University of Liege | Version française
Study programmes 2013-2014Last update : 13/05/2014
GEST1056-1  Analytical accounting and management control

Duration :  40h Th, 15h Pr
Number of credits :  
Bachelor degree in Business Engineering, 2nd year5
One-year preliminary programme leading to the Master in Business Engineering5
Lecturer :  Didier Van Caillie
Language(s) of instruction :  
French language
Organisation and examination :  
All year long, with partial in January
Course contents :  
"Cost accounting and management control" discusses the fundamentals of cost and management accounting and of management control, those that are necessary to understand how an organization measures, monitors and controls its costs and how it translates this information into an efficient management control system.
In a first part, this course presents the main techniques used in management accounting and shows why they are useful in a decision-making perspective.
In a second part, it describes the characteristics of the main management control systems in use in most organizations and proposes an overview of the main techniques and tools that are specific for results controls, action control and individual controls.
More specifically, having highlighted the specificities of management accounting and havind defined its main terms and concepts, this course presents first the cost accumulation process for inventory valuation and profit measurement. Then, it proposes an in-depth analysis of the different techniques used to manage accounting information in a decision-making perspective (cost-volume-profit analysis, activity-based and process-based costing, profitability analysis and pricing decisions and decision-making under conditions of risk and uncertainty).
In its second part, this course discusses the main characteristics of an efficient management control system and presents the different techniques that are used in organizations to ensure that they are efficiently managed daily. A special focus is put on techniques allowing for results controls (financial and accounting approach and organizationnal approach), for action controls (organizationnal approach and production management focus) and for individual control (incentives mechanisms).
Learning outcomes of the course :  
This course intends to meet the ILOs such as defined for this course in the program of "Bachelor in Business Engineering", insisting particularly on the following aspects :
  • Ability to master the fundamentals of cost and management accounting.
  • Ability to master the principles and the fundamentals of organisational management control.
  • Ability to realize a basic audit of an internal accounting system and of a management control system in an organisation.
Prerequisites and co-requisites/ Recommended optional programme components :  
General accounting.
Planned learning activities and teaching methods :  
Theory : - "Ex-caethedra" teaching (cost and management accounting) : 18 h - Original presentations in groups, under supervision (management control) : 12 h - Realization of a basic audit on the accounting and cost system implemented by an organization (individual work) : 12 h Exercises : - Exercises presented and prepared under supervision (accounting-based decision making) : 13 h - Audit focused on the accounting and cost system implemented by an organization (data collection process possible by groups of 2 students).
ORGANIZATION:
1st quadrimester: PARTIM Cost and management accounting Course starts on 16/09/2013 Lecture on Mondays, from 11.30 to 13.00, Room 138, Build. N1 Organization: Alternative 'ex cathedra' lectures and practical sessions regarding the progress in learning activities.
2nd quadrimester: PARTIM Management control From February 2014 Lecture on Tuesdays, from 15.30 to 17.00, Room 138, Build. N1 Organization 1° Auditing methodology 2° Group presentations of a theoretical chapter and of a case study from the reference book (see support). - Presentation of theoretical chapter: 20 min. - Presentation of case study: 20 min. - Summary of presentations by another group: 5 min.
Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :  
1st quadrimester: Course/Exercises every Monday, from 11.30 to 13.00, in Room 138, Building N1
2nd quadrimester: Course every Tuesday, from 15.30 to 17.00, in Room 138, Building N1
Starts on Monday, 16/09/2013
Recommended or required readings :  
Van Caillie D. (2005) : Principes de comptabilité analytique et de comptabilité de gestion, Liège : Editions de l'Université de Liège - 2ème édition, 242 p. (it will be published in an electronic format on the Campus website section for this course)
Merchant K, Van der Stede W. (2010) : Management control systems - Performance measurement, evaluation and incentives, Prentice Hall, 2nd Edition, Chapters 1 to 9
Assessment methods and criteria :  
Evaluation
JANUARY: Written exams on PARTIM 1 - Cost and management accounting Theory (25 %) + exercises (25 %).
JUNE: Individual oral exam on PARTIM 2 - Management control (theoretical chapters + case studies presented by the different groups) AND on the audit realized in a company (see details under) (25 %)
Audit of an organization's management control system (25 %) Practical work realized in an organization chosen by the student and dealing with a basic model of the operations conducted by the organization, an analysis of the cost structure of a specific cost object and a proposal for an justified analytic accounting plan (report of 15 pages max.).
!!! The written work has to be submitted before April, 15, 2014 !!!
--> The collection of data may be realized by groups of 2 students. --> The report is individual and constitutes the basis on which the student will be evaluated during the oral exam in June.
Work placement(s) :  
Period of observation into an organization to allow the writing of the individual work. Estimated time : 12 hours.
Organizational remarks :  
Contacts :  
Professor : VAN CAILLIE Didier Rue Louvrex, 14 - Bureau 102 4000 Liège Tél. : 04/232 74 34 E-mail : D.VanCaillie@ulg.ac.be
Support : France.Riguelle@ulg.ac.be

Items online :  
Supports available
All supports are available via this link :


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