Increasing business competition is compelling managers not only to develop realistic and achievable strategies but also to analyze goals in financial terms and to evaluate performance. But where do you, as a manager, learn about the key methods and techniques of strategic cost analysis? This text explains in simple language the methods and techniques of cost analysis that can be applied strategically at any level in an organization—be it manufacturing, service, or the nonprofit sector. Since the interaction of the organization’s activities, the influences of the external world, and your responsibilities as a manager need to be captured in financial terms to help plan, control, and make decisions, this book is what you’ll require in today’s world.

Increasing business competition is compelling managers not only to develop realistic and achievable strategies but also to analyze goals in financial terms and to evaluate performance. Whether in manufacturing, service, or the non-profit sector managers need to know the key methods and techniques of cost analysis. The interaction of the organisation's activities, the influences of the external world and the responsibilities of managers need to be captured in financial terms to plan, control and make decisions. Sales managers, production managers, HR managers, amongst others, are recipients of financial information which they are expected to understand. They need to appreciate the impact of their decisions on costs, selling prices, investment decisions and profit. They must be able to analyse, communicate and act on financial information to be a valuable member of the management team. This text explains in simple language the methods and techniques of cost analysis that can be applied strategically at any level in an organization. The busy manager will find that the cost information provided will help them plan and control the activities for which they are responsible and also make strategic decisions in the most effective way. Whether you are in a manufacturing or service organisation, the book will help you to answer the four questions: What did it cost? What should it have cost? How can we improve? What is our next strategic move? No prior knowledge of accounting or statistics is required. The book defines all key terms and emphasizes the essential knowledge of analyzing cost in a strategic context.

The Second Edition of the book encompasses two new chapters—Strategic Cost Management and Business Ethics—A Strategic Financial Management Instrument. The book, being an augmented version of the previous edition, equips the young managers with the fundamentals and basics of strategic management and financial management in a cogent manner. The text now provides a better orientation to the students on the topics like corporate restructuring, divestitures, acquisitions, and mergers in the global context with the help of examples and caselets. The book has been revised keeping in view the requirements of postgraduate students of management and the students pursuing professional courses such as CA, MFC and CS. In addition, professionals working in the corporate sector may also find the book beneficial to integrate the financial management functions into business strategy and financial operations. Distinctive features • Model question papers have been appended at the end of the book. • Better justification of topics by merging the contents wherever required. • Theory supported with caselets inspired from global as well as Indian context.

This book is intended for practitioners, students, and researchers who are interested in designing, using, assessing, and researching performance management systems. Managerial personnel involved in such activity will hold many beliefs about how their organization functions. This text uses the philosophy of pragmatic constructivism to show how managerial beliefs that underlie action can be made explicit and so facilitate their assessment and improvement. This involves recognizing and integrating the four dimensions (facts, possibilities, values, and communication) that represent how managers relate to the reality in which they operate. When managerial beliefs are based on an accurate representation of reality, they are more likely to be successful. Problems occur where reality is misrepresented in managerial beliefs. This is especially so in performance management, as the book illustrates using real-world examples. Specific topics addressed include planning and decision making, performance management of investment center managers, strategic performance management, and operational performance management.

To remain viable, let alone competitive, organizations must manage risks. In this book, we explore the concept of operational risk as well as the mechanisms used to diminish the impact and occurrence of risks: the organizational control system. Since the scope and scale of operational risks are unique to each organization, our objective is to explain the theory behind why and how managers respond to the unique combination of threats that challenge their organization. We emphasize employee management and the complexities surrounding the design of management controls, incentive systems in particular, because risks related to employee actions are faced by virtually every organization. Overall, we provide empirically grounded insights into the process of diagnosing operational risks as well as designing, implementing and maintaining a control system that properly manages those risks.

The leading text that covers both the theory and practice of evaluation in one engaging volume has now been revised and updated with additional evaluation approaches (such as mixed methods and principles-focused evaluation) and new methods (such as technologically based strategies). The book features examples of small- and large-scale evaluations from a range of fields, many with reflective commentary from the evaluators; helpful checklists; and carefully crafted learning activities. Major theoretical paradigms in evaluation--and the ways they inform methodological choices--are explained. Readers learn effective strategies for clarifying their own theoretical assumptions; working with stakeholders; developing questions; using quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods designs; selecting data collection and sampling strategies; analyzing data; and communicating and utilizing findings. The new companion website provides extensive recommended online resources and tools, organized by chapter. New to This Edition *Additional evaluation approaches: collaborative evaluation, principles-focused evaluation, and desk reviews. *Coverage of new data collection technologies and methods of qualitative coding. *Expanded discussions of logic models, cost–benefit analysis, and mixed methods designs. *Many new and updated sample studies. Pedagogical Features *Reflection questions that prepare students to read each chapter. *"Extending Your Thinking" questions and practical activities. *Boxes delving into key concepts and example studies. *End-of-book Glossary, and highlighted key terms throughout. *Companion website with links to helpful resources on all aspects of evaluation.