79312 - BUDGETING

Learning outcomes

The course introduces the essential principles of budgeting and the main techniques for preparing operational and financial budgets. By the end, participants will be able to prepare basic budgets, interpret key variances, and use simple reporting tools to support decision‑making.

Course contents

• Budgeting and Planning & Control Systems: foundations and core principles
• Business Management: phases, operational processes, and cross‑functional coordination
• The Budgeting Process: organisational structures, roles, responsibilities, and methodologies
• Operational Budgets: sales, production, supply chain, and support functions
• Income Statement Budget: analysis of revenues, costs, and margins
• Financial and Balance‑Sheet Budget: cash flow, investments, working capital, and sustainability
• Sensitivity Analysis for Decision‑Making: methods, scenarios, and risk assessment
• Management Control and Executive Reporting: variance analysis, KPIs, and information systems
• Business Plan: structure, internal consistency, and integration with budget and forecast
• Evolution of Budgeting: limitations of the traditional model, Rolling Forecasts, and Beyond Budgeting approaches

Readings/Bibliography

F. Amigoni & A. Caglio, Budget, Egea, Milan, 2017

Teaching methods

Lectures, business cases, and group work

Classes will be held in person.

Assessment methods

Group activities and individual written test

Below is a table showing the equivalence between marks out of thirty and the corresponding assessment of the student’s understanding of the subject based on the exam results:

• <18: insufficient
• 18–23: sufficient
• 24–27: good
• 28–30: very good
• 30 with honors: excellent

Teaching tools

Slides and teaching materials will be available on virtuale.unibo.it

Office hours

See the website of Consuelo Vagnini