Research on workflow meta model supporting activity based costing

Activity based costing (ABC) is a method which can solve many limitations of the traditional cost systems in manufacturing management. In this paper, we investigate how to integrate ABC with workflow technology, and build a workflow meta model supporting ABC. Firstly, the concept and concept model of activity based costing (ABC) are introduced. Next, the meta model of P -PROCE (Process, Product, Resource, Organization, and Cost & Evaluation) is presented. Then the cost meta model is defined by adding ABC to P -PROCE model. Object constraint language (OCL) is used to express meta model and constraints. Finally, we show an enterprise modeling and simulation tool based on the workflow meta model. We can systematically construct an enterprise model and easily and efficiently conduct simulation. Moreover it enables us to analyze and evaluate business processes and its costs.

Activity Based Costing Adoption Among Manufacturing Companies in Nigeria

The study examines the extent of adoption of Activity Based Costing （ABC） among naanufacturing companies in Nigeria. The primary data were sourced through questionnaires administered to the Management Accountants of 40 selected manufacturing companies in South Western part of Nigeria. Descriptive statistics was employed to analyze the data. The study reveals that inability of the traditional cost systems to provide relevant cost was the most highly ranked reason in their decision to adopt ABC. Traditional methods of allocating overhead were therefore believed to be deficient in terms of improving global competitiveness. Also, 60% of the respondents have adopted ABC due to increased ranges of products, competition and increased overhead. Familiarity with and adoption of ABC was found to be across the manufacturing, more than half of the sample are familiar with it. The 40% of respondents who have not adopted ABC cited the cost and complexity involved with implementation as the main reason in non-adoption. However, cost of implementing ABC was enormous which hinder the small scale manufacturing from adopting it. This result may reflect the fact that larger firms are more likely to have the diverse mix of products or services that makes the use of ABC advantages. Consequently, the study recommends that the companies who have not adopted ABC because of its high cost of implementation should endeavor to consider its adoption because in the long run the benefits derive from it will outweigh its cost. It helps to identify inefficient products, departments and activities and helps to allocate more resources on profitable products. In conclusion, the senior management should also give their utmost support to the implementation and success of ABC.

Optimal pricing decision model based on activity-based costing

In order to find out the applicability of the optimal pricing decision model based on conventional cost behavior model after activity based costing has given strong shock to the conventional cost behavior model and its assumptions, detailed analyses have been made using the activity based cost behavior and cost volume profit analysis model, and it is concluded from these analyses that the theory behind the construction of optimal pricing decision model is still tenable under activity based costing, but the conventional optimal pricing decision model must be modified as appropriate to the activity based costing based cost behavior model and cost volume profit analysis model, and an optimal pricing decision model is really a product pricing decision model constructed by following the economic principle of maximizing profit.

A New Activity-Based Cost (ABC) Mathematical Model

Along with the product price competition growing intensely, it is apparently important for reasonably distributing and counting cost. But, in sharing indirect cost, traditional cost accounting unveils the limitations increasingly, especially in authenticity of cost information. And the accounting theory circles and industry circles begin seeking one kind of new accurate cost calculation method, and the activity based cost (ABC) method emerges as the times require. In this paper, we will build its mathematical model by the basic principle of ABC, and will improve its mathematical model further. We will establish its comparison mathematical model and make the ABC method go a step further to its practical application.

Application of Activity Based Costing in Customer Evaluation and Management

As plant develops, many industries＇ automatic level is very high leading to the increasing of indirect cost. Traditional costing methods, which use single standard of distributing indirect cost, cannot calculate cus- tomer cost accurately and satisfy managers any more. This paper is aimed on solving the aforesaid problem. In this paper we propose the thought of evaluating customer cost by using activity based costing（ABC） and the tra- ditional model of customer lifetime value（CLV） to improve the CLV model, then analyze the difference of using both models through an empirical study. As a result, ABC can account customer cost more accurately so that the CLV can help managers evaluate customer more effectively.

