Table of Contents INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4 TASK 1............................................................................................................................................4 P1. Concept of Management Accounting and its essential requirements..............................4 P2. Various methods used for management accounting reporting.........................................6 M1. Assessing benefits of MAS in the context of KEF Manufacturing................................8 D1. Critical evaluation of integrating MAS and MAR within organizational processes.......8 TASK 2............................................................................................................................................8 P3. Computation of costs using Marginal and Absorption Costing Techniques....................8 .............................................................................................................................................12 M2. Application of Management Accounting techniques....................................................14 D2. Production of Financial Reports that enable data interpretation of various business activities................................................................................................................................14 TASK 3..........................................................................................................................................14 P4. Advantages and disadvantages of different kind of planning tools of budgetary control14 M3. Types of planning tools and their application for preparing and forecasting of budgets.16 TASK 4..........................................................................................................................................17 P5. Comparing the ways organisations adopt MAS in response of Financial Problems.....17 Comparing implementation of MAS among different organisations...................................18 M4. Analysis of how management accounting system help in resolution of financial problems sustainably............................................................................................................................19 D3. Evaluating how Planning tools help in resolution of financial problems to achieve sustainable success...............................................................................................................19 CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................20 REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................21
INTRODUCTION In present day scenario, the business environment has evolved from the preparation of historic general ledger using a wide variety of book-keeping systems and methods that provide financial accounting information at a face value(Abdullah and Said, 2015). There has been an introduction of highly customized business processes as well as systems which ensures that not only the performance is tracked on a continual basis but also cost-based information helps in removal of uncertainty so as to facilitate forecasting of future strategic plans of action. In this context, this report aims to provide an insightful look into the various types of management accounting systems as well as techniques. For this purpose, Alpha FMC has been chosen asaconsultancy organization that is based in London, UK (Alpha,2019). It has a wide variety of clients most of which are small and medium sized enterprises that are operative in sectors like Manufacturing, Retail, Hospitality or Construction. One such enterprise is Kent Engineering and Foundry (KEF) which is based out of Maidstone, England and produces as well as distributes loudspeakers internationally (KEF,2019). Also, an analysis of planning tools and techniques has been undertaken to depict how such systems enable decision-making among organizations. TASK 1 P1. Concept of Management Accounting and its essential requirements In the recent years, theconceptof Managerial Accounting has gained huge acclamation from accounting professionals as well as organisations alike. It can be defined as the practice of taking informed financial as well as non-financial decisions on the basis of information derived bythemanagersinregardstoaparticularbusinesselementwhichhelpsinsuccessful achievement of organisational goals. It is important to note that financial reporting forms a critical part of this field of study(Al-Mawali, 2015).Management accounting is the discipline includingasetofmethodsortechniqueswhichdealwiththecollection,process,and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative information of any business in order to prepare reports that must be used by decision makers to determine how to find sources of incomes and how to invest the business resources to fulfil the organization strategy in the most convenient way.
