Is my portfolio ready?
The following questions are just to help you check if your portfolio is ready.
• Have you attached the Portfolio Cover Sheet and filled in your details?
• Have you used appropriate and relevant material to answer the questions?
• Are your answers logically developed?
• Have you used the Chicago referencing style to reference the sources you have used (both in text and reference list)?
• Have you included a reference list?
• Have you adhered to the word limits for each question?
In response to some concerns regarding the format of the assignment, students are advised to answer the questions directly. You don’t need to write an essay for the
portfolio. Just answer the questions individually within the maximum word limit.
There is no need to provide extensive definitions; the focus is on how you apply the theories and concepts to the cases in the portfolio. You will need to reference
for this portfolio and your reference list does not have to exceed a page.
Reference is very important in this work. Please using right reference in this work.
Curtin University
School of Accounting
Management Control Systems 301
Portfolio
Due 12pm on Wednesday, 10 September 2014.
Portfolios must be submitted through
TURNITIN Submission on FLECS-Blackboard.
Portfolio requirements
The portfolio is to be completed individually. Answers are to be written in lay language but must indicate a sound conceptual understanding of the key issues. It is to
contain:
• A word processed document (please spell check and grammar check your document); and
• A completed Portfolio Cover Sheet attached to the front of the portfolio (available in the Assessments tab on Blackboard).
• Please take note of the word count. All material in excess of the word count will not be marked.
• The work you submit must be your own. Significant penalties are imposed where assessments are found to be plagiarised. The University policy on Academic
Integrity can be found on this webpage: http://academicintegrity.curtin.edu.au/home/
• If late submission of assessments or other work is accepted, students will be penalised by ten percent per calendar day for a late assessment submission (e.g.
a mark equivalent to 10% of the total allocated for the assessment will be deducted from the marked value for every day that the assessment is late). The minimum mark
after penalty is zero. An assessment more than seven calendar days overdue will not be marked.
• Extensions to the assignment due date will only be considered by the Unit Co-ordinator (Dr Yuningsih) and will be granted only in extreme circumstance.
Applications for extensions must be received in writing prior to the due date and be accompanied by supporting evidence.
Question 1 (word limit: 400 words)
Samantha Texas has decided to purchase a laptop. She has two choices: Belltran and Qintax. The laptops sold by Belltran and Qintax offer the same features (processing
speed, disk drives, software packages, and so on). Both are mail-order companies with good reputations. Both laptops sell for the same price. To help her make a
decision, Samantha gets more information on the two laptops from the respective company websites. She discovers that the cost of operating and maintaining Belltran
over a two-year period is estimated to be $400. For Qintax, the operating and maintenance cost is $700. The sales information for Belltran emphasized the lower
operating and maintenance costs. While the website for Qintax, however, emphasized the service reputation of the product and the faster delivery time (Qintax can be
purchased and delivered one week sooner than Belltran). Based on all the available information, Samantha has decided to buy Qintax.
Required:
1. What are the strategic positions of the two companies (Belltran and Qintax) and how do they differ?
(2 marks)
2. When asked why she decided to buy Qintax, Samantha responded, “I think that Qintax offers more value than Belltran”. What are possible sources of this value?
(2 marks)
3. Suppose that Samantha’s decision was prompted mostly by the desire to receive the computer quickly. Informed that it was losing sales because of the longer
time to produce and deliver its products, the management of the company producing Belltran decided to improve delivery performance by improving its internal processes.
These improvements decreased the number of defective units and the time required to produce its product. Consequently, delivery time and costs both decreased, and the
company was able to lower its prices on Belltran laptops.
Explain how these actions translate into strengthening the competitive position of the Belltran laptop relative to the Qintax laptop. Also discuss the implications for
the management accounting information system (hint: what sort of information should be collected and reported?).
(5 marks)
Total: 9 marks
Question 2 (word limit: 700 words)
If budget performance is overemphasized, managers might take undesirable actions such as padding the budget.
Required:
a. Identify three actions (other than padding the budget) that managers might take as a result of an overemphasis on budgets as a performance measure. Explain
how the actions you have identified affect the short-term and long term performance.
(5 marks)
b. Explain how regular interaction between managers and their subordinates can reduce budgetary slack.
(3 marks)
c. One way higher level managers can prevent their subordinates from padding their budget is to allow some discretion to exceed the budgeted costs when necessary.
Describe two situations where it is necessary for top management to allow budget discretion.
(2 marks)
d. Identify two internal and two external factors that need to be considered by cost center managers in a manufacturing company when estimating their budgets.
Briefly explain your answer.
(6 marks)
Total: 16 marks
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