Mas 0 Basic Considerations
Mas 0 Basic Considerations
Mas 0 Basic Considerations
Basic Considerations in
Management Advisory Services
RHAD VIC F. ESTOQUE, CPA MBA, CAT, MICB, RCA, CMA
I. OVERVIEW
MANAGEMENT ADVISORY SERVICES DEFINED:
Management advisory services refer to the function of providing professional advisory (consulting) services, the
primary purpose of which is to improve the client’s use of its capabilities and resources to achieve the objectives
of the organization.
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II. STRATEGIC DECISIONS AND MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
Key to a company’s success in creating value for customers while differentiating itself from its competitors
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A. Mission vs Vision
A Mission Statement defines the company’s business, its objectives and its approach to reach those objectives. A
Vision Statement describes the desired future position of the company.
capabilities
2. Balance sheet information about assets
a. Current resources
i. Cash adequacy
ii. Inventory management
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b. Long-term productive assets: important strategic decisions for the right investments
i. Analyze trends and measure efficiencies
ii. Develop network of relationships with customers and suppliers
iii. Identify financial and nonfinancial costs and benefits associated with alternative choices
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c. Intangible assets
a. Thinking process
i. Selecting organization goals
ii. Predicting results under various alternatives of achieving those goals
iii. Deciding how to attain desired goals
b. Communicating goals and how to attain them to entire organization
2. Control
a. Taking actions to implement the planning decisions
b. Deciding on performance evaluation
(074) 665 6774 0916 840 0661 [email protected] MAY 2021 CPA REVIEW SEASON
B. Supporting managers by providing information to improve strategic, planning, and control decisions
1. Three roles of management accountants for success
a. Problem solving: comparative analysis for decision making
b. Scorekeeping: accumulating data and reporting reliable results
c. Attention directing: helping managers properly focus their attention
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c. Information must be relevant and timely to be useful
C. Enhancing the value of management accounting systems by guiding managers to focus on challenges
1. Customer focus
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2. Value-chain and supply-chain analysis
a. Companies add value through—
i. Research and development
ii. Design of products, services, or processes
iii. Production
iv. Marketing
v. Distribution
vi. Customer service
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b. Managers in all business functions are customers of management accounting information
b. Quality
c. Time
d. Innovation
Financial accounting summarizes past transactions. Managerial accounting has a strong emphasis on the future.
Financial accounting data should be objective and verifiable. Managerial accounting data should be relevant.
Financial accounting focuses on precision. Managerial accounting focuses on timeliness of information.
Financial accounting is concerned with reporting for a company as a whole. Managerial accounting focuses on segments
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STANDARDS
A member's failure to comply with the following standards may result in disciplinary action.
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I. COMPETENCE
Each member has a responsibility to:
1. Maintain an appropriate level of professional expertise by continually developing knowledge and skills.
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2. Perform professional duties in accordance with relevant laws, regulations, and technical
standards.
3. Provide decision support information and recommendations that are accurate, clear, concise, and timely.
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4. Recognize and communicate professional limitations or other constraints that would preclude
responsible judgment or successful performance of an activity.
II. CONFIDENTIALITY
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Each member has a responsibility to:
1. Keep information confidential except when disclosure is authorized or legally required.
2. Inform all relevant parties regarding appropriate use of confidential information. Monitor
subordinates' activities to ensure compliance.
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III. INTEGRITY
Each member has a responsibility to:
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1. Mitigate actual conflicts of interest, regularly communicate with business associates to avoid
apparent conflicts of interest. Advise all parties of any potential conflicts.
2. Refrain from engaging in any conduct that would prejudice carrying out duties ethically.
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3. Abstain from engaging in or supporting any activity that might discredit the profession.
IV. CREDIBILITY
Each member has a responsibility to:
1. Communicate information fairly and objectively.
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2. Disclose all relevant information that could reasonably be expected to influence an intended
user's understanding of the reports, analyses, or recommendations.
