Paper 5: Advanced Management Accounting
(One paper – Three hours – 100 marks)
Level of Knowledge: Advanced knowledge
Objective:
To apply various management accounting techniques to all types of organizations for
planning, decision making and control purposes in practical situations.
To develop ability to apply quantitative techniques to business problems
1. Cost Management
(a) Developments in the business environment; just in time; manufacturing resources
planning; (MRP); automated manufacturing; synchronous manufacturing and back flush
systems to reflect the importance of accurate bills of material and routings; world class
manufacturing; total quality management.
(b) Activity based approaches to management and cost analysis
(c) Analysis of common costs in manufacturing and service industry
(d) Techniques for profit improvement, cost reduction, and value analysis
(e) Throughput accounting
(f) Target costing; cost ascertainment and pricing of products and services
(g) Life cycle costing
(h Shut down and divestment.
2. Cost Volume Profit Analysis
(a) Relevant cost
(b) Product sales pricing and mix
(c) Limiting factors
(d) Multiple scarce resource problems
(e) Decisions about alternatives such as make or buy, selection of products, etc.
3. Pricing Decisions
(a) Pricing of a finished product
(b) Theory of price
(c) Pricing policy
(d) Principles of product pricing
(e) New product pricing
(f) Pricing strategies
12
(g) Pricing of services
(h) Pareto analysis
4. Budgets and Budgetary Control
The budget manual, Preparation and monitoring procedures, Budget variances, Flexible
budgets, Preparation of functional budget for operating and non-operating functions, Cash
budgets, Capital expenditure budget, Master budget, Principal budget factors.
5. Standard Costing and Variance Analysis
Types of standards and sources of standard cost information; evolution of standards,
continuous -improvement; keeping standards meaningful and relevant; variance analysis;
disposal of variances.
(a) Investigation and interpretation of variances and their inter relationship
(b) Behavioural considerations.
6. Transfer pricing
(a) Objectives of transfer pricing
(b) Methods of transfer pricing
(c) Conflict between a division and a company
(d) Multi-national transfer pricing.
7. Cost Management in Service Sector
8. Uniform Costing and Inter firm comparison
9. Profitability analysis - Product wise / segment wise / customer wise
10. Financial Decision Modeling
(a) Linear Programming
(b) Network analysis - PERT/CPM, resource allocation and resource leveling
(c) Transportation problems
(d) Assignment problems
(e) Simulation
(f) Learning Curve Theory
(g) Time series forecasting
(h) Sampling and test of hypothesis
13
Paper 6: Information Systems Control and Audit
(One Paper – Three hours – 100 marks)
Level of knowledge: Advanced knowledge
Objective:
To gain application ability of necessary controls, laws and standards in computerized
Information system.
 systems –various types of information systems – TPC, MIS, DSS,
EIS, ES
2. Systems Development Life Cycle Methodology
Introduction to SDLC/Basics of SDLC
Requirements analysis and systems design techniques
Strategic considerations : Acquisition decisions and approaches
Software evaluation and selection/development
Alternate development methodologies- RAD, Prototype etc
Hardware evaluation and selection
Systems operations and organization of systems resources
Systems documentation and operation manuals
User procedures, training and end user computing
System testing, assessment, conversion and start-up
Hardware contracts and software licenses
System implementation
Post-implementation review
System maintenance
System safeguards
Brief note on IS Organisation Structure
3. Control objectives
(a) Information Systems Controls
14
Need for control
Effect of computers on Internal Audit
Responsibility for control – Management, IT, personnel, auditors
Cost effectiveness of control procedure
Control Objectives for Information and related Technology (COBIT)
(b) Information Systems Control Techniques
Control Design: Preventive and detective controls, Computer-dependent control, Audit
trails, User Controls (Control balancing, Manual follow up)
Non-computer-dependent (user) controls: Error identification controls, Error investigation
controls, Error correction controls, Processing recovery controls
(c) Controls over system selection, acquisition/development
Standards and controls applicable to IS development projects
Developed / acquired systems
Vendor evaluation
Structured analysis and design
Role of IS Auditor in System acquisition/selection
(d) Controls over system implementation
Acceptance testing methodologies
System conversion methodologies
Post implement review
Monitoring, use and measurement
(e) Control over System and program changes
Change management controls
Authorization controls
Documentation controls
Testing and quality controls
Custody, copyright and warranties
Role of IS Auditor in Change Management
(f) Control over Data integrity, privacy and security
Classification of information
Logical access controls
15
Physical access controls
Environmental controls
Security concepts and techniques – Cryptosystems, Data Encryption Standards (DES),
Public Key Cryptography & Firewalls
Data security and public networks
Monitoring and surveillance techniques
Data Privacy
Unauthorised intrusion, hacking, virus control
Role of IS Auditor in Access Control
4. Audit Tests of General and Automated Controls
(a) Introduction to basics of testing (reasons for testing);
(b) Various levels/types of testing such as: (i) Performance testing, (ii) Parallel testing,
(iii) Concurrent Audit modules/Embedded audit modules, etc.
5. Risk assessment methodologies and applications: (a) Meaning of Vulnerabilities,
Threats, Risks, Controls, (b) Fraud, error, vandalism, excessive costs, competitive
disadvantage, business, interruption, social costs, statutory sanctions, etc. (c) Risk
Assessment and Risk Management, (d) Preventive/detective/corrective strategies
6. Business Continuity Planning and Disaster recovery planning: (a) Fundamentals
of BCP/DRP, (b) Threat and risk management, (c) Software and data backup techniques,
(d) Alternative processing facility arrangements,(e) Disaster recovery procedural plan, (f)
Integration with departmental plans, testing and documentation, (g) Insurance
7. An over view of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
8. Information Systems Auditing Standards, guidelines, best practices (BS7799, HIPPA,
CMM etc.)
9. Drafting of IS Security Policy, Audit Policy, IS Audit Reporting - a practical perspective
10. Information Technology Act, 2000