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91Ó°ÊÓ

'Budgeted performance is a better criterion than past performance for judging managers." Do you agree? Explain.

Short Answer

Expert verified
Yes, budgeted performance is often better for judging managers as it aligns with future goals and strategic plans.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the Terminology

Budgeted performance refers to the comparison of actual performance against a planned budget. It is used as a standard against which to measure and evaluate the performance of managers. Past performance, on the other hand, involves assessing how well a manager has performed based on historical data.
02

Examining Budgeted Performance

Budgeted performance provides a forward-looking perspective. It evaluates managers against predefined objectives, making it a good tool for measuring how well managers meet company goals and adhere to financial planning. This can also motivate managers to optimize performance to meet or exceed the budgeted figures.
03

Evaluating Past Performance

Past performance looks at what managers have accomplished previously and serves as a record of their abilities and achievements. It provides insights into how effectively a manager has handled past responsibilities, highlighting strengths and weaknesses based on actual results.
04

Comparing Both Criteria

Comparing budgeted performance and past performance provides comprehensive insights. Budgeted performance focuses on future goals, encouraging strategic alignment and dynamic performance. Conversely, past performance highlights historical success and patterns. Budgeted performance can lead to more objective evaluations as it is based on current strategic priorities rather than historical precedents.
05

Conclusion Based on Analysis

Budgeted performance is often a better criterion for judging managers as it focuses on future goals and strategic alignment rather than just historical achievements. It gives an objective benchmark against current expectations, which can be more relevant for performance evaluations in a dynamic business environment.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Managerial Performance
Evaluating managerial performance is crucial for keeping organizations on track to achieve their strategic objectives. It involves assessing how well managers fulfill their roles in steering the company towards success. This assessment can focus on different criteria, like budgeted and past performance.

Managers are expected to meet specific targets and manage resources effectively. Their performance is often measured by their ability to achieve financial goals and contribute to the company's strategic vision. By comparing actual performance against budgeted expectations, the evaluation becomes more aligned with the current goals of the organization.
Focusing on budgeted performance means managers are evaluated based on current expectations, which are more relevant and aligned with today's business objectives.
Financial Planning
Effective financial planning is at the core of successful business operations and involves creating a roadmap for achieving economic goals. It includes budgeting, forecasting, and setting financial objectives that guide the organization’s activities.

In the context of evaluating manager performance, budgeted performance plays a pivotal role. Here’s how:
  • It aligns financial resources with strategic goals.
  • Encourages managers to strategize efficiently to meet or exceed budgeted figures.
  • Provides a clear benchmark for assessing financial success.
Budgeting sharpens focus on what is needed for optimal performance. It compels managers to plan comprehensively, considering potential challenges, and making informed financial decisions.
Performance Metrics
Performance metrics are quantifiable measures used to gauge the effectiveness and efficiency of managers in reaching their goals. These metrics are vital tools in evaluating manager performance.

Metrics can be both financial, such as revenue and profit margins, and non-financial, like customer satisfaction and employee engagement. By setting metrics based on budgeted performance:
  • Managers have clear targets that guide their activities.
  • They have quantifiable criteria to evaluate success.
  • Metrics help identify areas needing improvement and acknowledge strengths.
Performance metrics aligned with budgeted goals offer a fair and objective basis for appraising a manager’s contribution to the company’s financial and strategic objectives.
Strategic Alignment
Strategic alignment ensures that the company’s activities and resources are in harmony with its strategic goals and purpose. Budgeted performance evaluations significantly contribute to this alignment.

When evaluations are based on budgeted performance, it means managers are assessed on how effectively they align their departmental goals with the broader strategic objectives of the company.
Moreover, strategic alignment via budgeted evaluations encourages managers to maintain consistent progress towards overarching company aims, rather than focusing solely on past achievements. By placing more emphasis on strategic alignment:
  • Organizations maintain a dynamic approach to evolving market conditions.
  • Ensures activities are forward-thinking and prioritize sustainable growth.
  • Strengthens internal coherence towards attaining long-term objectives.
Thus, budgeted performance evaluations serve as a proactive tool helping managers and teams stay strategically focused in a competitive environment.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

What are the four elements of the budgeting cycle?

