Implementation of ABC Model for Aurizon Holdings Limited

This report analyses the implementation of Activity Based Costing Model for Aurizon Holdings Limited, the largest rail transportation business operator in Australia. The report discusses the attributes of ABC Model, its role in achieving the company's objectives, and recommendations for successful implementation. It also covers other cost management techniques like CVP analysis, BEP and MOS sales.

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ACTIVITY BASED COSTING
MODEL

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Executive Summary:
In this report, the case of Aurizon Holdings Limited has been analysed. The company is the
largest rail transportation business operator and is listed on Australian Stock Exchange. The
main objective of the company is to generate sustainable returns for its business and other
stakeholders such as shareholders and employees. In order to improve its profitability
condition the company is considering the proposal of implementing the most advanced tool
of cost management accounting i.e. Activity Based Costing Model. The implementation of
the said model will improve the overhead allocation of the company which will ultimately
improve its cost determination process. As a part of this report, certain other techniques of
cost management accounting i.e. CVP analysis, BEP and MOS sales have been discussed.

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Table of Contents
Vision, mission and objectives of the Aurizon Holding Limited:............................................................3
Mission of Aurizon Holding Limited:..................................................................................................3
Objectives of Aurizon Holding Limited:..............................................................................................3
Corporate strategy of Aurizon Holding Limited:................................................................................3
Recommendations for the successful implementation of ABC Model in Aurizon Holdings:..................4
Conclusion:............................................................................................................................................4
Table of Figures:
Figure 1: ABC Model for Rail Transport.................................................................................................4
Figure 2: Overhead Allocation under ABC.............................................................................................5

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Introduction:
Aurizon Holdings Limited is the largest heavy haul freight operating Railway Company that
is listed on Australian stock exchange. It is one among the top 100 ASX companies. The
company provides its customers with integrated solutions relating to freight and logistics
across an extensive rail and road network covering the entire Australia. It operates through its
subsidiaries and owns one of the giant most coal rail networks that link around 50 mines
along with 3 prime ports of Queensland. It transports different commodities like mining,
agriculture, industrial products, coal, iron ores and retail goods as well groceries across the
small or big towns or cities of the country. It also owns and manages Queensland’s central
coal network that covers 2670 kilometres. Also, it provides several specialist services like rail
designing and engineering, construction and maintenance and supply chain solutions. In this
report, the application of activity based costing model on Aurizon Holdings Limited has been
examined. Activity based costing is the key model of cost management accounting studies.
Use of ABC Model can improve the quality of decisions of the managers of the company as it
serves them with the relevant and useful information regarding the cost of the products and
services in which the company is dealing so as to determine the customer profitability.
About ABC Model and its attributes:

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Figure 1: ABC Model for Rail Transport
Source: [http://real.mtak.hu/13104/1/1245034.pdf ]
Activity based costing (ABC) is an important model of advanced cost management system. It
is used by the managers in their business organisations to assign appropriately the resources
and overhead costs to the products and services on the basis of their consumption while
producing or providing such goods and services. Under ABC model cost is majorly divided
into two parts i.e. short-term variable costs and long- term variable costs. The allocation of
short-term variable cost to the products and services is done in accordance with the cost
drivers that are volume related. Cost drivers are the activities or factors that influence the
expenses (cost) of the business operations (Özbayrak, Akgün & Türker, 2004). Direct
material or labour cost, machine hours are few examples of cost drivers that are volume

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related. However, such cost drivers cannot be taken as the basis for allocation of variable
costs that are long term in nature because these costs are driven by the nature of various
business activities and not by the volume of consumption. Therefore, the basis of overhead
cost must be understood in accordance with the various types of activities that are connected
to production department or service department. In the following figure clear explanation of
cost allocation to the products and services is given:
Figure 1: Overhead Allocation under ABC
Source: [https://accountlearning.com/activity-based-costing-meaning-features-objectives-
implementation/ ]
Attributes of ABC Model:
Following are some key attributes of the activity based cost model:
 The overall cost involved in the production of goods and services is primarily
classified in two categories i.e. fixed cost and variable cost. This division of cost is
required to provide appropriate information to develop a suitable costing system in
any manufacturing concern.
 A proper differentiation is made for the different cost behaviour patterns.

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 Cost behaviour patterns are mainly related to volume, diversity, events and time
(Kaplan & Anderson, 2003).
 Identification of appropriate cost driver is necessary to trace the overheads related to a
particular product or service.
 Cost behaviour pattern is mainly dictated by the cost behaviour patterns
(Sengphanich, n.d.).
Vision, mission and objectives of the Aurizon Holding Limited:
The main vision of the company is to become leading rail-transport business which partners
with its customers for its growth.
Mission of Aurizon Holding Limited:
To create significant values for its stakeholders such as its customers, shareholders,
employees and the business community in which it operates its business.
Objectives of Aurizon Holding Limited:
To stay committed to the credit ratings offered by the grading agencies and further improving
such investment grades by enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the business. The
main objective of the business is to create sustainable values and returns for its customers and
employees. The hallmark of the company is the sheer accountability for its business
operations, continuous improvements.
Corporate strategy of Aurizon Holding Limited:
To develop as well as to operate the multi-customer and rail based integrated supply chains.
The main priority of the company is to further strengthen and grow its existing business in all
the freight markets by relentlessly focusing on its customer base and by improving and
enhancing its productivity. The company has a strategic planning of further diversification of
its business portfolio by leveraging its capability into new products and rail freight
opportunities in both national as well as international markets (Aurizon, 2018).

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Role of ABC model in achieving the strategies and objectives of the company:
To achieve the above discussed mission and objectives, business of Aurizon Holding relies
on strategic and advanced accounting methods to remain profitable in its competitive
markets. The techniques and tools of advanced cost management system helps the company
in collecting, analysing and evaluating its overall spending so as to streamline its business
processes and to control and reduce the possible costs of the business (Hansen, Mowen &
Guan, 2007).
Activity based costing is one of such important cost management techniques that plays
significant role in enabling the corporations like Aurizon Holdings to achieve their corporate
strategies and objectives (Kannaiah, 2015). These strategies are formulated for various
objectives such as smooth survival and continuous growth of business, to provide global
competitiveness to the business, creation of sustainable returns of the business and its
stakeholders. All these objectives are achieved only when the company has successfully
implemented and executed a sound cost management system. Costing system of any
company enables its managers to take informed decision in regards to the pricing of the
products and services delivered by it in the normal course of business. The product and
service pricing mechanism of any company depends upon the adequacy of its overhead
allocation cost on the basis of their consumption thereon. ABC methodologies not only
enhance the profitability of the business through better pricing but it also facilitates saving
important resources of the business. It allows the manager to effectively and efficiently use
its resources to create value for the business. The model of Activity based costing is quite
logical and therefore it provides the users with high end business solutions. The
implementation of ABC Model in business improves the generation of higher revenues for
the company by better cost determination processes. It helps the businesses in eliminating the
activities that are redundant and unproductive.

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Before the introduction of ABC Model, the cost of producing the goods and services of
Aurizon Holding was determined on the basis of specific factors like labour hours, raw
material units or quantity and various other sources of overheads. The implementation of
ABC costing may be quite complex, expensive and time consuming as it requires proper
training of the employees of the company who are functioning in the costing department and
also the recruitment of new cost management expertise to implement such advanced cost
management model in the business (Drury, 2013). However, the returns of the said model are
much higher than the investment involved in its successful implementation. Its
implementation requires every business activity that is substantial enough for the business, to
be split down into its essential components. The basic step that is required to be taken to
implement the ABC Model in the business is to identify the products and services that
Aurizon Holding is dealing for the purpose of cost allocation (IMA, 2018). The next step
after this involves identification of various direct and indirect costs that are associated with
each of the important activities required to provide rail related services (Horngren, et. al.,
2002). All the aspects such as railroad construction, freight operations such as loading and
unloading of goods, locomotive maintenance and inspection, handling customer complaints
and feedbacks etc. must be investigate (Ben-Arieh & Qian, 2003).
The main objective of implementation of ABC model in the business is to increase its overall
profitability and performance through the identification of appropriate overheads costs and
matching them with the suitable cost drivers. Thus, this model ultimately facilitates effective
streamlining of business processes. With proper allocation of all the direct as well indirect
costs to the suitable products and services, it gets easier for the management of the company
to determine the overall cost involved in the producing different services. The correct cost
determination of all the services provided by the company allows its manager to evaluate
which business processes are operating profitably and which are not operating well. The

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streamlining of rail operations can be undertaken by allocation of more resources to the
profitable segments and elimination of the activities that are excessively costly and not
producing profitable outcomes (Bokor, n.d.). To determine the total price of a product or
service, it is indispensible to determine the accurate cost involved in producing and providing
the goods and services of the business. If prices of the goods and services are determined on
the basis of inaccurate cost figures, the profitability of the business of the company will
severely be affected.
Recommendations for the successful implementation of ABC Model in Aurizon
Holdings:
To effectively implement the ABC Model in the business of Aurizon Holdings, the
management of the company must hire the cost management experts possessing the requisite
knowledge and degree to undertake the implementation of ABC technique in the company
and to train and provide adequate skills to the existing personnel of the company to cope up
with this advanced management accounting model. The employees of the company may
resist to adopt such advanced technique of cost management as they are well versed from the
traditional approaches of cost management. Therefore, the company must introduce some
incentives and perks of using ABC methodology, for its employees.
Company can also appoint consultants or deploy the ABC technique supporting software so
as to organise the information and facilitate effective coordination with the current
accounting system. The said business software will not only support effective cost
determination but also, they will save a lot of time and resources of the company (OHIO
University, n.d).
Other management accounting tool for Aurizon Holding:

