Budgetary Control 

• Meaning and Definition of Budgetary Control

Budgetary control is the process of preparation of budgets for various activities and comparing the budgeted figures for arriving at deviations if any, which are to be eliminated in future. Thus budget is a means and budgetary control is the end result. Budgetary control is a continuous process which helps in planning and coordination. It also provides a method of control.

According to Brown and Howard “Budgetary control is a system of coordinating costs which includes the preparation of budgets, coordinating the work of departments and establishing responsibilities, comparing the actual performance with the budgeted and acting upon results to achieve maximum profitability”.

• Following are the features of budgetary control as per the above definitions:

1. The pre-requisite for budgetary control is to set different kinds of budgets and fix the responsibility of personnel for the successful implementation of the
2. Actual performance is compared with budgets to reveal deviations for the purpose of cost
3. Corrective action is initiated to set right the unfavorable deviation

• Objectives of Budgetary Control

Budgetary control is inevitable for policy formulation, planning, control and coordination. The essence of budgeting is to plan and control.

Following are the main objectives of budgetary control:

1. Planning:

Budgeting ensures effective planning by setting up of budgets.

2. Coordination:

Budgets are helpful in coordination of business activities.

3. Efficiency and Economy:

Effective budgetary control results in cost control and cost reduction.

4. Increase in Profitability:

Costs are controlled with help of budgets and profits targeted are achieved.

5. Anticipation of Future Capital Expenditure:

Estimated increases in sales necessitating higher production capacity provides advance warning for the possible capital expenditure in near future.

6. Control:

Controlling function is made to be effective as the control is centralised while budgets are prepared and implemented.

7. Deviations:

Ascertainment of deviations is essential to fix responsibility and correct the deviations as far as possible.

• Essentials of Successful Budgetary Control

A business budget is a detailed plan covering phases of operations for a definite future period. It is lying down of policies, plans, objectives and goals set in advance by the top management for the enterprise as a whole and for each segment.

The following are the essential requisites for implementing budgetary control successfully:

1. Top Management Support: The budgetary control system should have continuous support of top management which can ensure its all-round acceptance.

2. Clearly Defined Organizational Structure: The authority and responsibilities are to be properly defined to pin-point the responsibility of specific individuals in key position.

3. Efficient Accounting System: The accounting system should provide the required information in time.

4. Reporting of Deviations: Efficient system has to be devised to reduce the differences between the budgets and actual performance.

7. Motivation: Staff is to be appraised of the budgets and benefits they are going to derive directly and Indirectly.
8. Realistic Targets: The targets set should be realistic so that they are achievable and budgets should not frustrate the workers by fixing unrealistic targets.
9. Participation of All Departments Concerned: Budgets are to be set for all the departments so that their participation in implementation will be effective.

8. Flexibility: Budgets are prepared on the basis of certain conditions. If there is change in conditions budgets also should be adjusted to accommodate the changes.

 Advantages of Budgetary Control

Budgetary control is helpful in setting targets for the whole concern and achievement of the targets. It also makes the various operations of the enterprises economical.Following are some of the advantages of budgetary control:

1. Maximisation of Profits:

Budgetary control aims at increasing the over-all profits of the organisation. This is achieved through planning, coordination and control of various activities in a programmed manner.

2. Effective Coordination:

Performance and working of various activities is effectively coordinated through budgetary control. Budgets of the various functions are interlinked and dependent. Effective implementation of budgets depends on cooperation of concerned personnel of various departments. Emphasis on co-ordination and cooperation helps in achieving the predetermined targets and goals.

3. Evaluation of Executive Performance:

Goals are set for each department. Actual performance is compared with standards and deviations are reported to top management for action against unfavourable deviations. Thus, the performance of the department heads and other executives is constantly monitored.

4. Clear-Cut Goals and Targets:

Through the process of budgeting the goals of different departments are set in advance in consultation with those in charge of them. This makes the vision of the organisation clear and employee motivation and morale boosted by achievement of clearly set objectives.

5. Economy in Operations:

Expenses are properly planned and financial resources are put to optimum use. The benefits are extended to the industry and then to national economy. Budgetary control is helpful in conservation, effective utilization and elimination of wastage in scarce resources.

6. Revelation of Ineffectiveness:

Comparison of actual performance with budgeted performance reveals week spots so that attention is focused on them to improve the performance.

7. Correction of Performance Continuously:

The deviations of actual performance compared with budgets are frequently reported and corrections are made to rectify the unfavourable deviations immediately. In the absence of budgetary control this may be done at the end of the accounting year by which time corrections may not be fruitful or practicable.