Logo Specialties manufactures, among other things, woolen blankets for the athletic teams of the two local high schools. The company sews the blankets from fabric and sews on a logo patch purchased from the licensed logo store site. The teams are as follows: Knights, with red blankets and the Knights logo Raiders, with black blankets and the Raider logo Also, the black blankets are slightly larger than the red blankets. The budgeted direct-cost inputs for each product in 2012 are as follows: $$\begin{array}{lcc} & \text { Knights Blanket } & \text { Raiders Blanket } \\ \hline \text { Red wool fabric } & 3 \text { yards } & 0 \\ \text { Black wool fabric } & 0 & 3.3 \text { yards } \\ \text { Knight logo patches } & 1 & 0 \\ \text { Raider logo patches } & 0 & 1 \\ \text { Direct manufacturing labor } & 1.5 \text { hours } & 2 \text { hours } \end{array}$$ Unit data pertaining to the direct materials for March 2012 are as follows: $$\begin{array}{lcc} & \text { Knights Blanket } & \text { Raiders Blanket } \\ \hline \text { Red wool fabric } & 30 \text { yards } & 0 \\ \text { Black wool fabric } & 0 & 10 \text { yards } \\ \text { Knight logo patches } & 40 & 0 \\ \text { Raider logo patches } & 0 & 55 \end{array}$$ $$\begin{array}{lcc} & \text { Knights Blanket } & \text { Raiders Blanket } \\ \hline \text { Red wool fabric } & 20 \text { yards } & 0 \\ \text { Black wool fabric } & 0 & 20 \text { yards } \\ \text { Knight logo patches } & 20 & 0 \\ \text { Raider logo patches } & 0 & 20 \end{array}$$ Unit cost data for direct-cost inputs pertaining to February 2012 and March 2012 are as follows: $$\begin{array}{lcc} & \text { February 2012 (actual) } & \text { March 2012 (budgeted) } \\ \hline \text { Red wool fabric (per yard) } & \$ 8 & \$ 9 \\ \text { Black wool fabric (per yard) } & 10 & 9 \\ \text { Knight logo patches (per patch) } & 6 & 6 \\ \text { Raider logo patches (per patch) } & 5 & 7 \\ \text { Manufacturing labor cost per hour } & 25 & 26 \end{array}$$ Manufacturing overhead (both variable and fixed) is allocated to each blanket on the basis of budgeted direct manufacturing labor-hours per blanket. The budgeted variable manufacturing overhead rate for March 2012 is \(\$ 15\) per direct manufacturing labor-hour. The budgeted fixed manufacturing overhead for March 2012 is \(\$ 9,200 .\) Both variable and fixed manufacturing overhead costs are allocated to each unit of finished goods. Data relating to finished goods inventory for March 2012 are as follows: $$\begin{array}{lcc} & \text { Knights Blankets } & \text { Raiders Blankets } \\ \hline \text { Beginning inventory in units } & 10 & 15 \\ \text { Beginning inventory in dollars (cost) } & \$ 1,210 & \$ 2,235 \\ \text { Target ending inventory in units } & 20 & 25 \end{array}$$ Budgeted sales for March 2012 are 120 units of the Knights blankets and 180 units of the Raiders blankets. The budgeted selling prices per unit in March 2012 are \(\$ 150\) for the Knights blankets and \(\$ 175\) for the Raiders blankets. Assume the following in your answer: Work-in-process inventories are negligible and ignored. Direct materials inventory and finished goods inventory are costed using the FIF0 method. Unit costs of direct materials purchased and finished goods are constant in March 2012 . 1\. Prepare the following budgets for March 2012 : a. Revenues budget b. Production budget in units c. Direct material usage budget and direct material purchases budget d. Direct manufacturing labor budget e. Manufacturing overhead budget f. Ending inventories budget (direct materials and finished goods) g. cost of goods sold budget 2\. Suppose Logo Specialties decides to incorporate continuous improvement into its budgeting process. Describe two areas where it could incorporate continuous improvement into the budget schedules in requirement 1.

