If you’ve been thinking about incorporating generative AI into your accounting courses but aren’t sure where to start, I have a resource for you. AI in Accounting Education: A Practical Guide for Educators and Students is a free PDF book you can use immediately in your classes. It includes 28 chapters that span financial, managerial, […]
Continue readingInterested in integrating examples of ESG into your accounting course?
This week, I’m giving a presentation on ways to integrate ESG into introductory accounting at the AAA’s Sustainability in Accounting conference. I thought I’d share one of the resources I developed for that presentation here on my blog. Introductory financial or managerial accounting is a great place to help students see how accounting connects to […]
Continue readingHow does the rising price of cocoa impact The Hershey Company’s variances?
In the spring of 2024, the cost of cocoa rose substantially. Within the span of 12 months, the price of tripled. This surge in price is largely the result of bean diseases that have destroyed crops on a vast scale in Ghana and Ivory Coast, which together supply more than half of the world’s supply […]
Continue readingWhat impact does the rising cost of avocados have on Wholly Guacamole’s variances?
The cost of avocados is rising. For example, the price of a 20-pound box of avocados from the state of Avocado prices from Michoacán state in Mexico has jumped to $38 from $21, which is an 81% increase. The current price of avocados is the highest price on record in data that goes back to […]
Continue readingWhat would be the impact of the polysilicon cost increase on Canadian Solar’s gross profit and on its standard variances?
Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ) and other solar panel manufacturers are facing a shortage of a key raw material used in the production of solar panels, polysilicon. Environmental regulators in China shut down several factories, triggering the shortage. The cost of polysilicon has risen by as much as 35% in the past several months. A kilogram […]
Continue readingHow does the drop in the price of eggs impact Kellogg’s® variances for its Eggo® Homestyle waffles?
In 2015, when the avian flu hit egg producers hard, there was a shortage of eggs. Egg prices increased dramatically. Over the years since 2015 however, egg production has ramped back up as egg producers have restocked their flocks of egg-laying chickens. There is now a glut of eggs, putting causing the price of eggs […]
Continue readingIf the AMD Ryzen 16-Core CPU saves $1,000 per computer manufactured, how would computer manufacturers’ variances be impacted?
AMD is rumored to be releasing a new 16-core, 32 thread CPU, that would be significantly more powerful than its competitors – and it would be about $1,000 less expensive than the closest Intel CPU. This AMD chip is named “AMD Ryzen” and it has six more cores than Intel’s current primary desktop CPU – […]
Continue readingHow would the strike at Just Born, the maker of Peeps, impact its standard costing variances?
Just Born Quality Confections (Just Born) makes marshmallow Peeps, Mike and Ikes, Hot Tamales, and other candies. The company has approximately 600 employees and is privately-held. Its headquarters and Peeps factory are in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In September 2016, the factory employees represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union of America Local 6 […]
Continue readingIs a favorable raisin quantity variance good for Kellogg’s Raisin Bran?
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran is famous for its advertising slogan of “Two scoops of raisins in every box.” The current box design for Raisin Bran shows two scoops of raisins on the front of the box. A few months ago, a post went viral on Reddit that showed a picture of the raisins actually found in […]
Continue readingWhen the chocolate used in Cadbury Creme Eggs was changed to a less expensive chocolate, what variances would have been impacted?
A Cadbury Creme Egg is an egg-shaped chocolate candy that weighs about 35 grams, or a little more than 1.2 ounces. It is filled with a white fondant and a smaller amount of yellow fondant, meant to mimic an actual egg. (Fondant is a type of sugar syrup.) In the U.S., Cadbury Creme Eggs are […]
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July 27, 2025 