A Study on Cost Control of Agricultural Water Conservancy Projects Based on Activity-based Costing

Based on the theory of activity-based costing and the idea of value chain,activity optimization and cost control are carried out on the whole construction process of agricultural water conservancy projects. Through the use of literature review,case analysis and statistical analysis and other methods,with agricultural water conservancy projects as the research object,and comparing activity-based costing with the traditional model of cost accounting,the writer carries out the corresponding value chain analysis,and comes to the following conclusion: the statistical calculation and analysis of the entire construction process based on activity-based costing can accurately and effectively control the costs of water conservancy projects. Through the use of activity-based costing,the cost data of agricultural water conservancy projects is more detailed and accurate,and cost management personnel can also find non-value-added activities,optimize the enterprise's value chain and achieve cost control objectives through the analysis of the activity chain and value chain of agricultural water conservancy projects.

作业成本法在轨道交通建设项目中的应用

轨道交通建设项目具有施工复杂、资源耗用大等特点,传统成本法下资源耗因与间接费划定不明确。为了帮助轨道交通建设项目拓宽成本核算方式,实施项目作业精细化管理,对某市一轨道交通施工项目区间的实际情况进行实例分析,通过作业成本法对隧道工程项目进行成本核算,划分作业动因,跟进轨道交通建设项目资源消耗,以提高隧道施工项目成本核算的有效性,旨在为相关的轨道交通施工项目作业成本法的应用提供参考。

Heuristic algorithm for RCPSP with the objective of minimizing activities' cost

Resource-constrained project scheduling problem（RCPSP） is an important problem in research on project management. But there has been little attention paid to the objective of minimizing activities＇ cost with the resource constraints that is a critical sub-problem in partner selection of construction supply chain management because the capacities of the renewable resources supplied by the partners will effect on the project scheduling. Its mathematic model is presented firstly, and analysis on the characteristic of the problem shows that the objective function is non-regular and the problem is NP-complete following which the basic idea for solution is clarified. Based on a definition of preposing activity cost matrix, a heuristic algorithm is brought forward. Analyses on the complexity of the heuristics and the result of numerical studies show that the heuristic algorithm is feasible and relatively effective.

Guaranteed Cost Active Fault-tolerant Control of Networked Control System with Packet Dropout and Transmission Delay

The problem of guaranteed cost active fault-tolerant controller （AFTC） design for networked control systems （NCSs） with both packet dropout and transmission delay is studied in this paper. Considering the packet dropout and transmission delay, a piecewise constant controller is adopted. With a guaranteed cost function, optimal controllers whose number is equal to the number of actuators are designed, and the design process is formulated as a convex optimal problem that can be solved by existing software. The control strategy is proposed as follows： when actuator failures appear, the fault detection and isolation unit sends out the information to the controller choosing strategy, and then the optimal stabilizing controller with the smallest guaranteed cost value is chosen. Two illustrative examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. By comparing with the existing methods, it can be seen that our method has a better performance.

Economic Viability of Smallholder Agroforestry and Beekeeping Projects in Uluguru Mountains, Tanzania: A Cost Benefit Analysis

Agroforestry and beekeeping are widely promoted as prospective Nature- Based Income Generating Activities (NIGAs) to improve livelihoods while at the same time enhancing biodiversity conservation in degrading agro-ecologies. These activities can diversify and increase famers’ incomes and support instinctive biota and fauna resilience. However, evidence to showcase and compare their long-term benefits is scant. We use the case of Uluguru Mountains in Tanzania to evaluate and compare viability of agroforestry and beekeeping projects using the Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) approach. The results of analysis yielded positive NPVs for both agroforestry and beekeeping projects at discount rates not higher than 8.2% and 8.5% respectively. Overall, the comparison of economic viability between agroforestry and beekeeping projects revealed that the former was relatively more profitable than the later in terms of both the NPV and Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) criteria. However, the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) for beekeeping was slightly higher than that of agroforestry. Yet, we underscore the fact that these two projects can jointly be implemented to enhance livelihoods of farmers and support biodiversity conservation in the study area and other parts with similar agro-ecologies in developing countries. However, farmers in these agro-ecologies need to be supported by governments and non-government development partners in terms of training and inspiration to shift from orthodox farming to sustainable NIGAs.

