PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND CONTROL SYSTEMS

The course studies management control, with a specific focus on the most recent trends in the academic and professional field. In particular, it discusses the role of management control systems in the broader context of corporate strategy, the profit planning process and the evaluation of financial sustainability also studying some of the main performance measurement tools.

1 KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
- know the management control system role in the broader context of corporate governance;
- know how to build and evaluate a profit plan;
- know the main performance measurement tools and their impacts on the managerial decision making process;
- know transfer pricing and the influences of the fiscal laws;
- know the evolution of management control systems from a sustainability perspective.
2 APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
- identify, in different contexts, the role of management control systems;
- identify the best performance measurement tools, consistently with company strategy;
- know how to interact with practitioners on transfer pricing;
- understand how to implement a management control system which is consistent with the sustainability orientation of the company.
3 MAKING JUDGEMENTS
- know how to frame hypotheses concerning management control systems efficacy.

Main concepts and terminology of cost accounting

- Organizational Tensions to be Managed. Sustainability and performance management
- The Nature of Management Accounting. Differences between financial and management accounting.
- The Behavior of Costs. Full Costs and Their Uses
- Building a Profit Plan: Cash Wheel, Profit Wheel, ROE Wheel
- Using the Profit Wheels to Test Alternative Strategies
- Evaluating Strategic Profit Performance. Volume-adjusted profit plan.
- Designing Asset Allocation Systems
- Linking Performance to Markets: Transfer Pricing
- Linking Performance to Markets: ROI, Residual Income and Economic Value Added (EVA)

Slides and other material provided by the instructor.
Selection of cases and readings that students can buy on line on HBS Publishing (the instructor will provide, before the course, the specific web link on the course moodle page)

The exam is written. The written exam includes seven questions: 4 calculation exercises (max 6 points each), 2 multiple choices (one point each), and an open-ended question (max 4 points) with an evaluation in 30/30. The sufficiency to pass the exam is a grade >= 18. The exam will cover the whole program seen in class.

A voluntary project work on the business profit analysis of a case study may provide the students a bonus of 2 points (to add to the final grade in case of sufficiency in the written exam). The bonus will be kept for the whole 23/24 academic year's exam sessions.

The grading system (how the grades will be assigned) is the same for attending or non-attending students:
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, guest speakers and group works.

English

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.

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