Strategic Management Accounting

This Course Guide provides a general course plan for ACT B865 Strategic Management Accounting. After this introduction, which gives a general overview of the course and lists its aims and learning outcomes, there are sections on:

• 'Course materials';
• 'Course assessment'; and
• 'Student support.'

About the course

ACT B865 Strategic Management Accounting is a term-long, five- credit course. It is designed for learners seeking a comprehensive understanding of the accounting concepts and practices underlying the decision-making processes for businesses. Since this is a graduate-level course, learners will be challenged and expected to progress past a basic understanding of accounting practices. There is no advisory prerequisite for this course, but learners who have taken undergraduate accounting courses will find it easier to grasp the more difficult materials, as learners will be expected to have basic understanding of the accounting cycle before embarking on ACT B865.

ACT B865 will discuss management accounting issues from a strategic perspective. Emphasis will be on the discussion of management accounting principles and practices that are used to provide key data to managers for planning, making decisions, and control in sustaining business through strategy implementation. Areas such as cost concepts, cost management systems, management planning and decision-making, operational control and management control will be examined.

This course comprises five study units, which are designed to wrap around the required textbook. Each unit requires about two weeks of study time. The study units, textbook, readings, and assignments will help you learn the topics over a period of about 11 weeks.

Course aims

ACT B865 Strategic Management Accounting aims to provide learners with knowledge of management accounting concepts and practices from the strategic perspective. It focuses on the role of cost management in helping companies to sustain their businesses in a competitive environment through strategy implementation.

Course learning outcomes

Upon completion of ACT B865, you should be able to:

1. Critically review cost behaviour in organisations and contemporary cost management concepts.
2. Analyse various cost management systems.
3. Demonstrate how management accounting information can be used to support management planning and decision making.
4. Assess performance evaluation methods and issues at both the operational and management levels.

In addition to this Course Guide, the course materials consist of the following:

• five study units
• supplementary readings
• an Assignment File.

The study units and the textbook are the core components of your course. You should read both actively, and take notes as you read. The study units will:

• summarise key issues;
• explain the relevant concepts and give supporting examples;
• comment on related readings; and
• contain activities and self-tests to develop your understanding of each unit's content.

The assignments will provide you with feedback and help you achieve the learning outcomes of the course.

Set textbook

There is one required textbook in this course.

Blocher, Juras and Smith (2022) Cost Management: A Strategic Emphasis, 9th edn, New York: McGraw Hill LLC.

The textbook is not provided by HKMU. You need to buy the textbook separately.

Study units

The following gives a general overview of the course structure.

Unit 1 An overview of cost management with a strategic focus

Unit 2 Cost management systems

Unit 3 Management planning and decision making

Unit 4 Operational control

Unit 5 Management control

Each study unit requires you to complete readings relevant to the topic being covered. Activities are provided to question you on the material covered. By completing these activities, you should be able to reinforce your understanding of the materials and gauge your progress.

Each study unit follows a common format:

• An introduction to the unit: The introduction provides you with a guide to what will be covered in the unit.
• Required reading: Each study unit directs you to read specific pages from the textbook. Some units also require you to read selected articles. Commentary on the textbook or additional material is provided where appropriate. You must look at each of the readings carefully.
• Activities: These exercises contain theoretical questions and/or numerical exercises designed to provide you with feedback on your understanding of the topics covered. Although suggested answers are provided, you should attempt these exercises before looking at the answers. This is the best way to assess your progress.
• Summary: A concise summary of the information, concepts and theories discussed in the study units is provided at the end of each unit. These unit summaries give step-by-step breakdowns of the way the information has been presented, and draw your attention to the main ideas covered in the units.
• Self‑tests: These are similar to the activities, with the exception that they are provided at the end of each major section and test your knowledge of all areas covered in that unit. While suggested answers are provided, you should work through these questions on your own before turning to the solutions. You should look at these questions as practice exercises for the assignments and the final examination.

Assignment File

You will find assignments in the section labelled Assignment File. For each assignment, you must observe the due date (also called the cut‑off date). This term indicates the last day by which the assignment must reach the tutor for marking. The due date is provided in each assignment.

Presentation Schedule

The Presentation Schedule is available on the Online Learning Environment (OLE). It gives the dates for completing assignments, and attending live online tutorials, day schools (in person), day schools, and so on.

You should refer to the Presentation Schedule continually and ensure that you keep pace with the activities indicated. This will help you to follow the course satisfactorily and prevent you from falling behind.

This course is designed so that you can move easily through the required readings and on to the exercises, assignments and examination. The activities and self-test questions in the study units are important as preparation exercises for more advanced problems which are set in the assignments. The formal assessment for this course consists of assignments and the final examination.

Assignments

You are required to complete two assignments and submit them to your tutor for evaluation and grading. The two assignments are compulsory. Assignment 1 and Assignment 2 will count for a total of 40%. Please refer to the Assignment File for details.

