75329 - Performance Management Systems

Learning outcomes

The goal of this course is to provide students with a relevant knowledge of frameworks and tools for understanding and improving business performance. Specifically, the students will learn how to: - design a performance measurement system for supporting the management control task; - develop a strategic control systems with an emphasys on the monitoring of business long term and competitive value drivers; - implement a management system based on the use of performance indicators and factors.

Course contents

- Management Control Systems

- Balanced Scorecard

- Non-financial measures of performance

- Financial measures of performance

- Flexible budget, controllability, and evaluation

- Advanced cost accounting and reporting

- Variance analysis

Readings/Bibliography

- Drury, Colin, Management and Cost Accounting, 9th edition, Cengage learning.

- Materials prepared by the instructor and available on Virtuale.

Teaching methods

The course is based on class discussions and active participation by students. Classes comprise a mix of lectures and in class activities.

Assessment methods

STANDARD ASSESSMENT

The final mark will be obtained by passing a final written exam (2 hours). The final exam consists of a mix of exercises, open questions, and multiple questions.

ATTENDING STUDENT ASSESSMENT (OPTIONAL)

ATTENDING students have the option to choose an alternative assessing method. According to it, the final mark will be obtained as a combination of:

- a teamwork (5 students maximum) including the development of the strategy map and the balanced scorecard of a real case, with discussion during the last 2 lessons (10 points maximum).

- a written shorter final exam (20 points maximum).

Graduation grid of marks:

- 18-23: sufficient preparation and ability to analyze but relating to a limited number of topics covered in the course, use of an overall correct language;
- 24-27: technically adequate preparation but with some limits with respect to the topics covered, good operational skills, even if not particularly articulated, expressed in correct language;
- 28-30: very good knowledge of a large number of topics covered in the course, good operational and critical skills, high-level usage of specific terminology;
- 30L: excellent and very in-depth and exhaustive knowledge of the topics covered in the course, critical analysis and connection skills, very high-level usage of specific terminology.

Teaching tools

Exercises, cases, mock exam papers, slides, additional reading materials and slides, and course information will be available on virtuale.unibo.it.

Office hours

See the website of Filippo Boccali