8. Introduction of Incentive Schemes of Remuneration:

Incentive schemes can be easily introduced as the predetermined targets act as base to compare actual performance and determine efficiency. Higher and lower efficiency are suitably rewarded or discouraged respectively.

9. Shutting Down of Unprofitable Products and Activities:

Budgetary control reveals inefficiencies in products, processes and departments. This is helpful in closing down of loss making divisions to improve the overall profitability. 

  Limitations of Budgetary Control:

Budgetary control is an effective tool for management control. However it has certain limitations while operating it as a technique.

1. Prediction of Uncertain Future:

Budgeting is a process of forecasting and estimation. Forecasting may not be accurate. Therefore budgets based on inaccurate forecasts and estimates may not be accurate and effective.

2. Changes of Conditions:

Budgets are prepared on the basis of certain prevailing conditions. If the conditions change budgets are also to be revised. Constant changes in budgets may frustrate the employees and the charm in budgeting and implementation may be lost.

3. Complacence:

General tendency of employees is to achieve the targets as budgeting fixes the targets. Some of the employees who are highly skilful may also be satisfied in performing up to the goals set without showing full potential, which will be a loss to the enterprise as well as the employee in terms of productivity.

4. Difficulty in Coordination:

Effective implementation of budgetary control depends upon proper coordination among various departments as the performance of a department depends on the work of other departments and vice versa. It requires budgetary officer to oversee the integration of various activities to successfully implement the budgets. Ineffective coordination leads to inefficient performance.

5. Conflict among Different Departments:

Budgetary control sets targets for different departments individually. This will make the departmental heads to be selfish to get maximum funds and think in terms of achieving their own set targets, thereby raising conflict among different departments. Inter-departmental rivalries may endanger the performance of the whole organisation.

Classification of Budgets 

  1] Based on time

• Long-term Budget: The budget designed by the management for a long-term, i.e. three to ten years is called as long-term
• Short-term Budget: As the name suggests, the budget which is prepared for a period ranging from 1 to 2 years, is called short-term

2]   Based on Capacity

• Fixed Budget: The budget created for a fixed activity level, e. the budget remains constant regardless of the level of activity, is called as fixed budget.
• Flexible Budget: The budget which changes with the change in the level of activity is a flexible budget. It identifies the fixed cost, semi-variable cost and variable cost, to show the expected results at different volumes.

3]   Based on Scope

• Functional Budget: The budget which is concerned with the business functions is called as functional budget. It can be further classified as:
  1. Sales Budget: Sales budget is used to determine the quantity of anticipated sales and the expected selling price per It is called the backbone of the enterprise. A sales budget is starting point on which other budgets are based.

The factor should be taken into account while preparing the sales budget:

• Past sales figure and facts
• Availability of raw material.
• Seasonal fluctuations
• Plant capacity
• Availability of finance
• Government policy
  2. Production Budget: It is prepared to indicate the production for the specified period and is expressed in the units of outputs The main object of this budget is to manufacture the product at the minimum cost.

The factor should be taken into account while preparing the Production

budget:

• Quantity of different product.
• Availability of physical resources.
• Optimum plant capacity utilization
• Opening and closing stock, estimated sales.

4. Materials Budget: The budget prepared to show the quantities of direct material and raw material required to manufacture the finished product. It depends upon sales and production budget.
5. Purchase Budget: Purchase budget is designed to estimate the quantity and value of different items to be bought at different points of time, considering the production schedule and inventory

5. Cash Budget: The budget highlights the cash needed by the business in a specified period, taking into account all the receipts and payments of the business.

6. Labor Budget: The labor required for manufacturing the product is known as direct labor and the labor which is not directly relate with manufacturing is called indirect labor . Labor budget is prepared for making possible the continuously availability of labor for attaining the production budget.

Apart from those discussed above, there are other functional budgets also, i.e. plant utilization budget, direct material usage budget, factory overhead budget, production cost budget, cost of goods sold budget, selling and distribution cost budget, administration expenses budget, etc.

• Master Budget: Once all the functional budgets are created, then the financial officer will prepare a master It is an integrated budget that reflects the estimated profit and loss and financial position using Budgeted Profit & Loss Account and Budgeted Balance Sheet of the concern.

4]   Based on Receipts and Expenditure

• Capital Budget: The budget takes into account the estimated capital receipts and expenditure of the business for a specified period.
• Revenue Budget: The budget that covers all the revenue receipts and expenses ofa particular financial year is a revenue

A budget acts as a map for the future economic activities of the business, which are prepared as per the policies of the different organizational functions. It aims at making optimum utilisation of the capital and other resources of the organization.

