Accounting of Advanced Costs: Information for the Decision-Making and Business Control

- To contribute to the understanding of accounting information system from an interdisciplinary perspective. To recognize the role of cost accounting as a tool for implementing and monitoring business strategy and management.
- To apply cost information to different decision-making situations/settings and realize that different kinds of costs can be applied in different settings and used for different purposes.
- Learn how to prepare and submit reports which serve as a basis for problem solving and decision making. In turn, this entails:
* To understand and manage the different sources of data (both financial and non-financial) that a cost accountant can use to prepare a cost report.
* To know the different types of records that can be used to collect and keep the data needed to prepare a cost report.
* To know and manage the main types of reports that can be prepared depending on what is the objective to be achieved; the kind of cost system used; the problem to be solved and their user.
- Understand the implications of decentralization and authority delegation for cost accounting and its role as a control instrument.
- Contribute to the understanding of valid and reliable information-communication cycle. Enable students to get and report timely about changes.

(1) Cost accounting and its relationship with business management and other accounting information systems.

(2) Costing for decision making. Variable costing.

(3) Cost-volume-profit analysis.

(4) Joint product and by-product costing

(5) Information for planning and control.

(6) Accounting for decentralized units. Transfer pricing.

(7) Informative transparency: Procedures for its control.

Material deposited in Faculty’s copy shop and available on the Virtual Campus (slides with guide notes used by teachers in classes and guides containing exercises on each topic).

Basic Bibliography:
AIBAR GUZMÁN, B. y AIBAR GUZMÁN, C. (2022): Contabilidad de Costes y Gestión. Teoría y Práctica. Editorial Garceta.
BLANCO DOPICO, M. I. (1994): Contabilidad de costes. Análisis y control, Pirámide, Madrid.
BLANCO DOPICO, M. I.; AIBAR GUZMÁN, B. y RÍOS BLANCO, S.L. (2001): Contabilidad de costes. Cuestiones, supuestos prácticos resueltos y propuestos, Prentice Hall, Madrid.
HORGREN, C.T.; DATAR, S.M. y RAJAN, M. V. (2012): Contabilidad de costos. Un enfoque gerencial (14ª edición), Pearson, México.
BUENDÍA CARRILLO, D y GARCÍA MECA, E. (coordinadores) (2016): Casos prácticos de contabilidad de gestión. Pirámide, Madrid.
SERRA SALVARDOR, V. (2003): Contabilidad de costes. Cálculo, análisis y control, Tirant lo Blanch, Valencia.

Complementary Bibliography:
AECA: serie Principios de Contabilidad de Gestión.
ELDENBURG, l y WOLCOTT, S. (2005): Cost Management: Measuring, Monitoring, and Motivating Performance. Wiley
ESCOBAR, T. y CORTIJO, V. (2012): Fundamentos de Contabilidad de Gestión, Pearson, Madrid.
GARRISON, R.; NOREEN, E. y BREWER, P. (2007): Contabilidad administrativa. McGraw-Hill. (edición en castellano de Managerial Accounting)
REQUENA RODRÍGUEZ, J. M. y VERA RÍOS, S. (2009): Contabilidad interna (Contabilidad de costes y de gestión). Cálculo, análisis y control de costes y resultados para la toma de decisiones (3ª edición). Ariel Economía, Barcelona. Madrid
SÁEZ TORRECILLA, A.; GUITIÉRREZ DÍAZ, G. y FERNÁNDEZ FERNÁNDEZ, A. (2009): Contabilidad de Costes y Contabilidad de Gestión, McGraw-Hill
SCHNEIDER, E. (1972): Contabilidad industrial, Aguilar, Madrid
WEYGANDT, J.J.; KIESO, D.E. y KIMMEL, P.D. (2008): Managerial Accounting (4ª edición).Wiley.

