Accounting for Decision Making and Control

Book Description

Accounting for Decision Making and Control by Jerry Zimmerman continues to grow in popularity with instructors due to its emphasis on teaching students to critically evaluate and solve actual business problems. Zimmerman is able to achieve this through: 1) Strong conceptual framework; 2) Business orientation focusing on how organizations work; 3) Balance between concepts & practice; 4) Strongest problem material available.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent book.......2007-03-02

It contains philosophy and present contept to apply to the decision making. Managerial accounting is more than journal entry and computation. It's about decision making and performance evaluation.

Worse book in my entire MBA program.......2006-11-14

Beware ! This book does perhaps the poorest example explaining any concepts. I have never had so much stress in my life than taking a managerial accounting class with this book. I mean I actually couldn't sleep because of this book!
I took this class last year and I just finished my MBA and I am working on my Phd now, and I thought I would reflect and give some valuable advice to you, my fellow students.

If you don't have a prior managerial accounting background, go read as much as you can before you get into this book. Or you will be completely stressed out, lost and feel that you are a dummy. This book makes smart students feel dum. I mean really dum. You are not dum, the book just lacks clear explanations.

This book deals mostly with managerial accounting. For example if you are paid $100 per day at your job, really you are costing the company more than what you are being paid, really you use resources, like from human resources who hired you, electricity costs, phone costs, IT, etc, so your true cost to the company broken down is probably $160 per day. This is called cost allocation, in a crude example.

Easy concept right?, Just that you will not be able to learn this easily from this book unless you have a deep prior background in this. The good examples Zimmerman(author) gives are spoiled by the majority of his jargon and bad examples.

I honestly found myself at one point reading 1 page for over an hour to understand! (and I am a high A student). In my entire MBA program, I never had a worse book, nor more stress!!!

Ultimately, I had to do many exhaustive Internet searches to learn cost allocation theory.

Some reasons why this book is so bad:

(1) Does not explain many concepts with clear explanations
(2) Uses too much jargon
(3) Shows graphs and vital data one the next pages instead of including them on the same page, Imagine as you read you have to constantly change the page to see the graphs and charts, Very poor!
(4) Zimmeran doesn't want to teach, rather he wants to prove to you that he is smart!

(5) THE WORST
Perhaps the worst is the homework problems in the back. Zimmerman (the author) does not give sufficient examples of how to solve these examples. Nor does the book give the answers. Also, some problems are extremely hard, even the professor of the class had difficulty solving and explaining this. What is the goal of a book if students have to search elsewhere and be stressed out to learn?

I would say that this book is like taking a class in Algebra and having questions and concepts explained in Calculus.

Again, if you don't have a prior background in any of this, go take a class at a junior college on cost accounting to prepare for this book, you will need it. Or you too will be so stressed out!!

Jerold Zimmerman, please don't take personal offense, you may be a smart guy, but the art of education is explaining concepts easily and showing your work, which in my opinion and my fellow students' opinion, overall this book lacks.

GOOD LUCK to all students, and my prayers are with you if you have this book.

Bloated with Homework Problems.......2005-08-30

The most surprising thing was how much of the book is homework problems (blue pages). Viewed edge-on they appear to be ~50% of the pages. Many problems are excessively wordy, fine as novellos but reading 2 pages to get to the issues is often tedious. The text is well written, but I didn't find the subject to have as much meat as other MBA subjects like Finance or Operations Research. I understand it is one of the better books on Managerial Accounting. I have 27 years experience at many companies, so others might find the material more enlightening.

Great book!.......2002-12-24

The great take away from this book is that executives try hard to achieve the optimal solutions for management problems, but that they seldomly succeed. The reason: they underestimate the creativity of their sub-ordinates (and their superiors).
For ages students and lecturers thought management accounting was dull. Zimmerman shows how fascinating this subject can be. The decision making parts show how to calculate optimal solutions for management accounting problems, the control parts make your realize how difficult it is to make the optimal solutions come true. The implication: the amount of consulting work to be done is infinite.

Think Management Accounting Rather Than Cost Accounting.......2002-10-24

Too often management accounting is completely subsumed in cost accounting. Yes, they are part of the same topic, but they have somewhat different emphases. This book covers costs, but it is really more focused on how you allocated decision rights, set measurement criteria, and how you reward people to get the behavior you want. It is also very helpful in clarifying thinking about what could be going wrong if you aren't getting the behavior you wanted out of a given system of measurement and reward.

The writing is very good and the organization of the book is sound and helpful. While there are charts and graphs it is not a book full of color and pictures. It is a book with words and ideas that are helpfully supplemented as needed. But the self-study problems and cases are set off from the main text by being on different color pages. This helps in locating what you are after.

