2013 Management Accounting

Guidelines for Group Assignment Task 1: Article Presentation The first task pertains to the article provided wherein each group is going to present the key message of the article by constructing their own context and/or illustration for conveying the message. The following points should be kept in mind for presentation: a) ach article provides speaks about specific issues in the realm of management which the group is to understand and reflect on. xtract the most important points !different contexts" issues" problems and solutions offered) from the article. #t may help to keep in mind these broad $uestions for reflecting on the issues: i. %hy is this issue important for managers& At what level is it important !senior" middle" or operations manager)& ii. #n what kind of organisations or organisational situations can a manager expect to encounter these issues or problems& %hat are the possible short'term and long' term conse$uences of not resolving this problem& iii. (ow would one" with no management training" deal with this issue& %hat sort of problems or shortcomings would those create& iv. (ow would you" as professional managers" deal with the issue& b) )ou !i.e. the group) would be presenting the article in your own words. )ou are free to incorporate the aforementioned important points into your own examples" illustrations and contexts. c) Additional examples" illustrations or any other innovative way of presenting the article in a useful manner is welcome. Task 2: Case Solution and Presentation The second task pertains to the management case provided. #t would help to keep in mind the following: a) *o not approach the case as a +uestion'Answer exercise. Getting an understanding of the business model and salient characteristics of the business in $uestion is most important. b) The case speaks about a particular problem that a company is facing. ,pend some time to understand the context of the case and the predicament faced by the decision maker. c) At the conclusion of your presentation the case has to be understood by everyone and the predicament of decision maker appreciated. The audience should get an understanding of how you arrived at the solution!s) your recommended. Tailor your presentation to best suit this ob-ective. d) The $uestions at the end of the case are intended to stimulate thinking among the group members. The $uestions provided are not exhaustive. the group is free to shed light on additional issues if member!s) believe they are important. e) #n cases where financial data is missing" groups are to research data from comparable companies to obtain or construct illustrative management financial statements to convey their message. )ou are encouraged to obtain financial data from online databases or from the library as re$uired.
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f) The presentation should be in the form of a continuous narrative. avoid describing each section dis-ointedly. structure the presentation accordingly. g) Additional research aimed at increasing the overall effectiveness of the case exercise is welcome. Duration Total time allotted for presentation is 25 minutes per group. /lus 0 minutes for class +1A. ,uggested time for article presentation !Task 2): 23 minutes. ,uggested time for case presentation !Task 4): 20 minutes.

Evaluation 2. All members of the group must present to the class. Absentees forfeit the marks. 4. The group is free to select the order in which the group members would be presenting. 5. 6n occasion" a particular group member may be called upon to present a specific section of the article or the case" or to take the place of another member. This is intended to discourage 7free' riding8 and rote learning. #f the member!s) fails to handle the specified section ade$uately" the member!s) forfeits 039 of the marks allotted to the rest of the group. :. All groups must utili;e the time provided meaningfully. #nappropriate utili;ation of time would attract lower marks. 0. Total weight'age for group assignment is 439. The ratio of marks for tasks 2 and 4 is the same as the ratio of the suggested time for presentation. Su missions All submissions are to be made through the respective <=s. ach group is to submit electronic copies of the following documents. a) >or Task 2: /owerpoint slides used in the presentation of the article !file 2). b) >or Task 4: i. %rite'up !max. : pages) addressing the key issues in the case in +1A format !file 4). ii. The powerpoint slides used in the presentation of the case !file 5). c) All t!ree "iles #"rom eac! grou$% are to e su mitted as a single &i$ "ile to t!e res$ective C'( The filename should clearly indicate section and group number. ! .g. ?A,ubmission@Group@<0.;ip). d) The respective <=s are to create a single ;ip file which contains all the individual &i$ "iles "rom t!eir class and submit it. ! .g. ,ection'A <= will submit a single ;ip file containing all other ;ip files from the groups of ,ection A.). All groups will need to submit a !ard)co$* o" t!e +rite)u$. Su missions Deadline The deadline for final submissions !by respective <=s) is ,ovem er 1-t!. 2013 e"ore /:15 $m. Groups are responsible for ensuring that the submission is made on time" and that basic formatting re$uirements of the submission are met.

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