ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS, 4e

Richardson, Chang, and Smith

Project Assignment Description

Chedd r
Background

Mr. Z (real name Zubkoff) runs a successful chain of cheese and wine shops in Oregon that specialize in
Oregon artisan cheeses and local wines. He also sells his products over the internet. He is considering
expanding his business, but he thinks his current accounting and financial systems are restricting his
ability to expand. He has come to you for assistance.

Instructions

Your supervisor met with Mr. Z and discussed his requirements in detail. At that meeting, they agreed
on the following deliverables for your project.

1. Document process activity using BPMN. After gaining an understanding of Z’s business
processes, you will document current processes using business process modeling notation
(BPMN). This involves documenting at least five current business processes. These diagrams will
serve multiple purposes. Mr. Z expects to use them to train new employees. Plus, they will
provide information about potential improvements to those processes by the efficient use of
information technology. Additionally, they will also highlight areas where Mr. Z is exposed to
unnecessary risks in his business.
2. Prepare an integrated data model using UML class diagrams and the REA framework. This data
model will serve as the blueprint for Z’s prototype database that you will also develop.
3. Prepare a prototype database for Mr. Z. He has agreed to provide financial data from his
business for the 1st quarter of his fiscal year. That data will be in EXCEL format. You will move the
data into Access, structure it appropriately, and set relationships consistent with your data
model.
4. Prepare financial reports using your database. You will prepare queries as necessary to provide
the following reports and management information.

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 ACCOUNTING INFORMATION SYSTEMS, 4e
Richardson, Chang, and Smith
a. Z Cheddr income statement for the 1st quarter. Remember that Z uses accrual
accounting.
b. Z Cheddr balance sheet as of the end of the 1st quarter.
c. Income statements for each Z Cheddr store for the 1st quarter.
d. Analysis of product sales and profitability for the 1st quarter. Determine product
turnover and profitability for each inventory item.
5. (Optional) Evaluate the financial performance of Z Cheddr for the 1st quarter. Use your Access
queries but also prepare formal financial statements and appropriate ratios to evaluate
performance against the industry and past performance.
6. (Optional) Assess the business case for use of information technology in Z’s business (see
chapters 16 and 17 in the text). Mr. Z wants to move to a cloud-based accounting system, such
as Netsuite. He wants to upload transactions daily from new smart cash registers in each store.
7. Use current and historical data to analyze sales by store and flower over the previous five years
using Excel, Tableau, or Power BI. The analysis should address the following questions at least:
a. Which stores are selling more wine and cheese.
b. Which product is most popular.
c. Which product is most popular at which store.
d. Which stores have grown the most/least since 2020.
e. Which product’s sales have increased/decreased the most since 2020.
f. Other trends that can help evaluate store performance and potential pricing decisions.
g. Does the popularity of products vary according to the month of the quarter?

Report to Mr. Z

Each group will submit all the deliverables in one report to Mr. Z at the end of the project. You will also
submit your prototype Access database with all the queries along with that report. The report should be
professionally prepared in an executive summary style and not longer than 6 pages not counting any
appendices or attachments. The appendices or attachments should include financial statements, data
model and activity diagrams, and other information necessary to support your analyses and conclusions.
The content of the report should be clear to an accounting novice such as Mr. Z. Most of the content
should be presented using tables, charts, and bullet points. In all cases, you should avoid long
paragraphs. Specific content of the report should include:

 Financial performance evaluation as outlined in 4 and 5 above.

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© McGraw Hill LLC. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior
written consent of McGraw Hill LLC.