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Management accounting and international finance

The module aims to introduce you to core management accounting and international financial concepts within organisations for decision-making purposes. It will enable you to understand management accounting, providing managers with essential information for effective planning, evaluation, and control. The second part will enhance your skills in financial management for a highly integrated business world.

What you will study

Building upon some of the concepts highlighted in the OU level 1 and 2 accounting modules, this module uses different perspectives to engage you in learning about management accounting and international finance. You'll gain a varied and interesting tool kit of theories and techniques to apply in organisations.

The first part of the module covers management accounting which is concerned with providing information and analysis to managers to help them plan, evaluate and control activities in order to achieve an organisation’s objectives.

The international perspective of the second part of the module will help you gain a deeper understanding and skills in the field of financial management, reflecting closely on a highly globalised and integrated real-world business environment.

Entry requirements

No prerequisite study is required, although we recommend studying Financial accounting in context (B293) and Financial analysis and decision making (B294).

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.

What's included

You’ll have access to a module website, which includes:

  • a week-by-week study planner
  • course-specific module materials
  • audio and video content
  • assignment details and submission section
  • online tutorial access.

Computing requirements

You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop or laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11) or macOS Ventura or higher.

Any additional software will be provided or is generally freely available.

To join in spoken conversations in tutorials, we recommend a wired headset (headphones/earphones with a built-in microphone).

Our module websites comply with web standards, and any modern browser is suitable for most activities.

Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all current, supported versions of Android and iOS. It’s not available on Kindle.

It’s also possible to access some module materials on a mobile phone, tablet device or Chromebook. However, as you may be asked to install additional software or use certain applications, you’ll also require a desktop or laptop, as described above.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You'll have a tutor who will help you with the study material and mark and comment on your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs), and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. If you're new to the OU, your tutor can provide additional support with your study skills.

We aim to provide online tutorials and recordings of these will typically be made available to students. While you’re not obliged to attend any of these tutorial events, you are strongly encouraged to take part.

Assessment

The assessment details for this module can be found in the facts box.

If you have a disability

The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying B391 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.

Future availability

Management accounting and international finance starts once a year – in October. This page describes the module that will start in October 2025. We expect it to start for the last time in October 2028.

Course work includes:

2 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs)
End-of-module assessment