Janet A. Meade

The yellow brick company: An instructional case for integrating the teaching of tax and managerial accounting

Abstract In recent years, the emphasis in accounting education has shifted from technical instruction to a broader understanding of the role of accounting in decision-making. One outgrowth of this new emphasis has been an integration of the accounting curriculum, whereby courses assimilate and explore the interrelationships among the various accounting subareas as well as with other disciplines. The aim of this instructional case is to help bridge the gap that typically exists between tax and management accounting teaching. Through the evaluation of three mutually exclusive alternatives, students are systematically introduced to the ways that implicit taxes, alternate tax structures, and the treatment of net operating losses (NOLs) can alter the relative profitability and risk of alternative courses of action. The case thereby helps students who do not take courses in taxation to appreciate that taxes are not simply payments to the government after the fact. Rather, they play an important and integral role in managerial decision-making.