BASIC AND GENERAL COMPETENCES
CB1 - That students have demonstrated to possess and to understand knowledge in an area of study that starts from the base of the general secondary education, and is usually found to a level that, although it relies on advanced textbooks, it also includes some aspects which involve knowledge from their field of study’s vanguard
CB2 – That students know to apply their knowledge to their work or vocation in a professional way and possess the skills that are usually demonstrated through the elaboration and defense of arguments and problem solving within their area ofstudy
CB3 - That students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their area of study) to give opinion that include reflection on relevant social, scientific or ethical issues
CB4 – That students can transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to both a specialized and non-specialized audience
CB5 – That students have developed those learning skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of autonomy
CG3 – To know how to identify, gather and interpret relevant data on issues related to the business field, incorporating relevant considerations on their social, scientific or ethical dimension in the making of judgments and proposals
CG4 – To know how to communicate information, ideas, problems and proposals for solving business issues to both a specialized and non-specialized audience, using both verbal and written language and the means and techniques of representation of relationships and presentation of data that are used in the discipline

TRANSVERSAL COMPETENCES
CT1 - Analysis and synthesis
CT4 - Information Management
CT6 - Problem solving
CT7 - Decision-making
CT8 - Critical reasoning

SPECIFIC COMPETENCES
D11 – To communicate fluently in their environment and teamwork

The teaching will be fundamentally face-to-face, although the tutorials may be carried out both face-to-face and online (through messages to the teachers by institutional email). Since the subject corresponds to the last year of the degree, special attention will be paid to the active participation of students in their learning process.
During the course special attention will be paid to the application of the basic concepts and techniques to a broad range of “cases” and “problems” with the aim of students learn to identify and solve unstructured problems; find creative solutions; integrate the acquired knowledge and make critical analysis. To achieve these goals, the necessary materials will be provided to the students in advance as well as the solutions of some problems and complementary readings.
The lecture (theoretical) sessions (big groups) will be devoted, firstly, to the presentation of theoretical foundations (following a logic that allows progressively increasing students’ knowledge). Following the presentation of the theoretical foundations of the subject (or sometimes simultaneously), their practical application will be carried out through “cases” with the aim of illustrating the theoretical explanations and facilitate their understanding and assimilation by students. By embracing both the theoretical and practical strands of the course, these sessions will provide comprehensive descriptive and analytical coverage.
In the interactive sessions (small groups) the students will analyze and discuss short questions and solve and present exercises with the aim of promoting students’ involvement.
These activities should be complemented by student’s individual efforts devoting time to.
All the support material will be available in the virtual classroom of the subject. This subject has a Teaching Guide in the virtual campus which includes detailed information on: program, professors, key dates, types of tests to be performed and assessment criteria.

INSTRUMENT: Theoretical-practical exam that will be carried out face-to-face. WEIGHT: 60%. This instrument evaluates the following competencies: CB2, CB3, CB5, CG3, CG4, CT1, CT6, CT8
INSTRUMENT: Continuous evaluation. Class participation. Resolution of exercises and realization of work and tests that will be carried out face-to-face. WEIGHT: 40%. This instrument evaluates the following competencies: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5, CG3, CG4, CT1, CT4, CT6, CT7, CT8, D11.


OVERALL NOTES:
The evaluation system will be the same for both exam opportunities (December/January and June/July) and for all students.
Following the Instruction Nº 1/2017 of Secretaría Xeral, students who are exempt from attendance in certain situations will be evaluated with a specific final exam (100%). Exemption from attendance must be authorized in advance by the University

Activities carried out in classroom:
Lecture classes: 18 hours
Interactive classes: 18 hours

Tutorship (small groups): 4 hours

Individual activities: 67.5 hours (including the preparation of the final exam)

Assessment: up to 5 hours (official exams)

Total: 112.5 hours (4.5 ECTS credits)

Prior to the start of the course, students are recommended to review the basics of cost accounting acquired previously.

Before starting the study of each topic, it is recommended that students read photocopies and special materials about each subject (which will be available both in the Faculty’s copy shop and in the Virtual Campus) as well as some recommended further readings particularly illustrative of the aspects that will be analysed.

After the analysis of each topic in classroom, students are recommended to answer the theoretical and practice questions for self-assessment purposes, in order to ascertain the degree to which they have understood and assimilated such concepts and to identify any questions or issues misunderstood as well as to solve problems.

Finally, it is strongly recommended to participate in course development (discussions, debates).

Spanish is the language in which the subject will be taught.

The virtual campus will be used to provide class material to student.

This program will be developed in the teaching guide that will be given to students at the beginning of the course.