1.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following does not represent a main focus of cost management information?
Strategic management.
Performance measurement.
Planning and decision making.
Preparation of financial statements.
Internal audit and control.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
2.
Award: 10.00 points
3.
Award: 10.00 points
Strategic management can be defined as the development of a sustainable:
Chain of command.
Competitive position.
Cash flow.
Business entity.
Company image.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
Cost management has moved from a traditional role of product costing and operational control to a
broader strategic focus, which places an emphasis on:
Competitive pricing.
Domestic marketing.
Short-term thinking.
Strategic thinking.
Independent judgment.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
4.
Award: 10.00 points
5.
Award: 10.00 points
Cost management is used to analyze the cost consequences of different design choices and to
measure and report the many aspects of quality, including all of the following except:
Wasted labor or materials.
The nature of complaints, warranty costs, and product recalls.
The short- and long-term goals of sustainability.
The number of service calls.
Production breakdowns.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
In a local factory, employees are rewarded for finding new and better ways of changing the way they
work. This company is motivating its employees to use what management technique?
Benchmarking.
Activity-Based Costing.
Theory of Constraints.
Continuous Improvement.
Total Quality Management.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
6.
Award: 10.00 points
A company's management accountant is trying to improve the way costs are allocated within the
company. Currently, several corporate expenses are grouped together and labeled "overhead." If the
accountant wanted to use activity-based costing (ABC) to help solve the problem, what should she
do?
She should try to trace the departments' costs to their cost objects, and then charge each
department based on those cost relationships.
She should research how the company's competitors are allocating their costs, and then
implement one of those strategies.
She should look for bottlenecks within the production process, and try to eliminate them,
thus reducing costs.
She should examine the firm's value chain and apply target costing before adopting activity-
based costing (ABC)
She should identify and monitor the costs of a product throughout its life cycle to see where
the costs mostly come from.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
7.
Award: 10.00 points
8.
Award: 10.00 points
The difference between wholesalers and retailers is:
Wholesalers are merchandisers that sell directly to customers whereas retailers are
merchandisers that sell to other merchandisers.
Wholesalers are merchandisers that sell to other merchandisers whereas retailers are
merchandisers that sell directly to consumers.
Wholesalers are merchandisers that sell directly to the government whereas retailers are
merchandisers that sell to other merchandisers.
Wholesalers are merchandisers that sell directly to customers whereas retailers are
merchandisers that sell directly to the government.
There is no difference between wholesalers and retailers.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
When managers produce value for the customer, their orientation consists of all the following except:
Quality.
Timeliness of delivery.
The ability to respond to the customer's desire for specific features.
State of the art manufacturing facilities.
Service.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the
contemporary business environment and
how it has influenced cost management.
9.
Award: 10.00 points
10.
Award: 10.00 points
In which of the following situations would Theory of Constraints be useful?
Firms that have just adopted lean manufacturing.
Balanced, fast movement of product through the plant.
Management wants its products to have competitive prices that earn a desired profit.
Long lines at checkout stands.
Competitors have started to focus on sustainability and have found success in the public’s
eyes.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
Target costing determines the desired cost for a product upon the basis of a given competitive price
such that the product will:
Earn at least a small profit.
Earn a desired profit.
Earn the maximum profit.
Break even.
Sell the highest volume.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
11.
Award: 10.00 points
12.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is not a consequence of a lack of strategic information?
Lack of clarity about direction and goals.
Failure to identify most profitable products, customers, and markets.
Decisions based on quality financial information.
Incorrect investment decisions.
Choosing products, markets, or manufacturing processes inconsistent with strategic goals.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
The strategy map is a tool that is used:
as one of the key aspects of the contemporary management environment.
to enhance the sustainability of the organization.
to link the perspectives of the balanced scorecard.
to organize the critical success factors of a company.
to implement strategy.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
13.
Award: 10.00 points
Cost management information typically is the responsibility of the:
Chief Financial Officer.
Controller.
Treasurer.
Chief Information Officer.
None of these answers are correct.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
14.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following aspects of a company would not be considered a critical success factor, for a
company that competes on differentiation?
Cutting edge research and development.
Excellent customer service.
Award-winning product quality.
Continually beating competitors to the market with new, innovative products.
A high level of production efficiency.
References
Multiple Choice Learning Objective:
01-02 Explain the
contemporary
business
environment and
how it has
influenced cost
management.
Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective:
01-03 Explain the
contemporary
management
techniques and how
they are used in cost
management to
respond to the
contemporary
business
environment.
15.
Award: 10.00 points
16.
Award: 10.00 points
Target costing:
Determines cost based on an expected market demand for the product.
Determines cost based on a budget.
Determines cost based on standard cost.
Determines cost based upon market price and desired profit.
Determines cost based on a break-even formula.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
If a firm decided to reevaluate and reorganize the way it did business, in hopes of creating
competitive advantage, by changing or removing employee positions, the company would be using
which of the following management techniques?
The value chain.
Business analytics.
Business process improvement.
Product reevaluation.
Life cycle costing.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
17.
Award: 10.00 points
18.
Award: 10.00 points
A consulting firm is trying to increase the long-term strategic focus of its company reports. Therefore,
the firm has decided to use the balanced scorecard. What type of new information, that the company
currently does not use in its financial reports, should the company now include?
Nonfinancial information, including customer satisfaction, innovation, etc.
Additional financial information, such as profitability measures and market value.
Product life cycle information.
Supplemental accounting reports.
Continuous improvement.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
If a firm goes through the process of making improvements to its critical success factors based on
the best practices of other firms, it is using which business process?
The value chain
Benchmarking
Total quality management
Lean Accounting
Enterprise risk management
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
19.
Award: 10.00 points
20.
Award: 10.00 points
The Institute of Management Accountants' Statement of Ethical Professional Practice for
management accountants includes the elements of:
Competence, confidentiality, integrity, and relevance.
Competence, confidentiality, integrity, and credibility.
Competence, confidentiality, independence, and objectivity.
Competence, accuracy, integrity, and independence.
Competence, accuracy, integrity, and credibility.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
The five steps of strategic decision-making include all of the following except:
Identify the alternative actions.
Gather and report accounting information.
Determine the strategic issues surrounding the problem.
Choose and implement the desired alternative.
Provide an ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of implementation.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
21.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is not considered part of the Institute of Management Accountants' definition
of management accounting?
partnering in management decision making.
devising planning and performance management systems.
analyzing data and providing information.
providing expertise in financial reporting and control.
assisting management in the formulation and implementation of an organization's strategy.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
22.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following professional certificates is considered to be the most relevant for dealing with
cost management issues?
The Certified Public Accountant (CPA), which is monitored differently for each state in the
U.S.
The Certificate in Management Accounting (CMA), which is administered through the
Institute of Management Accountants.
The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), since its program focuses on the broadest range of
topics and responsibilities for financial analysis.
The CPA, CMA, and CFA are viewed as equally relevant, since all three require an exam, as
well as specific background and experience requirements.
None of these answers are correct.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the
professional environment of the
management accountant, including
professional organizations and
professional certifications.
23.
Award: 10.00 points
24.
Award: 10.00 points
According to the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) Statement of Ethical Professional
Practice, what should a management accountant do if a significant ethical situation can't be
resolved?
The accountant should confront the guilty party and demand the unethical action be
stopped.
The accountant should try to rationalize and understand the position of the other party.
The accountant should say nothing about the matter until he or she has retired.
The accountant should first discuss the matter with the immediate supervisor.
The accountant should do what they think is best and move on.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
Which of the following aspects of the contemporary business environment involves using statistical
methods such as regression or correlation analysis to predict consumer behavior, to measure
customer satisfaction, or to develop models for setting prices, among other uses?
Business analytics
Target Costing
Life Cycle Costing
Benchmarking
Business Process Improvement
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
25.
Award: 10.00 points
26.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is not one of the stages of the development of cost management systems?
Cost management systems track key operating data and develop more accurate and
relevant cost information for decision making.
Cost management systems are basic transaction reporting systems.
Strategically relevant cost management information is an integral part of the system.
Cost management systems focus on costs and other financial measures.
Cost management systems focus on external financial reporting.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the
contemporary business environment and
how it has influenced cost management.
Which of the following is the primary user of management accounting information regarding business
units?
Company management.
Investors.
Creditors.
Industry and governmental organizations.
None of these answers are correct.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
27.
Award: 10.00 points
Management accounting information plays a critical role in all of the following management functions
except:
Profit planning.
Managerial compensation.
Planning and decision making.
Hiring a new Chief Information Officer (CIO).
Financial reporting to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
28.
Award: 10.00 points
29.
Award: 10.00 points
Corporate management is required to identify and solve problems from a cross-functional view.
Instead of viewing a problem as related to a specific business function, management solves these
problems by combining skills from different functions simultaneously. This approach is called:
Inclusive approach.
Integrative approach.
Intra-function approach.
Multilateral approach.
Multi-Tasking Approach.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
Which of the following is not included in cost management information?
Information about productivity.
Financial information about costs and revenues.
Information about customer retention.
Information about a competitor’s market strategy.
Nonfinancial information.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
30.
Award: 10.00 points
31.
Award: 10.00 points
Under the framework of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), risk is considered to include all of the
following except:
Safety risk due to high crime in the area.
Hazards such as fire or flood.
Operating risk related to customers, products, or employees.
Strategic risk related to top management decisions.
Financial risks due to foreign currency fluctuations, commodity price fluctuations, and
changes in interest rates.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
Nonfinancial measures of operations include all the following except:
Stock price.
