• Describe and understand the notion of opportunity cost and organizational architecture and explain how they together constitute a framework for analysing management accounting systems in a decision making and a control perspective
• Describe and understand different management accounting systems and discuss their strengths and limitations from a decision making as well as a control perspective
• Analyse the cost of improving accounting systems decision making ability and effectiveness as a control devices and reflect upon the trade-off between the use of accounting for different purposes
• Critically reflect on and assess the value and relevance of specific management accounting systems in a particular organizational setting.

Companies operating internationally face the same challenges as national companies, but a few more are added because of language, cultures, laws, finance etc. The perspective taken in this course is that of setting up an organization, designing and implementing performance controls, measuring and reporting performance, planning etc. Management accounting and management control serve as the theoretical platform for the problems discussed and models presented. Some issues will deal with aligning a strategy to an international implementation and other issues have an operational perspective where budgeting, transfer pricing are tools that must be considered. Behavioural and cultural aspects are central to all international operations. Where applicable these will add perspectives to the discussion of how to implement the management technologies that are under consideration.

The content of the course will be partly case-driven and partly theory-driven. Extensive cases will serve as discussion fora where analysis of management issues and argued solutions are the expected outcome.
These are subsequently confronted with selected models and theories for a theory driven discussion. Some issues and cases will depend on analysis of various financial statements
and financial tools where others will focus on arguing benefits and drawbacks of various organisational set ups. Textbooks and cases supplemented with recent journal articles will serve as the documentary material for this course.

Please note that exchange students who want to follow the course need at least two courses in accounting/financial accounting/finance and one course in management (e.g. a B. Com. or B. Bus).

Indicative literature.

Jerold L. Zimmerman. Accounting for Decision Making and Control. 7th edition. Mcgraw-Hill Irwin.