Accounting II (Managerial Accounting)

Course overview

This course is designed for those who want to improve their decision-making, organizational operation and strategy execution capabilities for management by mastering skills for using the basic concepts and methods of managerial accounting and internal control. Managerial accounting is not simply limited to cost calculation. It is also a framework for making decisions based on accounting data that reflects actual conditions of business in order to project the effectiveness of strategy planning, monitor whether strategies are executed properly and feedback obtained results into future strategies. It is also closely related to performance management and incentive systems for controlling and mobilizing an organization to actualize strategies. Therefore, the understanding of people and organizations, in addition to accounting, will be required.

In this course, managerial accounting and internal control are regarded as a mechanism to materialize and implement strategies with decisions and operations on the back of accounting data. Students will consider how to design and manage a series of processes consisting of planning, implementation and feedback, and how to use variable methods such as break-even point analysis, cost accounting, budget management and performance evaluation systems given the circumstances of each company. The aim is to acquire an ability to understand how the effectiveness and limitation of such methods relate to strategies and management functions like human resource management and marketing, and then to construct and activate a control system to materialize strategies.

In all of the six classes, the case method is used with discussion playing a central role. In the first class, students will grasp overall managerial accounting including organizational control, cost control and decision-making. From the second class, we will focus on each domain of managerial accounting.

The ability to make decisions and manage organizations based on accounting data are essential requirements for all business leaders. It is therefore recommended that all students take this course.