1、 1 外文翻译 原文 Sustainable Cost Reduction Material Source: Accounting and Management: A Field Study Perspective Author: Bruins. W Companies are justifiably anxious to reduce costs. But the problem with many cost-cutting measures is that they are put into practice without considering their sustainability
2、. Often, cost savings achieved in the short term eventually leak away. The failed cost reduction initiatives wind up damaging corporate infrastructure and culture, leaving companies struggling well after the recession ends. Faced with a protracted period of sluggish demand and tight credit, companie
3、s are now asking, “What has to fundamentally change so our cost reduction efforts work today as well as in the future?” Why do most cost reduction attempts fail?1. Lack of a strong foundation. Companies lacking financial discipline, stable cost management practices, and an in-depth understanding of
4、their cost baseline will have difficulty identifying and tracking cost reduction opportunities.2. Dipping into the same well. Companies tend to repeatedly focus on low-hanging fruit and SG&A back office activities. They often fail to address baseline operating costs and third-party spending where si
5、gnificant opportunities also exist. 3. Failure to address cost management and control. Companies regularly focus on reducing costs without addressing their spend culturewho can spend, how they spend, and how its tracked. 4. Inability to measure results. Cost reduction activities often get lost withi
6、n annual operating results. Without a strong monitoring process, its difficult to know whether cost reduction plans are achieving desired results. At a glance: Cost reduction strategies and practices Value killers: 1 Setting reactive and arbitrary cost reduction targets 2 Lack of transparency of cos
7、t drivers 3 Building financial plans on a “last year plus ”basis 4 Lack of financial discipline with accounts, such as managing the budget as a single pool of costs rather than as line items 2 5 Trying to save every possible cost from every possible part of the business, plus time wasted analyzing a
8、 perceived “best possible solution” 6 operating managers receiving weak cost information from financial analysts Value builders: 1 Strong direction and support from the C-suite for cost reduction initiatives, with clear scope and objectives 2 Having a strong foundation in place before introducing tr
9、ansformational initiatives 3 Ability to assess and challenge the companys spend culture 4 Bridging the silos :frequent interaction between finance and operating managers for better cost reduction decisions and tracking of results 5 Effective communication regarding cost reduction plans to lessen res
10、istance among staff and create more buy-in from managers Challenging times call for thoughtful measures. Companies have always been under pressure to look for efficiencies and reduce costs, but never more so since the US slid into recession at the end of 2007. The latest macroeconomic forecasts indi
11、cate a protracted period of weakness, which will challenge companies to dig even deeper. The US economy is expected to contract at a 3.5% rate in the first quarter and continue to contract through at least the first half of 2009, leaving real gross domestic product growth for the year at only 0.1%ev
12、en with a substantial stimulus plan. 1 In this challenging business environment, knee-jerk reactions can do more harm than good. Ad-hoc spending cuts can damage reputation and infrastructure and demoralize employees. For cost reduction measures to stick, companies must clarify the cost drivers of th
13、e business and use that knowledge to create a culture of cost consciousness, in both bad times and good. For example, at farm equipment company John Deere, bonuses are no longer tied to commodity boom-and-bust cycles. Managers are held accountable for not only profits but also the cost of assets the
14、y use, and their rewards are based on overall performance. 2 What has to fundamentally change so the results of cost reduction efforts endure this time around? Companies will need to simultaneously tackle cost reduction and cost management and control. The cost reduction component would focus on ide
