Skip to main content
About HEC About HEC
Summer School Summer School
Faculty & Research Faculty & Research
Master’s programs Master’s programs
Bachelor Programs Bachelor Programs
MBA Programs MBA Programs
PhD Program PhD Program
Executive Education Executive Education
HEC Online HEC Online
About HEC
Overview Overview
Who
We Are
Who
We Are
Egalité des chances Egalité des chances
HEC Talents HEC Talents
International International
Sustainability Sustainability
Diversity
& Inclusion
Diversity
& Inclusion
The HEC
Foundation
The HEC
Foundation
Campus life Campus life
Activity Reports Activity Reports
Summer School
Youth Programs Youth Programs
Summer programs Summer programs
Online Programs Online Programs
Faculty & Research
Overview Overview
Faculty Directory Faculty Directory
Departments Departments
Centers Centers
Chairs Chairs
Grants Grants
Knowledge@HEC Knowledge@HEC
Master’s programs
Master in
Management
Master in
Management
Master's
Programs
Master's
Programs
Double Degree
Programs
Double Degree
Programs
Bachelor
Programs
Bachelor
Programs
Summer
Programs
Summer
Programs
Exchange
students
Exchange
students
Student
Life
Student
Life
Our
Difference
Our
Difference
Bachelor Programs
Overview Overview
Course content Course content
Admissions Admissions
Fees and Financing Fees and Financing
MBA Programs
MBA MBA
Executive MBA Executive MBA
TRIUM EMBA TRIUM EMBA
PhD Program
Overview Overview
HEC Difference HEC Difference
Program details Program details
Research areas Research areas
HEC Community HEC Community
Placement Placement
Job Market Job Market
Admissions Admissions
Financing Financing
FAQ FAQ
Executive Education
Home Home
About us About us
Management topics Management topics
Open Programs Open Programs
Custom Programs Custom Programs
Events/News Events/News
Contacts Contacts
HEC Online
Overview Overview
Executive programs Executive programs
MOOCs MOOCs
Summer Programs Summer Programs
Youth programs Youth programs

Management control is essentially about planning and decision-making. Navigating through complex organizational decision scenarios requires managers and executives to apply a variety of economic and strategic analyses, in particular concerning the cost and profitability of products, clients and activities.

This course aims to develop students’ capacity to select and structure management accounting information necessary to evaluate alternative courses of action. It is particularly designed to enable students to translate typical management situations into accounting terms by applying costing techniques and reasoning methods that can be mobilized for particular management decisions.

Specifically, the course covers different types of costs, different methods of cost analysis and their relevance to decision-making.


The course learning objectives are as follows:

  • Know how to identify the techniques, methods and reasoning adapted to a management situation or to make a specific managerial decision;
  • Master the different techniques and methods to calculate costs and measure profitability in the organization;
  • Develop an understanding of information usefulness in a variety of organizational contexts across hierarchies.

This course covers the most basic ‘toolbox’ for management accounting which students will also need to apply in subsequent management accounting courses, such as Business Performance Management. It is, therefore, useful for every student, irrespective of their professional goal, because the business techniques, tools and methods studied are used in most of organizations (Industry, Services, Non-Governmental Organizations, Cultural Enterprises, etc.). The course further complements the methods and approaches of the Financial Accounting course by turning attention to the internal dimension of decision-making.

  • Types of costs: fixed/variable costs, direct/indirect costs, opportunity costs, relevant costs, costs incurred;
  • Cost-volume-profit relationships and breakeven analysis;
  • Decisions based on contribution margin: special orders, product-mix, outsourcing; contribution per unit of scarce resource, discontinuation decisions;
  • Full cost calculation methods, with and without stock: 2-step allocation method, ABC method;
  • Discounted cash flow methods and long-term capital investment decisions;
  • Management accounting for start-ups: Profitability of products /markets /activities / customers; launch decisions;
  • Accounting for Customer Profitability: cost and value analyses;
  • Management accounting in action: The organizational and behavioural context of management accounting.