One of the mainadvantagesof it is that it enables accurate forecasting of information which further enables in planning budgets as well as their comparison to actual performance. Hence, some of the crucialfunctionsplayed by Management accounting in organisations include planning, organising, controlling and decision-making. In addition to this, it also acts as a medium of communication among all the organisational levels and departments. In the context of KEF, there are various types of Management Accounting Systems (MAS) that are in place for the business itself, however, it can improve its performance in a sustainable manner if it focuses on the processes mentioned underneath: Costing System: As KEF is a manufacturing entity, it is crucial for it to have a competent system in place whichfacilitatescostminimizationandqualitymaximizationofthevariousproductsit manufactures and sells to its customers.Such a system consists ofinvestment or expenses needed to produce a good or deliver a service(Alvesson and Willmott, 2012).Hence,thissystem plays an important role. It is a framework which helps in accurate estimation ofreimbursements soastoenableforecastingandplanningforthemanagersthateventuallyhelpsinthe enhancement of overall profitability of KEF. Any type of system which helps in deliverance of such functions to the business managers with least changes made to the existing set-upofsuch accounting processes can be treated as an idealcostingsystem for KEF. Price-Optimisation System: It is important to know the correct value oftheproducts and services since it not only determines the level of revenues generated but also the profitability maintained by an entity over the course of its life. This system helps in finding the right price that not only delivers cost- effective and high quality offerings of finished goods to Kent's customers but also maximizes profits for the company itself. As this system takes into account the overall demand of the product, level of competition as well as cost of goods manufactured, it can help KEF in bringing more profit and overcoming competition effectively. One of the essential requirements of this system is to have a strong analytics back-end that would act as a supportive structure by posing as a medium of database to the company itself (Arroyo, 2012). Inventory Management System: As the name suggests, this system assists inmanagement of inventory that is essentially related to stocks, products to be sold, raw materials if the business manufactures one or several
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products, etc. whichfurther helps in preparation of financial reports of the company. In order to ascertain the correct system for the Kent Engineering, it is important to know how well the suppliers management is executed through it along with synchronization of marketplaces. Hence, KEF must internally understand its existing inventory management policy so as to improve them by bring in more customization to such policies and procedures (Bebbington, Unerman and O’DWYER, 2014). Job Costing System: This type of accounting system is kind of a specific order costing method under which costs are first accumulated then associated to individual cost-units called 'Jobs'. The main purpose of this system is to ascertain jobs related to each unit and derive the profit earned from them individually. It is suitable for those businesses which manufacture customer specific goods made and delivered. The essential pre-requisites for this system is that an effective production control system is existent in the organisation along with properly classified, apportioned and absorptionmethodologiesimplementedforoverheads.AsKEFfulfilstheseconditions, implementation of this system can help in improving Kent's performance and profitability. P2. Various methods used for management accounting reporting Some of the crucial functions performed by Management Accounting is to act as ameans of communication to both internal as well as external stakeholders of the company (Busco, Caglio and Scapens, 2015). This is usually done by consolidation of financial and non-financial information in a manner which gives an overview of the business activities, performance, profitability and projects that have been undertaken by such enterprise in a given fiscal year. For this purpose, important financial reports are formulated for a specific time-period. Some of the important methodologies that are adopted for Management Accounting Reporting (MAR) have been enlisted below: Budget Reports: Preparation of such reports helps in critical assessment of company's performance in terms of departments, costs as well as the business as a whole. A budget estimate is usually inclusive of previous experiences along with future contingencies that may arise in relation to the earnings and expenditures for a given time-period (Franco-Santos, Lucianetti and Bourne, 2012). Hence, using this report is crucial as it enables proper planning of scarce resources available with
the business that ultimately help in bringing about cost-effectiveness as well as supplier management practices in the organisation such as Kent Engineering & Foundry. Performance Reports: As performance is one of the main determinant of how well a business is doing in its given internal and external environment, they play an important role in the present day scenario. These reports help in the communication of inter-departmental, organisational as well as employee performance which is crucial for the identification of weaknesses and strengths of the company. On the basis of such reports, employee morale is also maintained by rewarding those that perform better than their counterparts. Thus, ensuring that a definite level of motivation is always present among them which is essential from a long-term perspective. KEF can employ such reports to keep a check on the measures and business activities undertaken by the company so as to realize their mission in a strategic manner. Accounts Receivable Ageing Report: Being a manufacturing business, it is obvious that operations of the company have a heavy reliance on credit. Hence, preparation of such a report has immense importance for businesses such as KEF. An Accounts Receivable Ageing Report is one which gives a detailed view in regards to the amounts owed by external parties to the business for a particular period of time (Johnson, 2015). Identification of defaulters helps the company know that whether the credit policies put in place are effective or not. It also helps in ascertaining the amount of bad debts that have occurred or are likely to occur in the near future. There periodic analysis also facilitates prevention of overlooking any kind of old debts.The main advantage of this kind of reports is that they make it easy to prevent the overlooking any kind of old debts and add value to the financial reports of the business. Job Costing Report: UndertheJobCostingSystem,individualprofitaswellascostsareclassified, apportioned and accumulated in relation tospecific activities, usually known as 'job'.Keeping in track of such earnings and expenditure is also important. These reports enable identification of profit-making areas of the business which can help in building core competencies for that particularenterprise.ThisistrueinthecaseofKEFtoowhichismainlydealingin manufacturing and distribution of electronic products.
