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Some potentially painful cost reductions will have to be made at the Ivy State University Business School, so the business manager has been asked to develop a list of initial cost cuts. To visualize how the budget's major line-item costs have behaved, he uses a set of graphs to understand and be able communicate to the directors of the various operating units what resources or activities need to be curtailed in order to reap the largest financial cost savings.

Retiring after 16 years at Evergreen Executive Education, LLC, Martha Hires is reminiscing with a colleague about some of the great and not-so-great client experiences they had shared over the years. Her colleague suggests she make a list of the best and worst client practices to help the firm identify early client-based signals portending a good or bad client engagement to increase the odds for a positive client engagement while also decreasing the odds of a bad one.

"During the five years Southpointe Corporation had used its custom Leadership Development Program (LDP), a significant number of existing and high-potential managers from all the company's functional areas and geographic regions had been through the LDP. Now in response to some ongoing leadership development concerns, Southpointe's CEO, wants to develop a "key experiences" program for a handful of managers viewed as viable executive team candidates. "

This case pertains to the foundational underpinnings of the accounting process and the statement of cash flows. In Part I, students are not given a list of business events to record, but rather, they must ascertain what they were from a 2011 balance sheet, a 2012 balance sheet, and a 2012 income statement. Part II requires students to prepare a 2012 statement of cash flows using the same three financial statements as given for Part I. In Part III, students must rely on a 2011 balance sheet and a 2011 statement of cash flows to work backward to derive the 2010 year-end balance sheet. There are two versions of this case: The Option 2 case is a bit more challenging than the Option 1 case. Instructors should use Option 2 if they feel students are well grounded in their understanding of financial statement relationships and the customary financial reporting of a typical set of business events. Both cases reinforce students' learning related to the accounting process and the connectivity between the financial statements. Please note that only one version of the case should be used due to the existence of some overlap between the two.

This case pertains to the foundational underpinnings of the accounting process and the statement of cash flows. In Part I, students are presented with 23 business events that they must evaluate for recording in the financial records. Part II requires students to prepare a 2012 statement of cash flows using the information presented in the company's 2011 and 2012 year-end balance sheets along with its 2012 income statement. In Part III, students must rely on a 2011 balance sheet and a 2011 statement of cash flows to work backward to derive the 2010 year-end balance sheet. There are two versions of this case: Option 1 and Option 2. The Option 2 case is a bit more challenging than the Option 1 case. Instructors should use Option 2 if they feel students are well grounded in their understanding of financial statement relationships and the customary financial reporting of a typical set of business events. Both cases reinforce students' learning related to the accounting process and the connectivity between the financial statements. Please note that only one version of the case should be used due to the existence of some overlap between the two.

Financial results and conditions vary among companies for a number of reasons. The differences in industry characteristics, in company policies, in management performance, and in responsiveness to the macroeconomic environment are reflected in the financial statements published by publicly held companies and can be highlighted through the use of financial ratios.

A couple wants to start a small flight charter company to serve the mining, oil, scientific, and wilderness adventure clients of northern Canada but worry that their thin financial base necessitates a sizable scale of flight operations during their first year. If a substantial revenue stream was slow to develop, or expenses were too high, their first year might be their last year-they had no financial slack. The fundamental question is, given their preliminary budget figures for the coming year, what level of revenue-generating flight miles did they need to just break even?

The vice president of business development for the Better Living Spaces company is excited about the prospects of his first acquisition, Juno Manufacturing, Inc., (JMI). He decides it would be prudent to verify that the reported assets on JMI's balance sheets are legitimate. Students will learn the paths he decides to pursue to gain firsthand knowledge of JMI's assets.

This short case presents two typical conversations surrounding the issue of classroom teaching excellence. One conversation is from a student perspective, and the other is from a faculty perspective. Both conversations take the reader to the point of articulating, based on their own college experience, the attributes possessed by the great professors they have had in class or that they have observed.

This case has two aspects. First, it provides a tutorial on the basic concepts associated with straightforward time-value-of-money scenarios. The topics of future value (FV) and present value (PV) are discussed and exemplified for both lump sum and recurring cash flow situations. In this vein, the derivation and use of four useful time-value-of-money reference tables are presented to highlight the underlying logic, connections, and mechanics of determining FVs and PVs. Second, this case provides students with several simple vignettes in which they can apply the foregoing time-value-of-money insights and techniques. The case can be effectively used in degree and nondegree programs, and it requires no additional reading materials. It is well suited for one 90-minute class period, and all or selected subsets of the vignettes contained in it may be assigned. A Teaching Note is available to registered faculty.

This short case challenges students to review a series of corporate financial metrics and to match them to one of the 13 industries labeled and listed for them. It is suitable for MBA and undergraduate students ready to expand their basic understanding of financial metrics.

