Exceptions to
this policy will be made only under extremely unusual conditions. Please note the above dates. Lack of
awareness of these dates is not sufficient reason to grant an exception to this policy.
Grading: The review problem and the two written assignments will total 100 points and will count as one exam
score. In determining the final grade I will drop the lowest exam score and include the other four (unless
there has been an instance of academic dishonesty). You will also receive a grade for class preparation,
participation and professional behavior. An "A" will be worth 20 points; a "B" will be worth 15 points, a "C"
will be worth 10 points, and "D" and "F" will be worth 0 points. Finally, you will receive a grade for
academic integrity. A passing grade will be 30 points. A failing grade will be 0 points. So your final course
average will be based on a total of 450 points. Tentatively, the scale for determining letter grades will be:
Total Points Grade Total Points Grade Total Points Grade
415 450 A 350 369 B- 300 309 D+
400 414 A- 340 349 C+ 280 299 D
390 399 B+ 320 339 C 265 279 D-
370 389 B 310 319 C- 0 - 264 F
Missed Because I will drop one exam score, you may choose to skip one exam. If you skip an exam, you must
Exams: contact me before your scheduled class period on the exam day. Leaving a message on my office phone
or sending an email will be sufficient. You will receive a score of 0 for that exam, but it will be dropped in
computing your final grade. If you are ill, you also must contact me to tell me that you will be absent for
the exam. You may skip the exam and count that exam as your dropped score, or you may take a
make-up exam if you present written verification of your illness from a physician or hospital within one
week of the exam date. No make-up exams will be given without such verification.
If you fail to notify me of your plans to skip an exam, no makeup will be given and the score of 0
will not be dropped.
Word of If you choose to skip the first exam, you will have little feedback about your progress in the course before
Advice #1: March 9. In addition, you will have a 0 on your record, which will not be eliminated until after the final
Dont Skip exam. Therefore the chances of dropping after March 9 with an "Excused" grade are minimal for those
Exam 1 who skip the first exam. Please consider this very carefully if you choose to skip Exam #1.
Word of Because I will drop one exam grade, several of you may choose to skip the final exam. When I have
Advice #2: graded Exam #3, I will report your average, your PPP grade, your AI grade and your letter grade in the
Plan to take course at that time, so that you can decide whether to take the final exam. I will not "round up" or change
the final the grading scale in any way until after the final exam. If, for example, your total after Exam 3 is 349, you
may accept a grade of "C+", or you may take the final exam in order to raise your grade. If you try to
convince me to give you a "B-" without taking the final exam, you will not succeed. The final exam is a
regular part of this course. Plan to take it.
Word of Many new concepts will be introduced in this course, and it is important that you master those concepts
Advice #3: in order to succeed. I hope the lectures, discussions and assignments that I have planned will allow you
Getting Help to achieve that mastery. However, if they do not, you should seek additional help. If you feel that you
need more practice, try using the Homework Manager. If you do not understand the answers to these or
any of the problems we do in class, please contact me. I would be glad to meet with you to review the
problems or any concepts we have discussed in class. If you need help, it is best to contact me as soon
as you run into difficulty. I will help you to master the concepts so that you can complete the exams and
assignments. If you are performing poorly and you do not contact me until the end of the course, there
will be little that I can do to help at that point.
` This syllabus contains important information, which you will need throughout the semester. Keep it or
review it online from time to time. Be aware of the policies for this course and remember them until the
end of the semester.

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 COURSE OUTLINE
Date Topic Assignment (unless notified otherwise)
January 19 Introduction Syllabus p. 5
24 Accounting for Leases Read Chapter 15
26 Accounting for Leases
February 31 Accounting for Leases
2 Accounting for Leases - Problems P15-3,5,8,17
7 NO CLASS
9 Lease Case
14 Stock Options & Derivatives Read Chapter 19, pp952-965
16 Stock Options & Derivatives
21 Stock Options & Derivatives Read Appendix A
23 Stock Options & Derivatives - Problems P19-1,2, PA-1
March 28 Exam #1
2 Earnings per Share Read Chapter 19, pp 96-5990
7 Earnings per Share
9* Earnings per Share - Problems P19-9, 12, 13, 15
14 Pensions & Other Postemployment Benefits Read Chapter 17
16 Pensions & Other Postemployment Benefits
21 Pensions & Other Postemployment Benefits
23 Pension Case
28 SPRING BREAK
30 SPRING BREAK
April 4 Pensions & Other Postemployment Benefits P17-3,8,10,16
6 ** Exam 2
11 Accounting for Income Taxes Read Chapter 16
13 Accounting for Income Taxes
18 Accounting for Income Taxes
20 Accounting for Income Taxes - Problems P16-2,3,8,10,11
25 Partnership Accounting Read Hoyle, Schaefer, Doupnik, Chapter 14
27 Partnership Accounting Read Hoyle, Schaefer, Doupnik, Chapter 15
Partnership Accounting - Problems HSD 8th or 9th Edition: P14-24, P15-28,29;
May 2 10th Edition: P14-25, P15-27,28
4 Exam 3
9 Final Exam 5:30 - 7:30 pm

* Last day to drop course with automatic "Ex" grade

** Last day to drop the course.

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Financial Accounting & Reporting III (BA 4401) Spring 2011
NAME: ____________________________________________________________________________
STREET ADDRESS: _________________________________________________________________
CITY:_________________________________________________________ ZIP: ________________
STUDENT NUMBER:______________________________ PHONE:____________________________
I. Previous Experience: Please indicate where and when you took the following accounting courses:
Principles of Accounting (BA 2400): Semester:_______ College/University: ______________________
Financial Accounting & Reporting I (BA 3401): Semester:_______ College/University: ______________________
Financial Accounting & Reporting II (BA 3402) Semester:_______ College/University: ______________________
II. Future Plans (optional):
Program you are currently pursuing: ___ Bachelor of Science in Accounting (BSA) minor: _______________
___ Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA)
emphasis area: _______________ minor: ___________________
___ Master of Accounting (MAcc)
___ Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Accounting
Other:________________________________________________________
After college, I want to:
_____ Work for a public accounting firm _____ Work for a governmental agency
_____ Work in a corporation _____ Work for a nonprofit organization
_____ Other: ____________________________________________________________
_____ Dont know
Do you plan to take the CPA exam? __________________
Other Information: Please list any other information that may be relevant to your experience in BA 4401 (e.g.,
previous degrees, citizenship other than U.S., special needs, questions, etc.)
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
III. Statement on Reading Syllabus (required)
I have read the syllabus for BA 4401, Financial Accounting & Reporting III, and I understand the course
requirements and policies.
___________________________________________________ ___________________________
signature date