3. Disclose delays or deficiencies in information, timeliness, processing, or internal controls in
conformance with organization policy and/or applicable law.
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advisor to obtain a better understanding of possible courses of action.
3. Consult your own attorney as to legal obligations and rights concerning the ethical conflict.
Exercises
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1. The primary purpose of management advisory services is
a. To conduct special studies, preparation of recommendation, development of plans and programs, and
provisions of advice and assistance in their implementation
b. To provide service or to fulfill some social need
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c. To improve the client's use of its capabilities and resources to achieve the objective of the organization
d. To earn the best rate or return on resources entrusted to its care with safety of investment being taken into
account and consistent with the firm's social and legal responsibilities
2. That kind of accounting concerned with providing information to management in making decisions about the
operations of the business
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a. Responsibility accounting
b. Cost accounting
c. Management accounting
d. Financial accounting
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5. Management accounting
a. Is governed by GAAP
b. Draws from disciplines other than accounting
c. Is geared primarily to the past rather than the future
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d. Places more emphasis on precision of data compared with financial accounting that does not
6. In financial accounting, certain rules and regulations must be followed on how financial statements must be presented
to the reader. In managerial accounting, no such restrictions generally apply because it is:
a. An entirely different field that need not observe the broad guidelines in financial accounting
b. Designed to provide management with non-financial information for decision-making.
c. Designed to provide accounting and other financial data to assist management in making business decisions.
d. A discipline that does not require preparation of financial statements
9. To distinguish between management accounting and financial accounting, the following statements are correct except
a. Management accounting, in view of its various integrated recipients should have a separate data recording and
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retrieval system from financial accounting
b. Financial accounting is bound to GAAP, and management accounting need not be in conformity with GAAP
c. Financial accounting can be regarded as the process while management accounting can be regarded as the
product of that process
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d. Management accounting output must be released on time so as not to erode its usefulness financial account
output can still be useful even when delayed
10. The basic accounting records that are used to provide data for external financial reporting are also employed in
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management accounting. In combining and reporting these data to management, however, the accountant can relax the
verifiability constraint necessary in public financial reporting and instead prepare data, which, although not adequately
verifiable for external reporting, are more useful to management. This principle of management accounting considers the
following factors more important than others.
a. Verifiability, objectivity and accuracy
b. Conservatism
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c. Relevance, flexibility and timeliness
d. Consistency and disclosure
11. The function of management that compares planned results against actual results is known as
a. Planning
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12. The activities in a management system's control process can be grouped into four
(1) Measurement of actual performance
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a. 4, 3, 2, 1
b. 3, 1, 4, 2
c. 1, 3, 4, 2
d. 3, 4, 1, 2
a. Planning
b. Directing and motivating
c. Controlling
d. Decision making
14. People who make information-based decisions go through a series of fundamental steps in their decision-making
process
1. Evaluate alternatives
2. Identify constraints
3. Set objectives
4. Gather appropriate information
5. Choose the most acceptable alternative
6. Identify alternatives
15. Which of the following types of management services is not directly related to accounting and finance functions?
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a. Cost analysis of major investment decisions
b. Long-range planning
c. Design, installation or review of the budgetary system
d. Valuation of capital stock of companies for purposes of merger or sale.
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16. Which of the following types of management services is normally related to accounting and finance?
a. Management audit
b. Marketing forecasts
c. Costs determination of alternatives in collective bargaining agreements.