Each assignment will be marked out of 100 marks. Each assignment will test the materials covered in the respective units. Short cases or real-life examples will be included wherever appropriate.

You should submit each completed assignment to your tutor on or before the due date. This is the last day for the assignment to be received by the tutor. You are required to send your assignments to your tutor electronically via the Online Learning Environment (OLE). You should follow the instructions as specified in the Online Learning Environment User Guide.

The assignments will be returned to you after they are marked. This will provide you with the necessary feedback on your assignments, and can be used as a benchmark for what is expected from you in the final examination.

The table below provides a summary of how the assignments are integrated with your study throughout the course.

How to submit assignments

You must use word processing software (such as Microsoft Word) to prepare the assignments, and submit them via the Online Learning Environment (OLE). All assignments must be uploaded to the OLE by the due date.

Failure to upload an assignment in the required format to the OLE may result in the score of the assignment being adjusted to zero.

Assignment submission extension policy

The assignment policy of the University as stated in the Student Handbook should be observed. You are required to submit assignments for this course in accordance with the dates communicated by your Course Coordinator. You may apply for a submission extension on the grounds of illness, accident, disability, bereavement or other compassionate circumstances.

Applications for extensions must be submitted online via the OLE. Please note the following:

• Supporting documents must be submitted to justify applications for extensions of over seven days.
• Applications for extensions should normally be lodged before or on the due date.
• Applications are considered by:
  
  • your tutor for extensions of up to seven days;
  • the Course Coordinator for extensions of 8 to 21 days; and
  • the Dean for extensions of over 21 days.

After an assignment is submitted via the OLE, it is your responsibility to check that the assignment has been successfully submitted. Extension applications due to any problem with uploading will not be accepted. The University cannot accept any responsibility for assignments that are not received by your tutor due to any problem with submission via the OLE. As a precaution, you are advised to keep a copy of each assignment you submit.

According to the University's policy, no extension of the due date will be allowed for the final assignment. This policy will be strictly enforced. Any late submission of the final assignment will result in the score of the assignment being adjusted to zero.

Final examination

The final examination for ACT B865 is of three hours' duration and is worth 60% of the total course grade. The examination consists of questions similar to those in the assignments.

A specimen examination paper will be provided before the examination for practice purposes. The format of the specimen examination will be similar to that of the final examination.

Assessment summary

As specified in the Student Handbook, your final result in this course depends on your performance in both the continuous assessment and the examination. In order to pass the course, you need to pass both the continuous assessment and the examination. For more information on the University's policies on assignments and examinations, please refer to the Student Handbook.

Tutors

A tutor will be assigned to each tutorial group in this course. The tutor will:

• mark assignments;
• provide telephone consultation;
• conduct live online tutorials; and
• maintain online discussion via the OLE.

You will be provided with the tutor's telephone number and the convenient times when the tutor can be reached for consultation. You should feel free to approach your tutor whenever you need help with your studies for ACT B865 Strategic Management Accounting.

Tutorials, surgeries and day school

Live online tutorials will be organised at regular intervals to provide you with assistance in the course. For this course, there will be two twohour live online tutorials, two three-hour live online surgeries, and one six-hour day school (in person). You will be notified of the dates, times and venues of these sessions at the beginning of the presentation.

Although the live online tutorials and surgeries are not compulsory, you are encouraged to attend all sessions. For day school, according to the requirement of the HKICPA's Qualification Programme (QP), you are expected to have completed at least five out of eight day sc hools of the compulsory courses. During these sessions, key learning objectives will be reinforced, complex accounting concepts and procedures demonstrated and analysed in detail, and current relevant concepts discussed.

Tutors are required to start tutorial sessions on time. If a tutor fails to turn up 30 minutes after the scheduled starting time, you may assume that the session is cancelled and you should report the case to the Course Coordinator so that a make-up session can be arranged.

Online Learning Environment

This course is supported by HKMU's OLE. You can find course material and the latest course information from the OLE. Through the OLE, you can also communicate with your tutor, the Course Coordinator as well as fellow students. For details about the OLE and how to access it, please refer to the Online Learning Environment User Guide.

We hope that you will find the study of ACT B865 Strategic Management Accounting interesting and useful. Upon completion of this course, you should be able to understand the major management accounting principles and practices that are used by managers for the purposes of making decisions, and planning and controlling activities in organisations. You will also be able to prepare management accounting information and use the information in planning and implementing business strategy.

In order to understand the content of this course, you must understand the course materials and apply the concepts learned. We hope that you are able to apply the knowledge and skills from this course throughout your career.

Good luck!

If you wish to defer your studies of this course until a later date, you should apply for deferment of studies. For the regulations governing deferment of studies, please refer to your Student Handbook. If you have applied for deferment of studies, you should continue with your studies of this course and submit the required assignments until formal approval is given by the University. 

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