There is a wealth of thought provoking problems and short cases to help promote discussion and provoke your thinking on the topics discussed in each chapter.

Another aspect of the book I really like are the concept questions in each chapter that help you gauge your understanding of what you have just read. The solutions for these are provided in the back of the book so you can know if you are "getting it" or not.

Book Description

Value Based Management brushes aside the often-confusing amalgam of quick-fix management potions, and gives you tested tips and strategies designed to turn your company into an equity-enhancing machine. This long-awaited book describes how, once you have seen and tried the hundreds of different management theories that abound today, one goal will always remain: Enhancing Shareholder Value. Companies that focus on creating and building value become focused, goal-oriented, and successful at building the powerful business machines that are required in todayÕs give-no-quarter competitive environment. Performance measurement consultant James A. KnightÕs eye-opening book provides convincing proof that strategies designed to maximize shareholder value can benefit everyone involved. With its clear-cut diagrams, explanations, and case histories, Value Based Management demonstrates how every decision your management team makes can consistently create shareholder value. Its comprehensive benefits include a clear definition of the nature of corporate value, and how the act of enhancing it can create positive reverberations throughout the entire company; examples of companies that have successfully managed for value and how they have done it, alongside examples of companies that failed to manage for value and how you can avoid their pitfalls; and explanations of how Value Added Management creates the optimal balance between short and long term decisions, and helps your managers balance the trade offs between improved levels of profit and greater growth. Like so many journeys, the toughest step when focusing your company on Value Management is the first step. Take that first step today! Read Value Based Management, focus on the strategy and business questions it raises, then think about how its solutions can be tailored to fit your company. Once you have begun to implement Value Based Management your shareholders, along with your customers and employees, will recognize and reap the profitable benefits of a value based corporate mindset.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent introduction with detailed solutions.......1999-04-27

I've watched the words "Shareholder Value" creep into our business vocabulary over the past decade or so, and I've heard many explanations of how to optimize it. Unfortunately, there about as many definitions and techniques for measuring and managing it as there are books on the subject. I've read many of these other texts and worked with the other consultants Mr. Knight mentions in his book. But none of them have approached the precision and clarity of this book. Mr Knight starts with why management should understand the shareholder's needs and the proper methods for addressing those needs, then he takes the reader logically through all the steps (including the subtle nuances) of implementing such a program. There is no more comprehensive nor better written book on this subject on the market. If only Mr. Knight had written his book 10 years ago, many of us would have been saved from endless hours of vague and confusing meetings about what we were really trying to accomplish.

A very basic point of view.......1999-03-10

I expected much more of it. Very basic in it's assesments and definition. I cannot get a real signification of EVA until chapter 6. Good for earliers beginners not awaiting for much academic support

A must read book for companies striving for value creation.......1998-07-14

This book shows how to develop and implement strategies regarding value creation for shareholders. It has a very good mix of theory and business cases. The core aspect of this book is the theory behind the imperative link of: Strategic Planning, Budgeting, Financial Reporting and Incentive Compensation. This theory is tested against many sucessful business cases. The author also shows why some companies fail after incomplete or wrong assumptions on the value based management implementation.

Cost Accounting for Managerial Planning, Decision Making and Control, 5e

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Cost Accounting for Managerial Planning, Decision Making and Control, 5e
Andrew Schiff , Hsihui Chang , and Woody M Liao
Manufacturer: Custom Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0759340412

Book Description

This text is intended for use in undergraduate and graduate courses in cost accounting at both the basic and advanced levels. It provides complete, concise and clearly written discussions of topics commonly included in a basic course, with an in-depth treatment of selected topics more appropriate for a course in advanced cost accounting. Modular coverage of these topics enables the instructor to present a greater amount of core material in a limited time, while adapting the text to his or her own preferences for course content. By emphasizing the differing uses for cost accounting information, the text makes the student an intelligent provider, user, and interpreter of this information. This strategy is evident in each chapter, as basic concepts are presented and then illustrated with examples and a wide variety of end-of-chapter assignments.

Workbook/Study Guide for Use With Managerial Accounting: Concepts for Planning, Control, Decision Making

Average customer rating:

Well Written
Everything as expected!
Fair
Not worth the money
Good book

Workbook/Study Guide for Use With Managerial Accounting: Concepts for Planning, Control, Decision Making
Ray H. Garrison
Manufacturer: Mcgraw-Hill College
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0256235694

Book Description

Garrison/Noreen has been- and still is- the market-leading text in managerial accounting, having educated close to 2 million students since its inception. In short, Garrison is the Guide in Managerial Accounting. The lighthouse on the cover symbolizes that for this difficult course, Garrison's comprehensive but manageable coverage, author-written supplements, and peerless end-of-chapter material makes it a safe and dependable choice for instructors and students alike. The loyalty and following it has achieved is due to the authors unwavering commitment to three simple principles: relevance, balance, and clarity.

