Opetussuunnitelmat

Objective

The purpose of this course is to enhance students’ knowledge, understanding and intellectual, and practical skills about how managers place the accounting and market data in conjunction with the overall business strategy and decision-making. Through their enriched theoretical and conceptual knowledge of accounting and financial perspectives, students are capable of identifying and analyzing business problems through the lenses of organization’s mission and vision. Similarly, students select, analyze, and evaluate raw business data and other relevant information, and then draw inferences based thereon, which affect strategy and decision making of corporates. Students record, present and interpret financial/accounting data in such a manner that the true financial health of corporates is disclosed. The true, objective and unbiased financial information also help managers to plan and revise their business strategies, formulate policies and restructure the overall planning process. Students also understand different management accounting functions and learn to apply diverse management accounting techniques, methods and tools in different business situations. Students are able to evaluate firm performance in the light of conventional and non-conventional accounting/financial measures such as Economic Value Added (EVA), Balanced Scorecard (BSC) and Lean Accounting. Students also understand various aspects of corporate governance including board of directors, shareholders perspectives, monitoring and control. Students also learn to apply various risk management techniques in order to hedge various risks that companies are exposed to.

Content

Corporate financial performance measures analysis including accounting and market measures and non-financial performance measures, Accounting analysis of the quality of financial reporting measures, agency theory, stakeholders theory, resource-dependence theory, board of directors dynamics, stakeholders analysis, economic value added (EVA), balanced scorecard, lean accounting, application of financial derivatives.

Qualifications

Students are able to use methods of financial analysis and reporting.

Assessment criteria, satisfactory (1)

5 (Excellent) The student addresses a deep understanding of strategic management accounting methods and he/she can is capable of exploring strategic implications in a developing manner. The student has an independent preparedness to practical application of strategic management methods/tools for business cases in one's own organization with further development ideas. The student knows how build, use and critically examine various analysis on activity-based costing, value chain, customers and competitors. The student is capable of building comprehensively compiled and argumented balanced scorecard and performance metrics and align them with the overall strategy.

4 (Very good) The student has a comprehensive understanding of strategic management accounting methods and he/she can is capable of examining strategic implications and discuss critically about the subject. The student can independently apply strategic management methods/tools for business cases in one's own organization and provide ideas for development. The student knows how build different analysis on activity-based costing, value chain, customers and competitors. The student is capable of building clearly compiled balanced scorecard and performance metrics with a connection to strategy.

3 (Good) The student has a versatile understanding of strategic management accounting methods and he/she can present independent interpretations on the subject. The student is capable of applying strategic management methods/tools in one's own organization and provide some ideas for how things can be developed. The student has a good understanding of activity-based costing, value chain analysis, customer analysis and competitor analysis and he/she is capable of compiling a simple report with some development ideas. The student has a capability of building a simple balanced scorecard and performance metrics.

2 (Satisfactory) The student has a theoretical understanding of strategic management accounting methods. The student requires plenty of guidance in practical application of strategic management accounting methods/tools. The student has a sufficient understanding of activity-based costing, value chain analysis, customer analysis and competitor analysis and he/she can write about the topic at a general level - practical application can be with some supportive guidance. The student understands the basics of methods, but development ideas are limited. The student knows the basics of balanced scorecard and he/she is capable of building a balanced scorecard and performance metrics based on theory.

1 (Sufficient) The student has a theoretical understanding of strategic management accounting methods. The student is not capable of using methods for calculations and analysis without guidance. The student has a slight theoretical understanding of activity-based costing, value chain analysis, customer analysis and competitor analysis and he/she is not capable of examine the subject area independently without guidance. The student understands some basics of methods, but practical examination is inadequate. The student is capable of identifying some of a whole complex of issues, but practical application is challenging.

0 (Fail) The student does not master the subject area.