The Study of the Application of the Gray Relevancy Analysis to the Value Chain Based Cost Control

Cost problem is always a bottleneck which ties to the development and the competition ability in the enterprise of our country, especially in state-owned enterprise. Practice proves that traditional cost control can not satisfy the needs of enterprises. Enterprises are seeking better cost control approach with great efforts in order to calculate and control cost more accurately, and require cost control system has more strong functions. This paper analyzes value chain based cost control approach, and applies the gray relevancy analysis to the approach rightly.

Unpowered Knee Exoskeleton Reduces Quadriceps Activity during Cycling

Cycling is an eco-friendly method of transport and recreation. With the intent of reducing the energy cost of cycling without providing an additional energy source, we have proposed the use of a torsion spring for knee-extension support. We developed an exoskeleton prototype using a crossing four-bar mechanism as a knee joint with an embedded torsion spring. This study evaluates the passive knee exoskeleton using constant-power cycling tests performed by eight healthy male participants. We recorded the surface electromyography over the rectus femoris muscles of both legs, while the participants cycled at 200 and 225 W on a trainer with the developed wheel-accelerating system. We then analyzed these data in time-frequency via a continuous wavelet transform. At the same cycling speed and leg cadence, the median power spectral frequency of the electromyography increases with cycling load. At the same cycling load, the median power spectral frequency decreases when cycling with the exoskeleton. Quadriceps activity can be relieved despite the exoskeleton consuming no electrical energy and not delivering net-positive mechanical work. This fundamental can be applied to the further development of wearable devices for cycling assistance.

Measuring the effect of opportunity cost of time on participation in sports and exercise

Background: There is limited research on the association between opportunity cost of time and sports and exercise due to lack of data on opportunity cost of time. Using a sample of 14142 adults from Health Survey for England (2006), we develop and test a composite index of opportunity cost of time (to address the current issues with data constraint on opportunity cost of time) in order to explore the relationship between opportunity cost of time and sports participation. Methods: Probit regression models are fitted adjusting for a range of covariates. Opportunity cost of time is measured with two proxy measures: a) composite index (consisting of various indicators of wage earnings) constructed using principal component analysis;and b) education and employment, approach in the literature. We estimate the relative impact of the composite index compared with current proxy measures, on prediction of sports participation. Findings: Findings suggest that higher opportunity cost of time is associated with increased likelihood of sports participation, regardless of the time intensity of activity or the measure of opportunity cost of time used. The relative impacts of the two proxy measures are comparable. Sports and exercise was found to be positively correlated with income. Another important positive correlate of sports and exercise is participation in voluntary activity. The research and policy implications of our findings are discussed.

An Integrated Socio-Economic and Ecological Framework for Evaluating the Societal Costs and Benefits of Fishing Activities in the Pearl River Delta

This paper puts forward a model of Pearl River Delta (PRD) fishery in the South China Sea (SCS) that integrates the ecological, social and economic costs and benefits of fisheries activities in a multidisciplinary framework. In particular, an integrated ECOST model is composed of links between an ecological model constructed by Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) software and a region Social Accounting Matrix (SAM). Then the costs and benefits of five fishing methods are compared from economic, ecological and social three dimensions base on the ECOST model. The potential effects of fishing effort reduction on fishing communication are explored by a series of dynamic simulations for a 10-year period. Key results from prediction (2005-2015) and policy simulations illustrate that fisheries of PRE are geared toward short-term economic profits at the expense of ecological gains and the whole group of societal benefits associated with fishing. However, the status quo can be improved to better levels by reducing fishing efforts.

