Information and evaluation criteria of assignment paper

Course: Management control (KGNM_GETA015)

During the course, it is mandatory to prepare an assignment paper in teams of a maximum

of 4 people. During the first 2 weeks, each team chooses from the proposed topics, which
include managerial problems to prepare a written essay fulfilling requirements of academic
quality. Each topic is closely connected to the syllabus of Management Control, and the
connected course Managerial Accounting (KGNM_GETA010).

1. Parts of the assignment paper

Task 1
Prepare an essay on the selected topics, focusing on how companies can adopt them in their
management processes.

• The problem of Budgeting

• The problem of Forecasting, data analytics and statistical techniques
• The problem of Cost accounting techniques
• The problem of Standard costing
• The problem of Performance measurement
• The problem of Management information systems
For each topic, two sources are made available (1 academic literature + 1 business source)
that are mandatory to be used and discussed. Besides these two mandatory sources, at least
10 references need to be used. It is advised to search and review relevant material that
discusses the relevant managerial problem of specific companies, to compare the methods
these companies solve the said problems and of which to draw conclusions.
Each of the topics is connected to the Managerial Accounting course material, which is
recommended to be reviewed during the preparation of the assignment. The use of
calculations and uniquely prepared Excel spreadsheets are awarded but not mandatory.
Length of Task 1: ranging between 30.000 – 40.000 characters (with spaces).

Task 2
Prepare a technical review on the steps of carrying out academic research. It is advised to use
the example of Task 1’s topics. How do you structure such an essay – explain how to structure
the paper and the necessary content in each part.
Length of Task 2: ranging between 5.000 – 10.000 characters (with spaces).

2. Deadlines for submission

Materials to be submitted in electronic format (.docx format and in case of own calculations
.xlsx format) must be sent to the instructor's e-mail address (suta.alex@ga.sze.hu) by 23:59
on Monday 25 April 2022 (Week 12).
 3. Content requirements
The Management Control course is largely about the analytical methods you can use and how
to apply them in business practice. For help, see the series of slides and supplementary
material, for the Managerial Accounting course uploaded materials! For writing the essay, the
compulsory and recommended literature is made available (2 literature for each topic) will be
of great help to search for additional references.

4. Formal requirements
Within the limits of aesthetic considerations and conventions, the formal presentation of the
essay is left to the discretion of each team, but the use of individual formats must be uniform:
headings at different levels, text body, indentation, bulleted lists, highlighting, numbering of
figures and tables, etc. must all have the same formal setting.

5. Evaluation criteria
The assessment criteria for the term paper are very similar to the assessment criteria for the
thesis (except that there are no given specifications for font sizes and styles). The formal and
content evaluation criteria to be used are given below for your convenience.
1. Identify the problem to be solved (max 10 points)
• Does the problem to be analysed and the practical examples covered fit the study
material of the Managerial Accounting course?
• Can a relevant analytical problem be identified concerning the management of
companies?

2. Essay structure, style, spelling, diagrams and tables (max 25 points)

• Is the structure and organization of the essay logical? Is the mainline of thought clearly
identifiable? Is it in a logical order and does it really address the issues raised?
• Are the author's own ideas clearly expressed?
• Are there spelling and typing errors?
• Is the essay written in a smooth, professional style, an enjoyable read?
• Is the format and design of the essay aesthetically pleasing?
• Is the use of the word processor appropriate? (Serious errors: page breaks by pressing
Enter, centre alignment by pressing spaces, etc.)
• Are the formal requirements for figures and tables in the written material appropriate?
(Figure and table numbering, numbered reference to the figure in the text body, the
indication of the source of data under figures, tables, etc.)
• Are the diagrams and tables of uniform size and layout?

3. Use and processing of literature, references (max 15 points)

• What is the extent of the literature research and processing behind the essay?
• Have the authors properly integrated ideas from others into the essay, and do they
synthesise the literature well?
 • Do the authors follow the rules of literature use?
• Are the references clear, are the formal requirements met and is the referencing system
consistent?
• If ideas are taken from secondary sources (other analyses, textbooks, journal articles,
newspaper articles, internet sources) without reference, the paper is given a 0 mark!

4. The quality of the topic development (max 50 points)

• Is the authors' independent analytical thinking clearly visible or are they essentially
repeating what was said in secondary sources?
• Is the presentation of the topic (the management problem of a specific company and
its operating environment) adequate and has the necessary information been provided
for the purpose of the essay?
• Is the purpose of the essay clearly stated and does the review seek answers to relevant
questions?
• How can the analysis of the used literature methods be assessed?
• Have the results obtained been interpreted correctly?
• Does the review present a coherent and coherent whole?
• Does it identify the causes of the problem under analysis and does the review fulfil its
purpose?

6. Assessment of the assignment

Papers will be assessed by 2 May 2022. This also applies to papers submitted before the
deadline!
The evaluation is not based on the order in which the papers are received! After all the papers
have been checked, the overall results will be uploaded to the Szlearning page.
In case the essay contains serious errors that make the work unworthy of evaluation,
we will ask for revision, correction and resubmission of the essay in Weeks 13-14 to
complete the semester!

7. Point limits, grades

Semester performance will be assessed on the basis of the total number of points (max. 100
points) for the assignment, as follows: below 49 points unsatisfactory, 50-64 points
satisfactory, 65-79 points average, 80-89 points good, 90-100 points excellent.