Studiens syfte var att undersöka hur svenska storföretag ser på sitt arbete med budget som ekonomistyrningssystem. Tidigare forskning indikerar på att trots den omfattande kritik som finns mot budget så tenderar företag att inte instämma i den. Kritikerna hävdar, bland många saker, att budgeten skulle vara resurskrävande, inflexibel, inaktuell och ge upphov till manipulering. Alternativet, menar de mer radikala kritikerna, skulle vara att överge budget och arbeta fullständigt med alternativa lösningar. Empiriska studier visar att budget används av företagen men förbättras och omvärderas med tiden för att anpassas bättre till verksamheten. Tidigare forskning har visat att de alternativ som förespråkas i budgetlös styrning inte förutsätter att budgeten överges för att bli användbara. Tidigare studier om företags inställning till budgetering har gjorts i bland annat Nederländerna och Nordamerika. Det finns alltså ingen studie som mäter svenska företags inställning. Svenska företag utmärker sig dels genom kulturen men framförallt genom att annorlunda ledarskap. Komplexiteten i storföretag har för den här studien inneburit att urvalsgruppen att undersöka blev svenska storföretag. Urvalsgruppen undersöktes genom ett oberoende slumpmässigt urval. Det positivistiska synsättet har lett till ett kvantitativt tillvägagångssätt med enkät som verktyget för att nå populationen. Populationen svenska storföretag utgjordes 2013 av 1850 företag och vårt stickprov bestod av 250 företag. Genom att jämföra stickprovet i den här studien mot hela populationen kunde vi konstatera att omsättning och antal anställda inte avviker nämnvärt mellan grupperna. En bortfallsanalys utfördes mellan respondenterna som svarade innan och efter att en påminnelse skickats ut och resulterade i statistiskt säkerställda resultat där grupperna svarade homogent. Majoriteten av storföretagen arbetar med budgetering. Resultaten baserades på 41 respondenters svar och kan i en hög grad sägas vara statistiskt säkerställda. Det finns några påståenden där en alltför stor osäkerhet finns men slutsatsen blir utifrån de statistiskt säkerställda resultaten att budgeten är här för att stanna. Budgetens syfte är att skapa ekonomisk överblick och den förbättras och kompletteras med hjälp av de verktyg som budgetlös styrning förespråkar. Kritiken kunde i stor utsträckning förkastas. Vi tror att vidare forskning handlar om ett kvalitativt tillvägagångssätt för samma population eller ett byte av målgrupp men med liknande forskningsfråga för att se om mindre företag delar storföretagens åsikter om budget. / The purpose of this study was to examine large Swedish corporations approach on their budgets as management control systems. Recent research indicates that corporations tend to disagree with the widespread criticism against budgeting. Critics claims, among many other things, that the budget is costly, inflexible, outdated and give rise to manipulation. The more radical critics argue that the alternative would be to abandon the budget and work completely with alternative solutions. Resent research indicates that corporations are still working with budgeting but with an improved version that is re-evaluated over time to adapt better to the business. Another important aspect that previous research shows was that the preferred option in beyond budgeting does not require the budget to be totally abandoned to become useful. Previous studies on corporations attitude towards budget were made, inter alia, in the Netherlands and North America. Thus, there was no study that measured the Swedish corporate attitude towards budgeting. Swedish corporations distinguish themselves partly by culture but mostly by their leadership. The selection group in this study was based on the complexity of large corporations. We examine the population by an independent random sample with a positivistic view. That means a quantitative approach with survey as a tool to reach the population. In 2013 the population of large Swedish corporations consisted of 1850 corporations. By comparing the sample in this study to the entire population, we found that turnover and number of employees does not differ significantly between the groups. A non-response analysis was performed between respondents who answered before and after a reminder were sent out and resulted in statistically reliable results where groups responded homogeneously. The majority of large corporations are currently working with budgeting. This results includes answers from 41 respondents' and in a largely, it is to be said, statistically significant. There are some statements in which too much uncertainty exists but the conclusion was based on the statistically significant findings that the budget is here to stay. The budget aims to create economic overview and is improved and supplemented with the help of the tools beyond budgeting advocates. Largely the criticism could be rejected as false. We believe that further research examine budgeting through a qualitative approach to the same population or a change of the population but with similar research question to see if the smaller corporations share larger corporations' opinion about budgeting.

