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Explicating the design of overhead absorption procedures in UK organizations

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  • Drury, Colin
  • Tayles, Mike

Abstract

This paper reports the findings of a postal questionnaire survey that examines the extent to which potential explanatory factors influence the level of complexity of product costing system design choices in UK companies. It is argued that because previous surveys have sought to classify costing systems by two discrete alternatives, either traditional or ABC systems, they do not adequately capture the diversity of practices that exist. The distinguishing feature of this paper is that it adopts a broader perspective and examines cost system design choices that vary along a continuum ranging from very simplistic to highly complex costing systems.

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  • Drury, Colin & Tayles, Mike, 2005. "Explicating the design of overhead absorption procedures in UK organizations," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 47-84.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bracre:v:37:y:2005:i:1:p:47-84
    DOI: 10.1016/j.bar.2004.08.003
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ramji Balakrishnan & Stephen Hansen & Eva Labro, 2011. "Evaluating Heuristics Used When Designing Product Costing Systems," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(3), pages 520-541, March.
    2. Ax, Christian & Greve, Jan & Nilsson, Ulf, 2008. "The impact of competition and uncertainty on the adoption of target costing," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(1), pages 92-103, September.
    3. Schoute, Martijn, 2011. "The relationship between product diversity, usage of advanced manufacturing technologies and activity-based costing adoption," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(2), pages 120-134.
    4. Cinquini, Lino & Collini, Paolo & Marelli, Alessandro & Tenucci, Andrea, 2008. "An exploration of the factors affecting the diffusion of Advanced Costing techniques: a comparative analysis of two surveys (1996-2005)," MPRA Paper 10911, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    5. Weetman, Pauline, 2006. "Discovering the ‘international’ in accounting and finance," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 351-370.
    6. Eva Labro, 2015. "Using simulation methods in accounting research," Journal of Management Control: Zeitschrift für Planung und Unternehmenssteuerung, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 99-104, August.
    7. Tunes, Torgrim & Nyrud, Anders Q. & Eikenes, Birger, 8. "Cost and performance management in the sawmilling industry," Scandinavian Forest Economics: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Scandinavian Society of Forest Economics, Scandinavian Society of Forest Economics, issue 41, May.
    8. Hadid, Wael & Hamdan, Mohammed, 2022. "Firm size and cost system sophistication: The role of firm age," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 54(2).
    9. Simon Alcouffe & Jonathan Maurice & Nadine Galy & Loïc Gate, 2019. "Is the limited diffusion of management accounting innovations really a paradox? A meta-analysis of the relationship between product diversity and the adoption of Activity-Based Costing [La faible d," Post-Print hal-02124677, HAL.
    10. Drury, Colin & Tayles, Mike, 2006. "Profitability analysis in UK organizations: An exploratory study," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(4), pages 405-425.
    11. Taha Ahmadzadeh & Hossien Etemadi & Ahmed Pifeh, 2011. "Exploration of Factors Influencing on Choice the Activity-Based Costing System in Iranian Organizations," International Journal of Business Administration, International Journal of Business Administration, Sciedu Press, vol. 2(1), pages 61-70, February.
    12. Lino Cinquini & Paolo Collini & Alessandro Marelli & Andrea Tenucci, 2008. "An exploration of the factors affecting the diffusion of advanced costing techniques: a comparative analysis of two surveys (1996-2005)," Working Papers 200801, Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna of Pisa, Istituto di Management.
    13. Lino Cinquini & Paolo Collini & Alessandro Marelli & Andrea Tenucci, 2015. "Change in the relevance of cost information and costing systems: evidence from two Italian surveys," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 19(3), pages 557-587, August.
    14. Simon Alcouffe & Pierre Mévellec, 2012. "Analyse de la littérature sur l'ABC et proposition d'une taxinomie," Post-Print hal-00936600, HAL.
    15. Rodrigues Quesado, Patrícia & Aibar Guzmán, Beatriz & Lima Rodrigues, Lúcia, 2014. "La influencia de factores relativos a la estrategia organizativa y al entorno en la adopción del Cuadro de Mando Integral en empresas portuguesas," Revista de Contabilidad - Spanish Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 17(2), pages 163-173.
    16. Lucas, Michael & Rafferty, James, 2008. "Cost analysis for pricing: Exploring the gap between theory and practice," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(2), pages 148-160.
    17. Pike, Richard H. & Tayles, Mike E. & Mansor, Nur Naha Abu, 2011. "Activity-based costing user satisfaction and type of system: A research note," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 65-72.
    18. Michał Kowalski & Dorota Kuchta, 2006. "The use of time consecrated to the realization of individual activities as a parameter to allocate resources cost to activities in Activity Based Costing," Operations Research and Decisions, Wroclaw University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Management, vol. 16(2), pages 63-71.
    19. Evdokia I. Tsifora & Prodromos D. Chatzoglou, 2016. "Exploring the effects of firm and product characteristics on cost system’s features," International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), International Journal of Economics & Business Administration (IJEBA), vol. 0(3), pages 93-116.
    20. Al-Sayed, Mahmoud & Dugdale, David, 2016. "Activity-based innovations in the UK manufacturing sector: Extent, adoption process patterns and contingency factors," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 38-58.
    21. Schoute, Martijn, 2009. "The relationship between cost system complexity, purposes of use, and cost system effectiveness," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 208-226.
    22. Ben Hamadi, Z. & Bonache, A.B. & Chapellier, Ph. & Mohammed, A., 2011. "Cultural contingency on the antecedents of the complexity of management accounting systems: Evidence from a meta-analysis of individual data," MPRA Paper 30268, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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