Strengthening SMEs to make export competitive

The importance of SMEs in any economy cannot be overlooked as they form a major chunk in the economic activity of nations. India has nearly three million SMEs, which account for almost 50 per cent of industrial output. However, SMEs which form the backbone of industrial development in India are not export competitive and contribute only about 34 percent of exports. It is this feature of the SMEs that make it an ideal target to realize its potential export competitive. Drawing from the experiences of countries that have successfully promoted the export competitiveness of SMEs, this paper has identified ways in which SMEs in India can have an access to external markets through exports, which include simplification of procedures, incentives for higher production, preferential treatments to SMEs in the market development fund, linking up SMEs with Transnational Companies or large domestic exporting firms; and formation of clusters and networks in order to reinforce their external competitiveness.Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), SWOT Analysis, Export, India

Conceptualising management control systems. Illustrative evidence from literature on the Australian business sector

This study is an attempt to conceptualise management control systems. Management control systems can be viewed as a broader concept which includes different components and used for varying purposes. In an organisation, control is applied at different levels and is directly related with employees of the organisation concerned. To comprehend the basics of management control systems the present study will explore the typography of the control mechanisms. Management control systems can be viewed as technical activity which is implemented in different ways in different countries. In the Australian business sector these control tools have been widely used. This study will review the experiences of implementing management control systems in the Australian business sector. Though the present study is based on Australian business sector it has policy implications to other countries and is expected to indicate potential usefulness to management control practices

Life cycle costing: an alternative selection tool

In today’s complex business environment, both raising and application of fund becomes so costly. Thus, business needs to take a wise decision of investing funds in fixed facilities, which at one side consumes a lot of costly fund and on the other, set the value of the business. Net present value (NPV), pay back period (PBP), internal rate of return (IRR) are some widely used and customary tools in such situation most of which are based on projected revenues. In this paper, we have tried to use life cycle costing as a strong alternative, which considers every cost category throughout the life of the assets, from cradle to grave, to represent the effective use of funds in its totality. The theoretical foundation of LCC as a tool comes from literature review but the application of LCC in alternative choosing areas are the development of the authors. The use of mathematical tools and equations is an exemplary one that may be changed or modified to fit it with the typical context, if necessary. The paper can be a guideline which finally concludes that the use of life cycle costing as an alternative selection tool results a better cost structure analysis than others.Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS), Invisible Costs, Iceberg Effect, Affinity Diagram

Private Sector Management Tools In The Public Sector: Illustrative Evidence Of Literature From Australian Public Sector

Public sector reform processes have brought a wide range of improvements in many areas of public service delivery. This study explores the reforms activities initiated by Australian public sector organizations in the context of new public management ideals. New public management ideals believe that management in the public sector is not different from management in the private sector. Since 1980s the Australian public sector has been dominated by the new public management principles as a response to reform initiatives and eventually different private sector management practices have been introduced in public sector. Literature supports that the Australian public sector organizations have changed their structure and operation in line with the private sector to achieve cost-efficiency, budget accountability and an improved customer focus in service delivery. However, this study doesn’t intent to generalize any findings rather highlights a summary based on available literature. Though the context of the present research is Australia, it may be equally useful to every policy maker who are engaged in formulating new policies for respective public sector. Moreover, the findings reported in this study would be useful to the public sector managers in their day to day decision-making

Understanding management accountants’ satisfaction: A conceptual study

Purpose: The study attempts to explain management accountants’ satisfaction in terms of the job they do and the system they use, develops a profile of factors impacting such satisfaction, and analyzes the implications of satisfaction on contextual factors like value creation, profitability etc. Design / Methodology / Approach: Based on a structured questionnaire survey, the study deploys a quantitative research methodology to identify the satisfiers of management accountants covering a rich profile of respondents from 113 manufacturing firms having their headquarters located in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. Contingency approach primarily leads to develop the basic theme of the study and it adopts positivistic paradigm of quantitative research. The results are analyzed through different descriptive and inferential statistical tools to draw conclusions through inductive method. Findings: Management accountants’ satisfaction is influenced by several factors which confirms the findings of other studies done on job satisfaction of employees. However, this study reveals that management accountants’ satisfaction does not depend on the system they use. This provides a scope for further study. Another important finding of the study that brings significant concern is that the satisfaction of management accountants fails to explain the changes in profitability of the firm. Practical implications: Management accountants are strategic partners to lead any venture towards success, but their satisfaction level was not studied before separately. This may be a reference work for future researchers who want to extend their studies in this area. At the same time, the findings of the study bring some modifications to the existing thoughts, like management accountants are indifferent on management accounting systems they use; management accountants share same motivators with other employees; and management accountants’ satisfaction fails to cause profitability of the firms. Thus, the study brings some promising areas for policy makers, researchers, and accounting professionals to commission particular research projects. Originality / Value: Studying job satisfaction and its impact on turnover intention and commitment are old fashioned research area. Factors affecting management accountants’ satisfaction and implication of such satisfaction are new areas of research which is an important value addition to the current body of knowledge

