ACCTING 7014 - Management Accounting (M)

North Terrace Campus - Semester 2 - 2015

The course introduces students to contemporary management accounting concepts and techniques. Topics: the role of accountants in internal decision-making; tools used to design and develop costing systems; preparation of budgets and their role as a planning and control tool; other decision-making tools including CVP analysis, pricing decisions, inventory issues and costs of quality; fraud.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code ACCTING 7014
    Course Management Accounting (M)
    Coordinating Unit Adelaide Business School
    Term Semester 2
    Level Postgraduate Coursework
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Assumed Knowledge ACCTING 7019
    Course Description The course introduces students to contemporary management accounting concepts and techniques. Topics: the role of accountants in internal decision-making; tools used to design and develop costing systems; preparation of budgets and their role as a planning and control tool; other decision-making tools including CVP analysis, pricing decisions, inventory issues and costs of quality; fraud.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr George Shan

    Course coordinator: Dr George Shan

    Location: Room 13.07, 10 Pulteney Street

    Telephone: 8313 6456

    Email: george.shan@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

    Date

    Topic

    Reading

    Tutorial Questions

    1 27 July 1. Course introduction
    2. Management accounting in contest
    Course Profile
    Chapter 1
    1-1; 1-4; 1-21; 1-23; 1-24; 1-26
    2 3 August 1. Introduction to cost terms & inventory costing
    2. Cost behaviour
    Chapters 2 & 3 2-11; 2-33; 2-35; 2-36; 2-42; 3-20; 3-23; 3-24 (parts 2 & 3)
    3 10 August 1. Cost volume profit analysis
    2. Decision marking & relevant info
    Chapters 4 & 8  4-16; 4-27; 4-37; 4-38; 8-21; 8-29; 8-36
    4 17 August 1. Job costing
    2. Process costing
    Chapter 5 & Appendix 5-1 5-23; 5-30; 5-31; 5-32; 5-33; 5-42; 5-43
    5 24 August 1. Activity-based costing
    2. Activity-based management
    Chapter 6 6-10; 6-16; 6-23; 6-29; 6-30; 6-34
    6 31 August 1. Master budget
    2. Responsibility accounting
    Chapter 10 & Appendix 10-1 10-23; 10-26; 10-27; 10-37
    7 7 Sept 1. Cost management & capcity costing
    2. Pricing decisions & customer-profitability analysis
    Chapters 7 & 9 7-18; 7-22; 7-25; 9-6; 9-7; 9-24; 9-26
    8 14 Sept 1. Overhead costs
    2. Common costs & revenues
    Chapter 13 13-7; 13-8; 13-13; 13-19 (1a & c; 2); 13-20 (1a & 2); 13-21 (1a & b)
    9 5 Oct Public holiday (no lecture)
    10 12 October 1. Standard cost: DM & DL
    2. Standard cost: MOH
    Chapters 11 & 12 11-26; 11-30; 11-40; 12-18; 12-19
    11 19 October 1. Inventory management
    2. Transfer pricing
    Chapters 17 (pp. 656-669) & 19 17-3; 17-8; 17-19; 17-26; 19-20; 19-21; 19-27; 19-35
    12 26 October Exam review
  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    1. Knowledge and Understanding
    This course seeks to give an understanding of the ways in which management accountants can provide relevant information for a variety of decisions to be made in managing any organisation. 

    2. Learning Outcomes
    By the end of this course students should be able to:
    2.1 Appreciate how management accounting information can assist management in their planning, performance measurement, controlling and decision-making roles;
    2.2 Understand and apply the traditional (i.e., volume-based) and contemporary (i.e., ABC) approaches to product costing in a job costing environment;
    2.3 Formulate and use standards and budgets for planning and control purposes;
    2.4 Measure financial and non-financial performance in divisionalised businesses using a range of contemporary management accounting tools;
    2.5 Able to identify relevant costs for decision making purposes;
    2.6 Identify the information needs and produce financial analyses for a range of decisions—product-mix, pricing, outsourcing, special orders. 

    3. Communication Skills
    The continuing development of good inter-personal and communication skills is important for Commerce graduates. This course seeks to develop students’ abilities to:
    3.1 Examine diverse sources of information and identify which components of that information are relevant to the decision to be taken.
    3.2 Present information pertaining to accounting, management, and social issues in a manner that will assist mangers in their decision-making role.
    3.3 Identify and discuss relevant information in a group setting.
    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. 1, 2 & 3
    The ability to locate, analyse, evaluate and synthesise information from a wide variety of sources in a planned and timely manner. 2.1, 2.6, 3.1 & 3.2
    An ability to apply effective, creative and innovative solutions, both independently and cooperatively, to current and future problems. 2.1
    Skills of a high order in interpersonal understanding, teamwork and communication. 3.3
    A proficiency in the appropriate use of contemporary technologies. 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 & 2.5
    A commitment to continuous learning and the capacity to maintain intellectual curiosity throughout life. 3
    A commitment to the highest standards of professional endeavour and the ability to take a leadership role in the community. 1, 3.2 & 3.3
    An awareness of ethical, social and cultural issues within a global context and their importance in the exercise of professional skills and responsibilities. 2
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources
    Textbook

