Taxation Federal and Management Decisions Hotel Administration 4422 Fall 2008 General Information
Meeting Time/Place: Mondays 7:30 9:55 p.m./Statler 398 Text: Concepts in Federal Taxation Murphy & Higgins Credit/grading: 3 credit hours / S/U or Letter grade Instructor: Laurie Hensley, CPA Phone: [phone] (Cell) E-mail: [e-mail] Campus office & hours: 435C Statler Hall Mondays and Wednesday 5:30 7 p.m. or by appointment (if Im on campus I am happy to meet with you) Office hours will be expanded as needed Teaching Assistant: Kate Sage [e-mail] Campus office & hours: By appointment please e-mail TA Course office/assistant: 465 Statler Hall Sue Foote, 255-5263, [e-mail]
Academic Integrity: All of the requirements of the Cornell Code of Academic Integrity apply in this course. The professor, and/or other instructional faculty, assisted by administrative staff and the Academic Integrity Hearing Board will vigorously investigate all indications of, or allegations about, Code violations by any or all students registered in this course. Each student in this course is expected to abide by the Cornell University Code of Academic Integrity. Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the students own work.
Introduction and welcome: In this course we will explore the many facets of Federal taxation and the impact of the tax laws on your personal tax situation, on your decisions regarding your own business, and on the decisions you make as an employee. Welcome! I am personally very happy you have decided to take this course. Developing knowledge of how the tax laws operate will allow you to have much more control over your personal and business financial life. Course objectives The goal of this course is to provide you with a strong foundation of basic tax principles and concepts so that you will have insight into how tax laws affect business and financial decisions. The focus of the course is on understanding the law not on how to prepare tax returns (however some tax return forms will be used to help you understand the material). Course Format: Classes will consist of lecture with example problems. There will be a short break approximately halfway through the lecture. See the Class and Assignment Schedule for each week with an X in the In-class exercise column an in-class exercise, quiz or take-home assignment will be given. Completion of 9 out of 11 of these assignments counts as 100% of possible points (15% of total grade). Fewer than 9 will count on a pro-rata basis. We will cover a significant amount of material in each class therefore I have scheduled class time to review this material prior to each exam. Reading and problem assignments are shown on the attached Course Schedule. Please note that the chapters that will be covered appear in the Assignments column. Reading and problem assignments should be completed prior to the class for which they pertain. There will be homework problems assigned for each chapter. The assigned problems will be announced in class and posted to blackboard the if not already listed on the assignment schedule. Homework will be collected at the end of each class session. Solutions to homework will be posted to the blackboard after class. Exams - there will be two exams given during the semester. There will not be a cumulative final however later chapters do require knowledge of earlier chapters. Each exam may consist of multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and/or essay questions or problems. The questions will involve calculations it is very important that you bring a calculator (not your cell phone calculator please) with you for exams. The exams will be given equal weight and will count for 60% of your grade. A portion of the each exam will be closed book. A portion will be open book/open notes. Term Paper A term paper is required and is due December 1st but may be turned in at any time prior to that date. Grading: 2 Exams (equal weight) Homework assignments End of class quizzes/problems Term paper 60% 10% 15% 15% 100%
Additional assistance for the course: The teaching assistant and I will be available to provide you assistance during our office hours or by appointment. Please do not hesitate to contact us as soon as possible. If there is a concept you are struggling with we may be able to help you with it saving you time and frustration. We really want to help you. Your responsibilities: Your weekly participation and self-study is essential to your understanding of this material. You are responsible for being conscious of the areas in which you are struggling and seeking assistance and/or putting in extra effort on those areas. Your input: This is your class. Your input is always welcome. You may express any ideas or concerns you have directly with the instructor, with the TA, or leave a note in Lauries mailbox. Absences/make-ups: If you cannot attend a class in order to hand in a homework assignment you may submit it prior to class in person or via email. It is your responsibility to make sure I have received the work. If you cannot take an exam at the prescribed time please contact me as soon as possible to arrange a makeup. I will offer you a make-up if you cannot take an exam due to illness, family emergency, religious observation, participation in a University function, or some other reason beyond your reasonable control. I simply ask that you contact me just as soon as possible. I will offer you an exam that is different than the regular exam but I will do my best to ensure that it is of comparable difficulty. Academic Integrity II: In accordance with school policy, the following statement is to be included on all submissions for credit. This statement will be printed on the front of each exam. Your signature on your homework assignments indicates that this statement is true in relation to that work. Please include this signed statement on your term paper. Thank you. By my signature below, I aver that I have neither given nor received any unauthorized information about the material, questions, or answers contained in this assignment. _______________________ Signature