Balanced Score Card:: Performance Management
Balanced Score Card:: Performance Management
The balanced scorecard is a strategic planning and management system that is used extensively
in business and industry, government, and nonprofit organizations worldwide to align business
activities to the vision and strategy of the organization, improve internal and external
communications, and monitor organization performance against strategic goals.
A Balanced Scorecard defines what management means by "performance" and measures whether
management is achieving desired results. The Balanced Scorecard translates Mission and Vision
Statements into a comprehensive set of objectives and performance measures that can be
quantified and appraised. These measures typically include the following categories of
performance:
Target costing is a pricing method used by firms. It is defined as "a cost management tool for reducing
the overall cost of a product over its entire life-cycle with the help of production, engineering, research
and design". A target cost is the maximum amount of cost that can be incurred on a product and with it
the firm can still earn the required profit margin from that product at a particular selling price.
In the traditional cost-plus pricing method materials, labor and overhead costs are measured and a
desired profit is added to determine the selling price.
Target costing involves setting a target cost by subtracting a desired profit margin from a competitive
market price.[1] [2]
A lengthy but complete definition is "Target Costing is a disciplined process for determining and achieving
a full-stream cost at which a proposed product with specified functionality, performance, and quality must
be produced in order to generate the desired profitability at the product’s anticipated selling price over a
specified period of time in the future." [3]
This definition encompasses the principal concepts: products should be based on an accurate
assessment of the wants and needs of customers in different market segments, and cost targets should
be what result after a sustainable profit margin is subtracted from what customers are willing to pay at the
time of product introduction and afterwards. These concepts are supported by the four basic steps of
Target Costing: (1) Define the Product (2) Set the Price and Cost Targets (3) Achieve the Targets (4)
Maintain Competitive Costs.
To compete effectively, organizations must continually redesign their products ( or services) in order to
shorten product life cycles. The planning, development and design stage of a product is therefore critical
to an organization's cost management process. Considering possible cost reduction at this stage of a
product's life cycle (rather than during the production process) is now one of the most important issues
facing management accountants in industry.
TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT:
Total Quality Management (TQM) is an approach that seeks to improve quality and performance which will meet or exceed
customer expectations. This can be achieved by integrating all quality-related functions and processes throughout the company.
TQM looks at the overall quality measures used by a company including managing quality design and development, quality
control and maintenance, quality improvement, and quality assurance. TQM takes into account all quality measures taken at all
levels and involving all company employees.
TQM can be defined as the management of initiatives and procedures that are aimed at achieving the delivery of quality products
and services. A number of key principles can be identified in defining TQM, including:
Executive Management – Top management should act as the main driver for TQM and create an environment that
ensures its success.
Training – Employees should receive regular training on the methods and concepts of quality.
TQM is a set of management practices throughout the organization, geared to ensure the
organization consistently meets or exceeds customer requirements. TQM places strong focus
on process measurement and controls as means of continuous improvement.
At its core, Total Quality Management (TQM) is a management approach to long-term success through
customer satisfaction.
In a TQM effort, all members of an organization participate in improving processes, products, services and
the culture in which they work.
The methods for implementing this approach come from the teachings of such quality leaders as Philip B.
Crosby, W. Edwards Deming, Armand V. Feigenbaum, Kaoru Ishikawa and Joseph M. Juran.
A core concept in implementing TQM is Deming’s 14 points, a set of management practices to help
companies increase their quality and productivity:
COST AUDIT:
he verification of cost records and accounts, and a check on adherence to prescribed cost
accounting procedures and their continuing relevance