Inglenook Co. produces wine. The company expects to produce 2,500,000 two- liter bottles of Chablis in 2012 . Inglenook purchases empty glass bottles from an outside venIts target ending inventory of such bottles is 80,000 ; its beginning inventory is 50,000 . For simplicity, ignore breakage. Compute the number of bottles to be purchased in 2012.

Consider each of the following independent situations for Anderson Forklifts. Anderson manufactures and sells forklifts. The company also contracts to service both its own and other brands of forklifts. Anderson has a manufacturing plant, a supply warehouse that supplies both the manufacturing plant and the service technicians (who often need parts to repair forklifts) and 10 service vans. The service technicians drive to customer sites to service the forklifts. Anderson owns the vans, pays for the gas, and supplies forklift parts, but the technicians own their own tools. 1\. In the manufacturing plant the production manager is not happy with the engines that the purchasing manager has been purchasing. In May the production manager stops requesting engines from the supply warehouse, and starts purchasing them directly from a different engine manufacturer. Actual materials costs in May are higher than budgeted. 2\. Overhead costs in the manufacturing plant for June are much higher than budgeted. Investigation reveals a utility rate hike in effect that was not figured into the budget. 3\. Gasoline costs for each van are budgeted based on the service area of the van and the amount of driving expected for the month. The driver of van 3 routinely has monthly gasoline costs exceeding the budget for van 3. After investigating, the service manager finds that the driver has been driving the van for personal use. 4\. At Bigstore Warehouse, one of Anderson's forklift service customers, the service people are only called in for emergencies and not for routine maintenance. Thus, the materials and labor costs for these service calls exceeds the monthly budgeted costs for a contract customer. 5\. Anderson's service technicians are paid an hourly wage, with overtime pay if they exceed 40 hours per week, excluding driving time. Fred Snert, one of the technicians, frequently exceeds 40 hours per week. Service customers are happy with Fred's work, but the service manager talks to him constantly about working more quickly. Fred's overtime causes the actual costs of service to exceed the budget almost every month. 6\. The cost of gasoline has increased by \(50 \%\) this year, which caused the actual gasoline costs to greatly exceed the budgeted costs for the service vans. For each situation described, determine where (that is, with whom) (a) responsibility and (b) controllability lie. Suggest what might be done to solve the problem or to improve the situation.

Purity, Inc., bottles and distributes mineral water from the company's natural springs in northern Oregon. Purity markets two products: twelve-ounce disposable plastic bottles and four-gallon reusable plastic containers. 1\. For 2012 , Purity marketing managers project monthly sales of 400,000 twelve-ounce bottles and 100,000 fourgallon containers. Average selling prices are estimated at \(\$ 0.25\) per twelve-ounce bottle and \(\$ 1.50\) per four gallon container. Prepare a revenues budget for Purity, Inc., for the year ending December 31,2012. 2\. Purity begins 2012 with 900,000 twelve-ounce bottles in inventory. The vice president of operations requests that twelve-ounce bottles ending inventory on December \(31,2012,\) be no less than 600,000 bottles. Based on sales projections as budgeted previously, what is the minimum number of twelve-ounce bottles Purity must produce during \(2012 ?\) 3\. The VP of operations requests that ending inventory of four-gallon containers on December 31,2012 , be 200,000 units. If the production budget calls for Purity to produce 1,300,000 four-gallon containers during \(2012,\) what is the beginning inventory of four-gallon containers on January \(1,2012 ?\)

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