AF3U093 - Performance Management 01 Sep 2019 - 31 Aug 2020 | Version 1

Associated Module Information

Module Code: AF3U093
Module Title: Performance Management
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Society
Faculty Group: Law, Accounting and Finance
Faculty Sub Group: Accounting (old)
Module Leader:
Module Team:
First Intended Intake: SEP 2019 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 30 Credit Level: 6
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100836 - management accountancy
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 1
Valid From 01 Sep 2019
Valid To 31 Aug 2020

Module Aims

This paper is one of nine papers that form the Fundamentals level of the ACCA professional examination scheme. Successful completion of the internal assessments for this paper will allow a student to claim exemption from ACCA’s F5 paper. Students may opt to sit ACCA’s external equivalent of this paper.

To develop knowledge and skills in the application of management accounting techniques to quantitative and qualitative information for planning, decision-making, performance evaluation and control.

Content Summary

The syllabus for Paper F5, Performance

Management, builds on the knowledge gained in Paper F2, Management Accounting. It also prepares candidates for more specialist capabilities which are

covered in P5 Advanced Performance Management.

The syllabus begins by introducing more specialised management accounting topics. There is some knowledge assumed from Paper F2 – primarily overhead treatments. The objective here is to ensure candidates have a broader background in management accounting techniques.

The syllabus then considers decision-making. Candidates need to appreciate the problems surrounding scarce resource, pricing and make-or-buy decisions, and how this relates to the assessment of performance. Risk and uncertainty are a factor of real-life decisions and candidates need to understand risk and be able to apply some basic methods to help resolve the risks inherent in decision-making.

Budgeting is an important aspect of many

accountants’ lives. The syllabus explores different budgeting techniques and the problems inherent in them. The behavioural aspects of budgeting are important for accountants to understand, and the syllabus includes consideration of the way individuals react to a budget. The preparation of fixed, flexible and incremental budgets is assumed knowledge from F2.

Standard costing and variances are then built on. All the variances examined in Paper F2 are assumed knowledge in F5. Mix and yield variances, and planning and operational variances are explored here and the link is made to performance management. It is important for accountants to be able to interpret the numbers that they calculate and ask what they mean in the context of performance.

The syllabus concludes with performance

management systems, measurement and control. This is a major area of the syllabus. Accountants need to understand how a business should be managed and controlled and how information systems can be used to facilitate this. They should

appreciate the importance of both financial and non-financial performance measures in management. Accountants should also appreciate the difficulties in assessing performance in divisionalised businesses and the problems caused

by failing to consider external influences on performance. This section leads directly to Paper P5.

All of the subject areas covered in this syllabus could be examined in either a public sector or private sector context.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Seminar 50
Independent Study 90
Directed Study 150
Formative Assessment - Scheduled 10
Total Hours Selected 300

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Explain and apply cost accounting techniques.
LO2 Select and appropriately apply decision-making techniques to evaluate business choices and promote efficient and effective use of scarce business resources, appreciating the risks and uncertainty inherent in business and controlling those risks.
LO3 Identify and apply budgeting techniques and evaluate alternative methods of budgeting, planning and control.
LO4 Use standard costing systems to measure and control business performance and to identify remedial action.
LO5 Identify and discuss performance management information systems and assess the performance of a business from both a financial and non-financial viewpoint, appreciating the problems of controlling divisionalised businesses and the importance of allowing for external aspects.
LO6 Display competence in a range of soft/transferable skills

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Written Examination Written Examination - Closed Book (Unseen) 1 195 N/A 70 No 40
Written Assignment (CW) Report (CW) 1 0 2000 30 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6
Written Examination - Closed Book (Unseen) 1
Report (CW) 1

Reading List

Kaplan Publishing (2013) Performance Management F5 Study Text

Kaplan Publishing

BPP Professional Education (2013) Performance Management F5 Study Text

BPP Publishing

Atrill, P. & McLaney,E. (2012) Management Accounting for

Decision Makers (7th Edition),

FT Prentice Hall.

Drury, C. (2012) Cost & Management Accounting

(8th Edition)

Thomson Learning.