scholarly journals A Typology of Cost Accounting Practices Based on Activity-Based Costing – A Strategic Cost Management Approach and a Case Study

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grégory Wegmann
Keyword(s):  
Cost Management ◽  
Cost Accounting ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Activity Based Costing ◽  
Strategic Cost Management

scholarly journals A Typology of Cost Accounting Practices Based on Activity-Based Costing – A Strategic Cost Management Approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 161-184
Author(s):  
Gregory Wegmann ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Cost Management ◽  
Cost Accounting ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Activity Based Costing ◽  
Management Activity ◽  
Professional Literature ◽  
Accounting Systems ◽  
Strategic Objectives ◽  
Strategic Cost Management ◽  
The Cost

This article examines cost accounting methods containing one or more activity-based costing (ABC) like dimensions. The objective is to analyze cost accounting proposals with, in part, a philosophy reminiscent ABC. The research purposes are to analyze the strategic dimension of the methods described and to build a typology useful for managers. The discussion leads to a four-dimensional typology based on three strategic objectives assigned to the cost accounting systems. The foundation of the research is the Strategic Cost Management Theory from which emerges the ABC philosophy. The methodology applied is an academic and professional literature review. The typology designed shows common points and similarities of the methods observed and their strategic dimensions. Some of the methods studied are more or less useful for practitioners, according to the situation of their companies. Keywords: strategic cost management, activity-based costing, typology

Strategic cost management: an activity‐based management approach

1998 ◽  
Vol 36 (7) ◽  
pp. 441-447 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Trussel ◽  
Larry N. Bitner
Keyword(s):  
Cost Management ◽  
Management Approach ◽  
Strategic Cost Management

scholarly journals A New Cost Management System for Construction Projects to increase Competitiveness and Traceability in a Project Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-47
Author(s):  
Hossein Toosi ◽  
Arezou Chamikarpour
Keyword(s):  
Construction Projects ◽  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Cost Control ◽  
Control Method ◽  
Cost Management ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Activity Based Costing ◽  
Project Environment ◽  
Target Cost

Un nuevo sistema de gestión de costes de proyectos de construcción para aumentar la competitividad y la trazabilidad para entornos de proyectos. El objetivo principal de la investigación es utilizar nuevos métodos de cálculo de costes en los proyectos de construcción para reducir y controlar las desviaciones de costes y algunas limitaciones que presentan los modelos tradicionales. La hipótesis de la investigación se basa en la capacidad sinérgica del cálculo de costes basado en actividades centradas en el rendimiento, en combinación con el método de cálculo de costes objetivo para fomentar la competitividad del sistema de control de costes para entornos de proyectos. El método se elaboró para controlar los gastos directos y generales del proyecto durante su ejecución. Se realizó una entrevista con 26 directores financieros en dos o cuatro ocasiones entre junio de 2016 y mayo de 2017 con el fin de validar y modificar el método. Siguiendo una entrevista semiestructurada, el método propuesto contribuyó a aumentar la precisión, la certidumbre y la rastreabilidad de los costes y proporcionó la integridad del sistema contable, técnico y operacional. Además, se analizan las desviaciones y se reducen los costes al considerar las condiciones competitivas y estratégicas. También se limita el coste objetivo de los paquetes de trabajo y se genera una alerta al finalizar cada uno de ellos. Además, de acuerdo con el test de Friedman, existe una capacidad competitiva significativa en comparación con el método convencional de control de costes en los proyectos y también se aplica en un estudio de caso. This research proposed a new method for project cost management based on Competitiveness and traceability in a case study and operational situation. The research hypothesis is based on the synergistic ability of performance focused activity-based costing in combination of the target costing method for encouraging competitiveness cost control system for project environments. The method was developed to control, direct and overhead costs of the project during its progress. Also, it uses the feature of activity-driven and different resource drivers to determine the types of costs with the effect of time driver for each activity. An interview was conducted with financial managers during two to four times with the aim of validating and modifying the method. According to a semi-structured interview, the proposed method contributed to increase the precision, certainty, traceability of costs and provided the integrity of the accounting, technical and operational system. It also analyzes deviations and reduces costs by considering competitive and strategic conditions. It's also limiting the target cost of work packages and causing an alarm on the completion of each. According to Friedman test, there is a meaningful competitive ability compared to the conventional cost control method in the projects and it is also implemented in a case study.

scholarly journals Perception of activity based costing in Australian universities

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 64-78
Author(s):  
Monir Zaman ◽  
Mohamed Elsayed
Keyword(s):  
Management System ◽  
Cost Management ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Chief Financial Officers ◽  
Generic Model ◽  
Activity Based Costing ◽  
Strategic Cost Management ◽  
Cost Management System ◽  
Traditional Costing ◽  
Australian Universities

The study examines the perception of activity based costing (ABC) in Australian universities. Using a questionnaire survey, data was collected from twenty-six finance directors and/or chief financial officers in Australian universities. The perception of ABC implementation in Australian universities depends on many variables including the understanding of ABC, consideration of ABC as a strategic cost management system, the role of ABC in reduction of expenses, consideration of ABC as a valuable tool to enhance overhead cost allocation, and consideration of ABC as an effective strategic cost management system designed to incorporate the university’s critical input, output, and process variables resulting in value creation. The result of regression analysis provides significant and positive association between the decision to implement ABC in Australian universities and both the treatment of ABC as a strategic cost management system and the degree of both senior management and internal champion support. The findings indicate substantial differences in the allocation of the overhead costs between ABC and traditional costing systems. The result also reveals that many Australian universities using the ABC method receive benefits in improving cost reduction and better resource allocation with revenue surplus. Furthermore, the study develops a generic model of cost pools and drivers of ABC implementation in Australian universities.

What do acquisition activities really cost? A case study in Estonian university libraries

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 511-534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kate-Riin Kont
Keyword(s):  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Cost Accounting ◽  
Activity Based Costing ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Acquisition Process ◽  
Cost Behavior ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Acquisition Processes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to mainly find out how well is time-driven activity-based costing (TDABC) suits for a university library setting in Estonia. For this purpose, all activities related to acquisitions process were identified and recorded in detail, and the cost of all these activities related to acquisition process in Estonian university libraries based on the example of the TDABC method were anlyzed. Design/methodology/approach – The data used in this paper is based on a review of relevant literature to provide an overview of the concept of the different cost accounting methods suitable for the measurement of the acquisition process. Through a case study, conducted among Estonian university libraries, the TDABC approach was used to analyze the acquisition process in university libraries. More specifically, the acquisition process studied concerned print format books, audiovisual documents and sheet music, and covered acquisition processes such as receipt of orders, ordering documents, communication with bookshop (if necessary), receiving documents and communication with the customer. Findings – On the basis of the current study it can be said the TDABC methodology seems to be one of the best tools for understanding cost behavior and for refining a cost system for university libraries. While analyzing the results, it appeared that the difference in time and cost for acquiring a document can be remarkable and concerns both – acquiring foreign documents (documents from other countries) and acquiring domestic documents, and between the university libraries chosen for the current study. Originality/value – The subject of cost accounting as a performance measurement method is in general an unexplored field in Estonian university libraries. Time guidelines for acquiring the documents were, however, quite common in the 1980s in the USSR, including Estonia. Soviet-wide regulatory documents were issued on all library work processes, but each library could still implement their own rules. In the 1990s, the regulations were consigned to oblivion. Very few cost surveys involving different library activities have been carried out in Estonia and none have been published. Where such studies have been conducted, the results remain for internal use only.

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