Insegnamento a.a. 2024-2025

20942 - PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT

Department of Accounting

Course taught in English

Class timetable
Exam timetable
Go to class group/s: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5
IM (8 credits - I sem. - OB  |  SECS-P/07)
Course Director:
ANDREA DOSSI

Classes: 1 (I sem.) - 2 (I sem.) - 3 (I sem.) - 4 (I sem.) - 5 (I sem.)
Instructors:
Class 1: GIANFRANCO STAMERRA, Class 2: ANDREA DOSSI, Class 3: FRANCESCA FRANCO, Class 4: ARIELA CAGLIO, Class 5: MARCO MORELLI


Mission & Content Summary

MISSION

This course aims to explore the role of performance measurement and control systems in implementing strategy and supporting governance processes. It is widely acknowledged that the survival of any firm depends on its capabilities to generate successful strategic ideas, to motivate its managers to implement strategies, to identify and manage strategic risks and, finally, to create stakeholders’ trust. In these respects, performance measurement systems play a crucial role. On the one hand, through strategic planning, programming and budgeting, performance targets are set, coherently with strategic and organizational choices, and used to evaluate managers’ accountability. On the other hand, reporting systems serve to communicate to both managers and stakeholders’ actual performance in a way that fosters learning from experience, enables redirecting ineffective behaviours and supports the generation of stakeholders’ trust.

CONTENT SUMMARY

The most important topics we consider during this course are the following:

J  The analysis of company financial performance, its link to business strategy and its use for target setting 

J  The design of PMCS aligned with companies’ organizational and accountability choices

J  The application of transfer prices (TPs) for managing business units’ internal exchanges

J  The preparation of profit plans (PPs) and their use to set targets, evaluate and monitor strategic performance 

J  The use of strategic profitability analysis (SPA) to interpret organizational units’ as well as managers’ performance and to redirect choices and behaviors 

J  Strategic performance measurement and incentive systems

J  The design and use of balanced scorecards (BSC) 

J  The definition of non-financial and ESG key performance indicators (KPIs) and of sustainability balanced scorecards (SBSC) 

J  The use of data analytics for performance measurement


Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

1. Identify the key financial indicators most aligend with the business strategy

2. Select relevant operational, strategic and sustainability KPIs of the company business model

3. Estimate the impact of environmantal and/or strategic change on company performance

4. Define the span of attention needed by managers of specific organizational units

5. Evaluate managerial performance and select the incentive system needed for improving it

6. Recognize relevtn stakeholders and select kpis for measuring their contribution to the company

7. Summarize the effect of drivers and their variances on company performance

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING

At the end of the course student will be able to...

1. analyze company financial performance

2. set performance target for a sustainable company growth

3. design a performance measurement system aligned with company and business strategy

4. integrate financial indicators with KPIs

5. design and use a balanced scorecard

6. make managers accountable for their results, and effectively incentivize them

7. integrate strategic performance indicators with sustainability performance measures

8. prepare a profit plan

9. calculate variances between budget and actual results

10. communicate company performance reports


Teaching methods

  • Lectures
  • Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
  • Practical Exercises
  • Individual works / Assignments
  • Collaborative Works / Assignments
  • Interaction/Gamification

DETAILS

- In-class teaching activities and methods comprise traditional face-to-face sessions (aim of these sessions is to present concepts and approaches, i.e. a coherent body of practical theory to be applied to case discussions).
- Further the course has been designed strongly emphasizing the case method, with case discussions (either plenary or in groups) involving students in a seminar-like atmosphere. Students are encouraged to engage in proficient, in-depth discussions with peers and professors, using cases as applications of theory sessions material. Students are required to read and prepare in advance cases.
- Role playing techniques, as well as other active ones, are used for stimulating students participation.
- Group assignment is intended to apply the knowledge acquired in class in a real and complex setting. The analysis and evaluation of the performance of a big listed corporation offers the opportunity to better understand methodologies and to experience the usefulness of team-working and the ability to present results.
- On-line precourse, uploaded on the Bboard platform, is dedicated to the techniques of reclassification of financial statements.


Assessment methods

  Continuous assessment Partial exams General exam
  • Written individual exam (traditional/online)
    x
  • Collaborative Works / Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)
x    
  • Active class participation (virtual, attendance)
x    

ATTENDING STUDENTS

In order to measure the acquisition of the above-mentioned learning outcomes, the students' assessment is based on two main components:

1. Evaluation of the small group assignment (33% of the final grade) aimed to test the students' ability to apply the frameworks and methods of the course to real situations and to interact in small team in a constructive way. 

2. Written exam (67% of the final grade), consisting of one case - aimed to assess students' ability to apply the analytical tools illustrated during the course and to use the results for identifying the drivers of company performance and find the optimal actions to take for improvement - and multiple choice questions - aimed to assess students' knowledge and ability to choose the correct methodology in a given organizational / strategic context..

 

Please take note that the professor can assign up to 1 point to a maximum of 10% of the class to reward
students who proved themselves outstanding in their contribution to class participation,which is assessed on quality and regularity. In-class participation is aimed to test the students' ability to interact in a constructive way and to think critically.


NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

The assessment method for non-attending students is based 100% on a final exam in written form. It will be made up of one case and several open-ended and multiple-choice questions referring to the concepts, models and cases contained in the textbooks and exam materials. The open-ended and multiple-choice questions are mainly aimed at verifying learning of the analytical and management abilities and their correct comprehension. The business case are used to assess the ability to apply the knowledge students learned when studying the course material


Teaching materials


ATTENDING STUDENTS

§  An online course pack: 20942 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT –  ATTENDING STUDENTS

§  In addition to the online coursepack, slides, cases and some additional materials (e.g., exercises) will be provided during the course on the course website.


NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS

§  An online course pack: 20942 PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT –  NON-ATTENDING STUDENTS

§  In addition to the online coursepack, slides, cases and some additional materials (e.g., exercises) will be provided during the course on the course website.

Last change 15/05/2024 20:53