    Horngren, Datar, Rajan, Wynder, Maguire and Tan (2014). Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis. 2nd Edition. Sydney, Pearson.
    Online Learning
    Course website link: www.myuni.adelaide.edu.au
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    This course is taught through:
    · Lectures – to provide an outline of work to be covered.
    · Tutorials – to give opportunity for reflection on and the application of materials covered in lectures and assignments and to discuss issues relating to course matter.
    · Group assignments – to provide an in-depth analysis of particular issues requiring critical thinking, self researching, problem solving, as well to enhance team work, social skills and written communication skills.
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    This course is provided in internal mode and contains:
    · 2 hours lecture per week for 12 weeks
    · 1 hours tutorial per week for 10 weeks (tutorial begins in Week 2)
     
    The University expects full-time students (i.e. those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies. This means that you are expected to commit approximately 9 hours for a three-unit course or 13 hours for a four-unit course, of private study outside of your regular classes.

    Students in this course are expected to attend all lectures throughout the semester plus one tutorial class each week.
     
    Please refer to Access Adelaide for your timetable and enrolment details:
    www.adelaide.edu.au/access/

    Tutorial classes will be held weekly commencing Week 2 beginning Monday 3 August 2015. Membership of tutorial classes is to be finalised by the end of the second week of semester. Students wishing to swap between tutorial classes after this time are required to present their case to the Lecturer-in-Charge, but should be aware that such a request may not be approved.

    Tutorials are an important component of your learning in this course. The communication skills developed in tutorials by regularly and actively participating in discussions are considered to be most important by the School and are highly regarded by employers and professional bodies.

    Full-time tutors: George Shan Room 13.07 Phone 8313 6456
    Email: george.shan@adelaide.edu.au

    Part-time tutors: Tutor details will be advised on MyUni when they become 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 Due date & time Weighting Related Learning Outcome
    Tutorial Attendance/Participation Weeks 2-12 5%
    Assignment 1 - individual assignment 4pm, Friday 11 Sept 15% All
    Assignment 2 - group assignment (no more than 3 people) 4pm, Tuesday 6 October 20% All
    Final Exam
    (3 hours closed book exam)
    T.B.A. 60% All
    Assessment Detail
    1. In order to pass this course students must achieve an overall minimum grade of 50% as well as at least 45% in the final exam.
    2. Any written assignment must be presented using the appropriate Microsoft program, i.e., MSWord, Excel, etc.
    3. Legible hand-writing and the quality of English expression are considered to be integral parts of the assessment process. Marks may be deducted in the final examination because of poor hand-writing.
    4. Students in this course are not permitted to take a DICTIONARY (English or English-Foreign) into the examination
    5. The use of a non-programmable calculator incapable of storing text in the examination is permitted in this course.
    Submission
    Presentation of Assignments
    · Please must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.
    · All individual assignments must be attached to an ‘Assignment Cover Sheet’, which is signed and dated by the student before submission. Lecturers will withhold student’s results until such time as the student has signed the Assignment Cover Sheet.
    · All group assignments must be attached to a ‘Group Assignment Cover Sheet’, which must be signed and dated by all group members before submission. All team members are expected to contribute approximately equally to a group assignment.

    Lecturers can refuse to accept assignments, which do not have a signed acknowledgement of the University’s policy on plagiarism.

     Assignment Guidelines including Referencing Details
    A copy of the Postgraduate Programs: Communication Skills Guide will have been given to you at the beginning of your program. This guide will assist you structure your assignments. A copy of the guide can also be downloaded from http://www.business.adelaide.edu.au/current/mba/download/2009MBACommSkillsGuide.pdf

    This publication also provides guidelines on a range of other important communication skills including writing essays and management reports, making oral presentations etc.

    In preparing any written piece of assessment for postgraduate studies it is important to draw on the relevant ‘literature’ to support critical analysis. Also essential is to reference the literature used. Correct referencing is important because it identifies the source of the ideas and arguments that you present, and sometimes the source of the actual words you use, and helps to avoid the problem of plagiarism. (Further information on plagiarism is provided later in this course outline.)

    The Harvard system is widely used in the Business School. Guidelines for the use of this style of referencing can be found in the Communication Skills Guide.

    Further assistance with referencing is available from the Faculty’s Learning Support Advisors. The contact details are provided on page 6 of the Communication Skills Guide.



    Late Assignment Submission

    Students are expected to submit their work by the due date to maintain a fair and equitable system. Extensions will generally only be given for medical or other serious reasons. All requests for extensions must be emailed to the lecturer in charge of the course before the due date. Each request will be assessed on its merits. A late assignment (without prior arrangement) will be penalised by a 5% mark reduction for each day that it is late. 

    Return of Assignments

    Lecturer’s aim to mark and return assignments to students within two (2) weeks of the due date with written feedback. Students are responsible for collecting their marked assignments from either their tutorials or lectures. If assignments aren’t collected after two (2) weeks, the assignments will be available at the Student Hub for two (2) weeks. The remaining assignments will only be posted out to the students, if the correct mailing addresses are on the assignments.
    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.