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Research Publications (Accounting and Informatics)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://ir-dev.dut.ac.za/handle/10321/212

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Author: search.filters.author.Garbharran, Hari Lall

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    MFCA : an environmental management accounting technique for optimal resource efficiency in production processes
    (World Academy of Science, Engineering and Technology, 2015) Tajelawi, Omolola Ayobamidele; Garbharran, Hari Lall
    Revenue leakages are one of the major challenges manufacturers face in production processes, as most of the input materials that should emanate as products from the lines are lost as waste. Rather than generating income from material input which is meant to end-up as products, losses are further incurred as costs in order to manage waste generated. In addition, due to the lack of a clear view of the flow of resources on the lines from input to output stage, acquiring information on the true cost of waste generated have become a challenge. This has therefore given birth to the conceptualization and implementation of waste minimization strategies by several manufacturing industries. This paper reviews the principles and applications of three environmental management accounting tools namely Activity-based Costing (ABC), Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) in the manufacturing industry and their effectiveness in curbing revenue leakages. The paper unveils the strengths and limitations of each of the tools; beaming a searchlight on the tool that could allow for optimal resource utilization, transparency in production process as well as improved cost efficiency. Findings from this review reveal that MFCA may offer superior advantages with regards to the provision of more detailed information (both in physical and monetary terms) on the flow of material inputs throughout the production process compared to the other environmental accounting tools. This paper therefore makes a case for the adoption of MFCA as a viable technique for the identification and reduction of waste in production processes, and also for effective decision making by production managers, financial advisors and other relevant stakeholders.
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    A comparative analysis on the effect to the research productivity: a manual system versus ICT use without training
    (SDIWC, 2015) Basak, Sujit Kumar; Govender, Desmond Wesley; Garbharran, Hari Lall
    This paper is based on a comparative analysis of a manual system versus ICT use without training and its effect on research productivity. The aim of this study was achieved by comparing models. This study was experimental based and the target population was taken from a university. Collected data was analyzed using the WarpPLS 4.0 software. The results of the study show that SPSS, Turnitin and NVivo for data analysis have high significance values on the research productivity than a manual system. On the other hand, AMOS, EndNote and NVivo for literature review have higher significance on the research productivity than ICT use without training.
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    The effectiveness of using material flow cost accounting (MFCA) to identify non-product output costs
    (Business Perspectives, 2015) Doorasamy, Mishelle; Garbharran, Hari Lall
    This 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.
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    Enhancing municipal e-procurement using inventory stock control: South African design approach
    (Business Perspectives, 2015) Nzuza, Zwelihle Wiseman; Garbharran, Hari Lall
    The control of stock is imperative to ensure efficiency and effectiveness of municipal e-procurement. The main purpose of this study is threefold: to identify critical factors influencing e-procurement; to assess strategies used by inventory stock control to improve successful e-procurement; and to explore significant relationships between inventory stock control and e-procurement, in the South African municipalities, with specific reference to the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province. This study uses the 5Ps theoretical framework (purpose, principles, processes, people and performance). This census study was descriptive, cross-sectional and quantitative in nature with 62 questionnaires administered by members of staff at procurement of the South African municipalities. Data are analyzed with the aid of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. The results indicate that stock inspection, control strategies, organizational support, staff skills and involvement, and sustainability of the 5Ps attributes are the main promotional tools for inventory stock control to improve e-procurement in the South African municipalities. Interestingly, the hypotheses of the study are accepted and the departments reveal a significant relationship with purpose (p=.008*), people (p=.021*), principles (p=.004*), and organizational support (p=.008*). The study recommends strategic advancements in the stock control to improve e-procurement, and it also recommends that other researches to test and validate a proposed model.
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    Cash management challenges of small businesses in a developing community
    (MCER Publishing, 2014-12) Mungal, Avika; Garbharran, Hari Lall
    Small businesses are vital for employment and job creation in South Africa. The implementation of sound cash management practices is essential to ensure the profitability and sustainability of any successful business. The purpose of this paper is to identify the cash management challenges faced by small businesses in a developing community. This research targeted small retail businesses in the Tongaat area in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The research design for this paper was descriptive, quantitative and cross-sectional. The data instrument was a questionnaire. These findings indicate a significant relationship between cash management knowledge and managing cash flow. The findings also indicate a correlation between profitability in the business and implementation of cash management practices as well as a correlation between the challenges of cash management practices and their ability to ensure profitability in their business. This paper recommends that businesses should implement cash management procedures to eliminate cash management difficulties.
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    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 Lall
    The 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.
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    The perceptions of small businesses in the implementation of cash management techniques
    (International Foundation for Research & Development (IFRD), 2014-01) Mungal, Avika; Garbharran, Hari Lall
    The purpose of this paper is to ascertain the perceptions of small business owners on the implementation of cash management techniques in their businesses. This paper also highlights the importance of managing cash inflow and outflow in the business and examines the impact on business profitability and sustainability. The study focused on small businesses in the Tongaat area, South Africa. This research was quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional in nature. The instrument used to extract the relevant data from respondents was a Likert type questionnaire. The findings of this research identified the perceptions of small business cash management techniques. A short course on cash management could be offered by the Durban University of Technology to small business owners and managers to enhance their basic cash management knowledge in the implementation of cash management techniques.