Ensuring water security by utilizing roof-harvested rainwater and lake water treated with a low-cost integrated adsorption-filtration system

Drinking water is supplied through a centralized water supply system and may not be accessed by communities in rural areas of Malaysia.This study investigated the performance of a low-cost, self-prepared combined activated carbon and sand filtration(CACSF) system for roofharvested rainwater and lake water for potable use. Activated carbon was self-prepared using locally sourced coconut shell and was activated using commonly available salt rather than a high-tech procedure that requires a chemical reagent. The filtration chamber was comprised of local,readily available sand. The experiments were conducted with varying antecedent dry intervals(ADIs) of up to 15 d and lake water with varying initial chemical oxygen demand(COD) concentration. The CACSF system managed to produce effluents complying with the drinking water standards for the parameters p H, dissolved oxygen(DO), biochemical oxygen demand(BOD5), COD, total suspended solids(TSS), and ammonia nitrogen(NH_3-N). The CACSF system successfully decreased the population of Escherichia coli(E. coli) in the influents to less than 30 CFU/m L. Samples with a higher population of E. coli(that is, greater than 30 CFU/m L) did not show 100% removal. The system also showed high potential as an alternative for treated drinking water for roof-harvested rainwater and class II lake water.

Online algorithms for scheduling with machine activation cost on two uniform machines

In this paper we investigate a variant of the scheduling problem on two uniform machines with speeds 1 and s. For this problem, we are given two potential uniform machines to process a sequence of independent jobs. Machines need to be activated before starting to process, and each machine activated incurs a fixed machine activation cost. No machines are initially activated, and when a job is revealed, the algorithm has the option to activate new machines. The objective is to minimize the sum of the makespan and the machine activation cost. We design optimal online algorithms with competitive ratio of (2s+1)/(s+1) for every s≥1.

Mathematical methods for main tenance and operation cost prediction based on transfer learning in State Grid

The electric power enterprise is an important basic energy industry for national development,and it is also the first basic industry of the national economy.With the continuous expansion of State Grid,the progressively complex operating conditions,and the increasing scope and frequency of data collection,how to make reasonable use of electrical big data,improve utilization,and provide a theoretical basis for the reliability of State Grid operation,has become a new research hot spot.Since electrical data has the characteristics of large volume,multiple types,low-value density,and fast processing speed,it is a challenge to mine and analyze it deeply,extract valuable information efficiently,and serve for the actual problem.According to the features of these data,this paper uses artificial intelligence methods such as time series and support vector regression to establish a data mining network model for standard cost prediction through transfer learning.The experimental results show that the model in this paper obtains better prediction results on a small sample data set,which verifies the feasibility of the deep transfer model.Compared with activity-based costing and the traditional prediction method,the average absolute error of the proposed method is reduced by 10%,which is effective and superior.

Research on selection methods of cost driver

In the implementation of activity-based costing, cost driver is the true reason to determine the occurrence of costs and the consumption of resources, and correctly selecting the cost driver is the key to calculating the cost of the product accurately. Beginning with the meaning of cost driver and its characteristics, this article analyses its classification, and then, focuses on its selection method.

SINGLE MACHINE SCHEDULING WITH CONTROLLABLE PROCESSING TIMES AND COMPRESSION COSTS （PART I：EQUAL TIMES AND COSTS）

Abstract Most papers in scheduling research have treated individual job processing times as fixed parameters. However, in many practical situations, a manager may control processing time by reallocating resources. In this paper, authors consider a machine scheduling problem with controllable processing times. In the first part of this paper, a special case where the processing times and compression costs are uniform among jobs is discussed. Theoretical results are derived that aid in developing an O(n 2) algorithm to slove the problem optimally. In the second part of this paper, authors generalize the discussion to general case. An effective heuristic to the general problem will be presented.