Accounting, Business and Society - Period 4

The concept of corporate citizenship has become increasingly important in recent years. It entails the recognition that businesses do not solely follow the demands of shareholders, but likewise assume responsibility for the social and environmental impact of their activities on the communities in which they operate. In turn, this means that companies can, and need to, be held accountable for their conduct of business. The overarching theme of this course is hence the notion of accountability to assess the citizenship role of companies and their managers. In doing so, it takes two distinct perspectives: First, it covers external reporting practices, which is determined by firms? regulatory framework as well as financial and non-financial reporting. The course strives to enhance your ability to make sense of such accounting information and assess the companies? financial and non-financial performance. Second, the course addresses firms? internal reporting practices, where the communication, and control, of company goals to subdivisions and employees are pivotal. Budgeting, performance measurement, and the balanced scorecard are discussed not only as tools of management control, but also in terms of their implications on individual employees and decision-makers.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) awards credits based on the ECTS system. Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.