Product quality.
Customer satisfaction.
Market share.
Growth opportunities.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
32.
Award: 10.00 points
33.
Award: 10.00 points
Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)
established rules relating to which of the following areas?
Financial reporting.
Production quality control.
Executive compensation.
Hiring and firing practices.
Audit quality, ethics, and independence.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the
professional environment of the
management accountant, including
professional organizations and
professional certifications.
With the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, all public companies are now required by
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to disclose whether or not the company has:
An audit committee.
Human resources guidelines.
A code of ethics.
A management compensation plan.
A certified management accountant.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the
professional environment of the
management accountant, including
professional organizations and
professional certifications.
34.
Award: 10.00 points
35.
Award: 10.00 points
The national sales manager for your company has pulled you aside and asked you to prepare a sales
document (bill) for one of the company's largest clients before the end of the fiscal year which ends
this month. This sales document will include items that have not yet been shipped and are not
planned for shipment until the next fiscal year. What should you do in this situation?
Bill the client as asked by the national sales manager.
Bill the client since this is consistent with past transactions near fiscal year-end.
Contact the client and notify them that credit terms are being extended on this invoice
since the goods have not been shipped.
Discuss this situation with your supervisor since the transaction cannot be recognized as a
sale until the items are shipped.
Bring up the matter with the external auditor.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 3 Hard Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
Which of the following is the most important function of management?
Preparation of financial statements.
Strategic management.
Planning and decision making.
Management control.
Operational control.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
36.
Award: 10.00 points
37.
Award: 10.00 points
The competitive strategy of cost leadership allows a firm to outperform competitors by producing
products or services:
With reduced quality standards, thus reducing overall costs.
In smaller operational units.
At lower cost achieved by increased productivity.
With attractive added features making the product more expensive, or "the cost leader".
That are heavily promoted and heavily warranted.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
The competitive strategy of differentiation requires that a product or service must be:
Always readily available.
Price competitive.
Produced at the lowest possible cost.
Unique in some important way in terms of features, innovation, service or quality.
Marketed in different ways to different groups.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
38.
Award: 10.00 points
39.
Award: 10.00 points
The competitive strategy of differentiation is implemented by a firm's targeted, careful attention to
a(n):
Specific feature of the product or service.
High efficiency level of production.
Broad possible market.
Aggressive competitive pricing plan.
Financial goal decided upon by management.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
Which of the following is not included in the planning and decision making function of management?
Budgeting.
Deciding when to lease or buy a facility.
Monitoring the short-term operating performance.
Cash flow management.
Deciding when to begin development of a new product.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
40.
Award: 10.00 points
41.
Award: 10.00 points
With regards to a firms product line, a cost leadership strategy would strive for _______ while a
differentiation strategy would strive for ________.
Wide variety; limited selection
Broad cross section of the market; focused section of the market
Limited selection; wide variety
Focused section of the market; broad cross section of the market
None of these answers are correct
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 3 Hard Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
A potential weakness of the cost leadership strategy is:
Cutting costs in a way that causes the firm to grow too fast.
Deleting key features or reducing quality of products or services.
Lowering productivity to ensure lower costs.
Increasing life cycle costs.
Increasing prices temporarily to undermine competition.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
42.
Award: 10.00 points
43.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is not a benefit of using a lean manufacturing system?
Lead times are reduced.
Average inventory is decreased.
Productivity is improved.
Production operations are linked in a smooth, uninterrupted flow.
Products, on average, have less variety.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the
contemporary business environment and
how it has influenced cost management.
Of the following, which aspect of a contemporary management technique is a framework and
process that organizations use to manage the occurrence of possible events that could negatively or
positively affect the company's competitiveness and success?
Total quality management
Lean accounting
The theory of constraints
Enterprise sustainability
Enterprise risk management
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
44.
Award: 10.00 points
45.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following formulas best reflects target costing?
Target cost = Firm-determined price less desired profit.
Target cost = Market-determined price less desired profit.
Target cost = Firm-determined price less desired revenue.
Target cost = Market-determined price less desired revenue.
Target cost = Firm-determined price less market-determined price.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
A large company has recently been experiencing larger than normal inventory levels. Management
would like to implement a theory of constraints system to help control the company's inventories.
Which of the following is not a benefit associated with the theory of constraints?
Speed of product development.
Existing problems such as bottlenecks are highlighted.
Reduced cycle time.
Prompt delivery.
Better product design.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
46.
Award: 10.00 points
47.
Award: 10.00 points
The Dodd-Frank Act (2010) includes a variety of new regulations, including the creation of:
The Cost Accounting Standards Board.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The Financial Services Industry Control Commission.
The Wall Street Reform and Protection Board.
The Executive Compensation Review Board.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the
professional environment of the
management accountant, including
professional organizations and
professional certifications.
Which of the following contemporary management techniques requires a balancing of multiple
environmental and social goals?
Target costing.
The theory of constraints.
Benchmarking.
Business process improvement.
Enterprise sustainability.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
48.
Award: 10.00 points
49.
Award: 10.00 points
The competitive strategy in which the firm succeeds by producing at the lowest cost in the industry is
termed:
Differentiation.
Cost advantage.
Price strategy.
Cost leadership.
Resource-based strategy.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
The competitive strategy in which the firm succeeds by developing and maintaining a unique value
for the product, as perceived by the customer, is termed:
Differentiation.
Specialization advantage.
Design strategy.
Benchmarking.
Product specialization.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
50.
Award: 10.00 points
What is one of the weaknesses of the differentiation strategy?
Easy to undermine its strength by attempting to lower costs.
A lack of strategic information.
It undermines demand for the product.
It cuts out the need for a marketing department.
Consumers come to expect too high of quality from your company.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
51.
Award: 10.00 points
Due in part to increased global competitiveness and changes in management techniques and
processes, what has changed about the role of the management accountant?
Management accountants have started to place a greater emphasis on financial
information, in order to promote continued growth in earnings.
Rather than to focus on problems within functions (such as a marketing problem or a
production problem), management accountants are using a strategic approach to address
problems in a cross-functional manner.
Management accountants have developed a variety of new techniques to measure
functional area performance.
There has been a renewed emphasis on short-term profitability, since product life cycles
have started getting shorter.
The role of management accountants has grown smaller as companies increase their global
competitiveness.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
52.
Award: 10.00 points
53.
Award: 10.00 points
In the current business environment, companies cannot survive without a strategy. What exactly
should an effective strategy include?
A set of plans for using resources to achieve sustainable goals.
A focus on accurate financial data, thus allowing the firm to effectively compete in any
environment.
A focus on long-term nonfinancial information that will provide the company with versatile
management techniques capable of being used in a wide variety of situations.
A clear, concise mission statement, naming every product and outlining the company's long-
term goals of success.
A printed-out statement that every member of the firm should have at their desk.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
Which of the following is considered to be a nonfinancial measure of success for customer
satisfaction?
Product Quality.
Innovation (number of new products).
On-time delivery.
Product yield and reduction in waste.
Increase in stock price.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
54.
Award: 10.00 points
55.
Award: 10.00 points
If a company is working on strategic positioning, what best describes what the company is
considering?
How the firm is perceived by its external environment, its competitors, and its customers.
Where the firm's physical plants, buildings, and warehouses will be located.
The firm's position on important issues, such as the environment and government
regulations.
Which competitive strategy the firm will use to achieve a sustainable competitive
advantage.
None of these answers are correct.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
A firm that has traditionally succeeded on the basis of its innovative products and excellent customer
service has started to place greater emphasis on reducing waste and providing its customers with
the lowest priced product. Which of the following most accurately describes this change of
competitive strategy?
Cost leadership to differentiation.
A balanced strategy to cost leadership.
Differentiation to a balanced strategy.
Cost leadership to a balanced strategy.
Differentiation to cost leadership.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
56.
Award: 10.00 points
57.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of following statements is true concerning strategy?
Once a firm has chosen a strategy, it is unwise to change it, even though the company or
business environment might change.
If a company does decide to compete on more than one strategy, it must carefully execute
both strategies to be successful.
Since the business environment is always changing, rather than stick constantly with one
strategy, firms should pay close attention during times of change and adjust their strategies
accordingly.
A company following both cost leadership and differentiation strategies is likely to succeed
only if it achieves one of the strategies very well.
A strategy is only helpful when you are entering a new business environment.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
A strategy can be best defined as:
an effective use of the organization's resources.
a plan for using a firm's resources to achieve sustainable goals within a competitive
environment.
a clear and detailed statement of an organization's mission and vision.
a plan developing a firm's mission and vision statements.
a mission statement that all employees must memorize to have success.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
58.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is a contemporary management technique used by the management
accountant to identify and monitor the costs of a product throughout all steps from product design to
the finished product?
Enterprise risk management.
Target costing.
Life cycle costing.
Enterprise sustainability.
None of these answers are correct.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
59.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is not among the management accounting profession's response to changes
in the contemporary business environment?
Introduction of the balanced scorecard.
Value chain analysis.
Advances in costing, including activity-based costing.
The introduction of business process improvement.
New forms of management organization.
References
Multiple Choice Learning Objective:
01-02 Explain the
contemporary
business
environment and
how it has
influenced cost
management.
Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective:
01-03 Explain the
contemporary
management
techniques and how
they are used in cost
management to
respond to the
contemporary
business
environment.
60.
Award: 10.00 points
61.
Award: 10.00 points
Important changes in the contemporary business environment include all of the following except:
Management organizations.
