Management accounting may be seen as a way of providing information in three main areas: costing, decision-making, and planning and control. The emphasis of this module will mainly be on the first area (i.e., information for costing). In reality, however, it is often difficult to separate this area from the other two. For example, standard costing provides costing information which is then used as a tool for planning and control.
This module will develop students’ basic knowledge of management accounting and the context in which it operates. Students will learn about the traditional ‘routine or period-oriented’ concepts and techniques of costing such as absorption and marginal costing, system design such as job-order
and process costing, and also the non-routine or ad hoc approaches relevant for decision-making. These concepts and techniques will be considered mainly in the context of manufacturing organisations, yet they are also relevant to the service and not-for-profit sectors.
The module is complete and self-contained in itself but also provides students with the conceptual knowledge and technical skills to progress to other second and third year modules in management accounting.
Module Aims
• To develop an understanding of the main concepts and ideas underlying management accounting practice.
• To support and encourage education and learning, and foster the capacity for individual study.
• To encourage and facilitate critical, analytical thinking as a foundation for subsequent academic study, employment and personal development.
• To provide the necessary support to enable the successful completion of the degree.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Knowledge & Understanding
Technical and critical understanding of:
• The contexts in which management accounting (MA) operates.
• understand introductory ideas of cost and management accounting issues;
• understand costs, volume and profit in various business contexts;
• understand various issues of cost allocations and accumulations in relation to business and technology;
• understand conventional costing systems; and
• develop an understanding of various issues in relation to determining product costs, including relevant costs.
Skills & Abilities
Technical, analytical and evaluation skills in:
• Applying recent and current management accounting approaches
• Applying management accounting in different organisational contexts
• Using management accounting to manage organizations
• Key conceptual aspects and practical application of cost and management accounting issues
• Engage in written and oral communication for analysing management accounting issues of all
types covered