75478 - Management Control Systems M

Academic Year 2022/2023

  • Docente: Matteo Mura
  • Credits: 6
  • SSD: ING-IND/35
  • Language: English
  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Bologna
  • Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Engineering Management (cod. 0936)

Learning outcomes

By the end of this course students should be able to:

  • Critically assess the design, implementation, use and review of performance measurement systems.
  • Understand the roles performance measurement and management play in organizations.
  • Link performance management practices at inter-organizational, organizational and individual levels.
  • Apply proper business analytics techniques in order to translate data into knowledge

 

Course contents

Prerequisites

No prerequisites are required for this course. Given that the course will be delivered in English, good reading, writing and listening English skills are expected

 

The measurement and management of organizational performance represent key ingredients of organizational success. By exploring connections between strategy, data, decisions and actions in this course we will focus on how to measure and manage performance in organizations.

We will first look at how to design performance measurement systems – balanced scorecards, control dashboard, strategy maps, etc. – as a key means to strategy implementation. We will then look at the different uses of performance measurement systems, not just as a way to monitor and control current activities, but rather as a way to stimulate organizational learning, reconfigure existing strategies and business models. Finally, we will focus on the measurement process by looking at different types of performance indicators, how to develop and implement them and how to translate data into information and knowledge useful for improving individual and organizational performance.

The course will be strongly rooted in organizational practice. We will: (i) explore cutting edge tools in order to design proper control systems and key performance indicators; (ii) apply recent developments in business analytics to different company data in order to translate row data into knowledge useful to effectively support decision making processes; (iii) listen to guest speakers from the industry that will bring real-life organizational “challenges” to the class.

By the end of the module students should be able to:

  • Critically assess the design, implementation, use and review of management control and performance measurement systems.
  • Understand the roles performance measurement and management play in organizations.
  • Link performance management practices at inter-organizational, organizational and individual levels.
  • Apply the key principles and tools (e.g., strategy maps, performance indicators and targets) taught on the course to a wide range of organisations across all sectors.
  • Apply proper business analytics techniques in order to translate data into knowledge

Readings/Bibliography

Books

Seal, W. B. Rohde, Carsten Garrison, Ray H. Noreen, Eric W. (2014). Management accounting. 5th. McGraw-Hill. Ch. 14-15-16-17-18-19.

  • ‐A customized version of this textbook is available online. To access the online textbook please contact the McGraw Hill editor: Marco Riva, e-mail: Marco.Riva@mheducation.com Ph.: +39 347 7186248

Gray, D., Micheli, P. and Pavlov, A., (2014), Measurement madness – Recognising and avoiding the pitfalls of performance measurement, John Wiley & Sons.

Readings

A complete set of readings for the module is included in the pack. The readings are pre-readings, which should be completed prior to each day’s session. All readings are available through the University of Bologna online databases and will be uploaded on the course’s website (student’s password required).

Teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Case studies
  • Guest speakers from industry
  • Hands on exercises on a sample of business analytics techniques applied to real company data

Assessment methods

  1. For students attending the course the final exam will consist of:
  • A set of theoretical questions (multiple choices) on the whole program;
  • A Project Work (PW) developed in teams.

    The PW will be based on a challenge proposed by two companies during the course.

    Exam is scored using the following criteria:

    Theoretical questions: 50% of final grade;

    Project work content: 35% of final grade;

    Project work presentation: 5% of final grade;

    Individual contribution to project work development: 10% of final grade.

  • 2. For students NOT attending the course the final exam will consist of:

  • A set of theoretical questions (multiple choices) on the whole program;
  • An oral exam.

    Exam is scored using the following criteria:

  • Theoretical questions: 50% of final grade;
  • Oral exam: 50% of final grade

The exam will allow to verify the competences and skills developed by students during the course, and to verify the implementation of different frameworks to real life cases and problems.

The exam will take place according to the timetable of the School and communicated through the platform AlmaEsami (https://almaesami.unibo.it [https://almaesami.unibo.it/] ).

Teaching tools

Slides and complementary material on case studies will be provided to students. Also, a project work on a real company challenge will be conducted throughout the course.

Office hours

See the website of Matteo Mura

SDGs

Industry, innovation and infrastructure Responsible consumption and production

This teaching activity contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.