Thus, preparation of such reports is important for a company such as Kent Engineering & Foundry so as to build economies of scale in a sustainable manner. M1. Assessing benefits of MAS in the context of KEF Manufacturing Management accounting system Benefits Price optimisation systemThis accounting system is beneficial in the determining the right pricingofproductsandservices.IntheKEFmanufacturing company this system is useful in assigning the accurate price of manufactured products. Inventorymanagement system Ithelpsinbettermanagementofavailablerawmaterialand prepared products. Same as in the KEF manufacturing company, they manage their stock by this accounting system. Job costing systemIt is beneficial in controlling the cost of different cost of job. Like intheaboverespectedcompany,ithelpsinprovidingthe information regarding to the cost of job that is associated in different activities (Hofstede, 2012). Cost accounting systemFor client company of Alpha FMC, this accounting system is useful in reducing and controlling overall cost. D1. Critical evaluation of integrating MAS and MAR within organizational processes The management accounting systems provide all the needed data and information for preparation of management accounting reports. In the client company of Alpha FMC, they use cost accounting system, inventory management system and price optimisation system for preparation of the accounting reports. They prepare reports like performance reports, cost accounting reports by these accounting systems. TASK 2 P3. Computation of costs using Marginal and Absorption Costing Techniques Absorption Costing:
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Under this costing technique, both variable as well as fixed overheads are critically analysed in relation to the units produced and sold in order to determine net profit or loss. This has been calculated and depicted for Galway in the following table: Ascertainment of Production Cost per unit for the months of May and June: Production Cost per unitMay (£)June (£) Total Production500380 Material3535 Labour3232 Variable Overhead55 Fixed Overhead810.53 Contribution per unit8082.53 Less: Variable Selling Cost per unit-1.5-3.29 Less:Fixed Selling Cost per unit-6-7.89 Net Profit per unit72.571.34 Inventory Value under the cost per unit determined: May: Particulars(£) Total Production (in units)500 Add: Opening Inventory Less: Sales (in units)-380 Closing Inventory120 Inventory Value under cost per unit8700 June: Particulars(£) Total Production (in units)380 Add: Opening Inventory120 Less: Sales (in units)-500
Closing Inventory0 Inventory Value under cost per unit0 Over/Under Absorption of Fixed Production Overheads: ParticularsMay (£)June (£) Actual Production Units500380 Actual Production Expenses (=(4000/400)*Actual Production Units)50003800 Standard Production Overheads (given)40004000 Over/Under Absorption1000-200 As per this table, the underabsorption of fixed production overheads has occurred in May by £800 whereas over-absorption of such expenses has occurred in June by £210.53. Profit and Loss Statement of Galway for the month of May and June, 2019 ParticularsMayJune Production (in units)500380 Sales (in units)300500 Sales (A)1500025000 Cost of sales: Opening inventory05200 Material @ 3524004000 Labor @ 3215002500 Variable Overhead @ 59001500 Fixed Overhead40004000 Less: Closing inventory @ 7452003120 Gross Profit1140010920 Less: Variable selling cost-750-1250 Less: Fixed selling expenses-3000-3000
Under/Over Absorbed Costs Adjustment-1000200 Actual Net profit/(Net Loss)66506870 The above table indicates a profit earned in May and June worth £6,650 and £6,870 respectively. In the context of Absorption Costing, this value includes the adjustment of Under/Over Absorbed costs which have been ascertained by comparing the Standard and Actual Production Units in relation to given fixed production overheads worth £4000. Based on this, one can say that Galway PLC has been able to increase its net profit per unit in June as compared to May. Marginal Costing: Under this costing technique, variable overheads are critically analysed in relation to the units produced and sold (Marius, Denisa and Florina, 2012). On the other hand, fixed costs are written off from the contribution ascertained in order to determine net profit or loss. This has been calculated and depicted for Galway in the following table: Ascertainment of Production Cost per unit for the months of May and June: Production Cost per unitMayJune Total Production500380 Material3535 Labour3232 Variable Overhead55 Contribution per unit7272 Less: Variable Selling Cost per unit-1.5-3.29 Less:Fixed Selling Cost per unit-6-7.89 Net Profit per unit64.560.82 Inventory Value under the cost per unit determined: May: Particulars(£) Total Production (in units)500 Add: Opening Inventory Less: Sales (in units)-380
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Closing Inventory120 Inventory Value under cost per unit7740 June: Particulars(£) Total Production (in units)380 Add: Opening Inventory120 Less: Sales (in units)-500 Closing Inventory0 Inventory Value under cost per unit0 Profit and Loss Statement of Galway for the month of May and June, 2019 ParticularsMay (£)June (£) Production (in units)500380 Sales (in units)300500 Sales (A)1500025000 Cost of sales: Opening inventory03200 Material @ 824004000 Labour @ 515002500 Variable overhead @ 39001500 Less: Closing inventory @ 1632001920 1340015720 -Variable selling cost-750-1250 Contribution1265014470 Less: Fixed costs-2000-2000 Less: Fixed selling expenses-4000-4000 Actual Net profit/(Net Loss)66508470
