Managerial Accounting

Instructions
Each discussion should be at least one page in length, double-spaced, and references included.

                                                       Discussion 1
                                                         E-activity
•Go to the New York Times Website to read the article titled “ How the U.S. Lost Out on iPhone,” dated January 21, 2012, located at  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/22/business/apple-america-and-a-squeezed-middle-class.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1. Be prepared to discuss. 
      
"Labor and Materials Costs" Please respond to the following:
•From the first e-Activity, recommend how the American labor market can lower the direct labor costs of technology products while remaining competitive with the Asian market.
•Evaluate and analyze how the U.S. can manufacture direct materials for technology products in the global marketplace at competitive costs. 
•As a Chief Financial Officer (CFO), recommend actions you could take regarding the company- supply chain to reduce manufacturing costs of direct materials. 

                                                   Discussion 2
                                                      E-activity
•Go to EBSCOhost to read the article titled “Process Costing and Management Accounting in Today's Business Environment,” dated August 2010, located in the attachment.
"Standard Cost in a Process Cost System" Please respond to the following:
•From the second e-activity, assess the benefits of standard cost in a process cost system.
•As a CFO of growing medium-sized company using a process cost system, assess the most important reasons for improving your current standard cost reporting system.
•Evaluate the potential impact an upgrade can have on cost identification during the various stages of production.