ACCTING 3503 - Advanced Management Accounting III

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2015

This course builds on material covered in Management Accounting (ACCTING2500) and examines many of the current issues in management accounting. One of the primary objectives of this course is to develop students? analytical and problem-solving skills by using several case studies. It is assumed in this course that students have an appreciation and good understanding of the basic cost accounting concepts and techniques. Since the early 1990s, management accounting has been in the process of continual change. While some firms still use traditional methods of management accounting such as costing, performance measurement and cost analysis, an increasing number of firms are using innovative management accounting techniques such as activity-based costing, strategically oriented performance measurement systems and strategic cost analysis. This course deals with many of the present-day management accounting techniques. Moreover, it also considers the skills and competencies that management accountants should develop in order to take advantage of the many opportunities offered by the new management accounting techniques.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ACCTING 3503
    Course Advanced Management Accounting III
    Coordinating Unit Adelaide Business School
    Term Semester 2
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Prerequisites ACCTING 2500
    Assessment Exam/assignments/tests/tutorial work as prescribed at first lecture
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Grant Richardson


    LECTURER IN CHARGE:

    Name:                   Professor (Dr.) Grant Richardson
    Location:               Room 13.46, 10 Pulteney Street
    Telephone:            83130582
    Email:                   grant.richardson@adelaide.edu.au 

     TEACHING ASSISTANT:

    Name:                   Dr. Giao Reynolds
    Location:               Room 13.41, 10 Pulteney Street
    Telephone:            83130104
    Email:                   giao.reynolds@adelaide.edu.au 

    Course Website:   www.myuni.adelaide.edu.au 
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

    Week Lec date Topic Text chap Readings Tutorial questions
    1 27/7 Introduction to the subject
    Accounting for Strategic Management
    Conceptual Framework Context
    1 Chenhall and Morris (1986)
    Hope and Fraser (2003)
    No Tutorial
    2 03/8 Vision, Mission, Goals, Objectives and Strategy Typology
    The Basics of Management Control
    2 & 3 Govindarajan and Gupta (1985)
    Libby and Lindsay (2010)
    1.1, 1.3, 1.8, 1.16 and 1.19
    3 10/8 Cost Allocations
    Activity-Based Costing
    Activity-Based Management
    4 Ittner, Larcker and Randall (1997) 2.1, 2.3, 2.5,
    3.1, and 3.6
    4 17/8 Advanced Manufacturing Technology, JIT, Target Costing and Product Life Cycle Costing 5 Hoque (2000) 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.8, and 4.10
    5 24/8 Quality Costing, Total Quality Management and Management Accounting 6 Hoque and Alam (1999) 5.6, 5.7, 5.12, 5.13 and 5.16
    6 31/8 Value Chain Analysis 7 Shank and Govindarajan (1992)
    Dekker (2003)
    6.1, 6.3, 6.4, 6.7 and 6.11
    7 07/9 Customer Profitability Analysis/Customer Accounting 8 Foster, Gupta and Sjoblom (1996) 7.1, 7.2, 7.6, 7.8, and 7.9
    8 14/9 Competitor Analysis/Competitor Accounting 9 Guilding (1999) 8.2, 8.4, 8.6, 8.9 and 8.10
    Mid-semester break Monday 21/9 - Friday 2/10
    9 06/10 Measuring Non-Financial Performance
    The Balanced Scorecard
    (Monday 5/10 is a Public Holiday)
    11 & 12 Perera, Harrison and Poole (1997)
    Hoque and James (2000)
    9.2, 9.3, 9.8, 9.12 and 9.13
    10 12/10 Benchmarking Analysis and Management Accounting 13 Maltz, Shenhar and Reilly (2003)
    Elenathan, Lin and Young (1996)
    11.1, 11.4, 12.1, 12.3, 12.5, and 12.6
    11 19/10 Incentive Plans 14 Banker, Potter and Srinivasan (2000)
    Ittner and Larcker (2002)
    13.1, 13.2, 13.3, 13.5 and 13.10
    12 26/10 Revision Exam Issues 14.1, 14.5, 14.7, 14.11 and 14.12

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On completion of this course students should be able to:

    1. Understand the idea that management accounting exists within any firm primarily to facilitate the development and implementation of business strategy.

    2. Understand the process of strategy formulation, communication, implementation and control.

    3. Understand how to integrate conventional and contemporary management accounting techniques into a strategic management accounting framework.

    4. Develop the important skills of problem solving, communication and presentation.
    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Knowledge and understanding of the content and techniques of a chosen discipline at advanced levels that are internationally recognised. 3
    The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 1
    An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 4
    Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 2 & 4
    A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies. 3
    A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 3 & 4
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Textbook

    Hoque, Z. 2006. Strategic Management Accounting, 2nd Edn., Sydney: Pearson Education.
    Recommended Resources
    Journal Articles

    Banker, R., G. Potter, and D. Srinivasan. 2000. An empirical investigation of an incentive plan that includes non-financial performance measures. The Accounting Review 75 (1): 65-92.

    Chenhall, R.H., and D. Morris. 1986. The impact of structure, environment and interdependence on the perceived usefulness of management accounting systems. The Accounting Review 61 (1): 16-35.

