This version of the course guide is provisional until the period for editing the new course guides ends.

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Cost Accounting

Code: 105767 ECTS Credits: 6
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Accounting and Finances OB 3

Contact

Name:
Carme Casablancas Segura
Email:
carme.casablancas@uab.cat

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

It is recommended that the student has adequate knowledge of "Business economics" and "Financial Accounting II".


Objectives and Contextualisation

Context
It is contextualized within the subject of Financial Control and Operations Management together with Management Accountig, which is taught in the second term of the third year of the Degree in Accounting and Finance.

Goals

  • Provide the necessary skills that allow students to identify and understand the economic and financial context of cost accounting and become more familiar with its terminology and applications.
  • Understand the relationship between the Basic Accounting (external) and Cost Accounting (internal).
  • Achieving the student to discover and learn the relationship between costs, level of activity and the benefit of a company.
  • Understand the concept of cost and its relationship w¡th expenses, and the classification of costs.
  • To introduce students to indirect costs problems and to the main methods of his allocation.
  • Know and apply the cost accumulation systems used to assess the cost of a product or service and develop analytical results.

 


Learning Outcomes

  1. CM39 (Competence) Design a quote for a company, assessing its implementation.
  2. CM40 (Competence) Analyse costs, different calculation systems, costs as a tool for decision-making and new trends, for business and organisation management.

Content

Contents

Topic 1. Cost Accounting

  1. Differences between External Accounting (Financial) and internal accounting (Cost/Management).
  2. Connections between both types of Accounting. Transfer of information between internal and external scope.
  3. Accounting Triangular structure (relative to other accountings).
  4. The Accounting Standardisation.

Topic 2. Concept Cost. Ranking

  1. Cost concept.
  2. Relationship between costs and expenses.
  3. Internal results. The Basic Accounting Scheme.
  4. Classification of costs.
  5. Costing in different productive sectors.

Topic 3. Costs for Nature

  1. The cost of materials.
  2. The cost of labour.
  3. Other indirect costs.
  4. Financial costs.

Topic 4. Cost Allocation Systems

  1. Direct Cost.
  2. Industrial Full Cost.
  3. Total Full Cost
  4. Rational Allocation.

Topic 5. Homogeneous Cost Pool

  1. Concept and characteristics of homogeneous departments.
  2. Classification of departments.
  3. Statistic costs.
  4. The distribution key. Work units.
  5. Statistics Costs Settlement.
  6. The method of equivalences.

Topic 6. Activity Based Costing

  1. Definition and clasification of the activities.
  2. Proces and allocation of costs to activities and prodcuts.

Topic 7. Assessment of Products and Services (I). Process-costing system

  1. The production flow graph.
  2. Accumulation of costs to products.
  3. Table of Distribution.
  4. Table Matrix.
  5. The unit cost structure.

Topic 8. Evaluation of Products and Services (II). Process-costing system

  1. The production report. The equivalent production.
  2. Initial stock and additional raw material.

Topic 9. Job-Order Costing

  1. Allocation of costs to orders.
  2. Assessment of current orders.
  3. The result calculation of the orders.

Topic 10. Joint Products

  1. Allocation of costs to main products.
  2. Methods of allocation of costs to byproducts, waste and scrap.

Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Laboratory Practice 6 0.24 CM39, CM40, CM39
Practical case studies 11 0.44 CM39, CM40, CM39
Theoretical lessons and discussion 32.5 1.3 CM39, CM40, CM39
Type: Supervised      
Case tracking and analysis of problems 5 0.2 CM39, CM40, CM39
Tutoring of case studies 10 0.4 CM39, CM40, CM39
Type: Autonomous      
Study and research for information 52.5 2.1 CM39, CM40, CM39
The development and resolutions of cases 30 1.2 CM39, CM40, CM39

The teaching methodology is based on a combination of three types of activities:

  • Guided activity: theoretical and practical resolution (analysis) of cases.
  • Supervised activity: consisting attending tutorials and exercises with a ruled follow-up.
  • Individual autonomous activity: students' personal study (study of basic bibliography, readings, research information, etc.).

 The Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) teaching methodology is used and effective feedback processes are applied.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Final test 45% 3 0.12 CM39, CM40
Laboratory Practice 15% 0 0 CM39, CM40
Working group 40% 0 0 CM39, CM40

This subject does not offer the option for comprehensive evaluation.

