BSc Management

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme.

The Manchester Bursary is available to UK students registered on an undergraduate degree course at Alliance MBS who have had a full financial assessment carried out by Student Finance England. 

In addition, Alliance MBS will award a range of Social Responsibility Scholarships to UK and international/EU students.

These awards are worth £2,000 per year across three years of study. You must achieve AAA at A-level (or equivalent qualification) and be able to demonstrate a significant contribution and commitment to social responsibility.

The School will also award a number of International Stellar Scholarships to international students achieving AAA at A-level (or equivalent qualification). Applicants who exceed AAA and/or have supplementary qualifications (such as EPQ) will receive additional consideration.

Additional eligibility criteria apply - please see our scholarship pages for full details.

The course explores theoretical concepts, practice, design and broader issues of cost and management accounting. It examines the characteristics of costing systems and the use of cost information in management decision making, at both the operating and strategic levels. Topics covered include (in no particular order): cost behavior, cost accumulation and assigning costs, intermediate costing methods, strategic cost management, pricing intra-company transfers, pricing decisions and the role of costs, profit planning and the full process of preparing the master budget, flexible budgets and management by exception, beyond budgeting, case studies on costing, pricing and budgeting, pricing product design, product development and marketing, target cost analysis, reverse-income analysis, strategy and long-term allocation processes, intra-firm coordination and capital budgeting, performance management, segmental reporting and decentralization, the role of management accounting in facilitating value, and environmental management accounting. Issues relating to the behavioural, organisational and social aspects of cost and management accounting systems will be infused throughout delivery of the course.

BMAN21040 has pre-requisites of: BMAN10512 or BMAN10632 / 10632(M). Core for BSc Accounting & BSc ITMB (Accounting). Available to Mgt, IM, IMABS, IBFE & ITMB. Also taken by BAEcon & MathswFinancial Maths level 3 & 4.

Pre-requisite course units have to be passed by 40% or above at the first attempt unless a higher percentage is indicated within this course outline. If the pre-requisite unit is defined as a compulsory course unit within your programme of study (Maths with Finance, IBFE, Accounting, BA Econ pathways for example) then progression onto the dependent unit is permitted as long as you have gained the appropriate amount of credit to progress on to the following year of your registered undergraduate programme.

Pre-requisites:
BMAN10512 Introductory Management Accounting or
BMAN10632/10632(M) Fundamentals of Management Accounting

Co-requisites: None

Dependent course units: BMAN31040 Advanced Management Accounting
 

The course builds upon material introduced in BMAN10512 Introductory Management Accounting and BMAN10632/10632(M) Fundamentals of Management Accounting. The primary aim is to extend students' understanding of the theories, techniques and practices of management and cost accounting and how they apply in practice to inform decision making.  Particular emphasis is placed on issues in the design and use of management accounting and control systems in and between organizations.

On completion of this course, successful students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of alternative concepts, tools, practices, roles and terminologies of cost and management accounting;
- Skilfully apply a number of calculative cost and management accounting techniques;
- Interpret, and critically appraise, the use of cost and management accounting techniques within their broader (organisational, environmental and managerial) contexts;
- Appreciate the numerous behavioural, organisational, political and social dimensions of cost and management accounting practice.

The course explores theoretical concepts, practices, design and broader issues of cost and management accounting.  It examines the characteristics of managerial accounting systems and the use of cost information in management decision making, at both the operating and strategic levels.  

Key themes developed in the course include:

• the importance of cost information and costing systems to the successful strategic management of organisations in a competitive business environment, 
• traditional and newer techniques for appraising and controlling resource allocation decisions,  
• issues concerning the choice of appropriate means of costing products and services,
• issues and problems of using accounting practices as devices of control within organisations and between organizations in a network, 
• the selection and use of managerial accounting techniques to support firms’ competitive advantage,  
• issues and techniques related to performance measurement.

Lectures: 30 hours per year 
Workshops: 6 hours per year 
Private study: 164 hours per year (recommended minimum)

Total hours: 200 hours per year

1. Office Hours 2. Online Learning Activities (blogs, discussions, self-assessment questions)

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of alternative concepts, tools, practices, roles and terminologies of cost and management accounting. 

• Interpret, and critically appraise, the use of cost and management accounting techniques within their broader (organisational, environmental and managerial) contexts. 

• Skilfully apply key calculative cost and management accounting techniques.

• Appreciate the behavioral, organisational and social dimensions affecting the design of managerial accounting and control systems within and between organizations.  

Examinations  

First examination (January exam period): 50% of total marks. 
Second examination (May-June exam period): 50% of total marks.  

Further information on the structure of the examinations, and guidance toward revision, will be provided by the course conveners during semesters 1 and 2.    

Semester 1 exchange students only (admitted via the Alliance Manchester Business School International Office that take this course as BMAN20671) are expected to sit the same semester 1 assessment as the rest of the cohort, worth 100% for 10 credits for semester 1.

 

• Informal advice and discussion during the lecture, consultation, and discussion sessions.
• Responses to student emails and questions from a member of staff
• A discussion forum is also available on blackboard to allow students the opportunity to ask questions or raise issues about the course content. This forum is monitored by the lead member of staff
• A detailed summary of student performance will be posted on Blackboard for both the January and May/June examinations. This information will be provided once the formal examining and moderating processes have been completed.

Seal, W., Rhode, C., Garrison, R. H., & Noreen, E. W. (2018). Management Accounting (6th Edition). McGraw –Hill, Maidenhead, Berkshire.

For Academic Year 2025/26

Updated: March 2025

Approved by: March UG Committee