Administration

I missed the orientation.  What do I do?

Your two essential resources are the DVD and the Imparano website.  The website will give you the correlation between the course schedule and the topics that will be covered.  Once you have determine the topic to be covered access the disc's table of contents and go to the section where the material is covered.  Each lesson includes a Lesson Plan and Meeting Agenda.

Where do I start?

1.        Have a look at the Orientation videos on www.imparano.com if you missed the weekend orientation.

2.        Go to www.imparano.com and determine the material that you need to review for the upcoming session.

3.        Go to the DVD and access the material

4.        See suggestions below.

How do I prepare for the upcoming sessions?

Each area has been broken down into Lesson Plan and Meeting Agenda.   The meeting agenda forms the basis as to what we will be covering in the webinars and/or in person weekend sessions.   Please print these out and have a hard copy in front of you for the sessions.

The Lesson plan includes video lectures and suggested readings to be studied prior to each meeting.   For corporate finance there is potentially a lot of material.   If your corporate finance course was recent or you have some comfort in the area watch the lecture videos and start going through the problems with solutions / walk through questions.   If corporate finance was a long time ago or you lack proficiency in the area you may need to refer to the readings as necessary.

For the first webinar in corporate finance please also print out the Entrance Exam Supplement and the question package under the Meeting Agenda

How do I access the Webinars?

Note that the times for the webinars are Manitoba time.  

If you missed the orientation and if you are taking the program at distance you will need to email me for a link to the webinars.

When are the webinars?

The dates and times for the webinars are posted on the Imparano website.  Note that the times quoted are Central Time (Winnipeg time).  This is due to the large number of students that are taking this course from Manitoba.  The implications for Saskatchewan students is that these times will change with the change from Daylight Savings Time to Standard time.   This occurs twice per year  1st Sunday in November and second Sunday in March).  So for September to first Sunday in November the times will be 5 PM to 8 PM.  For the Balance of December to second Sunday in March the times will be 6 PM to 9 PM.

Why can't I print the Acrobat (pdf) files?

This is a symptom of an old version of reader. Open reader select help about and it will show you the version - needs to be 6 or higher (current version is 9.4).   Also check control panel to see if multiple versions are loaded (acrobat stacks versions - doesn't remove older versions and your operating system will open with the oldest version.

Remove all old versions of Acrobat and start with a clean install

What are the technical requirements?

To receive the most from the Program, it is recommended that your computer meets the following minimum specifications. 

•   Hardware: Pentium IV, 512 MB Memory (RAM) • Resolution: 1024 x 768 maximum colors

•   Operating System: Windows XP, Windows 7.  If you insist on using a Mac you must be prepared to run Windows as a parallel system and troubleshoot any compatibility issues.  Note that currently Secure Exam (used in the SLP) doesn't support Mac

•   Internet Connectivity: High Speed (ADSL or Cable)

•   Browser Requirements The website is best supported by current versions of Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Google Chrome.  Your browser must be set to receive cookies.  Accessing Program Content Files Most of the notes, articles and resources in the website site are in PDF format.  To read these files, users will need a free piece of software called the Adobe Acrobat Reader.  To download the free Adobe Acrobat reader, go to http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html. 

•  DVD Player capable of playing DVD-R

•  Soundcard

•   (Optional) Headphones with echo canceling microphone

Why won't the hyperlinks work?

There are apparently some issues with Acrobat Reader 9.3.4 where if you run Reader a pdf file with hyperlinks to files in a sub folder the hyperlinks don't  work.   So as a workaround here is a link to Acrobat Reader 9.0  Techno/AdbeRdr90_en_US.exe.  You can then update this to Acrobat 9.4

Adobe has released Acrobat X.  This seems to work ok.  

Technical Areas

Bad Debts - why isn't the opening balance taken into account in the income statement approach calculation?

There are two different approaches each with different objectives.  The objective of the income statement approach is the income statement as the name implies, so matching is key.  Review the formula for the calculation (see video lecture).  The AFDA is not mentioned in the calculation.  Bad debt expense is calculated as a percentage of sales and the AFDA is the residual.   The objective of the balance sheet approach is the balance sheet and therefore valuation.  The formula calculates the period end balance in the allowance account, therefore, the opening balance is relevant.  The residual in this case is bad debt expense.  Which is better?  It depends on your perspective.  We seem to be in a period of balance sheet rules but that will likely change with the next wave of accountants.  There is no best method.