Climate change.
Information technology.
Customer expectations.
Global competition.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the
contemporary business environment and
how it has influenced cost management.
Cost advantages usually result from:
Productivity in customer satisfaction.
Productivity in the hiring of new employees.
Productivity in distribution.
Using cheaper but lower quality materials.
A differentiation strategy.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
62.
Award: 10.00 points
63.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is not a way for a management accountant to resolve an ethical conflict?
Bring the matter to the attention of the company's auditor.
Consult an attorney concerning the ethical conflict.
Initiate a confidential discussion on the Ethics helpline.
Discuss the issue with the management accountant's immediate supervisor except when
the supervisor is involved.
Follow the organization’s established policies on the resolution of conflict.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
Which of the following is one of the two types of organizations that influence the professional
environment of the management accountant?
One that oversees the hiring of management accountants for public companies.
One that makes the management accountant’s reports publicly available.
One that sets the rules for how to be a management accountant.
One that distinguishes management accountants from all other accountants.
One that promotes the professionalism and competence of management accountants.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the
professional environment of the
management accountant, including
professional organizations and
professional certifications.
64.
Award: 10.00 points
65.
Award: 10.00 points
Under a cost leadership strategy, the cost leader:
Goes into segmented markets.
Attracts a small but loyal portion of the market.
Has a small market share.
Has a large market share.
Attracts customers with low prices and then raises prices once loyalty has been
established.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
The management accountant's responsibility under the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA)
Statement of Ethical Professional Practice includes the responsibility to "mitigate actual conflicts of
interest." This responsibility fits within which of the four standards in the IMA Statement?
Communication.
Integrity.
Honesty.
Quality.
Confidentiality.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 3 Hard Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
66.
Award: 10.00 points
67.
Award: 10.00 points
Communicating information fairly and objectively falls under which standard in the Institute of
Management Accountants (IMA) Statement of Ethical Professional Practice?
Objectivity.
Integrity.
Competence.
Credibility.
Confidentiality.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
The management accountant who planned to improve an organization's operations by developing
models of consumer behavior would be using which of the following contemporary management
techniques?
Target costing.
Benchmarking.
Business analytics.
Lean accounting.
Focus on the customer.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
68.
Award: 10.00 points
At one time, management at General Motors decided to improve the competitiveness of its products
by stressing product quality, style, and innovation. The objective was to improve the image of GM
vehicles and thus improve sales and brand loyalty. Managers decided to push this strategy in both
the manufacturing and marketing divisions of the firm. One of the key moves to implement this
strategy was to insist that GM dealers stop price-cutting and push brand value and image instead.
GM exerted some control over dealers' pricing/selling strategy in part by reducing the money it set
aside for dealers to use in local ads.
Required:
Was General Motors following a strategy of cost leadership or differentiation at this time? Comment
on how effective you think the new strategy in dealer relations is likely to be.
The strategy adopted by GM in the late 1990s is consistent with the differentiation strategy, a focus
on quality, style, and innovation rather than price and cost. Unfortunately, the dealers and some
analysts were infuriated by GM's move, believing that "the reality is this is a price-driven market"
(Merrill Lynch & Co auto analyst Nicholas Lobaccaro). GM's response to the criticism was to state that
brand value is what creates market share and profits, although it can take time to do so. The incident
shows that it can be difficult to determine the firm's strategy, and experts can disagree.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
69.
Award: 10.00 points
In six months you are scheduled to graduate with a degree in business; you are majoring in
accounting and minoring in finance and management information systems. In the first few chapters of
your cost management text, there are repeated references to the following two terms: strategic
management and the strategic emphasis to cost management.
Required:
Explain these ideas, using as a framework your need to develop a plan for interviewing successfully
for a challenging professional opportunity within the next six months.
Managers must think competitively, across business functions, and integratively. You are in
competition with many other upcoming and recent graduates, and must differentiate yourself by
academic performance, curriculum selection, or reinforcing extracurricular experiences. Your study of
other disciplines, and minors in two of them, indicates your understanding of the need for cross-
functional activity for integrating the technical knowledge learned in the individual major and minors.
In other words, your college academic (and non-academic) experience reflects the business
environment you expect to encounter in six months.
References
Essay Learning Objective:
01-02 Explain the
contemporary
business
environment and
how it has
influenced cost
management.
Difficulty: 2
Medium
Learning Objective:
01-04 Explain the
different types of
competitive
strategies.
70.
Award: 10.00 points
One of the many changes in the business environment in recent years that has had significant impact
on cost management practices is a focus on the customer. You are part of the management team in a
medium-size computer service company. The company is just three years old and is growing fast,
doubling its customer base every six months.
Required:
(a) Describe your typical customer's needs and service expectations.
(b) How has the doubling of your firm's customer base every six months affected its ability to
maintain this focus on the customer? If this dramatic growth continues, what are some specific
actions your firm can take to retain its goal of "focus on the customer"?
(a)
A customer for a computer services company wants reliable service, easy accessibility to customer
support, and a competitive price.
(b)
Rapid growth diminishes a firm's focus, changes the dynamics within the firm, and often leads to
reduced or inferior service or product. Regular review (monthly in this case) of plans to meet the
rapid growth is necessary to assure that personnel, physical resources, and capital will be available
even before they are needed.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the
contemporary business environment and
how it has influenced cost management.
71.
Award: 10.00 points
Apex Corporation manufactures a complete line of high quality bits for electric drills. Apex has a
good record for product innovation and effective marketing and distribution. An increase in domestic
and international competition during the past two years has limited the firm's sales growth to 3
percent per year, down from the previous five-year average annual growth of 5 percent. In addition,
market share declined by 0.5 percent this past year. Apex is experiencing profit reductions caused
by price competition and manufacturing cost increases.
Required:
Choose one of the 13 contemporary management techniques introduced in Chapter 1: Explain why
the technique you selected is appropriate in helping Apex develop a plan for reversing the decline in
sales growth and controlling the growth in costs.
Any one of the 13 contemporary management techniques should be applicable to the solution of
Apex Corporation's problems. Some basic principles would apply to the use of all management
techniques.
No single management technique will solve the entire problem.
No single management technique will remain effective over time.
Solutions must get at the root causes of problems.
Most firms use parts of several (or even many) management techniques.
No management technique will work if it is improperly implemented or half-heartedly supported by
top management.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
72.
Award: 10.00 points
The manager of a business unit of a large corporation made some projections regarding sales and
profits for the upcoming final quarter of the year. The manager's performance evaluation and
compensation depended significantly on his ability to meet budget goals. The manager discovered
that the final quarter would have to be a particularly good quarter in order to meet these goals. He
decided to implement a sales program offering liberal payment terms in order to pull some sales that
would normally occur next year into the current year. Customers accepting delivery in the fourth
quarter would not have to pay the invoice for 140 days. Also, he sold some equipment that was not
being used and realized a significant profit on the sale.
Required:
Are these actions ethical? Why or why not?
Each of the manager's actions needs to be considered separately:
liberal credit terms - OK, a business strategy that should be judged on how it affects the firm's
operations and profits.
attempt to pull sales from one period to another - not OK. If the purpose of the change in credit terms
is simply to move sales from one period to another, then the result is misleading financial reports and
fraudulent; if the objective is to increase sales through management of credit policies, then OK.
sale of equipment - may be OK, a business decision that should be judged on how it affects the firm's
operations and profits; may not be OK if specifically timed just to show a gain that would improve
current period profit. The transaction is not unethical, per se, but if it is clear that the only motivation
for choosing to sell the equipment at this time is to help the manager achieve his bonus, and the firm
as a whole would be better off if the equipment is sold at a different time, then the transaction is
unethical - a conflict of interest.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
73.
Award: 10.00 points
As an inspector for a manufacturer of specialized electronic instruments, you head up the quality
assurance program at one of the firm's manufacturing plants. In recent days, it has come to your
attention that a large order involving several hundred expensive instruments for an important
customer does not meet all the required specifications. Specifically, the circuit which has been
designed by your firm to warn the user of possible malfunction does not appear to work consistently.
The firm's engineers say that the problem should have no significant results for the customer, as it
does not affect the functionality of the instrument in any way. Moreover, the engineers indicate that it
is a high priority for them to find an answer to the mysterious behavior of the circuit, and they will
develop a fix as soon as possible, and make sure the customer is provided the fix, probably as part of
a routine update or maintenance. The marketing V.P. indicates that the customer wants these
instruments urgently, and that no quality assurance issues will get in the way.
The quality assurance head knows that the order is very important to the firm, as the firm has faced
declining revenues in several recent months. Also, while the intentions of the engineers are likely to
be sincere, the quality assurance head knows that they are very busy with current and new products,
and are unlikely to have the time to deal with this problem in a timely manner.
Required:
What are the ethical issues involved in the case for the quality assurance head? What steps would
you suggest be taken?
The principal issues in this case relate to the management accountant's ethical responsibility for
integrity. There is a conflict of interest within the firm regarding the urgency of increasing sales
versus the desire to deliver to the customer an error-free product. The product fault, while minor, will
take some time to identify and fix. This could cause the delay and/or loss of sales.
Some suggested approaches might include:
ship the product but warn the customer of the fault; explain that a fix will be on the way shortly;
expect that some customers will delay their purchase until the fix is in place.
delay selling the product until the fault is fixed, at least with a reasonable degree of certainty.
sell the product as is (without disclosure) and hope that no problems arise; include the fix in upgrade
to be installed by our technicians.
