The course principal aim is to develop analytical and critical understanding of management control systems. In particular the aim is is to provide students the necessary knowledge to understand how management control systems fits the strategic requirements and how they influence the behaviour of the employees in the desired direction. The focus on cases of good and wrong design will help students to develop specialized knowledge of how control systems works in different organizations and how the innovation in management control systems is a necessary prerequisite to help organizations to adapt to changing environments. A further aim is to enable students to develop the ability to use relevant concepts in discussions of management control systems and to reflect critically on how they work or don’t work.
After completion of the course the student should be able to
A) KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
1. understand the purpose and role of management control within a company;
2. identify the different theoretical approaches to management control;
3. assess the importance of management control not only in the strategy implementation phase, but also in the formulation phase;
4. explain the purposes and roles of specific management control tools and how they contribute to improving results.
5. identify the relevant problems of the design, implementation and review of the control systems;
6. identify relevant aspects of control, in particular the role of the budget and financial and non-financial indicators;
7. recognize the importance of management control in encouraging organizational changes;
8. to critically reflect on the various existing theoretical positions regarding control;
B) AUTONOMY OF JUDGMENT:
1. reads and interprets the planning, programming and control systems, as well as performance evaluation in private and public companies;
2. evaluates and critically reflects on different models and methods to implement management control.
C) COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
1. It expresses in an oral form analytical and synthesis considerations on
the fundamental aspects of the discipline and carries out interdisciplinary
links.
