Summary by Henry Stoll
Master of Accountancy Program
University of South Florida, Fall 2000
Budgeting Main Page | Investment
Management Main page | PLC Main Page
Budgeting traditionally has not taken the life cycle of an entity into account; therefore, resources are not allocated efficiently. The purpose of this paper is to show how the budgetary process can be improved by properly implementing product life cycle analysis with planning, control, and motivation.
Product Life Cycle Costing
Product life cycle costing has been used for years for sales forecasting. A study at Lear Siegler, Inc. revealed that PLC is useful in allocating resources. Revenues, expenses, and cash flows have distinctive characteristics at each stage. The PLC stages include:
Start-Up,
Growth,
Maturity, and
Harvest.
3 Main Functions of Budgeting
1. Planning - The development of future objectives and goals and also the formulation of steps necessary to achieve those objectives and goals.
2. Control - Policies and procedures established to ensure the organization functions as it should and that the objectives are met.
3. Motivation - The force within individuals by which behavior is initiated, energized, sustained, directed, and stopped.
| Product Life Cycle Diagram | ||||
| PLC Stage | Sales | Expenses | Other Indicators and Activities |
Organizational Characteristics |
| Start-up | Low or zero | High research, product development, capital expenditures. High PPE to meet projected demand. | Shortage of cash. Low ROA. Low earnings. Low working capital. High inventory turnover and High debt. | Entrepreneurial Management Style - Emphasis on market research and product development. |
| Growth | Rising sales | Increase promotional and production costs. Increase in IT and administrative costs. Increased purchases of production assets. | Marketable product. Low cash flow. Increase in earnings. | Management style - Formal system of marketing, production, and accounting. |
| Maturity | Stable | Cost of searching for increased efficiencies. Increased administrative costs. Most cost are stable. | Historical data can be used to predict future. Standards developed for budgeting. Large net income. Investment in product peaks. | Administrative style - Emphasis on monitoring existing systems. |
| Harvest | Some decline | Reduced personnel and advertising costs. No new investments. | High ROA. Low earnings. Some increased revenue from equipment sales. | Realistic style - Must face fact that winding down is needed. Purchases and production must be tied to sales. |
| Budget Functions in Relation to PLC Stages | |||
| PLC Stage | Main Functions of a Budget | ||
| Planning | Control | Motivation | |
| Start-up | Low priority because the main concern is producing and selling product. | Low priority because controls could impede creative process. | Low priority because employees haven't yet seen results. Employees need self motivation. |
| Growth | Increased priority due to increase in productive capacity and employees. | More resources increase need for control, but priority is still relatively low. | Increase in sales and routine job descriptions increase the importance of motivation from budgets. |
| Maturity | Even more priority due to price competition. | Increased competition requires highest quality and lowest cost. Control is essential. | Even more need for motivation. Employees forced to follow standards and see only a small piece of the whole process. |
| Harvest | Somewhat important. Must plan when and how to drop products. | Decreased priority because of less competition. Timing is still important. | Motivation is essential. Employees see phase-out of product and possibly themselves. |
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Related summaries:
Adamany, H. G. and F. A. J.Gonsalves. 1994. Life cycle management: An integrated approach to managing investments. Journal of Cost Management (Summer): 35-48. (Summary).
Artto, K.A. 1994. Life cycle cost concepts and methodologies. Journal of Cost Management (Fall): 28-32. (Summary).
Clinton, B. D. and A. H. Graves. 1999. Product value analysis: Strategic analysis over the entire product life cycle. Journal of Cost Management (May/June): 22-29. (Summary).
Hayes, R. H. and S. C. Wheelwright. 1979. Link manufacturing process and product life cycles. Harvard Business Review (January-February): 133-140. (Summary).
Hayes, R. H. and S. C. Wheelwright. 1979. The dynamics of process-product life cycles. Harvard Business Review (March-April): 127-136. (Summary).
Martin, J. R. Not dated. Product life cycle management. Management And Accounting Web. PLCSummary.htm
Martin, J. R. Not dated. What is a learning curve? Management And Accounting Web. LearningCurveSummary.htm
Moores, K. and S. Yuen. 2001. Management accounting systems and organizational configuration: A life-cycle perspective. Accounting, Organizations and Society 26(4-5): 351-389. (Summary).
Porter, M. E. 1980. Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. Chapter 8: Industry Evolution. The Free Press. (Summary).
Shields M. D. and S. M. Young. 1991. Managing product life cycle costs: An organizational model. Journal of Cost Management (Fall): 39-51. (Summary).