COURSE SYLLABUS
Accounting and Finance for Managers, 7.5 credits
Accounting and Finance for Managers, 7,5 högskolepoäng
Course Code: JAFR25
Confirmed by: Council for Undergraduate and Masters Education Aug 10, 2015
Valid From: Aug 17, 2015
Version: 1
Reg number:IHH 2015/2687-313
Education Cycle: Second-cycle level
Disciplinary domain: Social sciences (75%) and natural sciences (25%)
Subject group: FE1
Specialised in: A1N
Main field of study: General Management

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

After completing the course the students should be able to:

Knowledge and understanding

1. explain and discuss fundamental accounting and finance concepts and apply them in an engineering management setting.
2. explain different forms of company organization and governance structures.
3. recognize and describe the different parts of a financial model of a firm.

Skills and abilities

4. conduct financial calculations using a spreadsheet program.
5. analyse and interpret financial information and to communicate those findings.
6. carry out standard calculation practices in an engineering business environment such as budgeting, planning, investment decisions and performance measurement.

Judgement and approach

7. critically discuss the scientific, social, ethical, and personal responsibility aspects of managerial work in relation to calculative practices, including the role, use, and development of financial information and control mechanisms.

Contents

The course aims to equip the students with theoretical and practical knowledge in accounting and finance in an industrial and engineering business setting. The course is designed to give students an overall picture of the calculative practices relevant on the managerial level. The course provides also an introduction to using a spreadsheet program for doing financial calculations and demonstrates how to build up a financial model for a company.

Important topics covered during the course include:

- company organization and corporate governance functions and structures
- cost accounting systems and performance measurement
- interpretation of key items in the financial statements
- investment decision rules and capital budgeting
- various financing alternatives including leasing and long-term financial planning
- working capital management and short-term financial planning.

Type of instruction

Lectures and readings
The relevant theories and concepts will be covered in teacher led lectures. To foster students understanding, students are expected to read the assigned literature before class (see course schedule). It is important to note that the lectures are not substitutes for the assigned readings. Rather the lectures and the readings complement each other and are both relevant for the examination.
Exercise Seminars and Computer Labs
In addition to the lectures, exercise seminars and computer labs will be held to assist students in building their practical skills in relation to calculative practices. The lab sessions give an opportunity to train for the written exam and to use the theories and concepts learned in the lectures in a more practical manner.
Cooperative Learning
The ability to function effectively in team work is an important aspect of managerial work. Particularly in a global context mutual understanding and working together across different cultural backgrounds is an important feature of every day work. Therefore, twenty percent of the final grade (equal to 1.5 ECTS) will be based on a group assignment related to a case study about a financial company model that is conducted together in a group of students from the course.
Students are also encouraged to form study groups. Study groups provide a useful venue for sharing insights and problems, and will help to achieve best performance.

The teaching is conducted in English.

Prerequisites

Bachelor’s degree (i.e the equivalent of 180 credits at an accredited university) with at least 90 credits in engineering (or the equivalent).

Examination and grades

The course is graded A, B, C, D, E, FX or F.

The final grade is composed in two parts: 80% of the grade refers to an individual written final exam and 20% of the grade refers to the final group assignment. In the individual written exam the students will examine students’ technical calculation abilities in accounting and finance. There will be additional assignments in the course that students need to be pass but which are not graded.
A pass grade must be achieved on both exam and group assignment in order to pass the course.
To pass with distinction, students need to show excellence in several of the learning outcomes. In particular it is relevant to show a clear understanding of the central accounting and finance concepts and the links between the managerial work and calculative practices.
ILO 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 are examined through the written exam
ILO 5 and 7 are examined through the group assignment

Registration of examination:
Name of the TestValueGrading
Written examination6 creditsA/B/C/D/E/FX/F
Assignment1.5 creditsA/B/C/D/E/FX/F

Course evaluation

It is the responsibility of the examiner to ensure that each course is evaluated. At the outset of the course, evaluators must be identified (elected) among the students. The course evaluation is carried out continuously as well as at the end of the course. On the completion of the course the course evaluators and course examiner discuss the course evaluation and possible improvements. A summary report is created and archived. The reports are followed up by program directors and discussed in program groups and with relevant others (depending on issue e.g. Associate Dean of Education, Associate Dean of faculty, Director of PhD Candidates, Dean and Director of Studies). The next time the course runs, students should be informed of any measures taken to improve the course based on the previous course evaluation.

Other information

Academic integrity
JIBS students are expected to maintain a strong academic integrity. This implies to behave within the boundaries of academic rules and expectations relating to all types of teaching and examination.
Copying someone else’s work is a particularly serious offence and can lead to disciplinary action. When you copy someone else’s work, you are plagiarizing. You must not copy sections of work (such as paragraphs, diagrams, tables and words) from any other person, including another student or any other author. Cutting and pasting is a clear example of plagiarism. There is a workshop and online resources to assist you in not plagiarizing called the Interactive Anti-Plagiarism Guide.
Other forms of breaking academic integrity include (but are not limited to) adding your name to a project you did not work on (or allowing someone to add their name), cheating on an examination, helping other students to cheat and submitting other students work as your own, and using non-allowed electronic equipment during an examination. All of these make you liable to disciplinary action.

Course literature

Atrill/ McLaney, Management Accounting for Decision Makers, Pearson global edition (latest)
Berk/DeMarzo, Corporate Finance, Pearson global edition (latest)
Additional readings might be assigned during the course