Research Publications (Accounting and Informatics)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/212
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Item The effectiveness of using material flow cost accounting (MFCA) to identify non-product output costs(Business Perspectives, 2015) Doorasamy, Mishelle; Garbharran, Hari LallThis paper analyzes the effectiveness of adopting the Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) approach to highlight non-product output costs and assist managers in their strategic decision making processes with regard to implementing cleaner production processes. This paper is based on a case study of a paper manufacturing company in KwaZulu-Natal which provides evidence that MFCA technique highlights the value of non-product output costs enabling managers to assess the financial and environmental benefits of adopting CP techniques and technologies. It had been concluded that the company should integrate MFCA with the current EMS system to ensure their future sustainability.Item Environmental management tools(Business Perspectives, 2015) Doorasamy, MishelleThe aim of this study was to assess effectiveness of environmental management tools currently being used by manufac-turing and their impact on the adoption of cleaner production techniques. The objectives of the study were to identify the benefits of adopting CP technologies as compared to end-of-pipe technology based on primary and secondary lite-rature as well as empirical findings; to identify CP options available to management and other stakeholders by demon-strating the potential environmental and economic benefits of cleaner production processes and technologies, and to make recommendations that will assist the company in its decision making process. A survey on paper and pulp manu-facturing companies was conducted to assess what environmental management tools that companies were using and the effectiveness of these tools in improving environmental performance. Findings of the research suggest environmental costs are significantly underestimated by management. Environmental costs reflected on financial statements were not a true reflection of actual environmental cost incurred by the company. Cost allocation to cost centres, were based on traditional cost accounting system not on an environmental management accounting system. Thus, many companies were still investing in end-of-technologies and not on CP technologies.Item Identifying environmental and economic benefits of cleaner production in a manufacturing company: a case study of a paper and pulp manufacturing company in KwaZulu-Natal(Business Perspectives, 2015) Doorasamy, MishelleThe purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how companies could improve their environmental performance by adopting cleaner production technologies (CPT) and techniques. The methodology used in this research was a case study. This study involved both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The study was based on the steam production process using coal-fired boilers in a paper manufacturing company in KwaZulu-Natal. The study found that the company would save on input resources and reduce the amount of waste generated by adopting CPT. Environmental management accounting (EMA) supports CP strategies by effectively providing information for the optimization of products and production systems.Item Assessing the use of environmental management accounting as a tool to calculate environmental costs and their impact on a company's environmental performance(IJMRBS, 2015-01) Doorasamy, Mishelle; Garbharran, Hari LallThe aim of this study was to investigate the use of Environmental Management Accounting (EMA) and identify environmental costs and their impact on environmental performance. Over the last two decades, EMA has emerged as an important approach by organizations wanting to improve their environmental and economic performance. However, despite the many pilot projects conducted that demonstrated the positive impact that EMA has on an organization, EMA implementation remains slow and lagging behind in South Africa. EMA is an environmental management tool that traces environmental costs directly to the processes and products that are responsible for those costs, thereby highlighting problem areas that need to prioritized when considering the adoption of cleaner production. Previous research identified that traditional costing systems did not adequately account for the actual environmental costs incurred by companies as much of these costs were hidden under overhead accounts. Hence, production costs were high, resulting in incorrect profit margins being set and ultimately impacting on company profitability. This paper is based on a case study of a paper manufacturing company in KwaZulu- Natal. The scope of this study was limited to the steam generation process and focused mainly on the efficiency of the current coal-fired boilers used in the boiler plant. The research methodology used in the study was both quantitative and qualitative involving triangulation. The results of the study show that EMA can improve environmental and economic performance of an organization by providing managers with more accurate values of their environmental costs.Item Benchmarking : a strategy to improve environmental performance by using material flow cost accounting emprical study based on a paper manufacturing company(AJBM, 2015) Doorasamy, MishelleA growing number of organisations have incorporated environmental strategies as part of their corporate business strategies, hoping to improve their competitiveness.To ensure their future sustainability and competitiveness, management needs to consider adopting Cleaner Production (CP) techniques and technologies which will address waste issues at its source and ensure more efficient use of resources. However, management is not keen on this strategy as they perceive CP as a costly strategy that requires innovation with no financial benefits to the company. The aim of this paper is to benchmark the company’s environmental costs by comparing material balance indicators against technological standards and best-available technology. The results are based on a case study which focused on the boiler technology used in the steam generation process. It had been found that benchmarking enabled managers to evaluate and analyse how they can improve both their environmental and economic performance in the future and attain their sustainability targets.