Relevance- Every effort has been made to help students relate the concepts in this book to decisions made by working managers. The Managerial Accounting in Action segments within the chapters help students apply concepts to real world problems.
Balance- Garrison mixes its coverage to include a variety of both service and manufacturing organizations- this includes new coverage of e-commerce and e-tailers. Service examples have been expanded in this new edition and these are marked with a S icon in the margins.
Clarity- The entire supplements package has been written by the author team to insure that students and professors will work with clear, well-written supplements that employ consistent terminology.

Customer Reviews:

Well Written.......2007-09-24

The book is very concise & well written. It has helped me tremeendously in my Managerial Accounting class, and is very easy to understand.

Everything as expected!.......2007-02-16

The items arrived as expected; the price of the book was below the university bookstore.

Fair.......2007-01-10

The condition of the book when I received was not as good as stated. I did expedited shipping but it was just as slow as the regular shipping rate.

Not worth the money.......2007-01-03

This book was required for the class I took. The Ready Notes is a bound set of Powerpoint slides (3 per page). The instructor did not use the entire set of slides. I could have taken notes during the lecture and saved the money.

Good book .......2006-11-14

It is good book to learn managerial accounting and it also good to keep it as a reference.

Information for Control and Decision Making (ACCA Lynchpins S.)

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Information for Control and Decision Making (ACCA Lynchpins S.)

Manufacturer: AT Foulks Lynch Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Information Quality Assurance and Internal Control for Management Decision Making

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Information Quality Assurance and Internal Control for Management Decision Making
William R. Kinney
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Total Quality Management | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 007118287X

Book Description

This new text reflects Bill Kinney's experience on the special committee of assurance services, The Elliot Committee. The book is not designed to train students to be auditors. Instead, it has a strategic orientation and is intended for future managers, bankers, investment bankers, analysts, investors, IT consultants, and practicing CPAs. It is unique in that it builds upon related courses in finance, strategy, operations management, information technology, and financial and managerial accounting. There are two broad objectives of the book: 1. To introduce business students to the use of auditors and internal control to run a business better by lowering the costs of capital, production and distribution. 2. To assist accounting students by integrating their knowledge of financial and managerial accounting, information technology, and business strategy with the role of professional assurers.

An Introduction to Accounting for Decision Making and Control

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An Introduction to Accounting for Decision Making and Control
Edward L. Summers
Manufacturer: R. D. Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NXRWPA

An introduction to accounting for decision making and control (The Willard J. Graham series in accounting)

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An introduction to accounting for decision making and control (The Willard J. Graham series in accounting)
Edward L Summers
Manufacturer: R. D. Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

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Management Control and Decision Systems (Wiley/Hamilton Series in Management, Accounting, & Information Systems)

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Management Control and Decision Systems (Wiley/Hamilton Series in Management, Accounting, & Information Systems)
Alan L. Patz , and Alan J. Rowe
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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MIS | Industries & Professions | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

Decision-Making & Problem Solving | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0471671959

Book Description

This book examines the commercialization of the rural Asian economy and the provision and use of rural financial services since the 1970s.

Meyer, Richard L. and Geetha Nagarajan. Rural Financial Markets in Asia: Policies, Paradigms, and Performance.(Book Review): An article from: American Journal of Agricultural Economics

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Meyer, Richard L. and Geetha Nagarajan. Rural Financial Markets in Asia: Policies, Paradigms, and Performance.(Book Review): An article from: American Journal of Agricultural Economics
Gamini Herath
Manufacturer: American Agricultural Economics Association
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B000ALP9Y6
Release Date: 2006-07-14

Book Description

This digital document is an article from American Journal of Agricultural Economics, published by American Agricultural Economics Association on May 1, 2005. The length of the article is 1171 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Meyer, Richard L. and Geetha Nagarajan. Rural Financial Markets in Asia: Policies, Paradigms, and Performance.(Book Review)
Author: Gamini Herath
Publication: American Journal of Agricultural Economics (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 2005
Publisher: American Agricultural Economics Association
Volume: 87 Issue: 2 Page: 528(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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Soil survey of Bastrop County, Texas
Frank E Baker
Manufacturer: National Cooperative Soil Survey
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Agricultural Sciences | Professional Science | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006E0E24

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Soil survey of Bastrop County, Texas,
R. A Winston
Manufacturer: U.S. Govt. Print. Off
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Soil Science | Agricultural Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0008AOI46

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