Module Specifications.
Current Academic Year 2024 - 2025
All Module information is indicative, and this portal is an interim interface pending the full upgrade of Coursebuilder and subsequent integration to the new DCU Student Information System (DCU Key).
As such, this is a point in time view of data which will be refreshed periodically. Some fields/data may not yet be available pending the completion of the full Coursebuilder upgrade and integration project. We will post status updates as they become available. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
Date posted: September 2024
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Repeat examination Array |
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Description The purpose of this module is to bring students' knowledge of the principles and practice of management accounting to an advanced level. It seeks to integrate the study of management accounting with the study of strategy, behavioural science, organisation theory and sustainability. It also aims to develop students' ability to interpret and communicate management accounting information, including knowledge of underlying information systems tools and software. The module examines, from both research and practice perspectives, issues relating to the role of management accounting in organisations, cost management, control and performance management and decision support. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Learning Outcomes 1. Critique the role of management accounting in modern organisations. 2. Ascertain current developments (research and practice) in cost management and illustrate the application of various costing approaches and techniques. 3. Examine traditional budgetary control techniques and calculate and interpret advanced variances. 4. Appraise current developments (research and practice) in control and performance management and evaluate their relevance and usefulness to modern organisations. 5. Evaluate advanced decision-making theory and tools and apply various techniques to complex scenarios. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml |
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Indicative Content and Learning Activities
The changing environment of management accountingMultiple roles of management accounting; Changes in external and internal environments and implications for management accountants; Criticisms of management accounting and pressures for change; Conceptual foundations of management accounting and the importance of interdisciplinarity; The accounting profession, professional competence and professional responsibilities and ethics.Cost managementProblems with traditional cost allocation; Activity-based analysis - ABC and ABM; Value analysis, cost reduction, customer profitability analysis, target costing, life cycle costing, theory of constraints, total quality management.Management control and performance managementBudgetary Control - the role of budgets, budget setting, criticisms of budgets, activity-based budgets, zero-based budgeting; Standard costing and variance analysis - criticisms of standard costing, calculation of advanced variances (e.g. mix/yield variances for materials and labour, sales mix and sales quantity/yield variances, market share and market size variances, planning and operational variances and reconciliation from actual to budget) interpretation, disposition and investigation of variances, opportunity cost approach; Management control frameworks - designing control systems, contingency theory; Behavioural issues - motivation theories, use of quantified targets, dysfunctional behaviour, style of evaluation, target difficulty, participation; Performance management (i.e. linking strategy to performance management) within organisations - non-financial factors, KPIs and the balanced scorecard, the beyond budgeting debate, interpreting conflicting performance measures.Decision makingDecision making framework; Decision making scenarios including consideration of scarce resources using linear programming, theory of constraints and throughput accounting; Uncertainty, decision tree analysis, expected value of perfect information, utility functions, maximin, maximax, minimax and regret criteria; Qualitative factors in decision making. Responsibility centres and performance evaluation, centralisation v decentralisation of decision-making, accounting measures and alternative measures of performance, including use of return on investment, residual income and economic value added; varying scenarios and dealing with conflict; Transfer pricing - context, issues, methods/approaches of calculating transfer prices, varying scenarios and dealing with conflict.ConclusionFuture roles of management accountants as value-adding members of organisations; Challenges and potential conflicts; Data Analytics. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Indicative Reading List
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Other Resources None | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||