Weighted average consumption of cost drivers

Anne-Marie Teresa Lelkes

Journal of Applied Accounting Research, 2019, vol. 21, issue 1, 77-89

Abstract: Purpose - An Activity-Based Costing (ABC) system generates a significant amount of detailed, complex data for management to evaluate and use, potentially reducing decision-making effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to show how reducing the magnitude of detailed information that an ABC system provides can increase decision-making effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach - This study develops a theoretical Weighted Average ABC model by taking ABC information and rearranging it to enhance decision-making effectiveness. Findings - Weighted Average ABC provides cost assignments that are approximately the same to those of ABC in most situations. In Weighted Average ABC, the weighted average consumption ratios provide relevant decision-making information to determine which products are costlier. To reduce costs, management can focus on those costlier products or services and can request from the cost accountants additional detailed information concerning those costlier products or services. Research limitations/implications - This study adds to the ABC literature by developing Weighted Average ABC. However, the limitation of this study is that no actual data could be obtained from a company that uses ABC, and thus, this study develops an analytical model. Practical implications - Weighted Average ABC may increase decision-making effectiveness in situations when managers need to make fast decisions. Originality/value - This study develops a theoretical Weighted Average ABC model in which the weighted average activity consumption ratios of the product lines and the total overhead costs are the variables needed, thus skipping Stage 1 of ABC. This, in turn, reduces the amount of information provided to management. Accordingly, weighted Average ABC provides timelier and more manageable information for decision making.

Keywords: Costing; ABC; Activity based; Average; Simplified; Weighted (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.110 ... d&utm_campaign=repec (text/html)
https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.110 ... d&utm_campaign=repec (application/pdf)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eme:jaarpp:jaar-12-2018-0197

DOI: 10.1108/JAAR-12-2018-0197

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Applied Accounting Research is currently edited by Associate Professor Orthodoxia Kyriacou

More articles in Journal of Applied Accounting Research from Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Emerald Support ().