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Technical

Activity based costing in China Logo cima

  Dr Lana Yan Jun Liu & Professor Fei Pan |   Free |   CIMA |   2011 |   Thought leadership

This project investigated the implementation of activity-based costing (ABC) at Xu Ji Electric Co. Ltd (Xu Ji), a large Chinese manufacturing company. Xu Ji is a state-owned enterprise (SOE), turned public limited company (PLC). The company piloted ABC implementation in one of its main production divisions in December 2001, when ABC concepts were at a theoretical level in China (Liu and Pan, 2007). Two more attempts to extend the use of ABC in one of its subsidiaries and sales functions took place in 2005 and 2008. Major events took place during the latter research endeavour, including two major acquisitions – first by a pension fund and later by the national grid and recent decision to implement an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. These events provided a unique opportunity to unveil factors pertinent to organisational decisions towards information system implementation, to extract ‘real-life’ interactions between personnel at various organisational hierarchies; and to evaluate complex relationships between changes, organisational and individual learning. (PDF 213KB)

Topics covered:
  • Management accounting: Technical: Cost accounting & management: Cost accounting, Advanced

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3 Comments/Reflections

Neill Wilson

Neill Wilson Jan 2020

With the topic of SOEs highly relevant in South Africa, it was interesting to see the difficulties faced in this organisation... in trying to implement ABC Costing in a SOE-turned-PLC. 

Food for thought in my own country! 
Daniel Evans

Daniel Evans Dec 2019

Learnt of the difficulty introducing Activity based costing in a former ' top down' SOE.  However, I believe that this did introduce a better understanding of product costing to enable correct market pricing. 
Akmeemna Palliye Guruge Pulmini Wijayatilaka

Akmeemna Palliye Guruge Pulmini Wijayatilaka Sep 2019

After reading and getting an insight about ABC, my accuracy in costing was built where the management relied on my reports and recognized me as a good Management Accountant. Which was highlighted in my performance appraisals.

Many of my Analysis was taken for decision making aspects such as Pricing and Ordering of goods.

ABC is a very key area for a Management Accountant.