Syllabus

Title
1366 S3ATA1 Advanced Topics in Management Accounting and Control
Instructors
Univ.Prof. Dr. Christian Riegler
Contact details
Type
PI
Weekly hours
2
Language of instruction
Englisch
Registration
09/01/23 to 09/22/23
Registration via LPIS
Notes to the course
Subject(s) Master Programs
Dates
Day Date Time Room
Wednesday 11/08/23 02:30 PM - 06:30 PM D4.0.127
Thursday 11/16/23 02:30 PM - 06:30 PM D4.0.127
Thursday 11/23/23 02:00 PM - 06:00 PM D4.0.127
Thursday 11/30/23 03:30 PM - 07:30 PM D4.0.127
Wednesday 12/06/23 02:00 PM - 06:00 PM D5.1.002
Wednesday 12/13/23 02:00 PM - 04:00 PM D3.0.225
Contents
  • Class 1: The Economic Foundations of Accounting
  • Class 2: Accounting versus Economics: A Closer Look at the Accountant´s Art
  • Class 3: Case Study reflecting Class 1 and Class 2
  • Class 4: Accounting in a Strategic Setting/ Accounting, Economics and Performance Evaluation
  • Class 5: Risk Sharing and Incentives: Student presentations
  • Class 6: End of Seminar examination
Learning outcomes

Technical Skills

This course enables students to:

  • Identify the economic foundations of accounting.
  • Skillfully use accounting, accounting information, and the accounting system, as opposed to doing accounting.

  • Reflect important concepts of accounting, like the meaning of the terms cost, controllability, internal control

  • Reflect the substantial value of accounting for decision making within the firm when the accounting information is carefully used. Reflect the fatal and embarrassing errors that can occur when the accounting information is not carefully used.

  • Reflect how strategic interactions among managers of a company or among competitors affect the design and the use of the accounting system.

  • Identify situations in which the information used to make a decision is not necessarily useful in evaluating the manager who made the decision.

  • Reflect the impact of uncertainty and incomplete information on managerial decision making.

  • Transfer the theoretical underpinnings to problems of doing accounting using the tools and techniques to solve specific problems in firms typically addressed by management accounting & control. Gain awareness of arising problems.

  • Scrutinize the rules, recipes, and handy guidelines for how to use and interpret accounting information in varying economic situations.

Social skills

This course enables students to:

  • To scrutinize rules, recipes, and guidelines.

  • Discuss possible solutions of problems, to evaluate arguments and to contribute to improve the process of problem solving.

  • Organize team work and cooperate in teams to solve problems (cases).

Attendance requirements

80 % attendance rate

Teaching/learning method(s)

The course consists of lectures, problem sets, discussions and self-study of selected management accounting issues. The problem sets are delivered at the end of each class. The solutions of the problem sets are presented and discussed in the subsequent class.

Assessment

Assessment is based on:

  • Presentation/Discussion of solutions to problem set (Class 2) 10%
  • Presentation/Discussion of a case (Class 3) 20 %
  • Quiz (Class 4) 10%
  • Presentation/Discussion of presentations (Class 5) 20%
  • End of seminar exam 40%

Requirement for positive grading is a minimum score 50.5 % in total.

 

    Readings

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    Recommended previous knowledge and skills
    • Students are expected to have studied intermediate/advanced courses of management accounting & control.
    •  7 (2) Studienplan für das Masterstudium Finanzwirtschaft und Rechnungswesen
    Availability of lecturer(s)

    christian.riegler@wu.ac.at

    Unit details
    Unit Date Contents
    1 Class 1

    EconomicFoundations – The Single Product Firm

    Required reading:

    Chapter 2 of Demski (2008)

     

    EconomicFoundations – The Multiproduct Firm
    Required reading:

    Chapter 3 of Demski (2008)

     

    At the end of class 1 a problem set is distributed, which every student has to prepare for class 2.

     

    2 Class 2

    At the beginning the solutions of the problem set of class 1 are presented and discussed.

     

    Accounting versus Economics
    Required reading:

    Chapter 4 of Demski (2008)

     

    A CloserLook at the Accountant’s Art

    Required reading:

    Chapter 5 of Demski (2008)

     

    The Modernism School

    Required reading:

    Chapter 7 of Demski (2008)

     

    Assignment of cases to be prepared for class 3.

     

    3 Class 3

    Presentation and discussion of cases to reflect the topics of class 1 and class 2.

    4 Class 4

    Quiz required reading of class 4.

     

    Consistent Framing in a Strategic Setting

    Required reading:

    Chapter 10 (without 10.4 and 10.5) of Demski (2008)

     

    Economic Foundations – Performance Evaluation

    Required reading:

    Chapter 13 of Demski (2008)

    5 Class 5

    Risk Sharing and Incentives: Student Presentations based on required reading for class 5

    (Assignment of topics for presentation in class 4)

    Required reading:

    Milgrom, P./Roberts, J.: Economics, Organization and Management, Prentice Hall, 1992, Chapter 7

    6 Class 6

    Written end of seminar examination.

    Last edited: 2023-08-10



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