BUU33521 Management Accounting for Business Decisions I

(5 ECTS)

Lecturer: Niamh Lynch

Email: Nlynch6@tcd.ie

Office Hours:  By Appointment (via email)

Pre-Requisite: 

BUU22530 - Introduction to Accounting. Visiting students may take this module.

Module Description:

This module will offer students an introduction to the role of management accounting within the modern organisation. Cost terms and concepts will be introduced, as well as the various techniques that aid decision making, such as cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis, cost behaviour, pricing decisions and capital investment appraisals. The discipline of management accounting is an evolving one, and topical issues will be considered, including how to view and manage costs in a strategic sense.

Learning & Teaching Approach:

An emphasis will be placed on the practical application of the key principals, in the form of worked examples and case studies. This module is primarily focused on the practical application of techniques rather than an in-depth understanding of conventional cost accounting. Active participation will be required, i.e. preparation for and attendance at lectures, participation in class discussions and involvement in group work and discussions.

Learning Outcomes:

Having successfully completed this module, the student should be able to: 

• Discuss management accounting theories, concepts, and methods (specifically relating to information technology systems and accounting for environmental and sustainability factors), and distinguish between management accounting and financial accounting.
• Identify core cost terms and concepts, and describe the purposes for which cost information may be required.
• Prepare break-even, contribution, and profit-volume graphs, and apply these in single and multiproduct settings.
• Describe and apply the various approaches to pricing, including target-costing and cost-plus pricing.
• Contrast activity-based and traditional costing systems, and explain why traditional systems can produce incomplete or incorrect information.

Relation to Degree

This module supports a number of the learning outcomes of the overall degree programme. Specifically it provides a set of skills which enables students to:

• Identify, critically evaluate and synthesise the substantive theories, frameworks and models, both qualitative and quantitative, that are used in fields of enquiry related to business, management and the social sciences.
• Analyse and solve a variety of problems in the private and public sectors from a multi-disciplinary knowledge basis of theories, tools and techniques in business and the social sciences.
• Communicate effectively in oral and written modes in professional and academic settings.
• Apply knowledge and understanding of the social and ethical dimensions of management and research in both the public and private sectors of society and to apply this knowledge effectively in management and research contexts.
• Work effectively as an individual and in teams.
• Demonstrate the ability to engage productively with a changing social, cultural and technological environment.

Workload

Required core course textbook

• Drury (2021), Management Accounting for Business, 8th edition.

General Supplemental Readings 

• Drury (2020), Management and Cost Accounting, 11th edition.
• Clarke (2016), Managerial Accounting, 3rd edition.
• Professional journals: Accountancy Ireland (Chartered Accountants Ireland) / Accounting and Business (ACCA) / Financial Management (CIMA)
• Technical articles available from professional accountancy bodies (available at: https://www.accaglobal.com/vn/en/student/exam-support-resources/fundamentals-exams-study-resources/f5/technical-articles.html). Specific technical articles will be confirmed for each topic.
• It is also recommended that students maintain an awareness of financial matters through regular use of the FT website.

Student Preparation for the Module

Students are expected to have read the relevant chapters and lecture notes (provided on Blackboard) before each class.

Student Preparation for the Module:

Lecture slides will be available on Blackboard prior to each lecture. Students are expected to access and print off the lecture slides before each lecture and bring them to the relevant lecture. In this way students can maximise their contact hours, allowing additional critical notes to be taken. It is anticipated that this should allow the student to actively participate in lectures. 
 
The lecturer will provide an explanation/discussion of the issues relevant to each topic on the module. Students are expected to research and read additional materials on each topic in their own private study time and to attempt the assigned questions for each topic. Lecture attendance is not part of evaluation in this course. However, attendance is strongly recommended due to the intensive course schedule.

Course Communication:

Administrative information and relevant changes (e.g., dates, times, venues, group membership, deadlines, etc.) will be posted on the course Blackboard page.
Students taking this course are responsible for

• Checking their College email regularly
• Checking the course Blackboard page regularly
• Ensuring that they have access to the course Blackboard page

Assessment:

1. Continuous assessment [20%]: Involving a practical application of material studied during the module. Date (in Michaelmas Term), precise venue and time to be announced in due course.
2. Examination [80%]: To be taken in December 2024. Precise venue and time to be announced in due course.

Late Submission Policy: Students who do not submit coursework by the due dates for medical reasons must (i) notify the lecturer prior to the due date; (ii) provide the lecturer with a valid medical certificate no later than 1 week after the due date and; (iii) arrange an amended due date with the lecturer at the time of presenting the certificate. Students submitting late coursework without medical reasons will have 10% deducted from the mark for each day that the coursework is late. Coursework more than 10 days late will not be accepted.  

Plagiarism: Plagiarism is interpreted by the University as the act of presenting the work of others as one’s own work without acknowledgement, and as such, is considered to be academically fraudulent. The University considers plagiarism to be a major offence and it is subject to the disciplinary procedures of the University. The University’s full statement is set out in the University Calendar.

Note on assessment of students allowed to sit a supplemental exam: Students who have failed the module and are invited to sit a supplemental exam will be examined by a written exam only. Previous CA (continuous assessment) will not be taken into account in such an examination.

Biographical Note

Niamh is a Teaching Fellow in Accounting at Trinity Business School. Niamh qualified as a Chartered Accountant having completed her training with a Big Four accounting firm. Niamh’s teaching responsibilities include undergraduate and postgraduate modules in management accounting, financial reporting, and performance measurement, respectively. Niamh was awarded teaching excellence awards in 2022, 2023 and 2024. Niamh is currently undertaking her PhD in Accounting and has received awards from both the Irish Accounting and Finance Association (IAFA) and British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA, Financial Reporting and Business Communications conference) for her research. Niamh holds a first-class honours Bachelor of Business Studies (Specialism in Finance) from Dublin City University and is also a graduate of Trinity College Dublin’s Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting.