Course finder

<< return to browsing

Semester 2

Management accounting and control systems: A strategic and organisational perspective (ACCN10030)

Subject

Accounting

College

CAHSS

Credits

20

Normal Year Taken

4

Delivery Session Year

2023/2024

Pre-requisites

Visiting students must have at least 4 Business Studies courses at grade B or above.

Course Summary

This course examines Management Accounting and Control Systems (MACS) through strategic and organisational lenses. It will locate changes in management accounting practice within the context of technological, organisational, and broader social and economic change. It will investigate why conventional control systems cannot explain organisational form and governance choices in contemporary settings. We will reflect on the strategic relevance of controls by problematising the role of MACS in various sectors and cases, including topics from new directions in MACS research, such as the roles of accounting in grand challenges and the management of crises, the visualisation of accounting formation, and accounting and control in platform organisations. Upon completing this module successfully, students are expected to understand better topics such as Strategic Management Accounting and Control, Performance Measurement and Management, and Inter-Organisational Relations. This will enable them to have a more profound appreciation of the organisational, strategic, and societal impact of accounting.

Course Description

The course will provide a historically and sociologically informed understanding of the changing role of MACS in organisations and, by extension, the role of management accountants. It will enable students to theoretically locate changes in management accounting practice within the context of technological, organisational, social, and economic change. In so doing, it will enable students to hone their critical thinking abilities, which are vital for an effective understanding of how MACS is used in managing organisations. Outline Content The changing roles of management accountants Linking MACS to strategy: The levers of control framework Strategy and Management Control The Balanced Scorecard and strategy execution Inter-organisational Relations I: Transaction Cost Economics & MACS in Markets and Hierarchies Inter-organisational Relations II: MACS in hybrids and accounting for platform organization MACS in High-Reliability Organisations (HROs) and crises Dealing with risk in a risk society Strategic Management Accounting and the visualization of accounting information Revision and assessment preparation Student Learning Experience This module will adopt a topic-based approach, strongly emphasising independent learning. Students will receive reading materials (almost exclusively research papers) ahead of each lecture, and the lectures will focus on specific aspects of the readings, helping students contextualise the materials. Due to the modules broad coverage of numerous topics, many lacking definitive answers, the assessment will emphasise students critical thinking and analytical abilities.

Assessment Information

Written Exam 0%, Coursework 100%, Practical Exam 0%

view the timetable and further details for this course