Cost Accounting Essay Example for Free

Cost Accounting Essay Questions arise as to why ABC implementation is successful in certain companies and fails in others. Based on the contingency theory, researchers have argued that the reasons for different degrees of ABC success could be due to the different contextual factors faced by each firm. These have led researchers to recognize assessing factors that influence ABC success implementation as an important research area. The following are among the research that have been carried out to examine factors that influence ABC success: Anderson [18]; Shield [3]; McGowan and Klammer [19]; Krumwiede [20]; and Anderson and Young [21] This article has two main objectives; the first objective is to identify research gaps based on the revision of previous research and the second objective is to propose theoretical research framework for current research. This article is organized as follows: Section II presents a discussion of selected articles related to factors influencing ABC implementation and gaps or limitations of previous studies and suggestions for current research are stated in the section III and IV. The framework for current research is provided in section V, Section VI defines each research variable and the final section presents the conclusion. II. PREVIOUS RESEARCH In this section, selected ABC implementation empirical 144 Abstract—In today’s advanced manufacturing and competitive environment, accurate costing information is crucial for all the kinds of businesses, such as manufacturing firms, merchandizing firms, and service firms. Argued to be superior to the traditional volume-based costing system, Activity-Based Costing system (ABC) has increasingly attracted the attention of practitioners and researchers alike as one of the strategic tools to aid managers for better decision making. The benefits of ABC system and its impacts on companies’ performance have motivated numerous empirical studies on ABC system and it is considered as one of the most-researched management accounting areas in developed countries. Previous research on ABC have examined pertinent issues related to ABC implementation such as the levels of ABC adoption in various countries, the reasons for implementing ABC, the problems related to ABC and the critical success factors influencing ABC. This paper reviews the research on ABC carried out within the last decade, from 1995-2008, and from the review research gaps are identified. Specifically, this paper examines the selection of factors influencing successful ABC implementation, variables used by previous research and the definitions and operationalization of the variables. The review reveals that past research concentrated mainly on behavioral, organizational, and technical variables as the main determinants of ABC success but very little research have been done to examine the roles of organizational culture and structure. Based on the research gaps identified, a research framework for future research is provided. Index Terms—Advanced Manufacturing Activity-Based Costing, ABC Success Environment, I. INTRODUCTION In today’s competitive and continually changing business environment, firms need to be vigilant of the impacts of the changes in the business environment and devise appropriate strategies to survive and prosper. Advancements in manufacturing and communication technologies have drastically changed the ways businesses conduct their activities. Adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies such as robotics and computerized manufacturing have resulted in significant changes in the manufacturing cost structure which have led academics and practitioners to argue that the traditional costing methods are no longer sufficient within this new manufacturing environment [1] (Johnson and Kaplan, 1987). This had resulted in the change from the traditional volume-based cost model to new costing methods such as Activity Based Costing (ABC) [2]. Due to its ability in providing more accurate costing information and enhancing firms’ performance, ABC is International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, Vol. 1, No. 2, August, 2010 2010-023X studies, which spanned 1995-2008 periods, were collected from four prominent refereed accounting research journals, in management accounting field: Journal of Management Accounting Research, Accounting, Organizations and Society, Management Accounting Research and British Accounting Review. Factors used by previous research to investigate the effect on ABC success implementation are summarized, and stage of ABC implementation also is outlined. A. Technical Variables Early studies of ABC adoption and implementation undertaken by previous researchers concentrated on technical factors, such as identification of main activities, selection of cost drivers, problem in accumulating cost data. Example of these research are Cooper [9], Morrow and Connelly [22]. However, technical factors alone may not be adequate to explain the factors influencing ABC success implementation. Cooper et al. [23] argued that the key problem during ABC implementation stage is that companies only focus on technical factors. They suggested that to make ABC implementation more effective, non-technical factors such as involvement of non-accounting in ABC implementation process, top management championship, adequate training program to employees about the objectives and benefits of ABC should be emphasized as well. Similar opinions were expressed by Shield [3] and Shields and McEwen [14]. Shield (1995) found no significant relationship between technical factors and ABC success. Shields and McEwen [14] also highlighted that sole emphasis on the architectural and software design of ABC systems leads to the failure of ABC implementation. Therefore many researchers have suggested that new variables should be considered to investigate factors influencing ABC success. B. Contextual, Behavioral and Organizational Variables Recognizing the research gaps in identifying factors that may affect ABC success, academicians shifted their focuses from technical factors to other variables, such as contextual, behavioral and organizational, culture, as well as organizational structure. Anderson [18] conducted a longitudinal investigation of ABC process in General Motor (GM) from a period of 1986 to 1993. In his research, he examined the effects of organizational variables and contextual variables, and segmented ABC implementation into four major stages, initiation, adoption, adaptation and acceptance. He found that organizational factors, such as top management support and training for the ABC system affected various stages of ABC significantly, while contextual variables, such as competition, relevance to managers’ decisions and compatibility with existing systems produced different degree of impact on different stages of ABC. Shield [3] examined the relationships between diversity of behavioral, organizational and technical factors and the success of ABC implementation. She employed Shield and Young’s [24] framework and summarized behavioral and organizational variables as top management support, adequate resources, training, link ABC system to performance evaluation and compensation, non-accounting ownership, link ABC to competitive strategies as well as clarity of ABC objectives. She found that top management support, linkage to quality initiatives and to personal performance measure (pay/appraisal), implementation of training and resource adequacy were the significant predictors in explaining ABC success. She also found that technical variables were not associated with ABC success. Shield’s findings are supported by other researchers, such as Shield and McEwen [14], who argued that a significant cause for unsuccessful implementations of ABC of several companies could be due to the emphasis of architectural and software design of the ABC system and less attention given to behavioral and organizational issues, which were identified by Shield [3]. Krumwiede and Roth [25] also stated that barriers of ABC implementation can be overcome if firms could give importance to behavioral and rganizational variables identified by Shield [3]. Similarly, Norris [26] agreed with Shield’s [3] findings that the association between ABC success and behavioral and organizational variables is stronger than with technical variables. She further highlighted that the impact of behavioral, organizational and technical should be focused at individual level. McGowan and Klammer [19] conducted a survey of 53 employees from 4 targeted sites in the U. S. o examine whether employees’ satisfaction levels are associated with ABC implementation by They also measured their perceptions of the factors associated with the degree of satisfaction, such as top management support; the degree of involvement in the implementation process; objectives clearly stated; objectives shared; training; linkage to performance evaluation system; adequate resources; information quality and preparer over user. Their results indicated that employees’ satisfaction with ABC implementation was positively related with clarity of objectives and quality of ABC information. Gosselin [15] carried out a survey of 161 Canadian manufacturing companies to examine the effects of strategic posture and organizational structure on adoption and implementation of general forms of Activity-based costing. He segmented the ABC implementation stage into adoption and implementation. The research findings showed that a prospector strategy was associated with manager decision to adopt ABC, while centralization and formalization were significantly associated with ABC success implementation. Krumwiede [20] surveyed U. S manufacturing firms to study how contextual factors, such as the potential for cost distortion or size of firms; organizational factors, such as top management support, training or non-accounting ownership, affect each stage of ABC implementation process. His findings showed that the different factors affected the various stages of implementation of ABC and the degree of importance of each factor varies according to the stage of implementation. Contextual factors, such as usefulness of cost information, IT existence, less task uncertainty and large organizations were related to ABC adoption. Moreover, organizational factors, such as top management support, non-accounting ownership, and implementation training affect ABC success implementation. 145 International Journal of Trade, Economics and Finance, Vol. 1, No. 2, August, 2010 2010-023X In another study by Anderson and Young [21], the relationship between organizational and contextual variables, such as organizational structures, task characteristics, management support, information technology and ABC success was examined. The result confirmed the importance of organizational factors (top management support and adequacy resources) during the ABC implementation stage. In South Africa, Sartorius et al. [27] carried out a mail survey to investigate the effect of organizational factors such as top management, adequate resources, coherence with organizational goals and strategy on ABC success. They found top management support and resources were the crucial factors in explaining ABC success. In the UK, Innes and Mitchell [4] and [12] surveyed the extent of ABC adoption among largest firms. The study aimed to find out factors influencing ABC success by using behavioral and organizational variables, and it was found that top management influenced ABC success significantly. In another study conducted by Khalid [28] using a questionnaire survey among the largest 100 firms in Saudi Arabia, ABC adoption was found to be positively related to diversity of products. In Malaysia, Ruhanita et al. [29] conducted a mail survey and a case study to examine that factors influencing ABC success, especially at adoption stage. They found the significant factors were cost distortion, decision usefulness, information technology and organizational factors. In addition, the findings showed that decision usefulness, top management support, link ABC to performance measure and compensation influenced the ABC success adoption significantly. A case study of one Chinese manufacturing firm was carried by Lana and Fei [30] in China. Their research aimed to examine some key success factors pertinent to ABC implementation within Chinese organizational and cultural setting. The research findings showed