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Accounting and software topics covered

Perdisco publishes three computerized practice set titles for Sage 50 at two different levels of academic difficulty:

1. Electronics Specialist
2. Electronics Specialist with Data File Download
3. Corporate Gift Baskets.

A general overview of the two titles is provided on our catalog page. The purpose of this page is to provide more detail for instructors seeking to understand which title may best suit their teaching. Instructors are encouraged to order a free review copy of their selected title.

Overview

The titles all require students to use the Sage 50 software to complete a one month accounting cycle. They are substancial activities that are expected to take many study hours to complete over multiple days or weeks. Students can bookmark their current position in the practice set and return to that same place the next time they are ready.

The following table sets out key differences between the titles:

	Sage 50 Practice Set	Sage 50 Practice Set with Data File Download	Sage 50 Simplified Practice Set
Overview
Context	Student is the accountant in a retail business that sells consumer electronics	Student is the accountant in a retail business that sells consumer electronics	Student is the owner of a one person business selling gift baskets
Pedagogical focus	'Assessment' More words to read, more complexity to manage and less detailed feedback	'Assessment' More words to read, more complexity to manage and less detailed feedback	'Learning' Lots of help with feedback that precisely identifies errors made
Degree of academic difficulty	Most demanding	Demanding	Less demanding
Data file set up in Sage 50	Set up independently by student	Downloadable data file, so no set up is required	Downloadable data file, so no set up is required
Time required to complete the practice set	Up to 10 hours	Up to 7 hours	Up to 4 hours
Total points available	419 points	331 points	136 points
Likely grade distribution (Depends on overall academic level of the class)	Lower average with a variance of points in a typical bell curve	Lower average with a variance of points in a typical bell curve	Skewed towards a higher average with 100% common
Free access to Sage 50 Learning Center	Included	Included	Included
Instructor and Student companions	Included	Included	Included
Pricing and format	$37.75 VirtualTutor Online	$37.75 VirtualTutor Online with Data File Download	$37.75 VirtualTutor Online with Data File Download
Order review copy (free for instructors)	Order practice set	Order download file	Order simplified

The accounting cycle

The exact details of the accounting cycle implemented by each title vary. The following dot points and table are provided to help instructors determine which title best reflects the accounting topics that they teach in class. In general, during the process of completing their one month accounting cycle, students will:

• Optionally create and setup data files in Sage 50
• Apply U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP)
• Work on a business that is set up as a corporation (Electronics titles only)
• Use the perpetual inventory system and the weighted average method
• Include sales tax when recording sales transactions
• Record adjusting entries (Electronics titles only)
• Perform a bank reconciliation (Electronics titles only)
• Generate aged receivables and aged payables reports (Electronics titles only)
• Prepare financial statements
• Become familiar with the screens and functionality of Sage 50 set out below.

Please contact us if you would prefer an alternate approach to the accounting cycle (for example, a different inventory system or the exclusion of tax).

The following table compares the two practice set titles to explain, at a glance, what accounting topics each contains and how they differ:

	Sage 50 Practice Set	Sage 50 Practice Set with Data File Download	Sage 50 Simplified Practice Set
Coverage of accounting processes and concepts
Business structure	Private non-listed corporation	Private non-listed corporation	Sole proprietorship
Data file set up in Sage 50	Set up independently by student	Downloadable data file, so no set up is required	Downloadable data file, so no set up is required
Volume of transactions in Sage 50	Substantial number required	Substantial number required	75% less than in Electronics Specialist
Inventory system	Perpetual inventory system and weighted average method	Perpetual inventory system and weighted average method	Perpetual inventory system and weighted average method
Sales tax	Included when recording sales transactions	Included when recording sales transactions	Included when recording sales transactions
Purchase orders and sales orders	Included	Included	Not included
Purchase returns and sales returns	Included	Included	Not included
Payroll transactions	Included	Included	Not included
Bank deposit tickets	Included	Included	Not included
Adjusting entries	Included	Included	Not included
Bank reconciliation	Included	Included	Not included
Unpresented checks or deposits in transit	Included	Included	Not included
Bank service charges, interested received	Included	Included	Not included
Financial reporting	Included	Included	Simplified
Aged receivables and aged payables	Included	Included	Not included