The above table indicates a profit earned in May and June worth £6,650 and £8,470 respectively. In the context of Marginal Costing, one can say that Galway PLC has been able to increase its net profit per unit in June as compared to May. Reconciliation of Absorption And Marginal Costing profits: Reconciliation of Absorption and Marginal Costing ParticularsJanuaryFebruary Profits using Absorption Costing56504670 Less: Fixed Overhead in Closing Inventory-2000-1200 Add: Fixed Overhead in Opening Inventory30004000 Profits using Marginal Costing66508670 LIFO METHOD: DatePurchaseIssuesInventory UnitsCostTotalUnitsCostTotalUnitsCostTotal 01/05/1 9403120403120 12/05/1 9203.672403120 203.672 15/05/1 9203.67224372 16348 20/05/1 9203.757524372 203.7575 23/05/1 9103.7537.524372
Working Notes: Average cost of inventory (1): [((40*3) + (20*3.6)) / (40+20)] = (120 + 72)/60 = 192/60 = 3.2 Average cost of inventory (2): [((24*3.2) + (20*3.75)) / (20+24)] = (76.8+75)/44 = 3.45 M2. Application of Management Accounting techniques There are various kind of accounting techniques which helps in the preparation of financialreportingdocuments.Eventually,financialreportingdocumentsincludeincome statement, balance sheets etc. In the project report income statements are prepared on the basis of given data by use of absorption and marginal costing methods.As per the income statements prepared under marginal and absorption costing techniques, it can be concluded that even though Marginal Costing provides per unit break-up of additional output produced, Galway is able to harness this benefit in a much better manner. D2. Production of Financial Reports that enable data interpretation of various business activities As one can see that under Marginal and Absorption costing, the profits ascertained are different.Under Marginal Costing as well as absorption is same, that is, £7650.Comparing the two costing methods income statements it is clearly evident that adoption of Marginal Costing is much more beneficial for the business as it provides a higher net profit for Galway PLC in the month of June.Hence, it can be said that for the depiction of accurate results, KEF may adopt Absorption Costing Method. Thus one can state that utilization of costing techniques also enables in the accurate communication of financial information through financial reports such as Profit and Loss Statement and Balance Sheet. TASK 3 P4. Advantages and disadvantages of different kind of planning tools of budgetary control Budgetary control-It is a kind of controlling technique which is related to managing the financial and non financial performance of the companies. Under this technique managers of organisation determine the future goals and objectives with the help of different kind of budgets (McLellan, 2014). Further, compare the actual performance by pre established standards. In the KEF manufacturing limited company which is a consultancy company of Alpha financial market consultancy company, applies various kind of planning tools of budgetary control that helps
them in effective management of performance. Herein, below planning tools of budgetary control are mentioned below: Cash budget: The cash budget can be defined as an estimation of the inflow and outflow of cash for an organisation during a particular time period. As well as this budget analyse about whether organisation has sufficient cash or not to operate their day to day activities. This budget is prepared on the basis of forecasting of sales and production. The Alpha financial market consultancy company guides their client company KEF financial consultancy to prepare the cash budget so that they can manage their liquidity. It has some advantages and disadvantages which are mentioned below: Advantages- This budget is beneficial in identifying thedeficits like those activities which are high cost consuming and not generating revenue.in the company. In other words, it helps in analysing whether organisation haveliquidityto meet their obligations or not. As well as by this budget, companies can aware about the actual financial condition.This is why because if organizations will make the cash budget then they can easily evaluate about which activities are producing revenue for them. Disadvantage- Themaindisadvantageofthisbudgetisthatestimationoffutureincomeand expenditures requires lot of effort which become difficult for small companies.It requires lot of fund and manpower which is not easy for small organisations. Zero based budget The zero based budget is a kind of budget which is prepared on the basis of new activities without considering previous year's budget information (Michalak, 2013). Under this budget's preparation process, each of activity is justified and analysed before entering in the budget. Due to this budget, companies can aware about the need and cost of each function. The client company of Alpha financial market consultancy, use this budget for those activities which are new and crucial for them. Herein, below advantages and disadvantages of this budget are mentioned below: Advantages- This budget enables efficient allocation of available resources in an effective manner.