    Dekker, H.C. 2003. Value chain analysis in interfirm relationships: a field study. Management Accounting Research 14: 1-23.

    Elenathan, D., T.W., Lin, and M.S. Young. 1996. Benchmarking and management accounting. Journal of Management Accounting Research 8: 37-54.

    Foster, G., M. Gupta, and L. Sjoblom. 1996. Customer profitability analysis: challenges and new directions. Journal of Cost Management (Spring): 5-17.

    Govindarajan, V., and A.K. Gupta. 1985. Linking control systems to business unit strategy: impact on performance. Accounting, Organizations and Society 10 (1): 51-66.

    Guilding, C. 1999. Competitor-focused accounting: an exploratory note. Accounting, Organizations and Society: 24: 583-595.

    Hope, J., and R. Fraser. 2003. Who needs budgets? Harvard Business Review (February): 108-115.

    Hoque, Z. 2000. Just-in-Time production, automation, cost allocation practices and importance of cost information: an empirical investigation in New Zealand based manufacturing organisations. British Accounting Review 32 (2): 133-159.

    Hoque, Z., and M. Alam. 1999. TQM adoption, institutionalism and changes in management accounting systems: a case study. Accounting and Business Research 29 (3): 199-210.

    Hoque, Z., and W. James. 2000. Linking balanced scorecard with size and market factors: impact on organizational performance. Journal of Management Accounting Research 12: 1-17.

    Ittner, C.D., and D.F. Larcker. 2002. Determinants of performance measure choices in worker incentive plans. Journal of Labor Economics, 2002 20 (2, pt. 2): S58-S90.

    Ittner, C.D., D.F. Larcker, and T. Randall. 1997. The activity-based cost hierarchy, production policies and firm profitability. Journal
    of Management Accounting Research 9: 143-162.

    Libby, T., and R.M. Lindsay. 2010. Beyond budgeting or budgeting reconsidered? A survey of North-American budgeting practice. Management Accounting Research 21: 56-75.

    Maltz, A.C., A.J. Shenhar, and R.R. Reilly. 2003. Beyond the balanced scorecard: refining the search for organizational success measures. Long Range Planning 36: 187–204.

    Perera, S., G. Harrison, and M. Poole. 1997. Customer-focused manufacturing strategy and the use of operations-based non-financial performance measures: a research note. Accounting, Organizations and Society 22 (6): 557-572.

    Shank, J.K., and V. Govindarajan. 1992. Strategic cost management: the value chain perspective, Journal of Management Accounting Research (4) 179-197.

    Additional Reading

    Atkinson, A.A., R.S. Kaplan, and S.M. Young S. 2007. Management Accounting. 5th Edn., New Jersey: Pearson Education.

    Merchant, K.A., and W.A. Van der Stede Wim. 2007. Management Control Systems: Performance Measurement, Evaluation and
    Incentives. 2nd Edn., Sydney: Prentice Hall.

    Langfield-Smith, K., H. Thorne, and R.W. Hilton. 2006. Management Accounting: Information for Managing and Creating Value. 4th
    Edn., Sydney: McGraw-Hill.

  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    The University expects full-time students (i.e. those taking 12 units per semester) to allocate a total of at least 48 hours per week to their studies. Students in this course are expected to be present at all lectures plus one tutorial class each week throughout the semester.

    Tutorial classes will be held weekly commencing in Week 2.

    Membership of tutorial classes is to be finalised by the end of the second week of semester.
    Tutorials represent a significant component of student learning in this course. The communication, interaction and problem-solving skills developed by students in tutorials by regularly and actively participating in discussions on case studies and tutorial questions are considered to be most important by the Business School, and are also highly regarded by employers and professional accounting bodies.

    The Lecturer and Teaching Assistant are available for student consultation. We will notify students of the appropriate consultation times in due course. Moreover, please check your student email as course-related announcements are normally communicated via email.
    Workload

    No information currently available.

    Learning Activities Summary

    No information currently available.

  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Item Activity Note Assessment Value
    Class Participation Attendance and participation in tutorial discussion A student needs to attend at least 8 tutorials to be eligible for the class participation marks. In addition to the attendance, assessment will be based on the quality of participation in tutorial discussion. 10 %
    Group assignment To be announced. The assignment must be done in a group of 4 students. All the students of a group must be enrolled in the same tutorial. 30 %
    Final Exam Lecture and Tutorial Topics (Week 1- Week 12 inclusive) Exam period 60 %
    TOTAL 100%

    NOTES ON ASSESSMENT:

    1. To pass this course, students must achieve an overall minimum grade of 50% as well as at least 45% in the final exam.

    2. Legible hand-writing and the quality of English expression are considered to be integral parts of the assessment process for this course. Marks may be deducted in the final exam because of poor hand-writing.

    3. Students in this course are not permitted to take a Dictionary (English or English-Foreign) into the final exam.

    4. The use of a “non-programmable” calculator incapable of storing text in the final exam is permitted in this course.
    Assessment Detail

    No information currently available.

    Submission

    No information currently available.

    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

  • Student Support
  • Policies & Guidelines
  • Fraud Awareness

    Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student’s disciplinary procedures.

The University of Adelaide is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The University of Adelaide therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.