d. Job evaluation and salary administration. EV
17. Management services of certified public accountants cover all of the following except:
a. Project feasibility studies
b. Systems design, development and implementation
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c. Organizational development and planning
d. Audit, tax and legal services
22. As businesses increase in complexity, the function of controllership has attained top-level recognition in the corporate
arena. Many areas related to finance and accounting has been identified with controllership. One area that becomes
controversial when included under the controller and viewed that such inclusion violates basic internal control is
a. Credit and collection
b. Internal auditing
c. Long range financial planning
d. Taxation and reporting to government agencies
23. The chief management accountant called “controller" traditionally perform these functions except
a. The establishment and implementation of the financial planning process
b. Financial and management reporting and interpretation
c. Protection of company resources and economic evaluation
d. Preparation of proposals for product promotions
24. Controllership has attained special recognition in corporate management as business expands in complexity and
reach, and as the controller exerts influence for management to take organization’s goals. Controllership and
treasurership constitute corporate finance. These are among the controller’s traditional functions:
1. Tax management
2. Financial reporting and interpretation
3. Credit management
4. Sourcing and investing funds
5. Reporting to government regulatory agencies
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6. Risk management
7. Economic appraisal
8. Planning for control
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a. All eight items
b. Items 1, 2, 5, 7, and 8 only
c. Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8 only
d. Items 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8 only
27. Integrity is an ethical requirement for all financial managers/management accountants. One aspect of integrity
requires
a. Performance of professional duties in accordance with applicable laws
b. Avoidance of conflict of interest
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28. Which ethical standard is most clearly violated if a financial manager/management accountant knows of a problem
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29. The following statements refer to competence of CPA's in management advisory services except
a. In concept, it refers to the technical qualifications of the practitioner and his ability to supervise and evaluate the
quality of work of his staff assigned to the engagement so as to be responsible for the successful completion of
the project.
b. It is acquired by education, self-study, attendance to professional development courses, actual experience in
MAS work, and research
c. It is the ability to identify client needs, use analytical approach and process, apply technical knowledge,
communicate recommendations and assist in implementation
d. It must be retained in the rendition of MAS work and it can be impaired if the CPA performs decision-making for
the client or acts as employee of the client
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d. Conduct his engagement as if he is a member of the client's organization
32. If a financial manager/management accountant has a problem in identifying unethical behavior or resolving an ethical
conflict, the first action he should normally take is to
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a. Consult the board of directors
b. Discuss the problem with his immediate superior
c. Notify the appropriate law enforcement agency
d. Resign from the company
c. The financial manager/management accountant knowingly communicates the information indirectly through a
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subordinate
d. An officer at the financial manager/management accountant’s bank has requested information on a transaction
that could influence the firm's stock price
34. During the course of an audit, the client’s controller asks your advice on how to revise the purchase journal so as to
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reduce the amount of time his staff takes in posting. How should you respond?
a. Explain that under the Code of Ethics you cannot give advice on MAS areas at the same time you are doing an
audit
b. Explain that under the IFAC Standards informal advice of this type is prohibited.
c. Respond as practicable at the moment and express the basis for your response so it will be accepted for what it
is.
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d. Respond and take full account for the consequences of the recommendation.
36. The CPA who undertakes the performance of a MAS engagement should bear in mind that the results should
a. Increase the client’s earnings capabilities
b. Be communicated in quantitative terms
c. Not be set forth as quantitative estimates
d. Not be explicitly or implicitly guaranteed
38. A letter written by the CPA and constitutes the CPA’s understanding of the work to be done in an MAS engagement
is a
a. Representation letter
b. Management letter
c. Letter of proposal
d. Comfort letter
39. The most important factor in selecting an engagement team is to assign consultants:
a. With prior experience in the client's industry.
b. With a combination of skills and experience in various business function areas as well as in different industries.
c. With the appropriate skills and experience and types of thinking to deal with the client's problems.
d. Who are likely to employ different approaches to problem solving such as highly imaginative thinking, or
unusual skill in the interpretation and use of financial and statistical data.
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40. It is one of the objectives of a final report
a. Recommend a future course of action, including, where appropriate, a listing of future projects in priority
sequence
b. Agree on the role to be performed by the CPA consultant
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c. To secure acceptance of the result of the study
d. Agree on the role to be performed by the CPA consultant