For manufacturing companies it eliminates wastages and out dated operations. Such as in the KEF manufacturing company. Disadvantages- The main disadvantage of this budget is that it consumes too much time and costas it must be prepared in detail as well as from the scratch.Apart from it, ZBB needs manpower for preparation of the budget. Fixed budget This is a kind of budget which can not be modified or change if sales unit or amount change. It is the main feature of this budget as well as this budget is suitable for short time period.Like the client company of Alpha financial market consultancy prepares this budget for small manufacturing project in which possibility of changing in sales is very low (Rallis, 2012). Itsadvantages and disadvantages are as follows: Advantages- The main advantage of this budget is that it does not require to be modified after preparing. It consists lack of complexity. Disadvantages- Lack of flexibility is a main drawback in this budgetbecause it leads to fraud and cheating. As well as data for measurement of performance can be manipulated. Apart from it, certain issues can raise in the absence of inflexibilitylike if sales is changed then it can be difficult to make change in budget. M3. Typesof planning tools and their application for preparing and forecasting of budgets. The budgetary control consists various kind of planning tools which are helpful in the preparation and forecasting of budgets. This is why because different types of planning tools provide a framework for preparing and predicting the budgets. For example in the Alpha financial market consultancy company guides to their client company in the process of preparing the budgets with the help of planning tools such as fixed budgets, ZBB and cash budgets. The needed information derives from these planning tools. So overall, planning tools of budgetary control helps in the process of budget making by accurate forecasting.
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TASK 4 P5. Comparing the ways organisations adopt MAS in response of Financial Problems A financial problem can be expressed as a situation under which a business is under a monetary pressure whose impact can be directly observed on the profit-making ability, cash flows, performance, taxes as well as credit undertaken by such an enterprise (Strauß and Zecher, 2013). In the present-day scenario, as the nature, size and complexity of the business has evolved, the proximity to face a financial problem has also increased simultaneously. As a result, it is important for business managers to be ready for any challenge or adversity that can arise over the course of the life of the business entity. For this purpose, management accounting systems must be implemented in such a manner that one is able to minimize the occurrence of such unforeseen problems altogether. In the context of given case scenario, the client of Alpha FMC, Kent Engineering & Foundry is a manufacturer as well as the distributor of loudspeakers, woofers and headphones among other products. Hence, Financial problems may arise in terms of cost of integrating new technologies among its products or determining the right price for a new product developed and launched by the company. In order to resolve such issues, the business may adopt the following methodologies in regards to management accounting systems: Financial Benchmarking: This involves developing of a standard that acts as a measuring yardstick to compare, analyse and draw conclusions in relation to a business' overall competitiveness, efficiencies as well as productivity (Takeda and Boyns, 2014). Usually benchmarking is defined as the process of comparing one's own internal as well as external business processes in relation to the industry standards.Some of the most common constituents used for this comparison include Quality, Time and Cost. One of the main functions of management accounting systems is to ensure that variousfunctionssuchasplanning,organisation,controlling,decision-makingand communication of such verdicts to respective stakeholders is carried out flawlessly. For which, this methodology can prove to be of great assistance.As Kent has been experiencing rigidity among its cash flows, benchmarking can help in the ascertainment of areas that are resulting in over-expenditure or are proving to be high maintenance.By comparing its cash flows and other related variables with the industry standards the company can overcome the problems arising in terms of short-term liquidity and working capital.