The third option is clearly unethical because it deprives the customer of the right to know that the
product is potentially unreliable. The choice between one of the first two options should be based on
business and competitive reasons. For example, the firm might choose the second option (delay) in
order to bolster its reputation for high quality and reliability. Of course, this must be balanced against
its need to maintain a favorable reputation for shipping product in a timely manner.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
74.
Award: 10.00 points
The controller of one division of a large diversified firm is compensated by salary plus bonus. The
bonus is a significant part of total compensation, and is based directly on the profits of the division.
Thus, the controller has an incentive to find ways to increase profits, including the delay of
discretionary expenses such as research and development, delay of maintenance and repair of
manufacturing equipment, and delay of sales promotions.
Required:
Is finding ways to increase profits as described above unethical? Why or why not? Who is to blame, if
anyone?
Since the actions contemplated by the controller are not in the best interests of the company, these
actions are probably not ethical, and are in conflict with the ethical standard of integrity. The situation
displays both conflict of interests and an attempt to subvert the firm's performance incentive system.
Probably both the incentive system and the controller are to blame in this case. While it is not
reasonable to expect that the firm can design a bias-free incentive system, it appears that the firm
has not done an acceptable job of developing a system that will reward performance based upon the
firm's critical success factors, instead of short-term profits only. Improvements in the incentive
scheme are possible and necessary. On the other hand, the controller cannot be excused by taking
advantage of the opportunity to manipulate profits. The standards are clear on the required
professional behavior in this case, and the controller has ignored them for self-serving purposes.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
75.
Award: 10.00 points
Required:
Consider the contemporary management techniques and how they might be used in each of the
following industry groups. For which industry type is each management technique most applicable?
1) Manufacturing, for example, auto manufacturing, appliances, and consumer electronics
2) Professional service firms, for example, accounting firms, law firms, and medical practices
3) Retail firms, for example, Walmart and Sears
Contemporary Management
Technique Manufacturing Firms Professional Service Firms Retail Firms
Benchmarking
Useful for all types of firms; most useful for firms where the benchmarking data is
available from industry or other sources
Total Quality
Management
Most often used here to
improve product quality
and customer satisfaction
A number of CPA firms have
focused on quality,
competing for the Baldridge
quality award
Often used here to improve
customer satisfaction
Lean
Accounting
Most often used to
continuously improve
product quality and reduce
cost
Often used here to improve customer satisfaction, to
speed up the service for the customer and to reduce
the cost of the service
Activity-based
costing and
management
Most often used here
Less likely to be applied
here, since cost information
is not as critical as it is for a
manufacturer or retailer
Can be used here to
analyze upstream and
downstream costs
Business
Process
Improvement
Use in all types of firms to re-focus on strategy and improve operations
The Theory of
Constraints
Most often used in
manufacturing to identify
and manage bottlenecks in
the manufacturing process
Can be used here to
streamline the process of
providing the professional
service.
Can be used here to speed
up the process of serving
the customer and
restocking the store.
Enterprise
Sustainability
Reduce cost, comply with standards, improve customer goodwill
Enterprise
Risk Management
Identify risks that might negatively affect the company so that proactive steps can
be taken
The Value Chain
Develop a more detailed understanding of the specific activities that are critical to
the organizations success, so that these can be given particular focus
Business Analytics
Data intensive analysis of the organization’s competitive environment, used to help
the company plan and execute its strategy more effectively
Target Costing
Primarily used here to
determine cost-efficient
product designs
Rarely used here Rarely used here
Life Cycle
Costing
Can be used for any type of firm to determine the profitability of serving individual
customers, groups of customers, or product lines
The Balanced
Scorecard and
Strategy Map
Can be used in any type of firm to integrate planning and operations with strategic
goals.
References
Essay Learning Objective:
01-01 Explain the use
of cost management
information in each
of the four functions
of management and
in different types of
organizations, with
emphasis on the
strategic
management
function.
Difficulty: 3 Hard Learning Objective:
01-03 Explain the
contemporary
management
techniques and how
they are used in cost
management to
respond to the
contemporary
business
environment.
76.
Award: 10.00 points
Required:
Identify two of the most successful companies or organizations in today's business environment, in
your opinion. Explain why they are so successful.
There are a number of possible answers, including:
Walmart: low cost
Apple, Google: innovation
Johnson & Johnson: reputation, product excellence, reliability
Amazon.com, Nordstrom Stores: customer service
Walt Disney: attention to detail, customer satisfaction
UPS, AT&T: speed of service
References
Essay Learning Objective:
01-02 Explain the
contemporary
business
environment and
how it has
influenced cost
management.
Difficulty: 2
Medium
Learning Objective:
01-04 Explain the
different types of
competitive
strategies.
77.
Award: 10.00 points
Samsung, the large Korean manufacturer of electronics, has just developed a new QLED (Quantum
Dot Light Emitting Diodes) TV. The TV retails retail in the range of $6,800 for the 75 inch, curved
panel model. Normally, Samsung sells its TVs and other electronics in Big Box retailers such as Best
Buy. In this case, Samsung is thinking of choosing a different means to retail the product.
Required:
What retail store or stores, or what method would you suggest Samsung use in selling its new TV?
Since the new TV is clearly a high-end item, it is unlikely that most shoppers at Best Buy or Walmart
stores will be looking for this product. On the other hand, the appearance of the new TV in their
stores could be an advantage to Best Buy and Walmart, or similar retailer, because it could attract
traffic into the store, and perhaps help the store to draw a new type of customer, one expecting high
end merchandise such as the Samsung TV. For online buyers, the 75” TV is available on both the
Samsung and the Best Buy sites.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
78.
Award: 10.00 points
The premier auto manufacturer BMW introduced a new compact SUV (the X3) in an effort to grab a
greater share of the overall luxury car market. Because its own resources were pretty well tapped
out by a large number of new vehicles BMW had already introduced, the automaker decided to have
the new SUV built by the parts manufacturer Magma International, based in Toronto. The vehicles
would be manufactured by Magma in an Austrian plant.
Required:
Comment on the strategic issues surrounding BMW's introduction of the X3 and the use of Magma
International to produce the vehicle. Do you think the company made the right decisions? Why or
why not?
The critical question for BMW is how the use of another manufacturer might affect customers'
confidence in the BMW brand. Most would say that BMW is a differentiated firm, and its customers
expect quality and features over cost. The X3 has been a great success for BMW (both in sales and
reviews), so it is apparent that customers have accepted the contract manufacturing of the vehicle.
Perhaps more interesting is BMW's plan to "protect its brand by not entering the minivan market."
According to BMW's CEO, "We do not have a van because a van as it is in the market today does not
fulfill any of the BMW group brand values." On balance, BMW has succeeded in the luxury, high-end
of the SUV market, but has determined that the luxury, high-end market currently has no place for a
minivan even though Mercedes, Toyota and Honda have entries in that market segment.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
79.
Award: 10.00 points
The story of the telecom giant WorldCom came to a sad turn in 2002 as the firm filed for bankruptcy,
with some of the managers facing criminal charges for fraud. In 2000 a severe slump in the telecom
business led to pressures within WorldCom to reduce expenses and improve the financial
statements to meet investor expectations. On orders from top managers, accountants within the firm
created fraudulent financial statements, ultimately resulting in an $11 billion fraud. The fraud was
detected as a result of an inquiry by the SEC, which led an internal auditor within WorldCom to start
an investigation that uncovered the fraud in 2002. The successor firm, MCI (which had previously
merged with WorldCom and is, since 2006, a part of Verizon), under the leadership of new top
management, formed the office of chief ethics officer who had the responsibility for MCI's policy of
training all MCI's U.S.-based employees, an ethics hotline, an ethics pledge signed by the firm's top
100 executives, and a company code of ethics, among other responsibilities.
Required:
What should be the role of an ethics officer? To whom should the ethics officer report within the
organization? Do you think MCI had a good plan for ensuring ethical behavior within the firm? How
would you change the MCI ethics policy, if at all?
The WorldCom scandal is one of the most significant and extensive frauds in U.S. history. The
important part of this story is that the survivor organization, MCI, is doing well under new leadership
and has begun an ethical compliance program. The question is intended primarily as a basis for class
discussion, and there are likely to be a wide range of views. I begin by noting that the announcement
of a Chief Ethics Officer is a good strategic move for MCI, given the recent history of the company. It
is important for the firm to make a clear statement about the importance of ethical behavior in the
years ahead.
It is difficult to determine the precise role for an ethics officer; the concept is new and there is not
much experience to provide guidance. The functions set out in the MCI announcement make sense -
employee training, hotline, pledge, and code of ethics. It is clear in the MCI case that the officer has
the strong support of top management. So the role and responsibilities of the chief ethics officer
should be watched closely at the top management level - both CEO and CFO. From the experience
with WorldCom and other frauds, where both the CEO and CFO were culpable, it is probably also
important that the chief ethics officer report not only to the CEO and CFO, but also to the firm's audit
committee (a subset of the firm's board of directors with responsibility for managing the audit
function and providing oversight of internal control procedures within the firm). A significant number
of corporations have now added a chief ethics officer, to provide guidance and management of
ethics issues within the company and to address complaints and corporate governance issues.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following does not represent a main focus of cost management information?
Strategic management.
Performance measurement.
Planning and decision making.
Preparation of financial statements.
Internal audit and control.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
2.
Award: 10.00 points
3.
Award: 10.00 points
Strategic management can be defined as the development of a sustainable:
Chain of command.