Evaluation                             

The student's assessment will be based on the following activities:

  1. Project Group (40% of the total).
    1. 5% Deliveries on time (at least 80%).
    2. 20% of the project. Will be assessed based on a rubric.
    3. 10% Oral Defence. Will be assessed based on a rubric.
    4. 5% Individual evaluation. Teacher assessment.
  2. Laboratory practices (15% of the total). The grade is computable if you get a score higher than 5 out of 10.
  3. Final Test (45% of the mark). The grade is computable if you get a score higher than 3.5 out of 10.

To pass the course the student should get her an aggregate grade not less than 4.9 out of 10.

 

Calendar of evaluation activities

The dates of the evaluation activities (midterm exams, exercises, assignments ...) will be announced well in advance during the semester.

The date of the final exam is scheduled in the assessment calendar of the Faculty.

"The dates of evaluation activities cannot be modified, unless there is an exceptional and duly justified reason why an evaluation activity cannot be carried out. In this case, the degree coordinator will contact both the teaching staff and the affected student, and a new date will be scheduled within the same academic period to make up for the missed evaluation activity." Section 1 of Article 115. Calendar of evaluation activities (Academic Regulations UAB). Students of theFaculty of Economics and Business, who in accordance with the previous paragraph need to change an evaluation activity date must process the request by filling out an Application for exams' reschedule at https://eformularis.uab.cat/group/deganat_feie/application-for-exams-reschedule

 

Grade revision process

After all grading activities have ended students will be informed of the date and way in which the course grades will be published. Students will be also be informed of the procedure, place, date and time of grade revision following University regulations.

 

Retake Process

"To be eligible to participate in the retake process, it is required for students to have been previously been evaluated for at least two thirds of the total evaluation activities of the subject." Section 3 of Article 112 ter. The recovery (UAB Academic Regulations). Additionally, it is required that the student to have achieved an average grade of the subject between 3.5 and 4.8.

The date of the retake exam is posted in the calendar of evaluation activities of the Faculty. Students taking this exam and passing will get a grade of 5 for the subject. For the students that do not pass the retake, the grade will remain unchanged, and hence, will fail the course.

 

Irregularities in evaluation activities

Despite other disciplinary measures deemed appropriate, and in accordance with current academic regulations, "whenever a student makes any irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the grade of an evaluation activity, it will be graded with a 0, regardless of the disciplinary process that can be instructed. In case of occurrence of various irregularities in the evaluation of the same subject, the final grade of this subject willbe 0". Section 10 of Article 116. Results of the evaluation. (UAB Academic Regulations).

 

Not assessable

According to point 9 of article 266 of the UAB Academic Regulations, when it is considered that the student has not been able to provide sufficient evidence of assessment, the subject will be classified as not assessable.

 

Use of AI

In this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed as an integral part of the development of the work, provided that the final result reflects a significant contribution by the student in the analysis and personal reflection. The student must clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. Non-transparency in the use of AI will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may result in a penalty in the grade of the activity, or greater sanctions in serious cases. The use of AI is not allowed in exams.

 

 

 

 

 


Bibliography

Amat, O. & Soldevila, P. (2010). Contabilidad y gestión de Costes. Profit Editorial. ACCID Barcelona.

Bhimani, Alnoor, et al. Management and Cost Accounting, Pearson Education, Limited, 2018. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uab/detail.action?docID=5763136.

Goldratt, Eliyahu, and Jeff Cox. La meta: un proceso de mejora continua / Eliyahu Goldratt, Jeff Cox ; traducción: Nicholas A. Gibler. Edición revisada. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Granica, 2014. https://bibcercador.uab.cat/permalink/34CSUC_UAB/1eqfv2p/alma991010514246606709

Horngren, Charles T., Srikant M. Datar, and Madhav V. Rajan. Horngren’s Cost Accounting : a Managerial Emphasis / Charles T. Horngren, Srikant M. Datar, Madhav V. Rajan. Sixteenth edition, global edition. Harlow, Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited, 2017. Print.

Mallo, C.; Mallo, M.A.; Jiménez M.A.; Mallo, J. & Merlo, J. (2000). Contabilidad de Costes. Pirámide.

UAB: Material available at the Aula Moodle


Software

Excel will be used as a spreadsheet.


Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(PAUL) Classroom practices 101 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PAUL) Classroom practices 501 Catalan first semester afternoon
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 101 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(PLAB) Practical laboratories 501 Catalan first semester afternoon
(TE) Theory 10 Catalan first semester morning-mixed
(TE) Theory 50 Catalan first semester afternoon