SPM Chapter 7
SPM Chapter 7
SPM Chapter 7
GROUP 3
1. Financial accountability centers, which define the equitable distribution of financial results that
can be accounted for in an organization.
2. Planning and budgeting system, which includes setting performance targets to evaluate
performance.
3. An incentive contract, which defines the relationship between the outcome and the organization's
reward and punishment.
The center of financial accountability is where the responsibilities of each individual are defined at least
in part in financial terms. Four types of liability centers can be distinguished:
1. Investment center. It is the center of responsibility where managers hold the responsibility for
accounting returns (return) on investments. Accounting returns can be specified in a variety of
ways, usually including the ratio of the profit generated to the dollar investment used (ROI, ROE,
ROCE, RONA, ROTC, RAROC, and so on).
2. Profit center It is the center of responsibility where the manager holds responsibility for profits,
measured by the difference between the income generated and the costs incurred to produce that
income.
3. Income center It is a central responsibility where the manager holds the responsibility for
generating income which is a measure of financial output. Common examples are sales managers
and, for non-profit organizations, fundraising managers. Revenue, compared to profit, provides a
simple and effective way to encourage sales and marketing managers to attract and retain
customers.
4. In standard cost centers such as the manufacturing department, output is relatively easy to
measure, and the relationship between input and output is direct and relatively stable. In
discretionary cost centers, such as research and development departments and administrative
departments (eg personnel, purchasing, accounting, and facilities), the resulting output is difficult
to value in monetary terms.
5. Other Variations. The four centers of responsibility are very different (gross profit center,
incomplete profit center, profit center before tax, complete profit center), each a profit center,
although different in extent of responsibility.