• Fixed and Flexible Budget in detail

Fixed budget, as the name suggests, remains fix even when there is a change in the business activity. Or, we can say, it is a financial plan that doesn’t get a modification with the variations in the business activities. It is also known as  static budget.

• When is a fixed budget suitable?

Below is a list of essential conditions for the suitability of fixed budgets:

• The nature of business is not seasonal.
• Business activities are not impacted by external factors.
• The demand for a product is certain and stable.
• Supply orders are received and issued regularly.
• The production of products does not create a need for special labor or material.
• There is a trend of price stability.

From the above conditions, it can be inferred that a fixed budget is not much suitable for business concerns because all the above conditions are not found in general practice

• Disadvantages of fixed budget:

Following are the drawbacks of using such a budget:

• Estimates are not accurate as it is very hard to correctly predict the demand and industry trend.
• It doesn’t help when there is a need to allocate additional resources to keep up with the rise in demand.
• This budget is based on past budgets. So, it gets very hard for a new firm to prepare such a budget.
• Since estimates are not accurate, it gets extremely difficult to evaluate the performance of the departments.

Flexible Budget:

A flexible budget is a very good alternative to a fixed budget. It addresses all the drawbacks of a fixed budget so as to make budgeting more accurate. In a flexible budget, we can adjust the budget numbers to reflect the changes in the business activity. Moreover, management can easily alter a flexible budget as per the needs of a business.Along with the past data, the flexible budget also includes the estimates of future realistic situations

• When is a flexible budget desirable?

Flexible budgets are desirable to use in the following circumstances:

• Flexible budgets are helpful when the volume of activity varies throughout the year, either because of the seasonal nature of an industry or because of fluctuations in demand.

            For example, the volume of sales in festive seasons is usually more for businesses                 engaged in assorted cookies. In such cases, a flexible budget might be essential to see how budgeted costs vary from one season to another.

• Flexible budgets prove to be helpful when the business is new and it is difficult to predict the demand of a product accurately.
• Also, where a company is suffering from the shortage of some factors of production like materials, labor, or plant capacity, a flexible budget can furnish the details of targeted costs at different points in time.
• Flexible budgeting may also be resorted to in the case of labor-intensive industries where the quantum of production is dependent upon the availability of labor.

Disadvantages of Flexible Budget 

Following are the main limitations of flexible budget:

• It assumes costs to be linear and ignore various factors- such as bulk However, in real life scenario, costs are not linear and hence such budgets lose their utility.
• Flexible budgets assume continuing operations and do not take into account erratic behaviour of cost.
• Flexible budgets divide costs into fixed and variable elements in an arbitrary Therefore, budgeted numbers do not bear close resemblance to actual costs.
• Flexible budgets keep fixed costs at the same level for all activity while in reality, even fixed costs change after crossing relevant output range.

ZERO BASED BUDGETING 

Zero based budgeting in management accounting involves preparing the budget from the scratch with a zero-base. It involves re-evaluating every line item of cash flow statement and justifying all the expenditure that is to be incurred by the department.

Thus, zero-based budgeting definition goes as a method of budgeting whereby all the expenses for the new period are calculated on the basis of actual expenses that are to be incurred and not on the differential basis which involves just changing the expenses incurred taking into account change in operational activity. Under this method, every activity needs to be justified, explaining the revenue that every cost will generate for the company.

• Zero Based Budgeting Advantages
• Accuracy: Against the regular methods of budgeting that involve just making some arbitrary changes to the previous year’s budget, zero-based budgeting makes every department re look each and every item of the cash flow and compute their operation This to some extent helps in cost reduction as it gives a clear picture of costs against the desired performance.

• Efficiency: This helps in efficient allocation of resources (department-wise) as it does not look at the historical numbers but looks at the actual numbers.

• Reduction in redundant activities: It leads to the identification of opportunities and more cost-effective ways of doing things by removing all the unproductive or redundant activities.

• Budget inflation: Since every line item is to be justified, zero-based budget overcomes the weakness of incremental budgeting of budget inflation.

• Coordination and Communication: It also improves coordination and communication within the department and motivates employees by involving them in decision-making. Although zero-based budgeting merits make it look like a lucrative method, it is important to know the disadvantages listed as under:

 Zero Based Budgeting Disadvantages

• Time-Consuming: Zero-based budgeting is a very time-intensive exercise for a company or government-funded entities to do every year as against incremental budgeting, which is a far easier method.

• High Manpower Requirement: Making an entire budget from the scratch may require the involvement of a large number of employees. Many departments may not have an adequate time and human resource for the same.
• Lack of Expertise: Explaining every line item and every cost is a difficult task and requires training the managers.