Preview

Activity Based Management a Summary

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1607 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Activity Based Management a Summary
Activity Based Management
A Summary

Managerial Accounting

Abstract Activity-based management (ABM) is an approach to management that directs the focus of cost managers towards activities analysis. Theoretically by concentrating on activities, this will increase the ability of management to control costs be improving efficiencies. Activity-based management (ABM) uses activity-based costing (ABC) information. ABM/ABC has been around for over 25 years and has gone through its peaks and valleys. This paper will give a short overview of ABM/ABC as well as discussing the main points of ABM including its goals, merits and drawbacks.

Activity-Based Costing (ABC) “Where It Begins” for ABM Activity-based costing (ABC) is a costing method that assigns resource costs to products or services based on activities performed. The whole idea of this costing approach is that an organization’s products or services are produced or performed as a result of activities and activities use resources which incur costs. The costs of resources are assigned to activities based on the activities that use or consume resources and costs of activities are assigned to products or services based on activities performed. It is imperative in using ABC to identify the relationships between resource costs, cost drivers, activities, and products/services in assigning costs to activities and then from activities to products/services. The order of this process in determining these relationships would start with indentifying the product or service that you wish to analyze. Then an organization would attempt to indentify all the resources and processes that are required to make the product or deliver the service and identify their particular costs. Determining the cost drivers for these costs would be the next step. This is a very critical step and determining the correct cost drivers



References: Abdallah, A., & Wei, L. (2008). Why Did ABC Fail: at the Bank of China?. Management Accounting Quarterly, 9(3), 7-17. Cokins, G. (1999). Learning To Love ABC. Journal Of Accountancy, 188(2), 37-39. Cokins, G., & Căpuşneanu, S. (2011). Sustaining an Effective ABC/ABM System. Theoretical & Applied Economics, 18(2), 47-58. GHICAJANU, M. (2008). Activity Based Management - Efficiency Method of the Management Control Systems. Annals Of The University Of Petrosani Economics, 8(1), 219-222. Hicks, D. T. (1999). Yes, ABC Is for Small Business, Too. (cover story). Journal Of Accountancy, 188(2), 41-43. Kren, L. (2008). Using Activity-Based Management for Cost Control. Journal of Performance Management, 21(2), 18-27. Stratton, W. O., Desroches, D., Lawson, R. ., & Hatch, T. (2009). Activity-Based Costing: Is It Still Relevant?. Management Accounting Quarterly, 10(3), 31-40. Tardivo, G., & Di Montezemolo, G. (2009). Using Activity- Based Management to Achieve Excellence. Journal of Financial Management & Analysis, 22(1), 67-84.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Jet2 Task 4

    • 2238 Words
    • 9 Pages

    The main difference between activity based costing and the traditional system is that activity based costing requires four steps to build its cost point. Traditional costing uses one rate where first, activity based costing must identify each activity and estimate its total and indirect cost. Second for activity based costing is that the cost driver for each activity must be estimated along with the total quantity of each driver’s allocation base. Third the cost allocation for each activity must be computed. Fourth costs to cost object are allocated. Activity-based costing focuses on activities. The costs of those activities become the building blocks for measuring (allocating) the costs of products and services. (Horngren, Harrison, Jr & Oliver, 2008) This method of costing does require more time to compute the cost to the activity yet it earns that money back plus dividends by having a more accurate forecast of the true costs that are associated with each activity.…

    • 2238 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Kinsella, S.M. (2002). Activity-based costing: Does it warrant inclusion in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK guide)? Project Management Journal, 33, 2, 49-56. Retrieved October 6, 2003, from ProQuest database.…

    • 3567 Words
    • 15 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    What is activity-based costing? What are some of the key elements of activity-based costing? How does this method differ from a more traditional costing method?…

    • 511 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Case 5A

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Glaser Health Products of Ranier Falls, Georgia needs assistance in evaluating and classifying costs in order to implement an activity-based costing system. As stated in the case, these costs will be used for planning and control decisions rather than inventory valuation. The activity-based costing system will provide better allocation of Glaser’s overhead costs rather than a system to look at the cost drivers or the activities that their overhead costs comprise. Glaser’s general structure of an activity-based costing model should consist of cost objects, activities, consumption of resources, and cost.…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Acc349 Reflection Summary

