Moderating Role of Cost Accounting Information Quality on the Relationship Between the COVID-19 Pandemic and Budgeting in Public Hospitals

Based on new public management, information processing theory and contingency theory, this study investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on budgeting in public hospitals, focusing on budget use. The research hypotheses were tested using a survey of 82 responses from hospital CFOs. The results show that the organisations that were most affected by the pandemic increased their use of budgets for planning, resource allocation and control, compared to those that were less affected. This study also highlights the moderating role of cost accounting information quality in the relationship between crises and budget use. We find that public hospitals that have been most affected by the pandemic and have simultaneously better cost accounting information have increased their use of budgets for planning, resource allocation and cost control more than those whose costing system does not provide superior cost data.     

A survey of factors influencing the cost system design in hotels

This study examines the relationship between cost system functionality and contingent factors in the hospitality industry. An empirical survey via questionnaires was conducted on a sample of 100 leading hotels enterprises in Greece. Data analysis showed that the majority of hotels’ cost systems do not provide qualitative cost data. Results indicate that the level of cost system functionality is significant positively associated with the low cost strategy and the extent of the use of cost data (USD). No association was found between cost system design and size, level of competition, number of services variants and hotels’ management status.