GEST1056-1 : Analytical accounting and management control

Study Programmes 2016-2017

GEST1056-1

Analytical accounting and management control

Duration :

35h Th, 25h Pr

Number of credits :

Bachelor in business engineering		5

Lecturer :

Didier Van Caillie

Language(s) of instruction :

French language

Organisation and examination :

Teaching in the first semester, review in January

Units courses prerequisite and corequisite :

Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program

Learning unit contents :

"Cost accounting and management control" discusses the fundamentals of cost and management accounting and the fundamentals 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 that are used for management accounting purposes 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 that are 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 or cultural 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 learning unit :

This course intends to meet the ILOs such as defined for this course in the program of "Bachelor in Business Engineering", i.e.
Strategy : The course will allow students to establish a strategy in order to optimize the value chain of a company, an organization or a project. - based on the analysis of its financial and economic context - taking into account its scientific and technological context - demonstrating scientific precision and a critical mind Implementation : The course will allow students to take charge of the everyday management of a company, an organization or a project - analyzing his managerial practice with a critical and ethical mind Quality and Performance Control : The course will allow students to plan and implement the performance and quality control in a company, an organization or a project - using the appropriate analytical tools Adaptability : The course will allow students to adapt their managerial practice to the needs of a fast-evolving world - showing curiosity and a scientific precision of academic level - showing creativity, autonomy.
More specifically, it insists 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.

Prerequisite knowledge and skills :

General accounting.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods :

Theory : - "Ex-caethedra" teaching (cost and management accounting) : 20 h - "Ex-caethedra" teaching - presentations made by the students (management control) : 15 h Exercises : - Exercises presented and prepared under supervision (accounting-based decision making) : 10 h - Critical analysis of an analytical accounting process in an organization : 15 h.

Mode of delivery (face-to-face ; distance-learning) :

Lessons are organized:

every Monday, from 13.00 to 15.00, Room 138, Building N1
every Wednesday, from 14.00 to 16.30 in Room 138, Building N1

Start of the lessons on 21/09/2016
Organisation :
Either theoretical lessons or exercises depending on the way we progress in the course planning

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. (2011) : Management control systems - Performance measurement, evaluation and incentives, Prentice Hall, 2nd Edition, Chapters 1 to 10

Assessment methods and criteria :

During JANUARY: A written exam

about PARTIM 1 - Cost and management accounting : theory (25 %) + exercises (25 %).
about PARTIM 2 - Management control (25 %)

During the semester :
Presentation by groups of 4 students about one chapter from the reference book "Management Control Systems" and about 1 case associated to an other chapter (10 %)
Critical analysis of a real management control process presented in December - Individual report (3 to 5 pages) to transmit during the written examn (15 %)

Work placement(s) :

Organizational remarks :

All the supports that are necessary are available in the space reserved for the course in your Moodle

Contacts :

Professor : VAN CAILLIE Didier Rue Louvrex, 14 - Bureau 102 4000 Liège Tél. : 04/232 74 34 E-mail : D.VanCaillie@ulg.ac.be

Items online :

Exercises - Lessons 1 & 2
Here are the supports for the first two sessions of practical works