Cultural Control Systems in the Context of New Public Management: An In-depth Case Study of an Australian Public Sector Organization

The main purpose of this study is to explore cultural control systems in the context of New Public Management (NPM) initiatives in Australia. A Government Department in the Australian Capital Territory was selected for the investigation. The selected department has adopted NPM initiatives in recent years and demonstrates considerable improvements in performance. This study used qualitative research methods. In this study, data collection involved a triangulation approach and the data sources were organizational documents, interviews and observations. As cultural control systems are socially constructed, Giddens’ structuration theory was adopted in this research to obtain a better understanding of human actions and to explore how these control devices are implicated in the wider social context. The research confirmed that implementation of cultural control systems in the selected organization is the functions of NPM in the key areas of human resources management like code of conduct, duty statement, communication and consultation, workplace diversity, group rewards and recognition etc. These findings are consistent with the view that changes to the Australian public sector promoted a culture of performance.Keywords: Cultural Control Systems, Public Sector Reforms, New Public Management (NPM), Australian Public Sector, Structuration Theory

Factors Influencing the Choice of Sophisticated Management Accounting Practices - Exploratory Evidence from An Emerging Market

This study attempts to explore the factors that may lead to the choice behind sophisticated management accounting practices (SMAP) in an emerging economy, Bangladesh. A semi-structured questionnaire has been developed to capture the market data and different descriptive and inferential statistical tools have been used to test relevant hypotheses. The findings of the study are helpful for the management accounting practitioners, academics, and researchers to understand the current state of management accounting practices in an emerging market. In addition, the study brings an extension to existing literature by exploring potential causal relationship between sophistication in applying management accounting tools and satisfaction of management accounting practitioners. This study confirms that there is a missing link between practitioners’ satisfaction and SMAP. It gives a signal to the market that the critical decision-making process is not supported by tactical exercises and market lacks professionalism greatly which may act as an obstacle to develop a competitive business environment

Value-based measure: an application of EVA in small manufacturing company in Bangladesh

Performance measurement matters in today’s complex business arena irrespective of the type, nature, and volume diversity in business. If the result of performance measurement goes wrong due to the faulty or inaccurate selection of tool(s), then the total process will prove wrong in due time. This paper evaluates Economic Value Added (EVA) as a smart and powerful alternative to traditional performance measures like gross margin, percentage change in sales, net margin etc. in a small manufacturing company perspective. Small manufacturing companies are the focus of the study, as most of the people in such companies believe that EVA is truly designed for large companies and the equation of EVA cannot be applied in small companies due to the non-availability of required data. This paper results in a typical model applicable to small manufacturing companies where all adjustments and other technicalities are discussed with a real life example. Finally, the possible advantages and opportunities of using EVA as a performance measurement tool is discussed that may encourage the users/readers to incorporate EVA with their current setup to reap the potential benefits from it.Economic Value Added (EVA), Market Value Added (MVA), Cost of Capital (COC), Net Operating Profit After Tax (NOPAT), Small Manufacturing Companies, Performance Measures, Tailored EVA, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)

Life cycle costing: an alternative selection tool

In today’s complex business environment, both raising and application of fund becomes so costly. Thus, business needs to take a wise decision of investing funds in fixed facilities, which at one side consumes a lot of costly fund and on the other, set the value of the business. Net present value (NPV), pay back period (PBP), internal rate of return (IRR) are some widely used and customary tools in such situation most of which are based on projected revenues. In this paper, we have tried to use life cycle costing as a strong alternative, which considers every cost category throughout the life of the assets, from cradle to grave, to represent the effective use of funds in its totality. The theoretical foundation of LCC as a tool comes from literature review but the application of LCC in alternative choosing areas are the development of the authors. The use of mathematical tools and equations is an exemplary one that may be changed or modified to fit it with the typical context, if necessary. The paper can be a guideline which finally concludes that the use of life cycle costing as an alternative selection tool results a better cost structure analysis than others

Life cycle costing: an alternative selection tool

In today’s complex business environment, both raising and application of fund becomes so costly. Thus, business needs to take a wise decision of investing funds in fixed facilities, which at one side consumes a lot of costly fund and on the other, set the value of the business. Net present value (NPV), pay back period (PBP), internal rate of return (IRR) are some widely used and customary tools in such situation most of which are based on projected revenues. In this paper, we have tried to use life cycle costing as a strong alternative, which considers every cost category throughout the life of the assets, from cradle to grave, to represent the effective use of funds in its totality. The theoretical foundation of LCC as a tool comes from literature review but the application of LCC in alternative choosing areas are the development of the authors. The use of mathematical tools and equations is an exemplary one that may be changed or modified to fit it with the typical context, if necessary. The paper can be a guideline which finally concludes that the use of life cycle costing as an alternative selection tool results a better cost structure analysis than others