that top management support, hierarchical and communication structure and high proportion of dedicated professionals were the significant factors in determining ABC success implementation. Majid et al. [7] used a case study approach to describe the process of ABC implementation in a Malaysian service company and a Malaysian manufacturing company. In this research, they categorized ABC implementation into initiation and adoption, design, implementation and use of information. The purpose of the research was to find out the problems faced during ABC implementation, He found that the factors determining ABC success were top management support, suitable ABC software, and finally, ensuring that all affected employees understand and participate in the ABC implementation stage. And they also found that at different stages of ABC, the dominant factors influencing ABC success were also different. Colin et al. [31] adopted behavioral and organizational factors summarized by Shield (1995) to examine factors influencing the adoption and degree of success of ABC systems and determinants of that success. In their research, the targeted research population was manufacturing and service firms in the UK. They found that top management support, non-accounting ownership, adequate training provided to ABC determined the ABC success. Besides behavioral, organizational and technical variable, some researchers also indicated that the dimensions of national cultures could affect the level of ABC success [32, 33]. Brewer [32] used Hofstede’s taxonomy of work-related cultural values to examine the relationship between national culture and Activity-Based Costing system. In the study, Hofstede [34]’s work was applied to the case of Harris Semiconductor (HS), which has implemented ABC at plants in Malaysia and the USA. The results showed that the level of ABC success in Malaysia was higher than that of U. S due to high-power-distance and collectivist cultures in Malaysia. In addition, Supitcha and Frederick [33] also included national culture’s dimension into framework in a case study of one Thai state-owned enterprise’s budgeting system. They found that due to cultural differences, modifications were required when the organizations in Thailand tried to implement ABC system in Thai environment. Apart from national culture, corporate culture factors were also tested by prior research. Baird, Harrison and Reeve [17] conducted a study to investigate the relationship between the extent of ABC adoption and the organizational variables of size and decision usefulness of cost information and business unit culture. In their research, data were collected by a mail survey questionnaire and samples were randomly selected from business units in Australia. The research finding showed significant relationships between ABC adoption and decision usefulness, cultural dimensions of outcome orientation and tight verse loose control. Baird, Harrison and Reeve [16] examined the relationship between success of activity management practices and organizational factors (top management support, training, link to performance evaluation and compensation, and link to quality initiatives), and organizational culture (outcome orientation, team orientation, attention to detail, as well as innovation). They adopted a survey questionnaire method on randomly chosen business units in Australia. The findings showed that two organizational factors (top management support, link to quality initiatives) explained the variations in success of activity management practices, such as ABC, and outcome orientation and attention to detail of organizational culture were associated with ABC success. They also stressed that compared with organizational culture, organizational factors had stronger associations with the ABC.

Freedom :: essays research papers fc

Freedom? Kate Chopin's The Awakening is a story of Edna Pontellier, wife and mother. It is a novel about the choices one will makes to protect one's personal freedom. The story is based on a time in history when women did just what they were expected to do. They were expected to be good daughters, good wives, and good mothers. A woman was expected to move from the protection of her father's roof to the protection of her husband. Edna, our protagonist, doesn’t fit this mold. She searches to find her place in a constraining society, one that doesn’t allow for a woman to have freedom. Personal freedom is freedom from the confines of society, oneself, and finally freedom within one’s soul. As the book begins, Edna is a married woman who seems vaguely satisfied with her life, and cannot find true happiness. She is bound by the confines of a loveless marriage, unfulfilled, unhappy, and locked away like a caged bird. During her summer at Grand Isle she is confronted with herself in her truest nature, and she is swept away by passion and love for someone she cannot have, Robert Lebrun. She begins to realize that she can play roles other than wife and mother. We watch as she struggles to determine how to act on the things she is feeling, the eternal conflict she is dealing with. She wants to understand her need for personal freedom, a freedom that questions conventional demands of both men and women. We watch in the novel as Edna finds her freedom initially in the ocean. In the beginning she does not know how to swim, but she learns and through this learning feels what it is like to have freedom. In the water she is not captive and held down by the world around her. She sees she is capable of doing this on her own, that she is strong and powerful and independent. Edna’s self-discovery awakens her, and she is able to greet her own soul, a soul filled with passion, sexuality, and strength. The images of nature, which serve as a symbol for freedom of the soul, are brought about when Edna speaks of growing up on a Mississippi plantation where life was simple, blissful, and peaceful. Edna remembers life when she was young, engulfed in nature and freedom, â€Å"The hot wind beating in my face made me think-without any connection that I can trace-of a summer day in Kentucky, of a meadow that seemed as big as the ocean to the very little girl walking through the grass, which was higher than her waist.