15、ntifying and delivering savings opportunities. The cost management and control component would focus on stabilizing cost controls and improving the way costs are managed to allow for continuous improvement and sustainability. The essential elements of a cost reduction and cost management and control
16、 framework include 3 financial management and control, procurement and supply chain, business process execution, and performance management. Why do cost reduction plans unravel? Frequently, companies swing between the two extremes of cutting short-term costs and placing big bets on transformational
17、plans. Sudden measures driven by “We need to reduce costs now, and I dont care how” are reactive and unsustainable. Large-scale, ambitious plans executed during times of extreme stress are equally risky because they tend to implement a system the company may not need, may not be suited for, or canno
18、t handle. Here are three common cost reduction methods and the reasons they unravel: Top-down approach. Senior management focuses on transformational opportunities to reduce costs. The company is hoping that a single solution (organizational redesign, IT system change, shared services, off shoring,
19、etc.) will solve its long-term cost issues, without paying attention to the behaviors and decision making processes that drive costs in the first place. If the existing spend behaviors at the company havent changed, any new savings will not be sustainable. Slash-and-burn approach. Organizations cond
20、uct business as usual, but departments are directed to reduce spending by a set target. The target is often arbitrary and reactive to market conditions. This results in cost cutting without long-term action, management, or tracking plans. And because of the random nature of the cuts, theres likely t
21、o be a negative impact on morale and culture. Boil-the-ocean approach. All departments conduct extensive interviewing, process analysis, and benchmarking in order to improve efficiencies, leverage technology, and identify cost savings. This is an unwieldy process with an open-ended time frame and ty
22、pically results in a loss of momentum and focus. Departments become personally invested in their own budgets and rarely find waste. In the end, the process produces a list rather than creating sustainable cost reduction. These ineffective approaches teach us that before attempting any type of cost r
23、eduction activity, two important steps must be taken: The C-suite must supply clear direction. A foundation must be laid on which real, sustainable change can be built. A strong foundation is critical. Establishing a strong foundation is essential to sustainable cost savings. The management team mus
24、t understand its cost baseline and view cost as a result of the business decisions it makes on a daily basis. The journey to a strong foundation and sustainable cost savings involves the following: Reducing non-essential spending. Discretionary spend is typically the first area to get scrutinizedand
25、 rightly so, since its not essential to business operations. 4 Assessing and challenging this type of spend centrally will help reduce any resentment about cutting these expenses. Clarifying business cost drivers and improving accountability. Analyzing spend data to identify potential savings will w
26、ork only if the operating teams are properly using the financial accounts. Managing a cost center as one big pot makes it very difficult to understand what actually drives cost. Defining operating cost drivers through a bottom-up analysis and linking financial plans to operating plans will provide t
27、ransparency, improve accountability, and enable measurement of cost reduction activities. Taking control of third-party spend. Ensuring that sound agreements and decisions are being made with third parties can reduce spend and improve supply chain leverage. Tackling the companys cost culture and beh
28、aviors. Cost reduction gains can be sustained only in a culture that encourages individual responsibility for managing and controlling spend. Make it sustainable: embed cost management and controls Consider two companies: Company A identifies office expenses it wants to reduce, and tells managers to