This study is based on a combination of existing theoretical knowledge and recently conducted empirical research. The analysis of knowledge that has come from the academic world has resulted in an extensive review of budgeting. The review starts at the inception of budgets in the nineteenth century, where it was just a tool to manage cost and cash flows. The study follows the trajectory of the evolution of budgeting from Traditional Budgeting practices that lasted for decades to, what is known today as, Better Budgeting. The evolution of budgeting has been driven by the desire of organisations to mitigate business challenges which result from the economic volatilities of the day as well as to remain competitive. This desire to mitigate business challenges remains relevant today and demands that organisations be equipped with best practice management tools, systems and business processes. In order to manage organisations effectively and efficiently, Management Accounting as a discipline is in a state of constant development. Over the years, a number of new innovations have been introduced in the field of Management Accounting. These include (but are not limited to) concepts such as Activity Based Costing (ABC), Activity Based Management (ABM), Activity Based Budgeting (ABB), Target Costing, Strategic Cost Management and Economic Value Added (Budgeting)(EVA™), Zero Based Budgeting (ZBB), Rolling Budgets and Forecasting (RBF), Balanced-Score Card (BSC) and Beyond Budgeting. These innovations aim to provide business managers with practical value adding solutions for a better understanding of the organisation’s product or service costing and planning strategies. The focus of this study is on innovations relating to the planning strategies of the organisation. Innovations that relate to planning include: Activity Based Budgeting, Zero Based Budgeting and Rolling Budgeting and Forecasting. The budget evolution is not short of academic value; researchers have conducted empirical surveys and have provided a theoretical perspective on the subject matter with fruitful findings. There appears to be a consensus regarding a total overhaul of Traditional Budgeting with the clear intention to move towards Better Budgeting. In the midst of this continued research work, there has been an emergence of a radical view about budgeting. This radical view concerns pursuing an agenda that suggests that organisations must stop preparing budgets. The gist of this radical development can be summed up as the limitations presented by budgeting in organisations. This recent concept has been coined as Beyond Budgeting. To remain globally competitive, South African organisations must keep abreast with the latest developments in management practices. This study therefore provides a good platform for South African organisations to obtain knowledge in what other countries are already doing around the subject of budgeting. The study has a two-pronged problem statement. Firstly, do organisations still budget? Secondly, what do organisations feel is the future for budgeting? Are they keeping with Traditional Budgeting, moving towards Better Budgeting or rather going further and looking Beyond Budgeting? The South African business community is no exception to this global budget debate about Traditional Budgeting, Better Budgeting and Beyond Budgeting. To gather evidence, the study made use of an online survey questionnaire that is attached as Appendix 2. An email invite containing an Internet hyperlink was sent to respondents. Respondents were expected to click on the hyperlink to gain access the pre-designed online survey questionnaire. Upon the analysis of the results, it was concluded that the South African business community still relies on budgeting, with 90% of the respondents saying that budgeting is indispensable, as their organisations will not manage without budgeting. Furthermore, there was a clear-cut move from Traditional Budgeting towards Better Budgeting. The study also concluded that the move towards Better Budgeting is supported by the inability of Traditional Budgeting to keep up with the rapid changes in macro and micro-economic factors. Also interesting to note is the revelation that 0% of the respondents indicated that they had adopted and implemented Beyond Budgeting. This resistance by the South African business community to the adoption of Beyond Budgeting and the resulting slower pace of this new practice's implementation is actually similar to the pace at which global organisations have received this radical budgeting practice. / Dissertation (MCom) University of Pretoria, 2012 / am2013 / Financial Management / unrestricted

Abstracts in English, Xhosa and Afrikaans / The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) is the mechanism that enables service delivery to alleviate poverty in South Africa through the payment of social grants as mandated by the Social Security Agency Act No. 9 of 2004. The rapid increase of social grant beneficiaries in the past decade, fuelled by social inequality, directly affects the administration cost associated with social grants. This study aimed to investigate the allocation of indirect costs related to the administrative elements that makes it possible for SASSA to pay social grants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted; the study concluded that ABC (activity-based costing) could be implemented as an alternative to the traditional costing (TC) method on a pilot project basis. The study also recommended a framework for SASSA to consider in laying the foundation to start the process of ABC implementation. Drawing from the research conducted, further studies on the implementation of ABC principles within the public sector could be pursued. / Ejensi ya Vuhlayiseki bya Vanhu ya Afrika Dzonga ku nga South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) i ndlela leyi endlaka leswaku mphakelo wa vukorhokeri wu koteka ku hunguta vusweti eAfrika Dzonga hikwalaho ka ku hakeriwa ka timalimpfuneto ta vanhu (social grants) tanihileswi swi pfumeleriweke hi Nawu wa Social Security Agency Act 9 wa 2004. Ku ndlandlamuka ka vavuyeriwa va malimpfuneto ya vanhu swi khumbha hi ku kongomisa tihakelo ta vulawuri leti fambelanaka na timalimpfuneto ta vanhu. Dyondzo leyi yi kongomisiwile eka ku lavisisa mphakelo wa tihakelo to ka ti nga kongomisi leti fambelanaka na swiyenge swa vulawuri leswi endlaka leswaku SASSA yi kota ku hakela timalimpfuneto ta vanhu. Ku endliwe ti-semi-structured interview. Dyondzo yi kumile leswo ti-activity-based costing (ABC) ti nga tirhisiwa hi ndlela yo cincana na maendlelo ya vupimahakelo bya ntolovelo eka projeke ya nkarhinyana. Dyondzo yi bumabumerile leswaku ku anakanyiwa rimba ro nyika mianakanyo yo sungula maendlelo yo tirhisa ABC. / Die “South African Social Security Agency” (SASSA) verlig armoede in Suid-Afrika deur ingevolge die “Social Security Agency Act” 9 van 2004 sosiale toelaes te betaal. Die aansienlike toename in die aantal begunstigdes het ʼn uitwerking op die administrasiekoste van sosiale toelaes. Hierdie studie ondersoek die toewysing van indirekte koste ten opsigte van die administratiewe elemente wat SASSA in staat stel om sosiale toelaes te betaal. Halfgestruktureerde onderhoude is gevoer. In hierdie studie word tot die gevolgtrekking gekom dat aktiwiteitsgebaseerde kosteberekening (ABK) as ʼn alternatief vir en as ʼn proefprojek die tradisionele kosteberamingsmetode geïmplementeer kan word. ʼn Raamwerk word aanbeveel wat as ʼn grondslag kan dien vir die implementering van ABK. / College of Accounting Sciences / M. Phil. (Accounting Sciences)