Benefits and barriers for implementation of activity based costing Dissertation

Benefits and barriers for implementation of activity based costing systems in selected Asian countries - Dissertation Example Analysis of the three countries is provided. Ultimately, the paper concludes that activity-based costing could be extremely beneficial for Asian businesses. However, activity-based costing is virtually guaranteed to fail if it is imposed top-down or haphazardly. Barriers to implementation include different organisational and social cultures, different accounting norms and regulations, regulatory frameworks, fiscal policies, varying relationships to stakeholders, and other factors. If activity-based costing is to succeed, it must grow organically from the needs and behaviors of the organisations it is applied to. Introduction As Asian countries' financial operations become more closely attuned with and leveled against the West, it is likely that the model of activity-based costing (hereafter known as ABC) will spread to Asian enterprises. This paper analyzes three countries: The Hong Kong SAR, Malaysia and mainland China. These countries are immensely different from the West where act ivity-based costing is more common, with different fiscal policies, regulatory backgrounds, macro-economic statistics and behaviors, regional problems, resources, relations to customers and suppliers, and so forth. Ultimately, activity-based costing could be extremely beneficial for Asian businesses. However, activity-based costing is virtually guaranteed to fail if it is imposed top-down or haphazardly. ... 1.1: Definition Activity-based costing is defined by Rockford Consulting (1999) as â€Å"a method of allocating costs to products and services. It is generally used as a tool for planning and control. It was developed as an approach to address problems associated with traditional cost management systems, that tend to have the inability to accurately determine actual production and service costs, or provide useful information for operating decisions†. Without ABC, managers can make errors in calculation and strategy, particularly in companies with many â€Å"products or services†. The idea is to attribute costs to activities more than products themselves. This requires that processes are mapped and understood sufficiently to be priced or measured. A comprehensive idea of the organisation's process structure, overhead, engineering times, etc. have to be honestly calculated. Ultimately, much like scientific management, inefficiencies are exposed and accounting rectified in areas that were never expected to be problematic. Averkamp (2011) offers an example of activity-based costing that illustrates its benefits. Assuming two products engineered by the same company, â€Å"Product 124† being a â€Å"low volume item which requires certain activities such as special engineering, additional testing, and many machine setups because it is ordered in small quantities† and â€Å"Product 366† â€Å"a high volume product—running continuously—and requir[ing] little attention and no special activities†. Under a traditional costing regime, Product 124 has very low machine hours, thus it would have little overhead â€Å"spread† to it; but this is not an accurate representation of its cost. Similarly, Product 366 would apparently seem to cost a lot because of its

The Veterans Health Affairs Handbook Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Veterans Health Affairs Handbook - Essay Example As a medical student, I am aware of the growing demand for better health care in our country. This calls for more physicians and nurses as well as coordination of the two groups in offering health care, which is now prone to health care workforce problems. As such, I disregard the draft VHA Nursing Handbook that seeks to eliminate physician-led, team-based care within the VHA system since this will also prevent local facilities from providing such services thus jeopardizing primary health care. Moreover, I differ with medical practitioners who advocate for the independent use of nurses instead of physicians to address the health care workforce shortages since this will put the lives of most patients at a greater risk. Indeed, I think the best way to address these problems is to hire more staff and enhance integration and teamwork among all healthcare providers with a view of offering affordable and effective health care. Nevertheless, the draft VHA Nursing Handbook negates this appro ach as it fosters fragmentation in this sector.  Therefore, I think we should revise the draft VHA Nursing Handbook to reflect a team-based approach that will allow all parties in health care delivery to work together, share decisions and information to enhance healthcare delivery. Indeed, by enhancing integration and teamwork between VHA and physicians and APRNs, this draft would address fundamental challenges in health delivery. Furthermore, the draft should seek to offer longer-term solutions in the healthcare workforce instead of the questionable short-term measures it offers now. With these recommendations, I bet a revision of the draft VHA Nursing Handbook would suit the current healthcare needs.  

Consumer Behavior [Motivation within marketing process] Essay

Consumer Behavior [Motivation within marketing process] - Essay Example This report is divided into three sections, including literature review, reflection, and discussion/analysis. In the first section (literature review), a total of four consumer behaviour theories such as marginal utility theory, consumer choice theory, perceived risk theory, and diffusion of innovations theory are discussed to gain a deep theoretical understanding of various factors that would influence a consumer’s degree of motivation and thereby purchasing behaviour. In the second section (reflection), one of my recent personal consumption activities will be described in order to analyse the motivational factors that led to the specific consumption process. Here, the way the organisation interacted with me to motivate me to consume the product is emphasised. In the third section (discussion/analysis), the major finding of the study is brought together for providing an analysis of my own consumer behaviour in the light of the issues raised in the literature review. Finally, the conclusion part summarises the key findings of the report. In order to critically evaluate the impact of consumer behaviour theories on motivation within the marketing process, it is vital to acquire a better understanding of the concepts of marketing and motivation. The process of marketing is directed at the identification, anticipation, and satisfaction of customer requirements with the ultimate objective of profit maximisation. According to Philip Kotler, â€Å"marketing is that social process by which individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through creating offerings and freely exchanging products and services of value with others† (as cited in Singla, 2011, p.101). The marketing concept is the philosophy that requires companies to focus on the needs of their customers so as to promote decision making and to meet customer satisfaction better than competitors. As Shimasaki (2009, pp. 98-99) describes from the time

Destination Singapore scenario Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Destination Singapore scenario - Assignment Example Tourism is a labour intensive industry and expansions in this business will create immense potential for employment in the host country. Though Singapore is small in size, the country has been a hot favourite for tourists and shoppers from across the globe since a long time. The country currently ranks as the third richest nation in the world and though it does not have much in terms of natural resources, due to tourism and other businesses, Singapore has been able to fare quite well in the economic front in the past. However, in order to make the best use of the future prospects, the country has to harness its resources and align its capabilities for improvement and innovation in the travel and tourism industries so that it can sustain the steady economic growth. This paper develops a fictional tourism strategic policy for Singapore on the premise of a situation where the three nearby airports of Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Bali are closed down due to natural disasters, which makes th e country the only gateway to other South East Asian countries. It will dwell on various policies that need to be implemented so that the country can optimise its potential as a tourist destination, to cater to the extra demand, over the next five years, in a sustainable manner. Innovations in Singapore Tourism: Strategic Policies and Planning Framework Introduction: Singapore is one of the top ranking economies in Asia Pacific region, with sophisticated infrastructures both in ground and air transport, which rank respectively â€Å"2nd and 14th† as well as a high quality human resources that ranks â€Å"2nd† in the region (Blanke & Chiesa, 2013, p.xxi). In addition, the country ranks as first among all economies for its â€Å"policy environment† that is most supportive with its rules and regulations encouraging travel and tourism industries (p.xxi). Data relating to visiting tourists shows a rising trend with â€Å"11.6 million in 2010 and 13.2 million in 2011 † with revenue earnings of â€Å"S$ 18.9 billion in 2010† and â€Å"$ 22.4 billion† in 2011 (Annual Report of Tourism Statistics, 2012, p.1). Therefore, it transpires that despite the economic down trend across the world, tourism industry in Singapore has been growing in a fast paced manner. The hotel industry in the country also has remained in a strong position over the years with the rates of occupancy up to â€Å"85%† in 2010 and â€Å"86%† in 2011 (Table-34, p.77). Currently, the country has a total of â€Å"154† gazetted hotels with â€Å"40,759† rooms available for letting out (p.83). The land transport system here comprises road and rail services with Express Ways of 161 km, Arterial Roads of 645 km, Collector Roads of 557 km and Local Access Roads of 2,048 km (Singapore Land Transport Statistics as at End of 2011, p.58). In addition, they have Rapid Transit Systems (RTS) with MRT of 146.5 and LRT of 28.8 km, with 97 MRT statio ns and 34 LRT stations, catering to a resident population of 5,184,000 and 13,171,000 visitors (p.58). Air traffic system in the country has accounted for the arrival of â€Å"150,827† aircrafts during the year 2011, carrying 22,778,000 passengers while sea transport has registered the arrival of â€Å"127,998† vessels in 2011 (Year Book of Statistics Singapore, 2012, p.181). This study envisages the development of a new tourism strategic policy and planning framework for Singapore to cater to an extra demand arising from a

Consumer Brand Relationships Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Consumer Brand Relationships - Literature review Example In this framework the definitional association is also pertinent. Linking human personality with brand image is not, though, an easy undertaking. The difficulty that psychologists face in determining and assessing personality equally becomes an issue for people who study the art of brand imaging (Bradley, 2010). It is not unusual, therefore, that those who identify brand image by alluding to human personality do not try to identify the latter concept in any more comprehensive way. They just suggest that goods possess behavioural images, or they centre in on some markedly human factor like age, gender or social caste (Batra, Ahuvia and Bagozzi, 2008). Fig. 2 - The determinants of customer-brand relationships (Martensen and Gronholdt, 2010) Brand Relationships Brand relationship, an alleged interpersonal connection in a branding framework,  assumes that brands and customers are able to have a special connection through a shared communication system. Still, some critics have stated th at a brand relationship cannot really be said to reflect an interpersonal association because of the fact that the key components in interpersonal relationships like interdependence and intimacy are lacking. Even though research has in the past revealed that consciousness actually decides how people perform their daily duties, evidence shows that behaviour can actually be in accordance with the pursuit of individual objectives where cognisance is induced (Carroll and Ahuvia, 2006). However, the function of human consciousness is not always obvious a consumer and brand relationship situation. This suggests that the lack of consciousness can actually stop people from value their  relations in a suitable manner. For example, the related members of a... In the present extremely competitive business field, singular images or one-way messages are no longer relevant in capturing and holding consumer interest. A brand’s value is connected to the relationships it creates and the social connections it inspires among consumers who purchase the service or product. The task of managing such extensive relationships that seem to cover every aspect from the production of a product to its consumption is what most marketers are occupied with. If its creators and marketers have taken care to ensure the existence of such relationships, a brand can actually stop being seen as a mere product to become a platform for the shared experiences of its consumers, thus generating more revenue. Defining a brand’s social nature means considering what consumer’s expectations about a certain brand are and how to encourage the consumers to have even loftier expectations in future. Marketers such as eBay and IKEA, for example, are some of thos e that are at the forefront in intentionally inducing a desire for less acquirement of phenomenal experiences with goods or even the products themselves, for more lasting and consequential varieties of fulfilment.

