Registry

Module Specifications

Current Academic Year 2012 - 2013
Please note that this information is subject to change.

Module Title	Management Accounting for Decision Making
Module Code	AC115
School	DCUBS
Online Module Resources
Module Co-ordinator	Semester 1: Julie Griffin Semester 2: Julie Griffin Autumn: Julie Griffin
NFQ level	8	Credit Rating	5
Pre-requisite	None
Co-requisite	None
Compatibles	None
Incompatibles	None

Description

The aim of the module is to develop business students' understanding of the role of management accounting in organisations. More specifically it will develop students' competence to use management accounting information for planning, performance evaluation, decision making and costing activities within organisations.

Learning Outcomes

1. Explain how management accounting supports the management team of an organisation in the activities of planning, performance evaluation, decision-making and costing.
2. Describe the budgeting process and prepare basic budgets.
3. Ascertain the role of accounting information in evaluating the performance of organisations and produce basic variance analysis.
4. Be able to use the simple technique of break even analysis and Cost Volume Profit Analysis (CVP) to assess how sensitive profit is to various factors.
5. Be able to analyse information using relevant costing principles for various decision scenarios.
6. Be able to explain the purpose and process of product costing and compute basic product costs.

Workload	Full-time hours per semester
*Type*	*Hours*	*Description*
Lecture	24	Management Accounting for Decision Making
Seminars	12	Questions on lecture Material
Independent learning	71	Review of lecture material and preparation for exam
Seminars	18	Preparation for weekly seminars
Total Workload: 125

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

Indicative Content and Learning Activities

Introduction to management accounting.
Nature, purposes and origins of management accounting; management accounting principles; responding to the challenges of the business environment; relationship with financial accounting and with other disciplines and business functions; organisational role of the management accountant..

Cost terms and concepts.
Nature of cost; cost objects; cost classifications for product costing, planning, control and decision making..

Cost Volume Profit (CVP) Analysis.
The elements of profit; contribution margin; breakeven point; target profit; sensitivity analysis; multi-product scenarios; usefulness and limitations of the model..

Relevant cost and revenue analysis.
Nature and context of non-routine short term decisions; consideration of incremental, opportunity, sunk, avoidable costs (and revenue); application to various scenarios..

Planning.
Nature of budgets; budget period; budget setting process; preparation of functional budgets and cash budgets; flexing the budget..

Performance evaluation.
The role of budgets and the budgetary process in performance evaluation; comparison of actual to flexible budget; basic analysis of variance; benefits and limitations of budgets; behavioural considerations; balanced scorecard..

Product costing.
The need for product costs for external reporting purposes; the process of determining product costs with a focus on activity based costing systems..

Assessment Breakdown
Continuous Assessment	0%	Examination Weight	100%

Course Work Breakdown
Type	Description	% of total	Assessment Date

Reassessment Requirement
Resit arrangements are explained by the following categories; 1 = A resit is available for all components of the module 2 = No resit is available for 100% continuous assessment module 3 = No resit is available for the continuous assessment component
This module is category 1

Indicative Reading List