Plains Indian Culture in the Late 19th Century Essay

The study of culture helps us understand the rise and fall of different tribes during the 19th century America. In this paper, the primary concern is the decline and fall of Plains Indian culture in the late 19th century. The Plains Indians are also called North American Plains or Buffalo Indians who settled the Great Plains (â€Å"The Plain Indians†). The Great Plains is now called the central United States and south-central Canada which has been the long time place for Plains Indians (â€Å"The Plain Indians†). In line with that, at the time of the Civil War, most Plains Indians tribes were independent, resourceful, and capable of defending their integrity. In a span of twenty five years, they were defeated, demoralized, and dependent on the United States government. With that, we are convinced that there is a need to examine and trace the cultural development of the Plains Indians during the late 19th century. The Plains Indian culture is rich for its remnants are even known today. However, the culture of the Plains Indians was destroyed and altered from the time the white settlers transferred into the region where they are found (â€Å"The Plain Indians†). There are many devastating effects brought out by the existence of white settlers in the region. First, the hunting economy of the Plains Indians was considered obsolete as the white settlers established the extermination of the buffalo. As a result, the hunting economy was crippled which affected so many members of the tribe. Second, the introduction of metal utensils and cloth by the white settlers caused the collapse of the native crafts industry. The use of manufactured articles dominated the region and merchants of native products faced a tremendous decrease of business profits (â€Å"The Plain Indians†). And third, the concept of the division of labor was affected due to the introduction of the plow in farming endeavors. Besides, rare diseases and warfare with white settlers displaced many Plains Indians which caused their dependence on the American government. Another ordinary yet exquisite culture of Plain Indians is the relevance of women to the development of their culture. Plain Indian women during the late 19th century are capable to displaying myriad talents in relation to music, arts, literature, and even ancient entrepreneurship (McCoy 1). However, the crucial role of Plain Indian women in their cultural development has been poorly understood when the white settlers begin to alter their daily activities (McCoy 1). In fact, the Plains Indian women as a minority group provided a strong influence on the history of the country (Conlin 1). Women played a vital role to the economy at that time since they are able to work in fields and work household chores at the same time. If not because of the negative impact of the white settlers, the Plains Indians could keep their culture intact. Finally, the culture of the Plains Indians is rich and peculiar as shown in films and television shows. The truth is that the Plains Indian tribes tried hard to protect their cultural development not to be corrupted by the white settlers. These people primarily earn a living through farming and hunting. Plains Indian women are also instrumental in the development of the arts, literature, music and commerce. However, the culture of the Plains Indians was destroyed due to the introduction of manufactured products and the extermination of buffalo led by the white settlers. Eventually, the cultural development of the region was diminished and altered and the Plain Indians were demoralized forcing them to depend so much on the American government. Works Cited McCoy, Ron. 24 September 2007. Collector’s Guide. . February 6, 2009 < http://www. collectorsguide. com/fa/fa094. shtml >. â€Å"The Plains Indians†. 2009. 50 MEGS Website. February 6, 2009 . Conlin, Joseph. The American Past: A Survey of American History. United States of America: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 2006.

Public Policy Essay - 3740 Words

Final Paper Brittany Baity PPA603: Government Budgeting (MBQ 1118A) Instructor: Chiji Ohayia June 06, 2011 Public policy is the study of policy making by governments. A governments public policy is the set of policies (laws, plans, actions, behaviors) that it chooses. (Lee, Johnson, Joyce, 2008) Since governments claim authority and responsibility (to varying degrees) over a large group of individuals, they see fit to establish plans and methods of action that will govern that society. I will discuss the possible funding options for reducing Georgia’s sex offender rate, evaluate how public policy decisions affect the receipt of revenues, and develop a revenue policy that aligns with community values. It is a parent’s nightmare: a†¦show more content†¦The Government created a Project Safe Childhood which is a program to protect children from rapist and sex offenders. The Project Safe Childhood will make a ground for a national zero-tolerance culture. The Project Safe Childhood program is a strong three-legged stool: one leg is the federal contributions led by the United States Attorneys around the country, another is state and local law enforcement, including the Internet Crimes Against Children task forces funded by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs and the third is non-governmental organizations, like the Financial Coalition Against Child Pornography and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. [NCMEC] (Geffner, 2008) Under the Project Safe Childhood structure, state, local and federal partners are seeking the toughest sentences possible. The Government has made half a million dollars available for the Project Safe Childhood program. This program intends to bring state and local law enforcement together with federal prosecutors from their regions. Cooperative law-enforcement work on the registry has already led to some great stories of success. The first case