Competitive position.
Cash flow.
Business entity.
Company image.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
Cost management has moved from a traditional role of product costing and operational control to a
broader strategic focus, which places an emphasis on:
Competitive pricing.
Domestic marketing.
Short-term thinking.
Strategic thinking.
Independent judgment.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
4.
Award: 10.00 points
5.
Award: 10.00 points
Cost management is used to analyze the cost consequences of different design choices and to
measure and report the many aspects of quality, including all of the following except:
Wasted labor or materials.
The nature of complaints, warranty costs, and product recalls.
The short- and long-term goals of sustainability.
The number of service calls.
Production breakdowns.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
In a local factory, employees are rewarded for finding new and better ways of changing the way they
work. This company is motivating its employees to use what management technique?
Benchmarking.
Activity-Based Costing.
Theory of Constraints.
Continuous Improvement.
Total Quality Management.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
6.
Award: 10.00 points
A company's management accountant is trying to improve the way costs are allocated within the
company. Currently, several corporate expenses are grouped together and labeled "overhead." If the
accountant wanted to use activity-based costing (ABC) to help solve the problem, what should she
do?
She should try to trace the departments' costs to their cost objects, and then charge each
department based on those cost relationships.
She should research how the company's competitors are allocating their costs, and then
implement one of those strategies.
She should look for bottlenecks within the production process, and try to eliminate them,
thus reducing costs.
She should examine the firm's value chain and apply target costing before adopting activity-
based costing (ABC)
She should identify and monitor the costs of a product throughout its life cycle to see where
the costs mostly come from.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
7.
Award: 10.00 points
8.
Award: 10.00 points
The difference between wholesalers and retailers is:
Wholesalers are merchandisers that sell directly to customers whereas retailers are
merchandisers that sell to other merchandisers.
Wholesalers are merchandisers that sell to other merchandisers whereas retailers are
merchandisers that sell directly to consumers.
Wholesalers are merchandisers that sell directly to the government whereas retailers are
merchandisers that sell to other merchandisers.
Wholesalers are merchandisers that sell directly to customers whereas retailers are
merchandisers that sell directly to the government.
There is no difference between wholesalers and retailers.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
When managers produce value for the customer, their orientation consists of all the following except:
Quality.
Timeliness of delivery.
The ability to respond to the customer's desire for specific features.
State of the art manufacturing facilities.
Service.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the
contemporary business environment and
how it has influenced cost management.
9.
Award: 10.00 points
10.
Award: 10.00 points
In which of the following situations would Theory of Constraints be useful?
Firms that have just adopted lean manufacturing.
Balanced, fast movement of product through the plant.
Management wants its products to have competitive prices that earn a desired profit.
Long lines at checkout stands.
Competitors have started to focus on sustainability and have found success in the public’s
eyes.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
Target costing determines the desired cost for a product upon the basis of a given competitive price
such that the product will:
Earn at least a small profit.
Earn a desired profit.
Earn the maximum profit.
Break even.
Sell the highest volume.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
11.
Award: 10.00 points
12.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is not a consequence of a lack of strategic information?
Lack of clarity about direction and goals.
Failure to identify most profitable products, customers, and markets.
Decisions based on quality financial information.
Incorrect investment decisions.
Choosing products, markets, or manufacturing processes inconsistent with strategic goals.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
The strategy map is a tool that is used:
as one of the key aspects of the contemporary management environment.
to enhance the sustainability of the organization.
to link the perspectives of the balanced scorecard.
to organize the critical success factors of a company.
to implement strategy.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
13.
Award: 10.00 points
Cost management information typically is the responsibility of the:
Chief Financial Officer.
Controller.
Treasurer.
Chief Information Officer.
None of these answers are correct.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
14.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following aspects of a company would not be considered a critical success factor, for a
company that competes on differentiation?
Cutting edge research and development.
Excellent customer service.
Award-winning product quality.
Continually beating competitors to the market with new, innovative products.
A high level of production efficiency.
References
Multiple Choice Learning Objective:
01-02 Explain the
contemporary
business
environment and
how it has
influenced cost
management.
Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective:
01-03 Explain the
contemporary
management
techniques and how
they are used in cost
management to
respond to the
contemporary
business
environment.
15.
Award: 10.00 points
16.
Award: 10.00 points
Target costing:
Determines cost based on an expected market demand for the product.
Determines cost based on a budget.
Determines cost based on standard cost.
Determines cost based upon market price and desired profit.
Determines cost based on a break-even formula.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
If a firm decided to reevaluate and reorganize the way it did business, in hopes of creating
competitive advantage, by changing or removing employee positions, the company would be using
which of the following management techniques?
The value chain.
Business analytics.
Business process improvement.
Product reevaluation.
Life cycle costing.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
17.
Award: 10.00 points
18.
Award: 10.00 points
A consulting firm is trying to increase the long-term strategic focus of its company reports. Therefore,
the firm has decided to use the balanced scorecard. What type of new information, that the company
currently does not use in its financial reports, should the company now include?
Nonfinancial information, including customer satisfaction, innovation, etc.
Additional financial information, such as profitability measures and market value.
Product life cycle information.
Supplemental accounting reports.
Continuous improvement.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
If a firm goes through the process of making improvements to its critical success factors based on
the best practices of other firms, it is using which business process?
The value chain
Benchmarking
Total quality management
Lean Accounting
Enterprise risk management
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
19.
Award: 10.00 points
20.
Award: 10.00 points
The Institute of Management Accountants' Statement of Ethical Professional Practice for
management accountants includes the elements of:
Competence, confidentiality, integrity, and relevance.
Competence, confidentiality, integrity, and credibility.
Competence, confidentiality, independence, and objectivity.
Competence, accuracy, integrity, and independence.
Competence, accuracy, integrity, and credibility.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
The five steps of strategic decision-making include all of the following except:
Identify the alternative actions.
Gather and report accounting information.
Determine the strategic issues surrounding the problem.
Choose and implement the desired alternative.
Provide an ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of implementation.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
21.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is not considered part of the Institute of Management Accountants' definition
of management accounting?
partnering in management decision making.
devising planning and performance management systems.
analyzing data and providing information.
providing expertise in financial reporting and control.
assisting management in the formulation and implementation of an organization's strategy.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
22.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following professional certificates is considered to be the most relevant for dealing with
cost management issues?
The Certified Public Accountant (CPA), which is monitored differently for each state in the
U.S.
The Certificate in Management Accounting (CMA), which is administered through the
Institute of Management Accountants.
The Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), since its program focuses on the broadest range of
topics and responsibilities for financial analysis.
The CPA, CMA, and CFA are viewed as equally relevant, since all three require an exam, as
well as specific background and experience requirements.
None of these answers are correct.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the
professional environment of the
management accountant, including
professional organizations and
professional certifications.
23.
Award: 10.00 points
24.
Award: 10.00 points
According to the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) Statement of Ethical Professional
Practice, what should a management accountant do if a significant ethical situation can't be
resolved?
The accountant should confront the guilty party and demand the unethical action be
stopped.
The accountant should try to rationalize and understand the position of the other party.
The accountant should say nothing about the matter until he or she has retired.
The accountant should first discuss the matter with the immediate supervisor.
The accountant should do what they think is best and move on.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
Which of the following aspects of the contemporary business environment involves using statistical
methods such as regression or correlation analysis to predict consumer behavior, to measure
customer satisfaction, or to develop models for setting prices, among other uses?
Business analytics
Target Costing
Life Cycle Costing
Benchmarking
Business Process Improvement
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
25.
Award: 10.00 points
26.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is not one of the stages of the development of cost management systems?
Cost management systems track key operating data and develop more accurate and
relevant cost information for decision making.
Cost management systems are basic transaction reporting systems.
Strategically relevant cost management information is an integral part of the system.
Cost management systems focus on costs and other financial measures.
Cost management systems focus on external financial reporting.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the
contemporary business environment and
how it has influenced cost management.
Which of the following is the primary user of management accounting information regarding business
units?
Company management.
Investors.
Creditors.
Industry and governmental organizations.
None of these answers are correct.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
27.
Award: 10.00 points
Management accounting information plays a critical role in all of the following management functions
except:
Profit planning.
Managerial compensation.
Planning and decision making.
Hiring a new Chief Information Officer (CIO).
Financial reporting to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
28.
Award: 10.00 points
29.
Award: 10.00 points
Corporate management is required to identify and solve problems from a cross-functional view.
Instead of viewing a problem as related to a specific business function, management solves these
problems by combining skills from different functions simultaneously. This approach is called:
Inclusive approach.
Integrative approach.
Intra-function approach.
Multilateral approach.
Multi-Tasking Approach.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
Which of the following is not included in cost management information?
Information about productivity.
Financial information about costs and revenues.
Information about customer retention.
Information about a competitor’s market strategy.
Nonfinancial information.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
30.
Award: 10.00 points
31.
Award: 10.00 points
Under the framework of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM), risk is considered to include all of the
following except:
Safety risk due to high crime in the area.
Hazards such as fire or flood.
Operating risk related to customers, products, or employees.
Strategic risk related to top management decisions.
Financial risks due to foreign currency fluctuations, commodity price fluctuations, and
changes in interest rates.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
Nonfinancial measures of operations include all the following except:
Stock price.
Product quality.
Customer satisfaction.
Market share.
Growth opportunities.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
32.
Award: 10.00 points
33.
Award: 10.00 points
Under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)
established rules relating to which of the following areas?
Financial reporting.
