C.A. Barton, R. Cutler, D.L. Hodgson and K.J. Rowles
The period 1945 to 1970 was marked by the successful pursuit of full employment policies, due for the most part to the implementation of Keynesian demand‐management policies. This…
Abstract
The period 1945 to 1970 was marked by the successful pursuit of full employment policies, due for the most part to the implementation of Keynesian demand‐management policies. This situation could be viewed as a reaction to the experience of the inter‐war years when unemployment remained persistently in excess of ten per cent.
A standard wholemeal loaf is now on sale. It is made of flour of 85 per cent. extraction, and the Ministry of Food has arranged with the millers and bakers for the immediate…
Abstract
A standard wholemeal loaf is now on sale. It is made of flour of 85 per cent. extraction, and the Ministry of Food has arranged with the millers and bakers for the immediate production of both flour and bread in quantities sufficient, it is hoped, to meet all demands. The 85 per cent. extraction of this new national wholemeal flour compares with a figure of 73 per cent. for ordinary white flour, and the new flour will produce a more nutritious loaf. The Ministry of Food is satisfied after research by its experts that 85 per cent. extraction flour provides maximum digestibility and nutriment. Steps will be taken to see that the new bread is available everywhere, and at the same price as white bread. This is now 8d. a 4lb. loaf, and the Government are making a subsidy so that the price shall be kept at this figure. So far, although nearly three months have passed since it was decided to grant the subsidy, the bakers have not received it ; but agreement on the scheme has now been reached between them and the Ministry, which states that an early announcement will be made. Special breads, such as those containing more fat, which are popular in the North, may be sold for more than 8d., but these do not then qualify for the subsidy. The decision to make a standard wholemeal loaf and wholemeal flour available in large supply was taken because it was found that a substantial proportion of the population wanted them. Existing brown breads vary enormously ; the new loaf will be a standard product. Meanwhile, the Ministry is going ahead with its scheme for introducing flour reinforced with manufactured vitamin B1, but this will not be available for some months.
Lucia Biondi, Fabio Giulio Grandis and Daniele Vari
This book chapter intends to analyse a particular measurement basis, namely the ‘value in use’, regarding its definition and application in the public sector context. To this end…
Abstract
This book chapter intends to analyse a particular measurement basis, namely the ‘value in use’, regarding its definition and application in the public sector context. To this end, the current study assesses the development of a measurement practice in a particular jurisdiction, that is, Italy, compared with requirements in current International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSASs), in order to explore its suitability and practicability for a specific category of public sector assets, namely heritage assets.
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Marc Wouters and Susana Morales
To provide an overview of research published in the management accounting literature on methods for cost management in new product development, such as a target costing, life…
Abstract
Purpose
To provide an overview of research published in the management accounting literature on methods for cost management in new product development, such as a target costing, life cycle costing, component commonality, and modular design.
Methodology/approach
The structured literature search covered papers about 15 different cost management methods published in 40 journals in the period 1990–2013.
Findings
The search yielded a sample of 113 different papers. Many contained information about more than one method, and this yielded 149 references to specific methods. The number of references varied strongly per cost management method and per journal. Target costing has received by far the most attention in the publications in our sample; modular design, component commonality, and life cycle costing were ranked second and joint third. Most references were published in Management Science; Management Accounting Research; and Accounting, Organizations and Society. The results were strongly influenced by Management Science and Decision Science, because cost management methods with an engineering background were published above average in these two journals (design for manufacturing, component commonality, modular design, and product platforms) while other topics were published below average in these two journals.
Research Limitations/Implications
The scope of this review is accounting research. Future work could review the research on cost management methods in new product development published outside accounting.
Originality/value
The paper centers on methods for cost management, which complements reviews that focused on theoretical constructs of management accounting information and its use.
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Recently the inclusion of land under roads as an asset in financial reports by Australian local governments has led to several concerns arising from dissatisfaction with certain…
Abstract
Recently the inclusion of land under roads as an asset in financial reports by Australian local governments has led to several concerns arising from dissatisfaction with certain elements of the new accounting standards and concepts, particularly, the Australian Accounting Standard AAS 27 “Financial Reporting by Local Governments” and the Standard Accounting Concepts SAC 4 “Definition and Recognition of the Elements of Financial Statements.” These concerns have also meant that most local governments are opposing the recognition of land under roads as an asset for financial reporting purposes. With the inclusion of land under roads dominating the asset element of financial reports, the relevance and reliability of valuation of land under roads needs to be examined. Using an Australian case, this paper examines whether this information provides greater relevance and reliability to users. The paper suggests that, as lands under roads do not affect the Council’s economic position and this information has no value to the users of the information, there is no point in increasing the council’s financial reporting costs.
Rather than organize as traditional firms, many of today’s companies organize as platforms that sit at the nexus of multiple exchange and production relationships. This chapter…
Abstract
Rather than organize as traditional firms, many of today’s companies organize as platforms that sit at the nexus of multiple exchange and production relationships. This chapter considers a most basic question of organization in platform contexts: the choice of boundaries. Herein, I investigate how classical economic theories of firm boundaries apply to platform-based organization and empirically study how executives made boundary choices in response to changing market and technical challenges in the early mobile computing industry (the predecessor to today’s smartphones). Rather than a strict or unavoidable tradeoff between “openness-versus-control,” most successful platform owners chose their boundaries in a way to simultaneously open-up to outside developers while maintaining coordination across the entire system.
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Hannah R. Marston, Linda Shore, Laura Stoops and Robbie S. Turner
Paolo Aversa, Stefan Haefliger, Alessandro Rossi and Charles Baden-Fuller
The concept of modularity has gained considerable traction in technology studies as a way to conceive, describe, and innovate complex systems, such as product design or…
Abstract
The concept of modularity has gained considerable traction in technology studies as a way to conceive, describe, and innovate complex systems, such as product design or organizational structures. In the recent literature, technological modularity has often been intertwined with business model innovation, and scholarship has started investigating how modularity in technology affects changes in business models, both at the cognitive and activity system levels. Yet we still lack a theoretical definition of what modularity is in the business model domain. Business model innovation also encompasses different possibilities of modelling businesses, which are not clearly understood nor classified. We ask when, how, and if modularity theory can be extended to business models in order to enable effective and efficient modelling. We distinguish theoretically between modularity for technology and for business models, and investigate the key processes of modularization and manipulation. We introduce the basic operations of business modelling via modular operators adapted from the technological modularity domain, using iconic examples to develop an analogical reasoning between modularity in technology and in business models. Finally, we discuss opportunities for using modularity theory to foster the understanding of business models and modelling, and develop a challenging research agenda for future investigations.
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In recent years in Australia, accounting regulations have been developed that require the adoption of commercial accounting and reporting practices by public‐sector organisations…
Abstract
In recent years in Australia, accounting regulations have been developed that require the adoption of commercial accounting and reporting practices by public‐sector organisations, including the recognition of cultural, heritage and scientific collections as assets by non‐profit cultural organisations. The regulations inappropriately apply traditional accounting concepts of accountability and performance, notwithstanding that the primary objectives of many of the organisations affected are not financial. This study examines how this was able to occur within the ideas outlined in Douglas’s (1986) How Institutions Think. The study provides evidence to demonstrate that the development; promotion, and defense of the detailed accounting regulations were each constrained by institutional thinking and, as a result, only certain questions were asked and many problems and issues associated with the regulations were not addressed. Thus, it seeks to further our understanding of the nature and limits of change in accounting and the role of institutions in promoting and defending changes to accounting practice.