Budgeting Process quiz

This question is apparently directed toward budgeting. A budget is a realistic plan for the future that is expressed in quantitative terms. It is a planning, control, motivational, and communications tool. A budget promotes goal congruence and coordination among operating units. Unfortunately, a budget does not ensure profitable operations

Several planning assumptions should be made at the beginning of the budget process. Some of these assumptions are internal factors; others are external to the company. External factors include general economic conditions and their expected trend, governmental regulatory measures, the labor market in the locale of the company’s facilities, and activities of competitors, including the effects of mergers

Lack of goal congruence can result when attaining a subunit’s budgetary goal results in disregard of overall company goals. Subunit managers may inflate their budget requests to provide operating leeway and then engage in unnecessary spending to avoid future budget cuts. A budget may encourage exclusive concentration on meeting short-term standards at the expense of long-term considerations. A manager fearful of not meeting the budget targets may improperly manipulate allocation of expenses. The manager seeking to stay within the budget may disregard employee morale and poor working conditions. Interunit resentment may develop as a result of competition for scarce funds

The budget planning calendar is the schedule of activities for the development and adoption of the budget. It should include a list of dates indicating when specific information is to be provided by each information source to others. The preparation of a master budget usually takes several months. For instance, many firms start the budget for the next calendar year some time in September in hopes of having it completed by December 1. Because all of the individual departmental budgets are based on forecasts prepared by others and the budgets of other departments, it is essential to have a planning calendar to ensure the proper integration of the entire process

This is an advantage of using the budgeting process to judge performance. Comparing actual results to the budget allows the organization as a whole to evaluate performance and allows managers to do the same on an individual level

Budgets provide a means for coordinating the plans of all organizational subunits. Thus, budgets are a way to promote goal congruence. Although budgets should be consistent with the strategic plans of top management, they should also be based on input from lower-level managers since the latter have detailed knowledge of operating activities. Successful budgets are therefore a compromise. In a top-down process, however, budgets are imposed on subordinates without their participation. This lack of participation may impair the coordination of the goals of subunits with those of the organization (goal congruence) since lower-level managers will tend not to have an understanding of and support for the top-down budget

An organization must complete its strategic plan before any specific budgeting can begin. The strategic plan lays out the means by which a firm expects to fulfill its stated mission

Joint development of goals is more conducive to motivation, as is allowing divisional managers to develop the implementation plan. Goal congruence is enhanced when senior management is involved in the budgeting process along with division managers

Information sent to top management is ordinarily more highly aggregated and less timely than that communicated to managers at operational levels. Top managers are concerned with the organization’s overall financial results and long-term prospects and are responsible for the strategic planning function. Lower-level reports contain more quantitative information of an operational nature, e.g., production data

Among other things, the budget is a tool by which management can communicate goals to lower-level employees. It is also a tool for motivating employees to reach those goals. For the budget to function in these communication and motivating roles, top management must be involved in the process. This involvement does not extend to dictating the exact numerical contents of the budget since top management lacks a detailed knowledge of daily operations

A budget is potentially a good motivational tool. If lower-level managers have participated in preparing the budget, instead of simply receiving a budget imposed by top management, they are more likely to understand and share the goals of top management and to work to keep costs within the budget. Participation and understanding are also likely to result in budgets that are reasonably attainable and viewed as realistic. However, a budget is also a motivator in the sense that managers are accountable for variances in controllable costs but are rewarded for good performance. Moreover, budgeting coupled with analysis of variances tends to improve motivation by allowing upper-level  managers to concentrate on problems (exceptions) rather than engaging in routine supervision of subordinates, which may be viewed as unnecessarily intrusive and unwelcome

Uncertainties can be prepared for, but they cannot be subjected to human control through any budget process

Top management’s belief in and support of the planning and budgeting process is the single most important element in its success

A budget promotes goal congruence within a company. Departments must coordinate their activities with other interdependent departments in planning and developing the budget

One of the behavioral considerations of budgeting is the extent of participation in the process by managers at all levels within the organization. Managers are more motivated to achieve budgeted goals when they are involved in budget preparation. A broad level of participation usually leads to greater support for the budget and the entity as a whole, as well as a greater understanding of what is to be accomplished. Advantages of a participative budget include greater accuracy of budget estimates. Managers with immediate operational responsibility for activities have a better understanding of what results can be achieved and at what costs. Also, managers cannot blame unrealistic objectives as an excuse for not achieving budget expectations when they have helped to establish those objectives.
Despite the involvement of lower level managers, senior management must still participate in the budget process to ensure that the combined objectives of the various departments are consistent with profitability objectives of the company

Budgetary slack is the practice of understating budgeted revenues or overestimating budgeted costs to make budgeted targets more achievable. The natural tendency of a manager is to negotiate for a less stringent measure of performance to avoid unfavorable variances from expectations

An organizational budget requires a significant commitment of internal resources. The single most important factor in assuring its success is for upper management to demonstrate that they take the project seriously and consider it vital to the organization’s future

Budget formulation is a planning function; however, budgets are also useful control devices. Budgets provide a basis for control of performance through comparisons of actual with budgeted data. They permit analysis of variations from plans and signal the need for corrective managerial action

Budgets serve many roles. They force management to plan ahead, communicate organizational goals throughout the organization, and provide criteria for future performance evaluations

Budgeting plays a role in the overall planning and evaluation process of the company. It includes information that can impact the company’s long-term planning, operational budgets, and strategy. The strategic plan is made up of longterm objectives that make clear the priorities of the organization. Awareness of priorities is crucial for the allocation of resources because it affects the operational and financial budgets