ØABED4500 Management Control Systems Course description

Management control is essential in all organizations. Inappropriate management control systems can result in underperformance, large financial losses, damaged reputation, and bankruptcy. This course focuses on how management control systems should be designed to achieve value creation in decentralized organizations. Based on economic, psychological, and sociological perspectives on human behavior in organizations, the various forms of responsibility centers, transfer pricing approaches, budgeting processes, performance measures, and incentive systems are discussed aiming to foster holistic understanding of the mechanisms that different management levels can use to stimulate effort and focus on value creation for the stakeholders in line with the organization’s strategy.

None

After completing the course, the student should have the following overall learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills, and general competence:

Knowledge

The student has

• ability to apply a broad set of perspectives on human behavior in evaluation of the effects of management control levers
• advanced insight into the most important issues relating to elements of management control systems
• very good understanding of the trade-offs associated with different performance measures
• strong capability for critical reflection regarding the relationship between formal reward systems and other forces driving internal and external motivation

Skills

The student is capable of

• applying motivation theory, principal-agent theory, accounting concepts and microeconomic insights to complex management control problems in companies
• relating the choice of management control approaches to the company's strategies at group and entity level

General competence

The student

• can reflect on ethical and moral dilemmas related to management control and strategy
• has developed analytical competence further

The course is taught in plenary lectures, and through students working on different assignments.

The teaching is coordinated with ØABED3400.

The following coursework requirements must have been approved in order for the student to take the exam:

• Coursework: Three written assignments must be handed in by set deadlines during the term. Students work individually or in groups of up to four members. The scope of the assignment (number of pages) varies depending on the nature of the assignment. The expected number of pages is less than 20 in total for the three assignments.

The purpose of the work requirement is for the students to achieve a deeper understanding of the syllabus and to develop skills in assessing management control systems.

All required coursework must be completed and approved by the given deadline in order for the student to take the exam. If one or more coursework requirements have not been approved, the student will be given one opportunity to submit an improved version by the given deadline.

The exam in the course is a supervised exam of 4 hours.

Kull 2018 har introduksjon til emnet høsten 2020, og skriver bacheloroppgaven våren 2021.

Kull 2019 har introduksjon til emnet våren 2021, og skriver bacheloroppgaven høsten 2021.

Passed first year of the programme or equivalent. Passed two of three Clinical Studies form the second year (SYBAPRA2, 3 or 4)

Foretaksretten omfatter selskapsrettens regler for stiftelse og drift av selskaper, herunder egenkapitaltransaksjoner og ansvars- og heftelsesformer, lovgivningen om finansmarkedene, herunder regler om innsidehandel mv, og lovgivningen om insolvens og konkurs. Emnet inkluderer innføring i juridisk metode og grunnleggende regler om avtaler, kjøp og pengekrav. Formålet er å gjøre studentene i stand til å analysere og ta stilling til rettsspørsmål i foretak.

The following coursework must have been approved in order for a student to be permitted to take the exam:

• Project description for the bachelor's thesis.
• Completed supervision (three compulsory hours of the four hours offered).

If the deadlines are not met, students may be obliged to wait until the next academic year to submit their bachelor's thesis.