(2) ACCOUNTING
Questions about the topics within the subject area of Accounting should be directed to: Hans Frimor, Department of Business Management, e-mail: haf@sam.sdu.dk.
All topics in this subject area can be written in English or Danish.
2.1 Strategy and management accounting
How does a company use its financial management system to facilitate the company's overall strategic decisions and how can financial system subsequently support to achieve these strategic goals?
Relevant topics in this area could be:
- Building and using the Balanced Scorecard as a financial basis.
- Target pricing and target costing.
- Performance evaluation and compensation of top management.
2.2 Activity Based Costing
A number of business operation decisions rely on the quality of cost accounting information, since the cost accounting information are mainly related to the cost of products, branches and customers. The quality of the cost information depends on the accounting system's ability to provide such relevant information. ABC is one of the most widely used modern accounting systems, and is designed to provide decision-relevant information.
Possible topics in this area could be:
- Design and implementation of an ABC accounting system
- The use of ABC in pricing decisions
- Time-Driven ABC
- Use of the ABC and/or TD-ABC within a given industry (eg. service companies, hospitals and other public Companies)
2.3 Valuation of assets in the financial statements
What criteria should the value measurements of financial statement use and how should company value different type of assets in their financial statements.
Possible topics in this area could be:
- Valuation and recognition of research and development
- Valuation and recognition of lease assets
- Valuation and recognition of investment properties
- Valuation and recognition of subsidiaries
- Valuation and recognition of contractual rights (eg. for football player)
2.4 Determination of a company's profits
The recognition and measurement of revenues and other income elements – and expenses – is central to the determination of a company's profits. There are a number of issues related to how a company may recognize its income.
Possible topics in this area could be:
- Construction Contracts
- Sales of software with continuous upgrades (eg. anti-virus programs)
2.5 Company Analysis
The company's ability to create value for shareholders is a key issue for external investors. So measurement of a company's value and growth is important in many contexts.
Possible topics within this subject could be:
- Analysis and valuation of a selected company.
- Alternative models for valuing a company
- The valuations related to M&A (merger and acquisitions).
2.6 Regulation of financial reporting
An important characteristic of annual reports is that the firm, which provides the report, is a monopolist regarding the information about the firm’s economy, while those persons and organizations using the annual report in their decisions are external to the firm. As a result of this conflicts of interests may arise between the firm and the external parties. Various initiatives have been taken to reduce this conflict. Legislation and other regulations (accounting standards) as well as the obligation to have their accounts audited by an independent auditor are some of the obvious means being used. The question is whether these measures are appropriate and/or sufficient.
Possible topics within this theme might be:
- Why should financial reporting be regulated, and what ways can and should this be done?
- What are the objectives of the audit of company accounts, and what are the methods to be used to verify the accuracy of financial statements?
- Considering the ongoing discussion on audit market reform, what role of auditor/audit firms should be considered to strengthen the quality of auditing?