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages

    One advantage of Activity-Based Costing system is it has more accurate overhead cost allocation because there are more cost pools, the costs in each pool are more similar, and allocation is based on activities that cause overhead costs. It is more effective overhead cost control by focusing on processes or activities and focuses on relevant factors by assigning costs to any cost object that is of interest to management. Lastly, it allows better management of activities by helping managers identify the causes of costs and the activities driving them. The disadvantages of Activity-Based Costing are its cost to implement and maintain ABC requires management commitment and financial resources and its uncertainty with decisions remain and management must interpret ABC data with caution in making managerial decisions.…

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    BUSI 601 DB 1 response

    • 530 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Discussion Board One asks the student to select a recognized company and a Contemporary Management Technique from Cost management: A Strategic Emphasis by Blocher, Stout, Juras, and Cokins (2013). The student is instructed to draw a parallel between the chosen company and technique, and elaborately describe how the technique would effectively aid in maximizing the company’s success. To complete this assignment, Johnathan Bradley describes the Ford Motor Company and activity-based costing. He describes the Ford Motor Company as a dominant company within the automotive manufacturing industry, and uses research performed by Eggers and Bangert (1998) to define activity-based costing as a tool that measures costs based on segmented activities. Jonathan effectively uses the study to capture the advantages of activity-based costing, and gainfully applies these findings to Ford Motor Company. He illustrates how the use of activity-based costing would support the company’s critical success factors by increasing quality levels and improving cycle time. Additionally, Jonathan explains how the utilization of this Contemporary Management Technique would aid Ford Motor Company in effectively dividing costs based on activity, which would allow the company to ensure maximum efficiency throughout all activities.…

    • 530 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Activity-based management is a contemporary technique that maximizes value adding activities to the clients of the campaign while also eliminating non-value adding activities. Its main objective is to enhance the firm’s efficiency and effectiveness in securing its markets. ABM relies on activity-based costing for valuable information which is used to manage activities to bring down costs, set performance measures, improve cash flow and quality, and produces value added products and create value for the customers (Tuncel et al., 2005). The ABM system improves profitability for a company by identifying where the business is losing money.…

    • 293 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Activity based costing (ABC) is an accounting method that identifies the activities a firm performs creating the real cause of the overhead, and then assigns the indirect costs of those activity only to the products that are actually demanding the activities. An activity based costing (ABC) system recognizes the relationship between costs, activities and products, and through this relationship assigns indirect costs to products less arbitrarily than traditional methods.…

    • 2327 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Chocloate case study

    • 6328 Words
    • 41 Pages

    Kaciuba, G., and G. H. Siegel. 2009. Activity-based management in a medical practice: A case study…

    • 6328 Words
    • 41 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Deere & Company is an iconic American corporation, renowned for being the world’s leading manufacturer of agricultural equipment. Founded in 1837 by John Deere, the company has transcended its humble beginnings to become entrenched in the global commercial landscape of industrial manufacturing.…

    • 1975 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Learning Objective: 03-01 Understand the basic approach in activity-based costing and how it differs from conventional costing.…

    • 786 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Activity based costing (ABC) assigns manufacturing overhead costs to products in a more logical manner than the traditional approach of simply allocating costs on the basis of machine hours. Activity based costing first assigns costs to the activities that are the real cause of the overhead. It then assigns the cost of those activities only to the products that are actually demanding the activities.…

    • 1474 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Abc Accounting

    • 2592 Words
    • 8 Pages

    The methodology of Activity Based Costing is based on the fact that a company to produce products or services need to perform activities which consume resources, so activities are funded first and then the cost of activities are assigned to different cost objects (products, services, customer groups and regions, processes, etc) consuming such activities, in such a way we achieve a much greater accuracy in determining the costs and the correlative profitability.…

    • 2592 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    You are required to choose an organisation of your own and explain the importance of costs in the pricing strategy of that chosen organisation. You could describe other systems they considered in this process and explain the reasons behind their final design. Also propose improvements to the costing and pricing systems used in their chosen organisation. (A.C 1.1,A.C 1.2 and A.C1.3)…

    • 1764 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    First of objectives is to understand the basic concepts of activity-based costing (ABC). From the literatures and the implementation experiences in these three cases, the basic concepts of activity-based costing (ABC) have been identified. Activity-based costing (ABC) was mainly applied as a superior method for allocating overhead costs. According to the case of Tripoli Libya, it mentioned activity-based costing (ABC) has received its name because of the focus on the activities performed in the realization of a product. Costs are traced from activities to products, based on each product's consumption of such activities. Because of the assumption that a product uses activities and the allowance for batch and product level cost-drivers, it is generally agreed that activity-based costing (ABC) systems are superior in modeling and tracking costs…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays