The Effects of Management Accounting Systems and Environmental Uncertainty on Small Business Managers' Performance

This study examines the interacting effects of management accounting systems (MAS) and perceived environmental uncertainty on small business managers' perceptions of their performance. Results obtained from using a multiple regression and partial derivative analyses of responses to questionnaires distributed to a sample of 42 managers/owners of light engineering manufacturing firms in Australia, confirmed the hypothesis that the effects of MAS on performance were dependent on environmental uncertainty. Under high levels of uncertainty, sophisticated MAS had a positive effect on performance but under low levels it had a negative effect.     

组织文化、环境不确定性与管理会计信息认知

管理会计是一门应用性学科,它围绕组织的价值创造服务于企业实践。组织文化在其核心价值观的传递与解释过程中会对管理会计信息的认知程度产生影响,也会改变人们对环境不确定性的态度。管理会计信息支持系统通过对信息有用性的甄别与分析,提高人们对管理会计信息的认知能力,进一步使管理会计控制系统发挥更大的作用,提高管理会计的效率与效果。     

经营环境不确定性、会计分权与会计师角色转变

本文运用问卷调查研究了经营环境不确定情境下,会计分权对会计师在经营管理中工作重心转变的影响,即从企业内部上下级单位之间权力配置的角度,探索由经营环境不确定性所带来的不同企业内部权力格局如何影响会计师工作重心的转变及其内在的作用机理。研究发现,随着经营环境不确定性的增加,上级单位会将更多的会计信息系统设计与运营的权力下放给下级经营业务单元,这将增强服务于下级经营业务单元的会计师管理信息的搜集和掌握程度,使会计师的工作由传统的财务核算调整到管理会计工作,从而更好地服务于经营业务单元的管理决策。     

基于环境不确定性的管理会计对策研究

环境不确定性取决于环境的复杂性和环境的变动性。管理会计主动应对环境不确定性是企业价值创造的本质体现,企业应以顾客价值创造为导向实现企业的价值增值。管理会计信息支持系统通过对信息有用性的甄别与分析,提高了企业管理者对管理会计信息的认知能力;管理会计控制系统借助于行为动机理论进一步优化了控制系统的管理机制,推动了管理会计体系的完善与发展。     

战略管理会计概念和实务研究

战略管理会计是建立在企业战略管理有关理论基础上 ,以管理会计手段 ,运用会计信息有效地服务于企业战略的新领域。对战略管理会计定义内涵的研究的主要目的在于界定归属于战略管理会计的实务范围 ,并寻求战略管理会计的整体框架和运行规律。研究表明 ,凡是体现战略性属性方法和举措 ,均可列入战略管理会计实务的范畴。目前 ,在实际应用中常见的战略管理会计实务主要包括三大类 :战略性成本计算和定价、竞争对手会计和品牌价值会计。随着我国市场经济的发展以及我国进入国际市场的步伐的加快 ,战略管理会计的应用前景将会十分广阔     

股权性质、环境不确定性与会计信息的治理效应

已有研究发现会计信息具有治理效应,但没有考虑会计信息治理效应所依赖的经理人侵占动机及外部环境所提供的机会;已有研究虽然考察了国有股权的治理效应,但由于没有考虑经理人谋取私利的可能性而使结论具有偏差。本文研究了股权性质、环境不确定性与会计信息质量对代理成本的交互作用。研究结果表明,低质量的会计信息不仅增加管理层利用公司资源的自利行为,而且还降低公司资产的使用效率,但会计信息的治理作用仅在环境不确定性高的公司中存在,同时,相对于非国有控股公司,会计信息质量在国有控股公司的治理作用较小。研究结果还表明,只有在环境不确定性较高且会计信息质量较低的情况下,国有控股公司的代理效率高于非国有控股公司。本文不仅验证了国有股权和环境不确定性对会计信息治理效应的影响,也验证了环境不确定性和会计信息质量对国有股权治理效应的影响。     

Accounting Regulation and Management Discretion—A Case Note

This article explores the manipulation of published financial reports in order to counter the potentially unfavourable impact of newly introduced regulation. In this case the reported capital ratio of a major British building society was enhanced using a sale and leaseback transaction with a related party and a change in depreciation policy, methods which reflected limited alternatives. Analysis of the case is set in the context of the sector and addresses the questions of whether these manipulations were within then‐prevailing generally accepted accounting principles and why, despite disclosure in the society's financial statements, they failed to attract public comment or concern, regulatory action or an audit qualification. In examining a major British mutual financial organization we depart from traditional analyses of managerial discretion in accounting choices in British companies.     

Strategy Selection,Surrogation, and Strategic Performance Measurement Systems

Strategic performance measurement systems operationalize firm strategy with a set of performance measures. A consequence of such alignment is the tendency for managers to lose sight of the strategic construct(s) the measures are intended to represent, and subsequently act as though the measures are the constructs of interest, a phenomenon referred to as surrogation. We investigate how involvement in strategy selection affects managers’ propensity to exhibit surrogation. We predict and find that strategy selection reduces surrogation. Surprisingly, we do not find that engaging in strategy deliberation, a key process underlying strategy selection, reduces surrogation. Thus, managers’ involvement in the actual choice of strategy appears to be both a necessary and sufficient condition to mitigate surrogation. Our paper broadens understanding of factors that influence surrogation, such as the effects of different aspects of managers’ strategic involvement and buy‐in. Further, by documenting how managers behave within (as opposed to simply with) strategic performance measurement systems, we highlight the potential for managers to endogenously influence the effectiveness of such systems.     

企业效绩评价与会计不确定性

企业的效绩评价受会计不确定性的影响，一直是困扰会计界和企业界的一个难题，为满足有关各方的需要，应采取一定措施，尽量避免会计不确定性对企业效绩评价的影响，使其评价结果更加真实可信。     

The Alignment Of Management Accounting With Manufacturing Priorities: A Strategic Perspective

This paper proposes that traditional cost-based management accounting systems (MAS) are inappropriate for controlling a manufacturing organisation's performance in cases where non-cost factors are important aspects of the firm's competitive strategy. Manufacturing organisations in Australia are under increasing pressure to increase their competitiveness. This can be achieved by giving the manufacturing function strategic status in the organisation and by designing the MAS to support those strategies directly. The MAS should measure operational performance, control investment and report in terms of the factors which determine the organisation's competitive advantage, whether they be high product quality, manufacturing flexibility, low cost or other influences. The paper provides two applications of the concept of strategy-driven management systems: capital investment evaluation systems, and operational performance measurement and reporting systems.     

基于管理会计导向的先进管理系统：商业银行信息化战略定位

当前,国内银行纷纷借鉴西方商业银行的发展模式与经验,引进ERP管理信息系统。商业银行选择国内外ERP管理信息系统的核心标准是ERP管理信息系统能否真正实现商业银行资源有效配置与充分利用。商业银行会计包括财务会计与管理会计两大体系：商业银行管理会计是商业银行面向未来资源配置与利用的价格信号机制：商业银行财务会计是商业银行过去资源配置与利用的会计。基于管理会计导向的先进管理系统是商业银行信息化的战略定位。商业银行管理会计体系是以商业银行战略管理框架为基础。围绕为企业战略决策提供决策信息的管理会计内在逻辑来构建价值创造型商业银行管理会计体系。     

The Scope of Accounting History: A Note

The writing of accounting history is increasingly dominated by writers in English discussing private-sector accounting in English-speaking countries of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This note emphasizes that the scope of accounting history is much wider than this.     

作业会计框架内的内部价值评估模型与绩效管理研究

随着资本市场的发展和公司治理结构的日益完善,市场参与各方在不断寻求有效方法来评估企业价值。近年来经济增加值（EVA）作为新型的企业绩效管理（EPM）工具之一备受关注,但作业会计（AA）与内部价值评估（IVM）等模型却没有得到应有的重视。作业会计是以作业成本法为手段、具备一系列管理功能的信息系统;内部价值评估则是以作业会计提供的信息为基础,对企业内部组织单元价值进行计量的方法体系。在企业EPM实践中,基于IVM建立关键业绩指标体系和绩效考核匡算模型,结合成本管理（ABCM）和AA框架进行实施,具有较强的普适性与实用价值。本文从AA和IVM的应用研究入手,提出IVM与EVA匡算模型的主要差异,研究了绩效管理实践中解决评价与被评价者矛盾、关键业绩指标（KPI）体系次优化等若干原则和问题,并结合企业价值最大化目标构建了绩效管理最佳实践模型。     

Strategic Governance and Management Accounting: Evidence From a Case Study

This paper seeks to establish if top management (the board) of a firm should extend its overview of the governance process to the execution of strategy (i.e., strategic governance) and, if so, does the management accounting information system (MAIS) have a role in facilitating this strategy execution process. This study investigated the role of the board and MAIS in strategic governance by examining a company with a public record of both successful governance and integrated strategic management accounting processes in a high‐risk industry. The analysis demonstrates that boards should go beyond the minimum conformance (compliance) requirements of the governance‐regulatory legislation and assume ultimate responsibility for strategy execution and enterprise performance. However, while management accounting techniques, processes and reports were found to be used extensively in strategic governance to integrate the policy‐management interface in numerous conformance–performance domains, the traditional role of the management accountant was found to be limited in terms of their role in such governance. The study demonstrates that a more strategic governance role offers the management accountant a way back into senior management by using the routines of management accounting to socialize the board and curb any opportunism that may arise.