Constrained Optimization Problems In Cost And Managerial Accounting Spreadsheet Tools

A common problem addressed in Managerial and Cost Accounting classes is that of selecting an optimal production mix given scarce resources. That is, if a firm produces a number of different products, and is faced with scarce resources (e.g., limitations on labor, materials, or machine time), what combination of products yields the greatest profit to the firm? Solver, an optimization package included within Microsoft Excel (or Optimizer in Quattro Pro), is an ideal vehicle by which to analyze these problems. In most cost or managerial accounting texts, students are asked to address this type of question when there is only one scarce resource (e.g., Material X); such problems can be readily solved by hand. In the case of two or more scarce resources, students are usually referred to their management science classes and Linear Programming packages such as LINDO for further enlightenment, with the comment that such matters are beyond the scope of an accounting text. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how the Solver package in Microsoft Excel can be easily used to solve optimization problems in management accounting. Although not as powerful or flexible as stand-alone packages such as LINDO, Solvers presence within a universally available spreadsheet package makes it an extraordinarily powerful teaching tool. Instead of parameters being entered into the optimization problem as constants, they can be expressed as functions of other spreadsheet cells. This interactive structure allows an instructor (or student) to create complex production environments where it can be illustrated how minor changes in one aspect of the production environment can flow through and have a profound impact on optimal production schedules

Bureaucratic Agency: Administering the Transformation of LGBT Rights

In the 1940s and 1950s, the administrative state served as a powerful engine of discrimination against homosexuals, with agency officials routinely implementing anti-gay policies that reinforced gays\u27 and lesbians\u27 subordinate social and legal status. By the mid-1980s, however, many bureaucrats had become incidental allies, subverting statutory bans on gay and lesbian foster and adoptive parenting and promoting gay-inclusive curricula in public schools

Self-Selection Bias In On-Line Accounting Courses: Student Characteristics

Over the past several years one of my responsibilities as a faculty member of the State University of New York Institute of Technology has been to teach both graduate and undergraduate classes over the internet via the SUNY Learning Network (SLN).  Although the work load for a faculty member teaching an on-line course can be substantial, there is evidence that there are unexpected rewards in terms of the caliber of the students who takes such courses.  Although the characteristics of the students comprising the initial enrollment of the class mirror those of standard “in-person” classes, there seems to be substantial initial attrition among those students who are less motivated to devote the necessary time to the study of the material.  Additionally, the additional responsibility for “active learning” on the part of students appears to motivate many students to a higher level of effort. This paper provides evidence via ex-post and a-priori surveys, as well as through an analysis of the students’ final grades, that there is a self-selection bias among students that can lead to an overall increase in the caliber of the on-line class relative to the conventional on-campus class

A Swarm of Salesmen: Algorithmic Approaches to Multiagent Modeling

This honors thesis describes the algorithmic abstraction of a problem modeling a swarm of Mars rovers, where many agents must together achieve a goal. The algorithmic formulation of this problem is based on the traveling salesman problem (TSP), and so in this thesis I offer a review of the mathematical technique of linear programming in the context of its application to the TSP, an overview of some variations of the TSP and algorithms for approximating and solving them, and formulations without solutions of two novel TSP variations which are useful for modeling the original problem

