An examination of the use of profitability analysis in manufacturing industry

Although profitability analysis has been identified as a useful technique, it is an under-researched area. This paper extends the limited research into profitability analysis by using research interviews to examine the circumstances when profitability analysis is or is not prepared, why various types of profitability analysis are prepared and the how it is used in decision making. Some notable results indicate that operating units prepare profitability analysis when there is an interest in preparing it and the resources exist to prepare it. Operating units prepare both product profitability analysis (PPA) and customer profitability analysis (CPA) to assist with increasing profits through managing low profit or loss making customers. The aim is to identify those products that contribute to the low profit or loss of a customer. In those operating units preparing only PPA, its function is to identify low profit or unprofitable products. This information is used to assist in determining what action should be take to increase the profits of those products. In contrast, customer focused operating units produce only CPA

The uses of product costs in decision making in British manufacturing industry

This paper assess the use of product costs in decision-making. Using questionnaire responses and interviews with British management accountants, product costs are used all the time in decision making to support the profit motive in profit/investment centres and to control costs in cost centres. They are used only sometimes in decision making when there are limitations in the product costing system and/or the market has a greater role in decision-making. Operating units use product costs as attention directing information in decision making: to highlight loss making products for special studies to identify any further information required, because market-based information has an important role in decision making and when product costs are not accurate enough to use directly in decision-making. Operating units use product costs directly in decision making because they have confidence in the accuracy of costs or because of ignorance of using the information as attention directing information

Examining the disclosures on the websites of English credit unions

This paper examines the disclosures made on English credit unions’ websites. Credit unions without a website are presumed to be small. Community credit unions with websites tend to offer basic services with a limited range of products that may appeal to poorer members of society. Occupational credit unions appear more likely to have a greater range of products

Autologous Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Crohn's Disease: A Retrospective Survey of Long-term Outcomes From the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation

Background and Aims: Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation [AHSCT] is a therapeutic option for patients with severe, treatment-refractory Crohn’s disease [CD]. The evidence base for AHSCT for CD is limited, with one randomised trial [ASTIC] suggesting benefit. The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and efficacy for patients undergoing AHSCT for CD in Europe, outside the ASTIC trial. Methods: We identified 99 patients in the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation [EBMT] registry, who were eligible for inclusion. Transplant and clinical outcomes were obtained for 82 patients from 19 centres in seven countries. Results: Median patient age was 30 years [range 20–65]. Patients had failed or been intolerant to a median of six lines of drug therapy; 61/82 [74%] had had surgery. Following AHSCT, 53/78 [68%] experienced complete remission or significant improvement in symptoms at a median follow-up of 41 months [range 6–174]; 22/82 [27%] required no medical therapy at any point post-AHSCT. In patients who had re-started medical therapy at latest follow-up, 57% [24/42] achieved remission or significant symptomatic improvement with therapies to which they had previously lost response or been non-responsive. Treatment-free survival at 1 year was 54%. On multivariate analysis, perianal disease was associated with adverse treatment-free survival (hazard ratio 2.34, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14–4.83, p = 0.02). One patient died due to infectious complications [cytomegalovirus disease] at Day +56. Conclusions: In this multicentre retrospective analysis of European centres, AHSCT was relatively safe and appeared to be effective in controlling otherwise treatment-resistant Crohn’s disease. Further prospective randomised controlled trials against standard of care are warranted

Autologous haematopoietic stem cell transplantation and other cellular therapy in multiple sclerosis and immune-mediated neurological diseases : updated guidelines and recommendations from the EBMT autoimmune diseases working party (ADWP) and the joint accreditation committee of EBMT and ISCT (JACIE)

These updated EBMT guidelines review the clinical evidence, registry activity and mechanisms of action of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other immune-mediated neurological diseases and provide recommendations for patient selection, transplant technique, follow-up and future development. The major focus is on autologous HSCT (aHSCT), used in MS for over two decades and currently the fastest growing indication for this treatment in Europe, with increasing evidence to support its use in highly active relapsing remitting MS failing to respond to disease modifying therapies. aHSCT may have a potential role in the treatment of the progressive forms of MS with a significant inflammatory component and other immune-mediated neurological diseases, including chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, neuromyelitis optica, myasthenia gravis and stiff person syndrome. Allogeneic HSCT should only be considered where potential risks are justified. Compared with other immunomodulatory treatments, HSCT is associated with greater short-term risks and requires close interspeciality collaboration between transplant physicians and neurologists with a special interest in these neurological conditions before, during and after treatment in accredited HSCT centres. Other experimental cell therapies are developmental for these diseases and patients should only be treated on clinical trials

The role of a pragmatist paradigm when adopting mixed methods in behavioural accounting research

This paper argues that a flexible approach should be adopted in the application of mixed methods research in behavioural accounting research by conducting it within the pragmatic paradigm, especially when a paradigm is defined as shared beliefs among members of a speciality area. By doing this, behavioural accounting researchers are not restricted by ontological and epistemological issues when deciding on how to address a variety of different research questions

The domination of financial accounting over product costing

This paper analyses Kaplan’s notion that financial accounting dominates management accounting in the context of whether it dominates product costing and if this is moderated by the methods used to calculate product costs and the types of cost system used. This is achieved by conducting 49 semi-structured exploratory interviews with management accountants in British manufacturing industry. The results shown that, in general, financial accounting does not dominate product costing. In particular, (1) When product costs are calculated using activity-based costing or direct costing, and if they are calculated using absorption costing by a cost system that is separate from the financial accounting system (FAS). (2) When a database system using absorption costing is used, provided the product costing system is sufficiently different from the FAS. (3) When operating units use absorption costing with a single system, and financial accounting information is regarded as being based on product costing information. In contrast, financial accounting dominates product costing when financial accounting is regarded as the main function of the accounting department. Contrary to Kaplan’s arguments, the selection of the method used to calculate product costs is not related to the dominance of financial accounting and is related to the need to produce good quality product cost information given the particular context of an operating unit

An examination of the factors influencing the inclusion of non-manufacturing overhead costs in product costs

Research has not examined the factors influencing the inclusion of non-manufacturing overhead costs in product costs. This paper addresses this deficiency by using the results of questionnaires completed by British management accountants in manufacturing industry to test a logistic regression model of the factors influencing whether or not non-manufacturing overhead costs are included in product costs that are used in decision making. The only significant effect in the logistic regression analysis was for the percentage of non-manufacturing overhead costs to either total costs or total overhead costs, but the result was not in the direction expected. Specifically the smaller the non-manufacturing overhead percentage the more likely were operating units to include non-manufacturing overhead costs in product costs. In addition, there were non-significant effects for the level of competition, product customisation, the influence of financial reporting requirements over product costing and operating unit size, when measured by annual sales revenue or number of employees

The opportunities for mixed methods research in behavioural accounting research

This paper provides an introduction for behavioural accounting researchers to the mixed methods research literature. Mixed methods research proposes the use of both quantitative and qualitative (or field study) research methods in a single study. This involves integrating the results of quantitative and qualitative methods at some point in the research. The aim of the integration is to provide a better understanding of the research topic to give fuller answers to research questions, develop research questions and identify areas for amending the design of future research. The paper introduces behavioural accounting researchers to mixed methods research by defining what is meant by mixed methods research and examining the ways of designing mixed methods research, with illustrations of mixed methods research in non-accounting research and showing how it could be applied in behavioural accounting research