Production quality control.
Executive compensation.
Hiring and firing practices.
Audit quality, ethics, and independence.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the
professional environment of the
management accountant, including
professional organizations and
professional certifications.
With the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, all public companies are now required by
the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to disclose whether or not the company has:
An audit committee.
Human resources guidelines.
A code of ethics.
A management compensation plan.
A certified management accountant.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the
professional environment of the
management accountant, including
professional organizations and
professional certifications.
34.
Award: 10.00 points
35.
Award: 10.00 points
The national sales manager for your company has pulled you aside and asked you to prepare a sales
document (bill) for one of the company's largest clients before the end of the fiscal year which ends
this month. This sales document will include items that have not yet been shipped and are not
planned for shipment until the next fiscal year. What should you do in this situation?
Bill the client as asked by the national sales manager.
Bill the client since this is consistent with past transactions near fiscal year-end.
Contact the client and notify them that credit terms are being extended on this invoice
since the goods have not been shipped.
Discuss this situation with your supervisor since the transaction cannot be recognized as a
sale until the items are shipped.
Bring up the matter with the external auditor.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 3 Hard Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
Which of the following is the most important function of management?
Preparation of financial statements.
Strategic management.
Planning and decision making.
Management control.
Operational control.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
36.
Award: 10.00 points
37.
Award: 10.00 points
The competitive strategy of cost leadership allows a firm to outperform competitors by producing
products or services:
With reduced quality standards, thus reducing overall costs.
In smaller operational units.
At lower cost achieved by increased productivity.
With attractive added features making the product more expensive, or "the cost leader".
That are heavily promoted and heavily warranted.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
The competitive strategy of differentiation requires that a product or service must be:
Always readily available.
Price competitive.
Produced at the lowest possible cost.
Unique in some important way in terms of features, innovation, service or quality.
Marketed in different ways to different groups.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
38.
Award: 10.00 points
39.
Award: 10.00 points
The competitive strategy of differentiation is implemented by a firm's targeted, careful attention to
a(n):
Specific feature of the product or service.
High efficiency level of production.
Broad possible market.
Aggressive competitive pricing plan.
Financial goal decided upon by management.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
Which of the following is not included in the planning and decision making function of management?
Budgeting.
Deciding when to lease or buy a facility.
Monitoring the short-term operating performance.
Cash flow management.
Deciding when to begin development of a new product.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
40.
Award: 10.00 points
41.
Award: 10.00 points
With regards to a firms product line, a cost leadership strategy would strive for _______ while a
differentiation strategy would strive for ________.
Wide variety; limited selection
Broad cross section of the market; focused section of the market
Limited selection; wide variety
Focused section of the market; broad cross section of the market
None of these answers are correct
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 3 Hard Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
A potential weakness of the cost leadership strategy is:
Cutting costs in a way that causes the firm to grow too fast.
Deleting key features or reducing quality of products or services.
Lowering productivity to ensure lower costs.
Increasing life cycle costs.
Increasing prices temporarily to undermine competition.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
42.
Award: 10.00 points
43.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is not a benefit of using a lean manufacturing system?
Lead times are reduced.
Average inventory is decreased.
Productivity is improved.
Production operations are linked in a smooth, uninterrupted flow.
Products, on average, have less variety.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the
contemporary business environment and
how it has influenced cost management.
Of the following, which aspect of a contemporary management technique is a framework and
process that organizations use to manage the occurrence of possible events that could negatively or
positively affect the company's competitiveness and success?
Total quality management
Lean accounting
The theory of constraints
Enterprise sustainability
Enterprise risk management
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
44.
Award: 10.00 points
45.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following formulas best reflects target costing?
Target cost = Firm-determined price less desired profit.
Target cost = Market-determined price less desired profit.
Target cost = Firm-determined price less desired revenue.
Target cost = Market-determined price less desired revenue.
Target cost = Firm-determined price less market-determined price.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
A large company has recently been experiencing larger than normal inventory levels. Management
would like to implement a theory of constraints system to help control the company's inventories.
Which of the following is not a benefit associated with the theory of constraints?
Speed of product development.
Existing problems such as bottlenecks are highlighted.
Reduced cycle time.
Prompt delivery.
Better product design.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
46.
Award: 10.00 points
47.
Award: 10.00 points
The Dodd-Frank Act (2010) includes a variety of new regulations, including the creation of:
The Cost Accounting Standards Board.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The Financial Services Industry Control Commission.
The Wall Street Reform and Protection Board.
The Executive Compensation Review Board.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the
professional environment of the
management accountant, including
professional organizations and
professional certifications.
Which of the following contemporary management techniques requires a balancing of multiple
environmental and social goals?
Target costing.
The theory of constraints.
Benchmarking.
Business process improvement.
Enterprise sustainability.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
48.
Award: 10.00 points
49.
Award: 10.00 points
The competitive strategy in which the firm succeeds by producing at the lowest cost in the industry is
termed:
Differentiation.
Cost advantage.
Price strategy.
Cost leadership.
Resource-based strategy.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
The competitive strategy in which the firm succeeds by developing and maintaining a unique value
for the product, as perceived by the customer, is termed:
Differentiation.
Specialization advantage.
Design strategy.
Benchmarking.
Product specialization.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
50.
Award: 10.00 points
What is one of the weaknesses of the differentiation strategy?
Easy to undermine its strength by attempting to lower costs.
A lack of strategic information.
It undermines demand for the product.
It cuts out the need for a marketing department.
Consumers come to expect too high of quality from your company.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
51.
Award: 10.00 points
Due in part to increased global competitiveness and changes in management techniques and
processes, what has changed about the role of the management accountant?
Management accountants have started to place a greater emphasis on financial
information, in order to promote continued growth in earnings.
Rather than to focus on problems within functions (such as a marketing problem or a
production problem), management accountants are using a strategic approach to address
problems in a cross-functional manner.
Management accountants have developed a variety of new techniques to measure
functional area performance.
There has been a renewed emphasis on short-term profitability, since product life cycles
have started getting shorter.
The role of management accountants has grown smaller as companies increase their global
competitiveness.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-01 Explain the use
of cost management information in each
of the four functions of management and
in different types of organizations, with
emphasis on the strategic management
function.
52.
Award: 10.00 points
53.
Award: 10.00 points
In the current business environment, companies cannot survive without a strategy. What exactly
should an effective strategy include?
A set of plans for using resources to achieve sustainable goals.
A focus on accurate financial data, thus allowing the firm to effectively compete in any
environment.
A focus on long-term nonfinancial information that will provide the company with versatile
management techniques capable of being used in a wide variety of situations.
A clear, concise mission statement, naming every product and outlining the company's long-
term goals of success.
A printed-out statement that every member of the firm should have at their desk.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
Which of the following is considered to be a nonfinancial measure of success for customer
satisfaction?
Product Quality.
Innovation (number of new products).
On-time delivery.
Product yield and reduction in waste.
Increase in stock price.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
54.
Award: 10.00 points
55.
Award: 10.00 points
If a company is working on strategic positioning, what best describes what the company is
considering?
How the firm is perceived by its external environment, its competitors, and its customers.
Where the firm's physical plants, buildings, and warehouses will be located.
The firm's position on important issues, such as the environment and government
regulations.
Which competitive strategy the firm will use to achieve a sustainable competitive
advantage.
None of these answers are correct.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
A firm that has traditionally succeeded on the basis of its innovative products and excellent customer
service has started to place greater emphasis on reducing waste and providing its customers with
the lowest priced product. Which of the following most accurately describes this change of
competitive strategy?
Cost leadership to differentiation.
A balanced strategy to cost leadership.
Differentiation to a balanced strategy.
Cost leadership to a balanced strategy.
Differentiation to cost leadership.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
56.
Award: 10.00 points
57.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of following statements is true concerning strategy?
Once a firm has chosen a strategy, it is unwise to change it, even though the company or
business environment might change.
If a company does decide to compete on more than one strategy, it must carefully execute
both strategies to be successful.
Since the business environment is always changing, rather than stick constantly with one
strategy, firms should pay close attention during times of change and adjust their strategies
accordingly.
A company following both cost leadership and differentiation strategies is likely to succeed
only if it achieves one of the strategies very well.
A strategy is only helpful when you are entering a new business environment.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
A strategy can be best defined as:
an effective use of the organization's resources.
a plan for using a firm's resources to achieve sustainable goals within a competitive
environment.
a clear and detailed statement of an organization's mission and vision.
a plan developing a firm's mission and vision statements.
a mission statement that all employees must memorize to have success.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
58.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is a contemporary management technique used by the management
accountant to identify and monitor the costs of a product throughout all steps from product design to
the finished product?
Enterprise risk management.
Target costing.
Life cycle costing.
Enterprise sustainability.
None of these answers are correct.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
59.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is not among the management accounting profession's response to changes
in the contemporary business environment?
Introduction of the balanced scorecard.
Value chain analysis.
Advances in costing, including activity-based costing.
The introduction of business process improvement.
New forms of management organization.
References
Multiple Choice Learning Objective:
01-02 Explain the
contemporary
business
environment and
how it has
influenced cost
management.
Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective:
01-03 Explain the
contemporary
management
techniques and how
they are used in cost
management to
respond to the
contemporary
business
environment.
60.
Award: 10.00 points
61.
Award: 10.00 points
Important changes in the contemporary business environment include all of the following except:
Management organizations.
Climate change.
Information technology.
Customer expectations.
Global competition.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the
contemporary business environment and
how it has influenced cost management.