Do As We Say, Not As We Do: Teaching Ethics In The Modern College Classroom

In the past decade, there has been an increasing level of distress over the perceived lack of ethics exhibited by members of the accounting profession.  This distress has resulted in a call for a greater emphasis on ethics coverage as part of a college-level accounting education.  However, one could argue that the various organizations that are leading these calls, and the academic institutions which are charged with implementing this enhanced ethical education, often suffer from ethical failings of their own.  The purpose of this paper is to examine the degree to which these organizations “practice what they preach.”  Recent history is rife with examples of ethical shortcomings on the part of accounting professionals; Enron, Worldcom, and Tyco come to mind as examples which have received extensive media coverage.  The resultant public concern over ethics in accounting has led several governmental and professional bodies to mandate or promote codes of ethical conduct.  The Congress of the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and other bodies have all made public pronouncements which explicitly insist upon the importance of ethical behavior.  Similarly, many education-related organizations (i.e., universities and accrediting bodies) have taken the position that education in ethics is an essential part of any college-level education.  Finally, although the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), which formulates generally accepted accounting practices for commercial firms in the United States, has not made an explicit statement regarding the importance of ethics, the standards which they promulgate are the measure of what is and is not adequate financial disclosure.  Since a failure to follow generally accepted accounting principles is usually thought of as misleading and hence, an ethical violation, it could be argued that the FASB is, in fact, charged with “codifying” ethical behavior as far as financial disclosure is concerned.  All of the organizations mentioned above can be criticized, to some extent, for ethical failings of their own.  Political bodies, such as the Congress and the Securities and Exchange Commission, can often be accused of bowing to special interests and entities which enforce codes of ethics (whether the AICPA in accounting or the American Bar Association in the legal profession or the AMA in the medical profession) are often justly accused of turning a blind eye to all but the most egregious behavior of their members.  The FASB, while ostensibly independent, is also subject to pressures in its standard setting process.  Finally, the educational establishment has exhibited ethical shortcomings of its own.  These problems run from well-publicized institution-wide problems in discrimination and college athletics down to the individual class and faculty member who engages in less-than-ethical behaviors.  The paper will examine the recent ethical failings in business and the resultant calls for greater ethical behavior on the part of the accounting profession.  A brief summary of some of the literature related to ethical education and development will then be presented.  After this, the behaviors of the various regulatory, standard setting and educational institutions will be examined to determine the extent to which their individual behaviors coincide with their stated positions on ethical behavior and the degree to which these behaviors match the standards that we are encouraged to teach to our students

Firm Choice Of Discount Rate Used In Valuing Pension Obligations

This paper examines how the minimum liability reporting requirement for defined benefit pension plans affects the choice of actuarial assumptions. There is a long history of accounting literature which suggests that firms select accounting practices in order to artificially improve the appearance of their operations.  Similarly, there is a history of research regarding the question of how firms select the actuarial assumptions used in accounting for their defined benefit pension plans.  This paper makes a unique contribution to this line of research in that it explicitly examines and focuses on the effect of the “minimum liability” requirement under Statement of Financial Accounting Standard No. 87

A green solution or a greenwash? : a narrative analysis of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Norway

This thesis investigates the green transition in Norway through a narrative analysis of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). The climate crisis has reached the point of no return and the message is clear, we must act now. CCS has been widely promoted as a solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and is included in most of the climate mitigation scenarios presented by the IPCC. Through a political ecology lens, five main narratives have been identified, labelled the ‘win-win’ narrative, the ‘maintaining our everyday life’ narrative, the ‘avoiding energy crisis’ narrative, the ‘greenwash’ narrative, and the ‘systemic change’ narrative. These narratives are related to main discourses on climate change and elaborates on the existing views on climate change in Norway. The distribution of participants within these narratives implies that there is a clear overweight of actors who believe that technological solutions, and the use of CCS, are essential to tackle climate change. There are, however, some counternarratives and critical voices in Norway but this study shows that these voices are less powerful, which again gives them a lower ability to influence policies and actions taken in Norway. Moreover, the focus on technical solution may hinder other prominent solutions such as reducing the ever- growing consumption. Ultimately, this thesis suggests a combination of these measures in line with the integrative discourse. We need to explore systemic related changes to a higher degree and especially since applying CCS seems to be more difficult than previously assumed.M-D

A Swarm of Salesmen: Algorithmic Approaches to Multiagent Modeling

This honors thesis describes the algorithmic abstraction of a problem modeling a swarm of Mars rovers, where many agents must together achieve a goal. The algorithmic formulation of this problem is based on the traveling salesman problem (TSP), and so in this thesis I offer a review of the mathematical technique of linear programming in the context of its application to the TSP, an overview of some variations of the TSP and algorithms for approximating and solving them, and formulations without solutions of two novel TSP variations which are useful for modeling the original problem

A program to develop a high-energy density primary battery with a minimum of 200 watt hours per pound of total battery weight Final report, Jul. 1964 - Sep. 1967

Electrolytes, anodes, and cathodes for high energy density battery with 200 watt hours per pound of total battery weigh