brought under the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act involved a fugitive who was arrested by the Social Security Administration for allegedly using a false name and another man’s Social Security number as he tried to set up a new identity for himself. It turns out that this individual wasShow MoreRelatedPublic Policies Of A Public Policy1606 Words   |  7 PagesQuestion 1 Bugental and Hehman explain that even though public policies may have good intentions, they unintentionally create a subtle bias about the capabilities of older adults. These biases can be related to possible limitations or could cause them to seem more dependent on others than they really are. One example of a public policy that perpetuates ageism is guardianship policies, particularly when they are not designed well or are poorly monitored. For instance, some states consider advancedRead MoreAgendas, Alternatives, And Public Policy1237 Words   |  5 PagesAlternatives, and Public Policy takes at look at Policy issues and examines how these policy issues became issues to begin with. Kingdon starts his book by looking into how policy issues come to the government s attention. He expresses to his readers that problems get identified when we focus on certain events or changes. Policy is taken over by researchers and bureaucrats, and the political aspect is dominated by members of the government. When these three come together, Problems, Policy and PoliticsRead MorePublic Policy And Public Policies1331 Words   |  6 Pagesassignment.† What is Public Policy? Public policy refers to an initiative by the government to address public problems. The term government may refer to the governing authority at the federal, state or city level. Public policy, therefore, exists in the form of regulations, actions, decisions, laws, and actions. When the government formulates public policy, it addresses the three fundamental parts of the government policies, which are the problem, the players, and the policy (DiNitto 36). The problemRead MoreEssay on The Creation of Public Policy1178 Words   |  5 Pagesdecides to create public policy through the interaction of the branches, the influence of political parties, and the effects of media. So what is public policy? Public policy is the action taken by the government to make changes for the better. As the paper goes on one will learn about this even further throughout it. When dealing with public policy and how it is created one must know how the idea is even brought up and put into motion. Anyone can have an idea for public policy and bring it to theRead MorePublic Policy And Natural Disasters2176 Words   |  9 PagesPublic Policy and Natural Disasters In the United States, people who live in poverty are already one of the most vulnerable populations and it is this population that is heavily impacted by public policy relating to natural disasters. Often, public policies relating to disaster preparedness and recovery are not discussed until after a natural disaster takes place which is too late to do any good for the people affected and who are devastated almost beyond comprehension. The role of government inRead MoreModels of Public Policy1550 Words   |  7 PagesMODELS FOR POLICY ANALYSIS Uses of Models. The models we shall use in studying policy are conceptual models. Simplify and clarify our thinking about politics and public policy Identify important aspects of policy problems Suggest explanations for public policy and predict its consequences Selected Policy Models. INSTITUTIONALISM: POLICY AS INSTITUTIONAL OUTPUT Government institutions have long been a central focus of political science. Public policy is authoritatively determined, implemented, andRead MoreWhy Voting Is Important For Public Policy853 Words   |  4 Pages Voting is very essential and one of the easiest methods to influence public policy. You just need to be registered, and go to a polling station. It is simple because the government encourages people to vote, to hear a broad range of opinions. It is a form of direct democracy because when you vote, it directly affects the side or issue you support. Your vote is one more supporting opinion for a candidate or issue that is counted. Some people may think that their vote won’t make a big differenceRead MorePublic Policy And Creating Solutions For Improvement Essay4614 Words   |  19 Pages Examining Public Policy and Creating Solutions for Improvement Reflections on Public Policy The chosen public policy issue is the ongoing effort within nursing to advance the field through taking action. In this case, action takes four distinct activities: advocacy, policy, learning as a lifelong process and involvement in philanthropy. This action can be applied through community-based participatory research which is a research partnership seeking the involvement of all members ofRead MorePublic Policy And Public Health1031 Words   |  5 Pagessection describes the term public policy, taking into account a number of policy definitions from both public administration and public health, and as well as several policy influencing factors. The second section addresses physical activity policy in particular, providing a definition of physical activity policy as well as suggested criteria that characterize successful physical activity policy. The third section gives an insight into policy evaluation†¦ What is public policy? The National CollaboratingRead MoreCurrent Public Policy Actions : Monitoring2065 Words   |  9 PagesCurrent Public Policy Actions Monitoring FAiST Group as a global manufacturing organization has operations in Europe, Americas and Asia Pacific, with functional headquarters in Italy and group headquarters in the United Kingdom. We consider ourselves a small global company, with twenty-six facilities. However many of the locations have less than two hundred employees and some with fewer than fifty. This results in an organization that is thinly dispersed, but one that should be very concerned