1.5 hour examination 50% at end of Semester 1 (Covers Learning Outcomes 3 and 4)
2000 word assignment 50% at the end of the module (Covers Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3 and 5)

This module builds on your previous accounting experience by exploring fundamental aspects of cost and management accounting.

You will be introduced to cost classification, cost behaviour and cost estimation. You will then go on to study the costing treatment of materials and overheads, including stock valuation methods.

Various cost accounting methods and the circumstances in which their use is appropriate will be considered. This consists of overhead absorption costing and marginal costing, job and process costing, and activity based costing.

Then you will examine issues of planning and decision-making, beginning with budgeting and budgetary control. This involves the types of budget and their purposes, preparation of budgets comprising incremental and ZBB approaches, flexed budgets and cash budgets. This leads on to study of standard costing, variance analysis and reporting.

Short term decision-making involving the use of marginal costing and cost-volume-profit analysis is examined; cost and other information for pricing decisions. The module concludes with investment appraisal techniques, including discounted cash flow methods, relevant to long term planning and decision-making.

36 hours of tutor led activity
114 hours of student centred activities involving reading, self assessed
exercises, case study analysis, computer assisted learning, assignment work and revision

Student Learning Support Kit
The University Library and learning resources
Electronic data bases such as EBSCO

Any Introduction to Accounting module or equivalent

Drury C, (2006), Management Cost Accounting, 6th ed, Thompton
Upchurch A. (1998). Management Accounting, Principles and Practice. FT Pitman Publishing.