Accounting of Costs: Calculus, Analysis and Control

- Know and understand the basic fundamental concepts related to cost accounting’s cycle:
* Know the main cost systems and the conditions under which it is more appropriate to use each one.
* Distinguish the different types of costs on the basis of their relationship with the activity and the product/service/process.
- Learn to prepare and present a report on the costs of a product or a process. In turn, this entails:
* To understand and handle the different data sources that a cost accountant can use to develop a cost report.
* To know the different types of records that can be made to collect and keep the data needed to prepare a cost report.
* To know and handle the main types/models of reports that can be made depending on what is the objective to be achieved; the kind of cost system used and the problem to be solved.
* To relate different cost accounting system design models with company’s organizational and production characteristics and the objectives to be attained by the cost accounting system, in order to determine the conditions under which it is more appropriate to use each model.
- Know the main characteristics of organizational control and the role of cost accounting as an instrument of control.
- Introduce students to the objectives and basic features of budget management and its underlying logic. Likewise, it is intended that students know the standard costs' structure of formation, understand their utility and the peculiarities of their use and know to interpret deviations.

(1) The accounting information system. Insufficiency of financial accounting reports for managerial decision-making purposes. The search for a complementary accounting information system: cost accounting.

(2) Theoretical fundamentals of cost accounting, basic framework and general process for calculating costs and results. Cost classifications and Cost allocation.

(3) Introduction to cost behaviour: Cost-activity and cost-product relationships. Methods for allocating and controlling overheads. A method for allocating fixed costs depending on the activity level.

(4) Basic elements of manufacturing costs: materials, labour and assets’ costs.

(5) Cost systems for stocks valuation. Job costing system and process costing system.

(6) Information for planning and control. Budgeting and standard costing

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, Mª I. (1994): Contabilidad de costes. Análisis y control, Pirámide, Madrid.
BLANCO DOPICO, Mª I.; AIBAR GUZMÁN, B. y RÍOS BLANCO, S.L. (2001): Contabilidad de costes. Cuestiones, supuestos prácticos resueltos y propuestos, Prentice Hall, Madrid.
BUENDÍA CARRILLO, D y GARCÍA MECA, E. (coordinadores) (2016): Casos prácticos de contabilidad de gestión. Pirámide, Madrid.
RIPOLL, V.; ALCOY, P. y CRESPO, C: (2011): Casos prácticos resueltos de Contabilidad de Costes, Profit, Barcelona
SERRA SALVARDOR, V. (2003): Contabilidad de costes. Cálculo, análisis y control, Tirant lo Blanch, Valencia.

Complementary bibliography:
AECA: serie Principios de Contabilidad de Gestión.
ÁLVAREZ-DARDET, M.C. y GUTIÉRREZ, F. (coord.) (2009): Contabilidad de gestión. Cálculo de costes. Pirámide, Madrid.
DONOSO, R. y DONOSO. A. (2011): Sistemas de costes e información económica. Pirámide.
ESCOBAR, T. y CORTIJO, V. (2012): Fundamentos de Contabilidad de Gestión. Pearson Educación, Madrid.
HORGREN, C.T (2012): Contabilidad de costos. Un enfoque gerencial. Pearson Educación, México
REQUENA RODRÍGUEZ, J. Mª 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, Vol. I, McGraw-Hill.
SCHNEIDER, E. (1972): Contabilidad industrial, Aguilar, Madrid

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 of study
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
CT6 - Problem solving
CT8 - Critical reasoning
CT9 - Learning autonomy

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). In the development of the course, the training activities in the classroom with the presence of the teacher have an important weight.
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: 70%. This instrument evaluates the following competencies: CB2, CB3, CG3, CT6
INSTRUMENT: Continuous evaluation. Class participation. Resolution of exercises and realization of work and tests that will be carried out face-to-face. WEIGHT: 30%. This instrument evaluates the following competencies: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5, CG3, CG4, CT1, CT6, CT8, CT9, 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 classroon:
Lecture classes: 17 hours
Interactive classes: 31 hours
Tutorship (small groups): 3 hours

Individual activities: 90 hours (including the preparation of the final exam)

Assessment: up to 8 hours (official exams)

Total: 150 hours (6 ECTS credits)

Prior to the start of the course, students are recommended to review the basics of financial accounting acquired during the previous year.

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 analyzed.

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.