Sage 50 software functionality being tested

Sage 50 offers different navigation paths to reach its functions. Both practice set titles focus on the icon-based Navigation Centers of Sage 50 Complete Accounting and ask students to interact with those icons to achieve the required tasks. A screen shot of each Navigation Center (taken from the 2013 version of the software) is shown below to illustrate the concept along with the icons and tasks being tested, where:

= Students use, and are tested on, the functionality of this icon
= Not included in this practice set title

	Sage 50 Simplified Practice Set
	Sage 50 Practice Set with Data File Download
	Sage 50 Practice Set
Navigation Center	Icon/Task
Customers & Sales Navigation Center	Customers
	Jobs
	Sales Taxes
	Time and Expense Tickets
	Quotes and Proposals
	Sales Orders
	Sales Invoices
	Finance Charges
	Receive Money
	Bank Deposits
	Customer Statements
	Credits and Returns
	Reports
Vendors & Purchases Navigation Center	Vendors
	Write Checks
	1099s
	Time and Expense Tickets
	Purchase Orders
	Enter Bills
	Pay Bills
	Electronic Bill Pay
	Void Checks
	Credit and Returns
	Reports
Inventory & Services Navigation Center	Inventory Items
	Company Services
	Assemblies
	Prices
	Purchase Orders
	Receive Inventory
	Ship Packages
	Track Packages
	Inventory Count
	Inventory Adjustments
	Reports
Employees & Payroll Navigation Center	Employees
	Users
	1099s
	Payroll Setup
	Time and Expense Tickets
	Pay Employees
	Direct Deposit
	Print Payroll Checks
	Reports
	Forms
	Void Checks
Banking Navigation Center	Write Checks
	Account Register
	Analysis Tools
	Chart of Accounts
	Receive Money
	Bank Deposits
	Enter Bills
	Pay Bills
	Electronic Bill Pay
	Void Checks
	Reconcile Accounts
	General Journal Entry
	Reports
System Navigation Center and other functions	Backup Data
	Automatic Backup
	Restore Data
	Customer List
	Vendor List
	Find Transactions
	General Journal Entry
	Chart of Accounts
	Analysis Tools
	Check for Sage 50 Updates
	Year End Wizard

Sage 50 software download

Students will need access to 'Sage 50 Complete Accounting' to make use of our Sage 50 practice sets. Sage 50 is the new name for the accounting software that used to be called Peachtree. Sage 50 is a popular accounting software package used extensively by small and medium businesses throughout the United States. Most instructors would already be aware that Sage 50 is a third-party software application written by Sage Software. Perdisco does not write the Sage 50 software ourselves and is not associated with Sage Software in any way. Rather, Perdisco is a publisher who creates learning resources for accounting instructors to use in their classes to teach the Sage 50 software and/or Accounting Information Systems in general.

All of our Sage 50 practice sets automatically include a student license to use the Sage 50 software. Students are free to download the included student copy of Sage 50 or access the software through other means such as site licenses in campus computer labs or existing copies at home or work.

A student license provides a fully functional copy of the software with a 14 month time limit. A student license requires that it be used by a full or part time student or faculty member for their own study-related (non-commercial) purposes. Sage Software does not offer support services under the student license of its software but students are free to use the public knowledge base resources provided by Sage Software on its website as well as the free Learning Center provided by Perdisco.

Please note that while Perdisco's practice sets can be used on both Windows and Macintosh computer systems, the Sage 50 software can only be used on Windows-based computers. This is a limitation imposed by Sage Software, not Perdisco. Instructors should be aware that Sage 50 only works on Microsoft Windows and the possible implications this may have for some of their students before prescribing its use.

How to adopt

Adopting a Perdisco practice set is like adopting one from any other publisher. We'll help you select the best resource and send you and your teaching team free online and review copies. You can review our sets yourself, or we can guide you through a review and demonstration.

Our practice set titles have been designed so that they can be used together or independently. If you feel multiple titles may be suitable for the same cohort of students, then it is possible to use (say) the simplified practice set as an introductory learning activity and one of the full Sage 50 practice sets as a more rigorous assessment activity.

Contact us to start adopting, find out more or to order a review copy.