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2024/2025  KAN-CACAO2402U  Management Accounting for Decision Making

English Title
Management Accounting for Decision Making

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course Autumn, First Quarter
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for cand.merc. and ASC
Course coordinator
  • Morten Holm - Department of Accounting (AA)
Main academic disciplines
  • Managerial economics
  • Accounting
  • Economics
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 20-06-2024

Relevant links
Learning objectives
The learning objectives of the course are as follows:
  • Understand the purpose and contents of different management accounting models and techniques.
  • Be able to apply and use the techniques for cost, profitability and value creation analysis to facilitate organizational decision making.
  • Critically analyze and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the different models and techniques.
  • Understand how to explore, develop, evaluate and implement strategic options from a financial perspective.
Examination
Management Accounting for Decision Making:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Oral exam
Individual or group exam Individual exam
Duration 20 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Preparation time With the listed preparation time: 20 Minutes
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and external examiner
Exam period Autumn
Aids Open book: all written and electronic aids
The student is allowed to bring to the preparation room: Simple writing and drawing utensils, laptop/tablet as a reference book (NB: there are no electric outlets available), any calculator, books including translation dictionaries, compendiums, notes. PLEASE NOTE: Students are not allowed to communicate with others during the preparation time.
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure

The list of exam questions will be handed out to the students before the exam. The students will draw one of the questions at the exam for preparation in 20 minutes. This can include solving a small case/exercise which is not known in advance.
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

Aim of the course:
Management accountants are increasingly expected to act as finance business partners and facilitate strategic, tactical and operational decision making in contemporary organizations. The ability to handle large amounts of financial and non-financial data related to the profitability and value creation of the business, convert these data to insightful analyses and communicate key insights to decision makers in a clear and concise way are core capabilities for the financial business partner. The course aims to help students strengthen these capabilities.

Purpose of the course:
To give students a solid management accounting foundation and for them to develop competencies that strengthen their prospects of taking on a role as business-oriented controllers or finance business partners in companies. The focus is on how to design and use different management accounting models and techniques for financially based decision analyses informed by data and facts.

 

Course contents:

The course structure consists of two main modules:

 

Module 1: Foundational cost, profitablity and value creation techniques and models

1.1 Introduction and basic cost concepts

1.2 Cost systems

1.3 Profitability reporting and CVP analysis

1.4 Relevant cost for decision making

1.5 Decentralization and segment performance

 

Module 2: Financial facilitation of strategy formulation and implementation

2.1 Strategic profitability analysis and strategy exploration

2.2 Financial business cases for prioritization of strategic options

2.3 Strategy implementation with The Balanced Scorecard
Description of the teaching methods
Theory based lectures are mixed with exercises and larger cases. The lectures provide the students with the necessary understanding of the techniques and what type of theory they are based on. Through the use of examples and cases from practice the students learn to apply theory and techniques for financial decision analysis in practice. In addition to the lectures several workshops offer the students the opportunity to work in depth with real life cases in order to make the theories and models practically applicable.

Involvement of the students is an important learning principle – this is done through dialogue and interactive casework in lectures and (especially) in workshops.

In class teaching:
Development of individual and social skills (competencies). Through dialogue the students will develop their presenting skills and get feedback.

Online teaching
Part of the course is conducted through online elements in the form of videos, quizzes and e-learning resources from the publisher.
Feedback during the teaching period
During class the students receive feedback from the instructor and their fellow students via interactive exercise and case discussions. Moreover, there is extensive engagement with the instructor and with fellow students in the study groups during workshop sessions.

Multiple choice quizzes are embedded in the supplementary videos that enable students to test whether they understand the concepts in the videos and receive instant feedback.

The main text book also features a "test as you read" format that the students can use to check progress and receive instant feedback.
Student workload
preparation and participation in dialog lectures 70 hours
preparation and participation in exercises and cases 70 hours
preparation for exam 66 hours
Expected literature

Seal, W., Rohde, C., Garrison, R.H. & Noreen, E.W. (2018); Management Accounting 6th ed.; McGraw-Hill (Textbook)

The abovementioned textbook is for use in the first module of the course. In the second module of the course the teaching is based on academic articles and teaching cases some of which must be acquired through The Case Centre.

 

 
Last updated on 20-06-2024