Dedicated Microcomputer Software for the Enrichment of Cost and Managerial Accounting Education.

Abstract This article illustrates how computer software dedicated to a specific application may be used to enrich cost and managerial accounting education. Two examples are presented from a group of computer programs that are available to interested faculty. Two different but related computer applications are illustrated. The first example shows how the student or faculty member may generate multiperiod comparative income statements for alternative inventory valuation methods. The second example illustrates how the user may generate an overall profit analysis for alternative inventory valuation methods. The computer programs are friendly and run on the IBM PC and IBM compatibles and clones. Since the manual is self-explanatory, little if any class time is required, although the computer-generated solutions can and should lead to some interesting and thought-provoking discussions both in and out of class. The main thrust of this article is the contention that what the student is required to do after the solution has been obtained is the most important part of a computer assignment. Effective computer assignments emphasize the student's thought processes, not the computer software. With this thought in mind, the flexibility of this software makes it particularly useful as a teaching device for generating student interest and for integrating many of the important concepts of cost and managerial accounting.