Cost advantages usually result from:
Productivity in customer satisfaction.
Productivity in the hiring of new employees.
Productivity in distribution.
Using cheaper but lower quality materials.
A differentiation strategy.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
62.
Award: 10.00 points
63.
Award: 10.00 points
Which of the following is not a way for a management accountant to resolve an ethical conflict?
Bring the matter to the attention of the company's auditor.
Consult an attorney concerning the ethical conflict.
Initiate a confidential discussion on the Ethics helpline.
Discuss the issue with the management accountant's immediate supervisor except when
the supervisor is involved.
Follow the organization’s established policies on the resolution of conflict.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
Which of the following is one of the two types of organizations that influence the professional
environment of the management accountant?
One that oversees the hiring of management accountants for public companies.
One that makes the management accountant’s reports publicly available.
One that sets the rules for how to be a management accountant.
One that distinguishes management accountants from all other accountants.
One that promotes the professionalism and competence of management accountants.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 1 Easy Learning Objective: 01-05 Describe the
professional environment of the
management accountant, including
professional organizations and
professional certifications.
64.
Award: 10.00 points
65.
Award: 10.00 points
Under a cost leadership strategy, the cost leader:
Goes into segmented markets.
Attracts a small but loyal portion of the market.
Has a small market share.
Has a large market share.
Attracts customers with low prices and then raises prices once loyalty has been
established.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
The management accountant's responsibility under the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA)
Statement of Ethical Professional Practice includes the responsibility to "mitigate actual conflicts of
interest." This responsibility fits within which of the four standards in the IMA Statement?
Communication.
Integrity.
Honesty.
Quality.
Confidentiality.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 3 Hard Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
66.
Award: 10.00 points
67.
Award: 10.00 points
Communicating information fairly and objectively falls under which standard in the Institute of
Management Accountants (IMA) Statement of Ethical Professional Practice?
Objectivity.
Integrity.
Competence.
Credibility.
Confidentiality.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
The management accountant who planned to improve an organization's operations by developing
models of consumer behavior would be using which of the following contemporary management
techniques?
Target costing.
Benchmarking.
Business analytics.
Lean accounting.
Focus on the customer.
References
Multiple Choice Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
68.
Award: 10.00 points
At one time, management at General Motors decided to improve the competitiveness of its products
by stressing product quality, style, and innovation. The objective was to improve the image of GM
vehicles and thus improve sales and brand loyalty. Managers decided to push this strategy in both
the manufacturing and marketing divisions of the firm. One of the key moves to implement this
strategy was to insist that GM dealers stop price-cutting and push brand value and image instead.
GM exerted some control over dealers' pricing/selling strategy in part by reducing the money it set
aside for dealers to use in local ads.
Required:
Was General Motors following a strategy of cost leadership or differentiation at this time? Comment
on how effective you think the new strategy in dealer relations is likely to be.
The strategy adopted by GM in the late 1990s is consistent with the differentiation strategy, a focus
on quality, style, and innovation rather than price and cost. Unfortunately, the dealers and some
analysts were infuriated by GM's move, believing that "the reality is this is a price-driven market"
(Merrill Lynch & Co auto analyst Nicholas Lobaccaro). GM's response to the criticism was to state that
brand value is what creates market share and profits, although it can take time to do so. The incident
shows that it can be difficult to determine the firm's strategy, and experts can disagree.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
69.
Award: 10.00 points
In six months you are scheduled to graduate with a degree in business; you are majoring in
accounting and minoring in finance and management information systems. In the first few chapters of
your cost management text, there are repeated references to the following two terms: strategic
management and the strategic emphasis to cost management.
Required:
Explain these ideas, using as a framework your need to develop a plan for interviewing successfully
for a challenging professional opportunity within the next six months.
Managers must think competitively, across business functions, and integratively. You are in
competition with many other upcoming and recent graduates, and must differentiate yourself by
academic performance, curriculum selection, or reinforcing extracurricular experiences. Your study of
other disciplines, and minors in two of them, indicates your understanding of the need for cross-
functional activity for integrating the technical knowledge learned in the individual major and minors.
In other words, your college academic (and non-academic) experience reflects the business
environment you expect to encounter in six months.
References
Essay Learning Objective:
01-02 Explain the
contemporary
business
environment and
how it has
influenced cost
management.
Difficulty: 2
Medium
Learning Objective:
01-04 Explain the
different types of
competitive
strategies.
70.
Award: 10.00 points
One of the many changes in the business environment in recent years that has had significant impact
on cost management practices is a focus on the customer. You are part of the management team in a
medium-size computer service company. The company is just three years old and is growing fast,
doubling its customer base every six months.
Required:
(a) Describe your typical customer's needs and service expectations.
(b) How has the doubling of your firm's customer base every six months affected its ability to
maintain this focus on the customer? If this dramatic growth continues, what are some specific
actions your firm can take to retain its goal of "focus on the customer"?
(a)
A customer for a computer services company wants reliable service, easy accessibility to customer
support, and a competitive price.
(b)
Rapid growth diminishes a firm's focus, changes the dynamics within the firm, and often leads to
reduced or inferior service or product. Regular review (monthly in this case) of plans to meet the
rapid growth is necessary to assure that personnel, physical resources, and capital will be available
even before they are needed.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-02 Explain the
contemporary business environment and
how it has influenced cost management.
71.
Award: 10.00 points
Apex Corporation manufactures a complete line of high quality bits for electric drills. Apex has a
good record for product innovation and effective marketing and distribution. An increase in domestic
and international competition during the past two years has limited the firm's sales growth to 3
percent per year, down from the previous five-year average annual growth of 5 percent. In addition,
market share declined by 0.5 percent this past year. Apex is experiencing profit reductions caused
by price competition and manufacturing cost increases.
Required:
Choose one of the 13 contemporary management techniques introduced in Chapter 1: Explain why
the technique you selected is appropriate in helping Apex develop a plan for reversing the decline in
sales growth and controlling the growth in costs.
Any one of the 13 contemporary management techniques should be applicable to the solution of
Apex Corporation's problems. Some basic principles would apply to the use of all management
techniques.
No single management technique will solve the entire problem.
No single management technique will remain effective over time.
Solutions must get at the root causes of problems.
Most firms use parts of several (or even many) management techniques.
No management technique will work if it is improperly implemented or half-heartedly supported by
top management.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-03 Explain the
contemporary management techniques
and how they are used in cost
management to respond to the
contemporary business environment.
72.
Award: 10.00 points
The manager of a business unit of a large corporation made some projections regarding sales and
profits for the upcoming final quarter of the year. The manager's performance evaluation and
compensation depended significantly on his ability to meet budget goals. The manager discovered
that the final quarter would have to be a particularly good quarter in order to meet these goals. He
decided to implement a sales program offering liberal payment terms in order to pull some sales that
would normally occur next year into the current year. Customers accepting delivery in the fourth
quarter would not have to pay the invoice for 140 days. Also, he sold some equipment that was not
being used and realized a significant profit on the sale.
Required:
Are these actions ethical? Why or why not?
Each of the manager's actions needs to be considered separately:
liberal credit terms - OK, a business strategy that should be judged on how it affects the firm's
operations and profits.
attempt to pull sales from one period to another - not OK. If the purpose of the change in credit terms
is simply to move sales from one period to another, then the result is misleading financial reports and
fraudulent; if the objective is to increase sales through management of credit policies, then OK.
sale of equipment - may be OK, a business decision that should be judged on how it affects the firm's
operations and profits; may not be OK if specifically timed just to show a gain that would improve
current period profit. The transaction is not unethical, per se, but if it is clear that the only motivation
for choosing to sell the equipment at this time is to help the manager achieve his bonus, and the firm
as a whole would be better off if the equipment is sold at a different time, then the transaction is
unethical - a conflict of interest.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
73.
Award: 10.00 points
As an inspector for a manufacturer of specialized electronic instruments, you head up the quality
assurance program at one of the firm's manufacturing plants. In recent days, it has come to your
attention that a large order involving several hundred expensive instruments for an important
customer does not meet all the required specifications. Specifically, the circuit which has been
designed by your firm to warn the user of possible malfunction does not appear to work consistently.
The firm's engineers say that the problem should have no significant results for the customer, as it
does not affect the functionality of the instrument in any way. Moreover, the engineers indicate that it
is a high priority for them to find an answer to the mysterious behavior of the circuit, and they will
develop a fix as soon as possible, and make sure the customer is provided the fix, probably as part of
a routine update or maintenance. The marketing V.P. indicates that the customer wants these
instruments urgently, and that no quality assurance issues will get in the way.
The quality assurance head knows that the order is very important to the firm, as the firm has faced
declining revenues in several recent months. Also, while the intentions of the engineers are likely to
be sincere, the quality assurance head knows that they are very busy with current and new products,
and are unlikely to have the time to deal with this problem in a timely manner.
Required:
What are the ethical issues involved in the case for the quality assurance head? What steps would
you suggest be taken?
The principal issues in this case relate to the management accountant's ethical responsibility for
integrity. There is a conflict of interest within the firm regarding the urgency of increasing sales
versus the desire to deliver to the customer an error-free product. The product fault, while minor, will
take some time to identify and fix. This could cause the delay and/or loss of sales.
Some suggested approaches might include:
ship the product but warn the customer of the fault; explain that a fix will be on the way shortly;
expect that some customers will delay their purchase until the fix is in place.
delay selling the product until the fault is fixed, at least with a reasonable degree of certainty.
sell the product as is (without disclosure) and hope that no problems arise; include the fix in upgrade
to be installed by our technicians.
