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Budgeting As A Tool of Control

Abdul Wahab submitted a cost accounting assignment on August 29, 2008. The document discusses budgets, which are quantitative plans that cover a specific time period, usually one year. Budgets estimate future costs and revenues, and can be capital budgets for new projects or operating budgets for short-term goals. Budgets have advantages like improving efficiency, communicating plans, motivating managers, and controlling ongoing operations. Budgetary control involves preparing budgets, comparing actual to planned performance, and revising budgets as needed. It is an important tool for controlling costs and achieving objectives.

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4K views3 pages

Budgeting As A Tool of Control

Abdul Wahab submitted a cost accounting assignment on August 29, 2008. The document discusses budgets, which are quantitative plans that cover a specific time period, usually one year. Budgets estimate future costs and revenues, and can be capital budgets for new projects or operating budgets for short-term goals. Budgets have advantages like improving efficiency, communicating plans, motivating managers, and controlling ongoing operations. Budgetary control involves preparing budgets, comparing actual to planned performance, and revising budgets as needed. It is an important tool for controlling costs and achieving objectives.

Uploaded by

Abdul Wahab
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Name: Abdul Wahab

Student Id: 1226


Subject: Cost Accounting
Submission Date: 29-Aug-2008

BUDGET
A budget is a plan expressed in quantitative, usually monetary term, covering a specific period of time,
usually one year. In other words a budget is a systematic plan for the utilization of manpower and material
resources.
In a business organization, a budget represents an estimate of future costs and revenues. Budgets may
be divided into two basic classes: Capital Budgets and Operating Budgets.
Capital budgets are directed towards proposed expenditures for new projects and often require special
financing. The operating budgets are directed towards achieving short-term operational goals of the
organization, for instance, production or profit goals in a business firm. Operating budgets may be sub-
divided into various departmental of functional budgets.
The main characteristics of a budget are:
1. It is prepared in advance and is derived from the long-term strategy of the organization.
2. It relates to future period for which objectives or goals have already been laid down.
It is expressed in quantitative form, physical or monetary units, or both.
Different types of budgets are prepared for different purposed e.g. Sales Budget, Production Budget,
Administrative Expense Budget, Raw-material Budget etc. All these sectional budgets are afterwards
integrated into a master budget, which represents an overall plan of the organization.
ADVANTAGES OF BUDGETS
A budget helps us in the following ways:
1. It brings about efficiency and improvement in the working of the organization.
2. It is a way of communicating the plans to various units of the organization. By establishing the
Divisional, departmental, sectional budgets, exact responsibilities are assigned. It thus minimizes the
Possibilities of buck passing if the budget figures are not met.
3. It is a way or motivating managers to achieve the goals set for the units.
4. It serves as a benchmark for controlling on-going operations.
5. It helps in developing a team spirit where participation in budgeting is encouraged.
6. It helps in reducing wastage and losses by revealing them in time for corrective action.
7. It serves as a basis for evaluating the performance of managers.
8. It serves as a means of educating the managers.
BUDGETARY CONTROL
No system of planning can be successful without having an effective and efficient system of control.
Budgeting is closely connected with control. The exercise of control in the organization with the help of
budgets is known as budgetary control. The process of budgetary control includes:
1. Preparation of various budgets.
2. Continuous comparison of actual performance with budgetary performance.
3. Revision of budgets in the light of changed circumstances.
A system of budgetary control should not become rigid. There should be enough scope of flexibility to
provide for individual initiative and drive. Budgetary control is an important device for making the
organization. More efficient on all fronts. It is an important tool for controlling costs and achieving the
overall objectives.

Budgeting as a Control Tool


A budget serves as a control tool to provide standards for evaluating performance.
A budget can cover any of the following:
1. Profit planning – forecast of revenues and expenses
2. Cash budgeting – forecast of cash needs and sources
3. Balance sheet forecasting – anticipating future assets, liability and net worth position of the business
1. Profit Planning (Pro-forma Income Statement)
The sales forecast and corresponding costs and expenses are the major inputs to a Profit Plan. Why is
profit planning important? It enables the entrepreneur to see the complete picture and to analyze how
each cost and expense item behaves in relation to changes in the level of sales. Budgeted amounts are
then compared with actual results and variances are analyzed and corrected.
2. Cash Budgeting
A Cash Budget is used to determine anticipated cash inflows and outflows so that the business maintains
the optimum level of cash (cash on hand being a non-earning asset). It also provides information on
whether or not additional financing is required to address cash shortfalls.
The first step in preparing a Cash Budget is to list down all transactions having cash flow implications.
For example, among the items included under Cash Receipts are: collection of accounts receivable, cash
sales, and proceeds of borrowings. Cash Disbursements, on the other hand, may include cash operating
expenses, raw material purchases, equipment and other asset purchases, and repayments on bank loans
(including interest). From this exercise, a Net Cash Balance is derived. This is then carried over to the
next period (month or quarter, depending on the level of detail of the cash budget) as the beginning cash
balance. Some businesses choose to have a pre-determined minimum required cash balance which they
maintain at all times.
3. Balance Sheet Forecasting
This involves estimating asset levels to support the forecasted sales targets. For example, if the higher
sales targets would necessitate opening more retail outlets, then necessarily, investments in fixed assets
are a must. Moreover, changes in the funding mix (i.e., a higher level of long-term loans vs. short-term
borrowings) may also occur.

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