COST MANAGEMENT

This course contributes to the Bachelor's Degree Programme primary objective of training undergraduates able to work in public and private organizations, by developing knowledge and skills in the business administration area. In particular, the course aims at providing basic knowledge of the main management accounting tools to support decision-making, as well as the skills to apply these tools to concrete situations and specific decision-making problems.
To this end, the course deals with the study of cost classifications, the main costing systems, standard costs and differential costs configurations, deepening and illustrating the applications of these notions to profitability analyses, to the programming and controlling function, and to the analysis of economic convenience and choice between alternatives.

1) KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of this course, students are expected to have developed a solid knowledge of the following basic notions:
- the nature, uses and purposes of management accounting;
- the main classifications and configurations of costs and their uses;
- the main analytical tools connected to the different cost configurations, their formulas and meanings.

2) APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of this course, students are expected to be able to select and apply the main management accounting tools to support decision-making. In particular:
- to be able to identify specific decision-making or analytical issues in different contexts (e.g. profitability analysis, calculation of operational risk, choices between alternatives, programming choices, performance evaluation, etc.);
- to be able to identify the most appropriate cost configuration for a given decision-making or analytical issue;
- to be able to apply in each case the most appropriate management accounting tool(s), with the relative formulas;
- hence, to be able to solve simple management accounting problems.

3) MAKING JUDGEMENTS
At the end of this course, students are expected to be able to:
- critically discuss the nature and uses of management accounting;
- reason on the informational benefits or decision-making support that management accounting tools can give to organizations in different contexts;
- evaluate the preferability or otherwise of the application of certain management accounting tools, for a given decision problem.

To attend this course, it is necessary to have already learnt the basic concepts and language of the economic analysis of business processes and the basic skills of accounting for business events and preparation of financial statements, which have been developed in the Business Administration course.
Those who have not passed the Business Administration exam cannot take the Cost Accounting course.

1. The nature of management accounting;
2. The classification of costs according to their behavior;
3. The contribution margin and the relationship between income and volume;
4. Full costs and their use;
5. Additional aspects of costing systems;
6. Standard costs and variable cost systems;
7. Variance analysis in production costs;
8. Variance analysis in non-production costs;
9. Short-term decisions between alternatives;
10. Strategic planning and budgeting (Introductory concepts);
11. Activity-based costing (introductory concepts).
The same program is also intended for non-attending students.

Mantatory textbook:
Anthony R., Hawkins D., Macrì D., Merchant K. SISTEMI DI CONTROLLO. ANALISI ECONOMICHE PER LE DECISIONI AZIENDALI. Mc Graw-Hill , tredicesima edizione.
Chapters 1-9, chapter 12 and chapter 14

Verification of learning takes place through a written test and an oral test. The written test consists of exercises with the aim of ascertaining knowledge of the basic technical notions covered in the course. During the written test, the use of books, notes or electronic media is not permitted. During the oral test the student must demonstrate that he knows the topics covered during the course and knows how to present them in a formal way.
The methods envisaged for assessing the knowledge and skills acquired are:
a) a written exam, lasting 30 minutes, consisting of 3 calculation exercises and 1 multiple choice question. In this first phase, the expected learning outcomes related to the categories "knowledge and understanding" and "ability to apply knowledge and understanding" will be assessed. The outcome of the exam will be suitable or not suitable for taking the oral exam;
b) an oral exam, during which the student's knowledge will be assessed with particular reference to the expected learning outcomes attributable to the categories "ability to apply knowledge and understanding" and "ability to judge". The maximum achievable grade is 30/30.
As regards the gradation of the grade (how the grades will be assigned), regardless of the attending or non-attending mode:
A. scores in the 18-22 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- sufficient knowledge and ability to understand applied in relation to the programme;
- sufficient ability to apply knowledge and understanding and judgment;
- sufficient communication skills, especially in relation to the use of specific language relating to the subject;
B. scores in the 23-26 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- good knowledge and ability to understand applied in relation to the programme;
- good ability to apply knowledge and understanding and judgement;
- good communication skills, especially in relation to the use of specific language relating to the subject;
C. scores in the 27-30 range will be awarded in the presence of:
- excellent knowledge and ability to understand applied in relation to the programme;
- excellent ability to apply knowledge and understanding and judgment;
- excellent communication skills, especially in relation to the use of specific language relating to the subject.

The course includes lectures during which the theoretical aspects are presented and examples of the analysis tools are carried out.
The course is associated with tutorials that insist on the most applicative aspects of the program, and that are meant as a support in training students for the written test.

REGISTRATION FOR EXAM. Online registration is COMPULSORY. In case of registration problems, students are required to contact the economic campus a reasonable number of days BEFORE deadline.



Accessibility, Disability and Inclusion
Accommodation and support services for students with disabilities and students with specific learning impairments

Ca’ Foscari abides by Italian Law (Law 17/1999; Law 170/2010) regarding support
services and accommodation available to students with disabilities. This includes students with
mobility, visual, hearing and other disabilities (Law 17/1999), and specific learning impairments (Law 170/2010). If you have a disability or impairment that requires accommodations (i.e., alternate testing, readers, note takers or interpreters) please contact the Disability and Accessibility Offices in Student Services: disabilita@unive.it.

written and oral