This note explores discounted cash flows as a core technique for valuing a business, allocating scarce resources, and comparing alternative investments. Suitable for MBA and undergraduate business students, this note builds on students' basic understanding of discounting future cash flows with simple examples to which students can easily relate. Whether the discounted cash flow process used to derive a net present value or an internal rate of return metric, it is powerful, rational, and informative.

This case focuses on the use and interpretation of the DuPont model financial ratios, in particular the following four: return on sales, asset turnover, financial leverage, and return on equity . Students consider how these ratios are used to assess a company's financial performance for a single year, over time, and in comparison with other companies within and outside the focal company's industry. They also learn how these ratios provide insight into a company's business model via the margins it is able to earn, the productivity with which it uses its assets, and the company's aggressiveness (or lack thereof) in using borrowed money to finance its operations. The case is rooted in the basic premise that "ROE is the ratio most commonly used to analyze profitability of a business" and it is "important to both current and prospective shareholders." Furthermore, in the context of the DuPont model, the case positions ROE as the product of the other three ratios noted above. Thus, the protagonist in the case, Jill Keyes, has gravitated to the DuPont model. The case ends with a set of questions that Jill Keyes has left for her subsequent follow-up-these provide the basic assignment for students.

This case presents a series of decision points along with a simple process for ascertaining underlying source(s) of disagreement, which represents an important managerial tool. The president of First Mates' Wholesale Boating Supply Company, is faced with the reality of missing year-end earnings projections and breaking a 30-year streak of successive earnings increases. He has asked all his direct reports to meet with their teams and brainstorm about ways to finish the year in strongly and successfully. The case presents a number of those ideas for students to debate and discuss as they decide which ones the company should pursue.

Students explore the variability in earnings due solely to the need to make estimates for several common financial statement asset-related expense items. They consider depreciable asset lives and residual values; estimated uncollectible accounts receivable; and temporary versus permanent losses on marketable equity security investments. The case can be used as an asset module capstone case either an undergraduate- or graduate-level introductory financial reporting/accounting course. Alternatively, it could be used to introduce the asset module of an accounting course. A new medical practice is about to be launched and is seeking investors. As one of the doctors puts the final touches on a pro forma income statement, he must make several estimates that are required/allowed under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) to finalize the projected first year earnings figure.

This short but provocative case is a useful vehicle for differentiating the financial statement effects of just a few of the accounting method choices available under U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). Designed for MBA students, the case presumes a basic understanding of the inventory cost flow methods of LIFO, FIFO, weighted average, and specific identification. Similarly, students must also have a working knowledge of the basic depreciation calculations for straight line, double-declining balance, and units-of-production. A young entrepreneur undertakes a simple modeling task to explore the differential effects of four different inventory methods in combination with three different depreciation methods. Will there be much difference across the options? He is intrigued by the fact that he has some choices of accounting methods available to him as he gets ready to prepare a set of financial statements for his first year of operation.

How can executive education providers and purchasers best facilitate the transfer of program learning back to a participant's workplace setting? All too often, busy schedules, dealing with one crisis after another, and superseding priorities hinder such a transfer. This case is best used in a course where issues of education program design and/or adult learning are topics of interest. Similarly, it can also be a valuable addition to a course focusing on creating a learning organization and/or talent development.

This is an effective case in an MBA module devoted to the accounting process and the preparation of the three basic financial statements; it is also an excellent exam case. A simple diagram of the three basic financial statements (balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows) is presented and used to capture, codify, and communicate the effects of a series of typical business events. A manager must understand (1) which parts of the financial diagram are affected; (2) in what direction (i.e., increase or decrease); and (3) by what dollar amount, all the while keeping the foundational equation of Assets = Liabilities + Owner's Equity in balance. The case also provides students with the opportunity to prepare a simple statement of cash flows using two sequential balance sheets. Finally, it presents the opportunity for students to work backward from a balance sheet and statement of cash flows to craft the beginning of the year's balance sheet.

These instructional materials are positioned to be a useful means for reviewing certain aspects of financial reporting. They are purposeful, yet a bit playful; discussion-oriented, yet focused on the important dimensions of the financial reporting world. In particular, the six tasks presented pertain to: The nature of the different sets of books companies keep in order to comply with external financial reporting requirements, income tax laws, and internal operating decision-making needs; Seven recurring components of a typical corporate annual report; Foundational accounting concepts; Perspectives of various constituencies regarding the financial reporting standards-making process; The issue undergirding the adoption of international financial reporting standards; Highlight several contemporary, hot-button financial reporting issues.

This field-based case describes the approach and decisions used by Harris Corporation's vice president of supply chain management and operations to establish a set of financial benchmarks. It requires students to use those benchmarks to decide what areas need focus to potentially raise the company's financial results and elevate its financial performance through specific actions within its supply-chain group.