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As the company is aiming to enhance its profitability in the fore-coming years, it must
consider the implementation of more advanced management accounting techniques in its
business (Zimmerman & Yahya-Zadeh, 2011). Cost-Volume-Profitability (CVP) Analysis is
one such key technique that can help the company to improve its profitability (ACCA, 2018).
This technique helps the managers in determining the level of activity at which it must
operate in order to achieve profits and avoid losses. This analysis mainly focuses on the
effects of various levels of activities on the overall financial position of the company. It takes
into account all the three aspects of production i.e. cost of the products and services, volume
of the products and services and their profitability. Implementation of this technique would
help the company in determining the adequate cost that must be involved in manufacturing
and providing its goods and services in the market. Also, it will help the managers to
determine the quantum of products and services performed to achieve the desired level of
profitability. Under CVP analysis, the company can use Breakeven Point tool to determine
the level of sales at which it will have ‘no profit and no loss’ situation and Margin of Safety
tool to determine the level of sales after which company will start generating profits (Burritt,
Hahn & Schaltegger, 2002).
Conclusion:
From the above report, it can be summarised that ABC model will certainly provide the
company with possible solution to undertake sound decision making relating to cost
management aspect of the business. After having the clear picture of all the activities
involved in the railway transport company, the cost allocation will be carried out in the most
transparent and accurate manner. This allocation will ultimately result in the best product and
service pricing decision that, in turn, will generate higher profitability for the company. As a

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result of implementation of ABC Model in the business, Aurizon Holdings will be better able
to control and manage its overall cost of production.

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References:
ACCA, 2018. COST-VOLUME-PROFIT ANALYSIS, Available from:
http://www.accaglobal.com/in/en/student/exam-support-resources/fundamentals-exams-
study-resources/f5/technical-articles/CVP-analysis.html[ Accessed on: 07.06.2018].
Aurizon, 2018. Strategy. Available from: http://www.aurizon.com.au/company/strategy
[Accessed on: 07.06.2018.]
Ben-Arieh, D. and Qian, L., 2003. Activity-based cost management for design and
development stage. International Journal of Production Economics, 83(2), pp.169-183.
Bokor, Z., (N.d.) New Approaches’ of Cost Management In Rail Transport. Available from:
http://real.mtak.hu/13104/1/1245034.pdf[Accessed on: 07.06.2018.]
Burritt, R.L., Hahn, T. and Schaltegger, S., 2002. Towards a comprehensive framework for
environmental management accounting—Links between business actors and environmental
management accounting tools. Australian Accounting Review, 12(27), pp.39-50.
DRURY, C.M., 2013. Management and cost accounting. Springer.
Hansen, D., Mowen, M. and Guan, L., 2007. Cost management: accounting and control.
Cengage Learning.
Horngren, C.T., Bhimani, A., Datar, S.M., Foster, G. and Horngren, C.T., 2002. Management
and cost accounting. Harlow: Financial Times/Prentice Hall.
IMA, 2018. Implementing Activity-Based Costing. Available from:
https://www.imanet.org/insights-and-trends/strategic-cost-management/implementing-
activity-based-costing?ssopc=1 [ Accessed on: 07.06.2018.]

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Kannaiah, D., 2015. Activity Based Costing (ABC): Is It a Tool for Company to Achieve
Competitive Advantage?. International Journal of Economics and Finance, 7(12), p.275.
Kaplan, R. and Anderson, S., 2003. Time-driven activity-based costing.
OHIO University, n.d. Using Activity-Based Costing (ABC) to Increase Profitability.
Available from:https://onlinemasters.ohio.edu/blog/using-activity-based-costing-abc-to-
increase-profitability/ [Accessed on: 07.06.2018.]
Özbayrak, M., Akgün, M. and Türker, A.K., 2004. Activity-based cost estimation in a
push/pull advanced manufacturing system. International journal of production
economics, 87(1), pp.49-65.
Sengphanich, U., n.d. The Characteristics Of The Activity-Based Costing Practice In Thai
Manufacturing Firms. Available from:
http://search.ror.unisa.edu.au/media/researcharchive/open/9915952052401831/53111928240
001831 [Accessed on: 07.06.2018.]
Staub-French, S., Fischer, M., Kunz, J. and Paulson, B., 2003. A generic feature-driven
activity-based cost estimation process. Advanced Engineering Informatics, 17(1), pp.23-39.
Zimmerman, J.L. and Yahya-Zadeh, M., 2011. Accounting for decision making and
control. Issues in Accounting Education, 26(1), pp.258-259.

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