Activity Based Costing

IMA Advanced Management Accounting,CIMA考试管理级等级中高级管理会计，同时也适用于自己对于管理会计内容的自学

Data and Information

• Data and Information
  • data is the initial input of raw data, facts and figures.Data is then processed to create an output of meaningful information.
• Type of data
  • 按性质分
    • Quantitive data
      • facts and fugures that can be measured numerically
        • 企业一般会两种数据都结合使用，两者同样重要
    • Qualittive data
      • more subjective and often relates to experiences and opinions
        • qualititive data can provided more in-depth insight than quantitive data
  • 按获取手段分
    • Primary data
      • obtained for a specific purpose
        • 自己制定并调查的获得的针对自己问题的相关数据
    • Secondary data
      • involves using statistics and research conducted by others.
        • this type of research will probably not effective, but it can be far more cost-effective
  • 按数据时间跨度分
    • cotinuous data
      • Continuous data will need analysing every time to see where the business is doing well and where it is going wrong.
    • ad hoc data
      • Ad hoc data is usually a one-off requirement for a specific issue.
• characteristics of good data/information
  • Reliable
  • relevant
    • information should directly relate to the business or decisions
  • clear
    • information needs to be presented in a well-analysed and digestible manner,同时要考虑听众，尽量不要使用过于高深的专业词汇
  • accurate
  • get to the right person at right time
  • cost-efficient
    • the information must outweigh the costs of sourcing/consolidating it
• Sources of information
  • internal sources of information
    • financial information
      • used in an accounting system is gathered from various internal sources, such as bank statements, cash books and sales ledgers.
    • management information
  • external sources of information
    • data must be sourced from various external outlets, sorted for relevance, analysed and then reported to management.
    • 来源分类
      • business contacts业务联系
        • customers；supliers
      • Trade association贸易协会
        • trade journals
      • News and Media新闻媒体
        • financial times；news websites
      • government sources政府来源
        • employment news;tax authority notices
    • 相比起内部信息，外部信息在可靠性，准确性方面有待商榷，在使用时需要考虑其质量
• Big Data
  • Big data describes large volumes of data from a wide variety of sources which can be processed to produce useful information for a range of decision-making purposes.
    • Big data has the potential for almost universal application
  • challenges of big data
    • volume
      • Increasing volumes of data mean that there is a lot more to manage, and it is harder to extract key information from it
    • velocity周转率
      • There is an increasing speed of data in and out, which means that data can quickly change; therefore, information analysis needs to be quick in order to spot and react to the latest change
    • variety
      • The range of data types and sources of data can be varied, making analysis difficult, e.g. data in different IT systems in an organisation are difficult to bring together in order to analyse linkages
    • veracity
      • The extent to which you can rely on the data. This includes the accuracy of figures and also the trustworthiness of the information. For example, a disgruntled customer giving a product 1 out of 10 for everything because of one small issue with one small part- it is not a true reflection of the quality.
  • 7 stages of the big data process
    • capture
      • what data? how to collect it
    • storage
      • where sotred? IT needs?
    • curation管理
      • organising the data
    • analysis
      • examining data to create useful information
    • visualisation
      • presenting data in a clear simple way
    • search
      • allowing users to search for relevant information
    • data sharing and transfer
      • sending relevant information to key people
  • uses of big data
    • able to produce better products, ensure that the right amount of stock is available in the right places, target marketing campaigns better and price products in a way that attracts more custom based on past buying patterns.
      • Recognising a trend is one thing, but being able to understand and justify the reason behind a trend is even more valuable.
    • the uses of the elements of big data
      • sales data
      • customer behaviour
        • use demographics to identify potential customers and help to discover new niche markets by grouping people in terms of behaviours and interests.
      • assis with company logistics decisions
        • product line
        • stock
        • delivery timeables
      • customer value
        • target offers and coupons to appropriate customers.
      • cost bahaviour
        • Using big data, companies can pinpoint and deal with the causes of a fall in profit levels, which may be different in different outlets.
• Data threats
  • Risks to data and company information are generally referred to as cyber risks.
  • Types of cyber risk
    • hacking
    • computer viruses
      • 需要用户行为触发其运行
    • computer worms
      • 不需要用户触发，可自动运行
    • physical damages
• Controls
  • physical controls
    • unauthorised access
    • theft
  • administrative controls
    • Administrative controls are formalised standards, rules and procedures for the use of systems.
    • controls
      • checking data input against control totals
      • authorisation of transanctions before processing
      • authorisation of system changes
      • undertaking regular backups
      • passwords
      • encryption加密
      • anti-virus software
  • application controls
    • IT application or program controls are fully automated (i.e. performed automatically by the systems) and designed to ensure the complete and accurate processing of data, from input through to output.
    • controls
      • completeness checks
      • validity checks
      • identification
      • authorisation
      • forensic controls 检查控制