Office: 208 Rockwell
Office Hours: Tues. and Thurs. 1-4 PM or by appt.

Text: Accounting Information Systems: Essential Concepts and Applications by Wilkinson and Cerullo. Wiley & Sons, ISBN 0-471-05592-1.

Course Objectives: To develop a knowledge base of the elements, the relationships, and the issues associated with manual and computerized accounting information systems, of internal control concepts and to develop strong documentation and communication skills.

Suggestions for the Students: Nurture interest in the topics of this course. Read related current events. Talk with professionals. Ask questions when you do not understand. Help your classmates out when needed. Do your part to create a valuable and rich learning experience.

Grade Determination:
Journal —————————————————10%
Midterm 1 – Chapters 1-6, 17 —————————15%
Midterm 2 – Chapters 7-10 —————————–15%
Homework and Participation —————————–10%
Internal Control in Non-profit Organizations ————–30%
Final Exam – Chapters 11-16 —————————-20%

Rules: Grades are determined as follows:

A=90+; B=80-89; C=70-79; D=60-69; F< 60

Work must be typed and turned in on time (or early) for credit. Exams include lecture and textbook material. Make-up exams are only provided for university-approved reasons. Disruptive/unethical behavior will not be tolerated.

Journal: You will be given weekly questions to ponder and write about your reflections and insights related to the course experiences.

Participation: You are expected to have a positive attitude for learning in this course. This may be demonstrated by volunteering answers and by engaging active and efficient effort in class exercises.

Homework: You may be periodically assigned homework to be completed for the next class period. Each of these will count the same as a journal entry.

Schedule of Events:

1/23
1/28

1/30
2/4
2/6
2/11
2/13

2/18

2/20
2/25
2/27
3/4
3/6
3/18
3/20
3/25
3/27

4/1

4/3
4/8
4/10
4/15
4/17
4/22
4/24
4/29
5/1
5/6

5/8

Event

Course Introduction
Chapter 1: The Study of Accounting Information Systems
Ch. 2: The Business Environment and the AIS
Ch. 3: Information Technology and the AIS
Ch. 17: Specialized Information Systems and Networks
Ch. 4: AIS Development and Documentation Tools
Ch. 4: cont.
Ch. 5: Computer-Based Transaction Processing
Ch. 6: Data and Data-Base Management
Ch. 6: cont.

******* Midterm Exam 1 *******

Ch. 7: Risk Exposures and the Internal Control Structure
Ch. 7: cont.
Ch. 8: General Controls and Application Controls
Ch. 8: cont.
Ch. 9: Security for Transaction/Information Processing Systems
Ch. 9: cont.
Ch. 10: Auditing of Information Systems
Ch. 10: cont.
Review

******* Midterm Exam 2 *******

Ch. 11: The General Ledger and Financial Reporting Cycle
Ch. 11: cont.
Ch. 12: The Revenue Cycle
Ch. 12: cont.
Ch. 13: The Expenditure Cycle
Ch. 13: cont.
Ch. 14: The Conversion Cycle
Ch. 14: cont.
Ch. 15: Managerial Decision Making and Reporting
Ch. 16: Decision Support and Expert Systems
Internal Control Project
Course Summary – Future Outlook

Final Examination:
8:00 AM class: Tuesday, May 13, 9: 10 AM in Weber 210
9:30 AM class: Monday, May 12,9:10 AM in Weber 210

“Internal Control in Nonprofit Organizations”

This semester’s focus area is internal control in private nonprofit organizations. During the semester, you will learn about the specific issues of internal control that relate to nonprofit organizations, the desperate need in these organizations for individuals with accounting expertise, and the valuable career benefits available to you from volunteering in these organizations.

You will either pick your preferred or be assigned a local nonprofit organization. You will research this organization to become familiar with its mission, its long and short-term strategies, its current activities and services, and its current system of operation. You will volunteer time in the office of this organization to help with their accounting needs.

You will present a mini-lecture on Internal Control in Nonprofit Organizations to your organization’s board of directors or finance committee. This presentation will be conducted with state-of-the-art presentation technology. The course lectures and handouts will provide you with a strong foundation for your presentation. If you are insecure about your presentation skills, you are welcome to practice your presentation during office hours.

This presentation will satisfy three goals:

(1) it will put into action your knowledge about internal control,

(2) it will increase your awareness of the issues, needs, and resource constraints of these organizations, as well as the many ways that you can help, and

(3) it will further enhance your presentation skills.

Your presentation is an important piece of a larger research project involving internal control on nonprofit organizations. This research has been jointly funded by the Colorado Society of Certified Public Accountants, CSUs College of Business, and CSU’s Department of Accounting and Taxation. The first stage of this research interviewed 80 local nonprofit organizations and determined the primary internal control issues for these organizations. The second stage of this research surveyed 550 nonprofit organizations throughout the state of Colorado to further examine the identified issues. An internal control pamphlet was created from the responses to this survey to assist nonprofits in efforts to improve their internal control. Your presentation is essential to this third and last stage of research, the dissemination stage of scholarship. The goal of this stage is to determine whether awareness of internal control risks motivates action to improve internal control in these organizations.

Here’s an example to help you understand your role in this project: Imagine that a person came to your home and pointed out all of the different ways that a burglar could enter your home. Then, that same person points out several cost-free or inexpensive things that you could do to better secure your home, such as put a broomstick in your sliding glass door runner, making a lock-check run through your home before leaving or going to bed, etc. Ask yourself what would motivate you to you continue to think about what you had learned? When would you be motivated to adopt some of the suggestions made by that person?