Introduction, Cost Terms & Concepts Flashcards
What is Management Accounting?
The processes and techniques that focus on the effective and efficient use of organisational resources, to support managers in their tasks of enhancing both customer value and shareholder value.
Management accounting information provides information for control by comparing actual performance with plans, targets or budgets.
What is Customer Value?
The value that a customer places on particular features of a product.
What is Shareholder Value?
The value that shareholders, or owners, place on a business
What is a Management Accounting System?
It is an information system that produces the information required by managers to create value and manage resources.
What is an Operational Manager?
Operational managers have responsibility for manufacturing activities in manufacturing firms, or for service delivery areas in service firms.
What is Financial Accounting?
The practice of preparing and reporting accounting information for parties outside the organisation.
What Are The Differences Between Financial and Management Accounting?
Management Accounting:
Users - Internal; Managers and Employees
Regulations - None, Information generated to satisfy needs.
Sources of Data - Financial and non-financial, physical and operational data, customer and economic data.
Nature of Data - Past, Current and Future.
Subjective; relevant and timely.
Financial Accounting:
Users - External; Shareholders, banks, government agencies etc
Regulations - Accounting Standards and Corporations Law
Sources of Data - Financial Data
Nature of Data - Past; Reliable; Verifiable. Not always timely or relevant.
What is a Costing System (or Cost Accounting System)?
It is a system that estimates the cost of goods and services, as well as the cost of organisational units, such as departments.
What is a Company “Vision”?
The desired future state or aspiration of an organisation.
What is a Company “Mission Statement”?
A statement that defines the purpose and boundaries of the organisation.
What Are Objectives (or Goals)?
Specific statements of what the organisation aims to achieve, often quantified and relating to a specific period of time.
Define Stratagies?
The direction that the organisation intends to take over the long term, to meet its mission and achieve its objectives.
What is Corporate Strategy?
The decisions about the types of businesses in which to operate, which businesses to acquire and divest, and how best to structure and finance the organisation.
What is Business (or Competitive) Strategy?
The way a business competes within its chosen market.
What is Competitive Advantage?
The advantages that a business may have over another, which are difficult to imitate.
What is Cost Leadership?
A business strategy where a firm is a low-cost producer, which allows the business to sell its goods or services at a lower price than competitors.
This can be done by superior process technology, economies of scale in production or just tight cost control.
Describe Product Differentiation?
A business strategy whereby a firm derives competitive advantage from offering goods or services that have characteristics different from those offered by its competitors.
I.e. Superior quality, customer service or delivery performance.
What is Strategic Planning?
Long-term planning to achieve the organisations objectives, usually undertaken by senior managers.
What is Planning?
Planning is a broad concept that is concerned with formulating the direction for future operations.
What is a Budget?
A budget is a detailed plan summarising the financial consequences of an organisations operating activities for a specific future time period usually 1 year.
What is Control?
Control is putting mechanisms in place to ensure that operations proceed according to plan and that objectives are achieved.
What is a Control System?
These are the systems and procedures that provide regular information to assist in control.
What is Contingency Theory?
Assumes that the design of an organisations management accounting system may be influenced by (is “contingent” on) a range of factors including the external environment, technology, organisational structure, organisation size, strategy and organisational and national culture.
What is Institutional Theory?
States that the design of an organisation’s management accounting system may be influenced by the need for legitimacy and the tendency for firms to imitate the ‘good practice’ from other organisations.
Describe Strategy Implementation?
Putting plans into place to implement and support a chosen business strategy.
What is a Budget System
A system used to prepare a detailed plan, summarising the financial consequences of an organisations operating activities for a specific future time period.
What is a Performance Management System?
A system that measures performance by comparing actual results with some target.
What is a Cost Management System?
A system that focuses on improving cost effectiveness through understanding and managing the real causes of costs.
What are Critical Success Factors?
Factors that derive from the competitive strategy, and are critical to the survival of the business.
Define Cost?
The resources given up to achieve a particular objective.
Define Asset?
A measure of the cost of future benefits .
Define Expense?
A cost used up in the generation of revenue.
What is meant by Level of Activity?
The level of work performed in the organisation.