The third option is clearly unethical because it deprives the customer of the right to know that the
product is potentially unreliable. The choice between one of the first two options should be based on
business and competitive reasons. For example, the firm might choose the second option (delay) in
order to bolster its reputation for high quality and reliability. Of course, this must be balanced against
its need to maintain a favorable reputation for shipping product in a timely manner.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
74.
Award: 10.00 points
The controller of one division of a large diversified firm is compensated by salary plus bonus. The
bonus is a significant part of total compensation, and is based directly on the profits of the division.
Thus, the controller has an incentive to find ways to increase profits, including the delay of
discretionary expenses such as research and development, delay of maintenance and repair of
manufacturing equipment, and delay of sales promotions.
Required:
Is finding ways to increase profits as described above unethical? Why or why not? Who is to blame, if
anyone?
Since the actions contemplated by the controller are not in the best interests of the company, these
actions are probably not ethical, and are in conflict with the ethical standard of integrity. The situation
displays both conflict of interests and an attempt to subvert the firm's performance incentive system.
Probably both the incentive system and the controller are to blame in this case. While it is not
reasonable to expect that the firm can design a bias-free incentive system, it appears that the firm
has not done an acceptable job of developing a system that will reward performance based upon the
firm's critical success factors, instead of short-term profits only. Improvements in the incentive
scheme are possible and necessary. On the other hand, the controller cannot be excused by taking
advantage of the opportunity to manipulate profits. The standards are clear on the required
professional behavior in this case, and the controller has ignored them for self-serving purposes.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.
75.
Award: 10.00 points
Required:
Consider the contemporary management techniques and how they might be used in each of the
following industry groups. For which industry type is each management technique most applicable?
1) Manufacturing, for example, auto manufacturing, appliances, and consumer electronics
2) Professional service firms, for example, accounting firms, law firms, and medical practices
3) Retail firms, for example, Walmart and Sears
Contemporary Management
Technique Manufacturing Firms Professional Service Firms Retail Firms
Benchmarking
Useful for all types of firms; most useful for firms where the benchmarking data is
available from industry or other sources
Total Quality
Management
Most often used here to
improve product quality
and customer satisfaction
A number of CPA firms have
focused on quality,
competing for the Baldridge
quality award
Often used here to improve
customer satisfaction
Lean
Accounting
Most often used to
continuously improve
product quality and reduce
cost
Often used here to improve customer satisfaction, to
speed up the service for the customer and to reduce
the cost of the service
Activity-based
costing and
management
Most often used here
Less likely to be applied
here, since cost information
is not as critical as it is for a
manufacturer or retailer
Can be used here to
analyze upstream and
downstream costs
Business
Process
Improvement
Use in all types of firms to re-focus on strategy and improve operations
The Theory of
Constraints
Most often used in
manufacturing to identify
and manage bottlenecks in
the manufacturing process
Can be used here to
streamline the process of
providing the professional
service.
Can be used here to speed
up the process of serving
the customer and
restocking the store.
Enterprise
Sustainability
Reduce cost, comply with standards, improve customer goodwill
Enterprise
Risk Management
Identify risks that might negatively affect the company so that proactive steps can
be taken
The Value Chain
Develop a more detailed understanding of the specific activities that are critical to
the organizations success, so that these can be given particular focus
Business Analytics
Data intensive analysis of the organization’s competitive environment, used to help
the company plan and execute its strategy more effectively
Target Costing
Primarily used here to
determine cost-efficient
product designs
Rarely used here Rarely used here
Life Cycle
Costing
Can be used for any type of firm to determine the profitability of serving individual
customers, groups of customers, or product lines
The Balanced
Scorecard and
Strategy Map
Can be used in any type of firm to integrate planning and operations with strategic
goals.
References
Essay Learning Objective:
01-01 Explain the use
of cost management
information in each
of the four functions
of management and
in different types of
organizations, with
emphasis on the
strategic
management
function.
Difficulty: 3 Hard Learning Objective:
01-03 Explain the
contemporary
management
techniques and how
they are used in cost
management to
respond to the
contemporary
business
environment.
76.
Award: 10.00 points
Required:
Identify two of the most successful companies or organizations in today's business environment, in
your opinion. Explain why they are so successful.
There are a number of possible answers, including:
Walmart: low cost
Apple, Google: innovation
Johnson & Johnson: reputation, product excellence, reliability
Amazon.com, Nordstrom Stores: customer service
Walt Disney: attention to detail, customer satisfaction
UPS, AT&T: speed of service
References
Essay Learning Objective:
01-02 Explain the
contemporary
business
environment and
how it has
influenced cost
management.
Difficulty: 2
Medium
Learning Objective:
01-04 Explain the
different types of
competitive
strategies.
77.
Award: 10.00 points
Samsung, the large Korean manufacturer of electronics, has just developed a new QLED (Quantum
Dot Light Emitting Diodes) TV. The TV retails retail in the range of $6,800 for the 75 inch, curved
panel model. Normally, Samsung sells its TVs and other electronics in Big Box retailers such as Best
Buy. In this case, Samsung is thinking of choosing a different means to retail the product.
Required:
What retail store or stores, or what method would you suggest Samsung use in selling its new TV?
Since the new TV is clearly a high-end item, it is unlikely that most shoppers at Best Buy or Walmart
stores will be looking for this product. On the other hand, the appearance of the new TV in their
stores could be an advantage to Best Buy and Walmart, or similar retailer, because it could attract
traffic into the store, and perhaps help the store to draw a new type of customer, one expecting high
end merchandise such as the Samsung TV. For online buyers, the 75” TV is available on both the
Samsung and the Best Buy sites.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
78.
Award: 10.00 points
The premier auto manufacturer BMW introduced a new compact SUV (the X3) in an effort to grab a
greater share of the overall luxury car market. Because its own resources were pretty well tapped
out by a large number of new vehicles BMW had already introduced, the automaker decided to have
the new SUV built by the parts manufacturer Magma International, based in Toronto. The vehicles
would be manufactured by Magma in an Austrian plant.
Required:
Comment on the strategic issues surrounding BMW's introduction of the X3 and the use of Magma
International to produce the vehicle. Do you think the company made the right decisions? Why or
why not?
The critical question for BMW is how the use of another manufacturer might affect customers'
confidence in the BMW brand. Most would say that BMW is a differentiated firm, and its customers
expect quality and features over cost. The X3 has been a great success for BMW (both in sales and
reviews), so it is apparent that customers have accepted the contract manufacturing of the vehicle.
Perhaps more interesting is BMW's plan to "protect its brand by not entering the minivan market."
According to BMW's CEO, "We do not have a van because a van as it is in the market today does not
fulfill any of the BMW group brand values." On balance, BMW has succeeded in the luxury, high-end
of the SUV market, but has determined that the luxury, high-end market currently has no place for a
minivan even though Mercedes, Toyota and Honda have entries in that market segment.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-04 Explain the
different types of competitive strategies.
79.
Award: 10.00 points
The story of the telecom giant WorldCom came to a sad turn in 2002 as the firm filed for bankruptcy,
with some of the managers facing criminal charges for fraud. In 2000 a severe slump in the telecom
business led to pressures within WorldCom to reduce expenses and improve the financial
statements to meet investor expectations. On orders from top managers, accountants within the firm
created fraudulent financial statements, ultimately resulting in an $11 billion fraud. The fraud was
detected as a result of an inquiry by the SEC, which led an internal auditor within WorldCom to start
an investigation that uncovered the fraud in 2002. The successor firm, MCI (which had previously
merged with WorldCom and is, since 2006, a part of Verizon), under the leadership of new top
management, formed the office of chief ethics officer who had the responsibility for MCI's policy of
training all MCI's U.S.-based employees, an ethics hotline, an ethics pledge signed by the firm's top
100 executives, and a company code of ethics, among other responsibilities.
Required:
What should be the role of an ethics officer? To whom should the ethics officer report within the
organization? Do you think MCI had a good plan for ensuring ethical behavior within the firm? How
would you change the MCI ethics policy, if at all?
The WorldCom scandal is one of the most significant and extensive frauds in U.S. history. The
important part of this story is that the survivor organization, MCI, is doing well under new leadership
and has begun an ethical compliance program. The question is intended primarily as a basis for class
discussion, and there are likely to be a wide range of views. I begin by noting that the announcement
of a Chief Ethics Officer is a good strategic move for MCI, given the recent history of the company. It
is important for the firm to make a clear statement about the importance of ethical behavior in the
years ahead.
It is difficult to determine the precise role for an ethics officer; the concept is new and there is not
much experience to provide guidance. The functions set out in the MCI announcement make sense -
employee training, hotline, pledge, and code of ethics. It is clear in the MCI case that the officer has
the strong support of top management. So the role and responsibilities of the chief ethics officer
should be watched closely at the top management level - both CEO and CFO. From the experience
with WorldCom and other frauds, where both the CEO and CFO were culpable, it is probably also
important that the chief ethics officer report not only to the CEO and CFO, but also to the firm's audit
committee (a subset of the firm's board of directors with responsibility for managing the audit
function and providing oversight of internal control procedures within the firm). A significant number
of corporations have now added a chief ethics officer, to provide guidance and management of
ethics issues within the company and to address complaints and corporate governance issues.
References
Essay Difficulty: 2 Medium Learning Objective: 01-06 Understand the
principles and rules of professional ethics
and explain how to apply them.