Ryder Rides: The Synergy Between Accounting and Marketing
Robert Rankin and Alma Mintu-Wimsatt
Texas A&M University – Commerce, USA
Cassy Henderson
Sam Houston State University, USA
Volume 15: 2020, pp. 309-316; ABSTRACT
The synergy between accounting and marketing is often overlooked despite the implications in strategic decision-making (Roslender & Hart 2006) and cross-functional operations (Cravens & Guilding 1999). Marketing students are rarely exposed to the accounting information they need to be effective decision-makers. Accounting information is typically not included in comprehensive marketing case studies. Yet, management accountants provide financial information and analysis such as product line and individual product profitability, product and customer costs and brand valuations to marketing professionals that is crucial effective decision-making. This case exposes accounting and/or marketing students to the interdependencies of accounting and marketing and provides an opportunity to analyze and evaluate internal financial reports for Ryder Rides® (R2), a company that assembles and sells professional and recreational bicycles. R2 experienced a significant decrease in operating income year-over-year despite selling the same number of bicycles. Students are required to analyze the impact of a sales mix shift, manufacturing variances and changes in marketing expenditures on the company’s operating income and generate recommendations to improve R2’s financial performance.
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