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): In the recent times, another methodology has gained prominence as far as resolution of business financial problems is concerned. This is known asKeyPerformanceIndicators or KPI. While choosing a KPI, it is important to make sure that they are representative of the overall performance of that element in entirety (Vasile, Croitoru and Mitran, 2012). Anything that is directly impacting the financial objectives of a business is known as a Financial KPI such as Debtors Days, Account Receivable Ageing Schedules, Actual Expense vs. Budget KPIs and so on. Hence it is important to align these effectively to boost performance, profitability as well as resolve various financial problems faced by the business manager of KEF.This is due to the fact that any negative impact on such KPIs can easily signal a presence of financial problem in the operations of the business. Thus, it is to be kept in mind that while Benchmarking and KPIs help in the identification of financial problems arising or may arise for a business such as KEF, implementation of financial governance in combination of corrective measurement practices is a key solution to resolve such issues in an effective and efficient manner. Especially those which are not wholly dependent on the governance authority. Financial Governancecan be defined as the manner in which an organisation collects, manages, controls and supervises financial information that is critical to the success of an enterprise. A company having poor financial governance in place is subjected to a higher risk of fraud, misappropriation, errors of material nature, poor decision-making, lack of transparency and confidence among the stakeholders. In the context of Kent Engineering, problems of price- optimisation and cost accounting can be resolved through this methodology by implementing strong internal controls, financial policies that help in detection of misappropriation or fraud in a prompt manner and ensure data tracking, validation as well as security. Comparing implementation of MAS among different organisations BusinessKEFJBL ProblemDifficulty to integrate the costs of newtechnologiesamongitsnew products’ lines. Bad inventories management ImpactDiseconomies of scalePotentialbaddebtsandprovisions
that need to be checked. MAS used (or proposed to be used) to solve the problem Thisissuecanberesolvedusing PriceOptimisationSystemwhich can be integrated through a step-by- step implementation. This is due to the fact that complete alteration of existingsystemsmayresultin incurringexcessivenew technologies cost that may hamper the manufacturing activities of Kent. Oneoftheproposedinventory system is to inculcate the practice of accountreceivablesaswellas payables ageing report. This will help in the determination of what is owed by the company to its creditors and what is owed to the company by its debtorsbasedontheinflowand outflow of goods. Also, an ageing schedulewouldalsohelpinthe computation of amount that needs to beprovisionedforpotentialbad debts. M4. Analysis of howmanagement accounting system help in resolution of financial problems sustainably Organisations face various kind of financial issues which are required to be solve as soon as possible. In this context, the management accounting system plays an important role. This is why because different accounting system provides a kind of framework that help in resolving the issues. Like in the client company of Alpha financial market consultancy, they overcome from the financial issue by cost accounting system. This system eliminated and controlled their expenditures. So the management accounting system is important in solving the financial problem that leads to organisational success. D3.EvaluatinghowPlanningtoolshelpinresolutionoffinancialproblemstoachieve sustainable success Planning tools are an important element which act as a cautious measure for the business entity. This is due to the fact that implementation of such methodologies help in the resolution of financial problems through the elimination of uncertainty and controlling of cost centres. For this purpose, KEF may adopt budgeting such as Zero-Cost budget, Fixed Budget or Cash Budget to overlook different elements. Apart from this, benchmarking and KPIs help in the identification
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offinancialissueswhereasfinancialgovernancehelpsintheresolutionofsuchissues effectively. CONCLUSION From the above report it can be concluded that Management Accounting Systems and Techniques are critical elements in today's business environment. This is due to the fact that their correct and accurate implementation can help an enterprise in preventing unwarranted financial issues as well as enable sustainable success. For this purpose, it is important to understand costing techniques, suitability of various management accounting systems as well as planning tools to know what will be the best fit for the organisation from both short-term and long-term perspectives.