Medical Ethics in the clinical laboratory science Essay

Medical Ethics in the clinical laboratory science - Essay Example The ethical problem will be lying about the capabilities and abilities of john in fulfilling his the new jobs roles. This will dirty the reputation of the manager’s name for a bad recommendation, and it will put john into deep waters for failure to take full charge. The primary stakeholders in the scenario are the laboratory manager and john. The secondary stakeholder is the clinical laboratory that is offering the new job while the tertiary stakeholders are the society and the clinical laboratory science profession (Zhong, 22). Being the manager, the practical alternative is writing a recommendation based on the actual abilities of john. The professional code of ethics addresses the situation and states that the integrity of the profession should be placed above individual and personal interests. As the manager, it is best to mention in the letter, that john is not fit in the position based on his skills level. This enables the manager to work with integrity, respect and competence in accordance with the code of ethics. It is best not to tell john the he was not recommended for the job in order to maintain a peaceful, working environment (Jones, 370). I am a worker working in the night with other technicians in a 300 bed community hospital. One of the co-workers working in the evening shifts is faking the quality control figures. However, after making the realization, I talk to the supervisor about the situation and he tells me to do my work and only mind my business. No one in the department seems to take the quality control matter seriously, yet the errors are avoidable in order to achieve better patient’s results in quality control as well as enhance quality care delivery to the patients. The ethical problem in the scenario is falsification and negligence of the test results yet the supervisors does nothing about it even after being told of the situation in hand. The

American Gridiron Football Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

American Gridiron Football - Essay Example Hence, the total distance between the end zones is 100 yards. (Football Rules and Gameplay) Usually, each team has distinct offensive and defensive units. A team is said to be on offense when it has the ball in its possession, whereas, it is said to be on defense when the ball is with the opposite team. (Football Rules and Gameplay) Before discussing the anatomy of the play from either offensive or defensive point, it would be helpful to detail the different positions that players in each team can play on and the nature of the field. As already stated above, the total length of the football field is 120 yards while in width it is 53.3 yards long. The boundary lines along the length of the field are called sidelines while those along its width are called endlines. Near each end of the field is a goal line. The end zone, mentioned above, extends 10yards beyond this goal line on each side of the field. (American Football) Each team has 11 players on the field at a time, with substitutions allowed during the break between plays. A team can be divided into three units based on the nature of roles performed. These are: the offense, the defense and the special teams. A game begins with a coin toss. The team winning the toss makes one of three choices: 1) Kick off itself, or to receive the kickoff from the other team. 2) Choose which goal to defend. 3) Defer the first choice option to the second game. If the team that wins the toss decides to kick first or to receive the kick, the other team chooses its goal to defend or vice versa. Offense Anatomy of a Play Once the toss has been won and the teams have made their choices, the team that decides to kick first takes up the offensive role as it is in possession of the ball. Typically, all the players of a team round up to communicate or discuss a play i.e. coordinated movements and actions, to be followed; this rounding up of team players is called a huddle. Each half begins with a kickoff. Apart from the start of the half, the play begins at the line of scrimmage with a snap; the line of scrimmage is the position on the field where the play begins and where the offensive and defensive players line up against each other. Snap is the name given to the act of passing the ball between the legs to a teammate, usually the quarterback standing ready somewhere behind the Center. With this snap, performed by the offensive player, playing at the Center position, the game formally begins. Once the game begins, the offense has four attempts to advance the ball 10 yards towards the end zone of the defense team, or in other words, towards its goalpost. These attempts are called downs. When the offense has advanced the ball by the first 10 yards, it gets a first down. After gaining the first down, the team has another set of four downs to gain yet another 10 yards or to score. If however, the offense fails to advance the ball by 10 yards even after 4 downs, the other team gets possession of the ball at the spot of the football, hence beginning with their first down. (American Football) In order to get the downs, the ball can be advanced in one of two ways: By rushing, that means running with the ball, or by a forward pass. While rushing, one ball-carrier can hand the ball to another player, this act is known as a handoff, or throw backwards to another player. This throwing the ball backward is known as a backward pass or a lateral. "A down ends, and the ball