29、 cut them by a set percentage. Company B targets the same group of expenses, but also digs into how spend decisions are made. In the process, Company Bs employees develop awareness of costs and how costs directly relate to business choices. As Company As overall results improve, its cost control foc
30、us takes a backseat and spend will return to previous levels. However, Company B is able to sustain its savings because employees now understand the impact of their spending habits. A culture of Sustainable cost reduction: where to start . Many organizations have established a culture of sustainable
31、 cost reduction. For example, it has been reported that at General Mills, all divisions have a three year savings goal and managers meet every week to discuss cuts. Ideas range from shrinking packaging and eliminating flavors to consolidating purchases of raw materials.3 A culture like this cannot b
32、e built overnight, but heres a good place to start. Set an environment for cost reduction. Confirm the cost reduction targets and process, agree on the in-scope cost base, and complete a preliminary reduction analysis. Agree on cost ownership. Agree up front on who is responsible for challenging whi
33、ch costs. Working from a reallocations cost basis will prevent any costs from falling through the cracks. Challenge the financial plan. Have operating managers clarify cost drivers, challenge operating cost assumptions, and reduce discretionary spend. Look for contract leakage. A forensic review of
34、suppliers may uncover recoverable claims, cost avoidance areas, and off-contract savings opportunities. 5 Gauge performance by measuring results. Do so by monitoring activities, capturing related spend results, and producing robust reports for senior management. At the same time, focus on these cost
35、 management and control activities: Rigorously control spending. Immediately establish a tighter span of control for spend approval to begin the spend culture transformation. Stabilize cost controls. Complete a gap analysis of critical cost management and controls to identify immediate actions requi
36、red to stop the bleeding and create a culture of cost awareness and ownership. Using cost management and control processes, successful companies often strategically position themselves during downturns to emerge stronger after the economy recovers. For example, Cisco expanded its presence in Asia du
37、ring the regions financial crisis as other Western companies fled, and Apple launched the iPod during the 2001 recession. 10Minutes topics: Finance and accounting(F&A) shared service .Until recently, companies expected F&A shared services centers to reduce F&A costs by 20% to 40% over three to five
38、years. Faced with the current crisis, however, executives cant wait.10minutes explores a number of downturn-capitalizing strategies for companies with centers either in place or under development. Realizing enterprise resource planning (ERP)value in a downturn .Across industries, at one level or ano
39、ther, enterprise applications(and whether theyre agile, efficient, and cost-effective)sit at the core of a companys ability to weather the current economic downturn-or capitalize on it.10minutes discusses how economic downturns can be the best times to undertake a wide range of ERP-related actions.
40、译文 关于可持续的成本降 低 资料来源 :会计和管理实地研究视角 作者：布伦斯 .瓦特 每个 公司 都在追求 成本 的最低化， 但 很多降低成本的措施都没有考虑到可持续性。 通常情况下， 这些急于降低成本的方法在短时间内都起到了一定作用，但是 最终 都以失败告终。这些失败的措施只有在企业的基础设施和文化受到破坏，或者公司挣扎在死亡线上的时候才会被意识到需要停止 。 6 当今社会处在一个长期需求不足和信贷紧缩的状况， 公司 不禁会思考这样一个问题：“有什么方法可以从根本上降低成本，便实现可持续性呢？”那么，为什么大多数 关于 降低成本 的方 法都不可行呢 ？ 原因主要如下：（ 1） 缺乏一个坚实
41、的基础 ： 一些 公司 因为 缺乏 系统化的财务管理、 稳定的成本管理方法 以及对成本基线的深入了解，而 难以识别和 追踪到 降低成本的 时机；（ 2） 重蹈覆辙：公司 总是重复处理一些 唾手可得 的问题 以及着眼 于后勤部门的 管理及办公室费用 ，却不去解决那些具有重要的成本运作和第三方支出；（ 3） 不 能 解决成本管理和控制 问题： 公司 没有对成本进行支出规划，比如谁去执行、怎么执行，以及如何跟踪；（ 4） 无法 评估 结果 ： 降低成本的成效不能在年度业绩报表中得以体现。没有一个强大的监管体系是很难评估一个降低成本的计 划是否达到预期的效果 。 充满挑战的时代要求企业拥有周到的成本控
42、制措施。 公司一直在压力下寻求提高效率和降低成本 的方法 ，但从来没有这么 大的压力 ，因为美国经济 在2007 年衰退之最低点 。最新的宏观经济预测显示 经济低迷还将持续很长一段时间 ，这将 促使公司对成本控制挖的更深 。 美国经济 在 第一季度 将以 3.5的速度继续收缩 ，便 至少 持续到 2009 年上半年， 全年国内生产总值 实际增长 只有0.1 。 即使有大量的经济刺激计划 ， 在这个充满挑战的商业环境中，单凭个人意志形成的成本控制，将会产生弊大于利。特意削减开支，可能会损害声誉、基础设 施，并使员工士气低落。 降低成本措施 需要可持续性。在这个经济衰退的阶段， 公司必须 分清 经
43、营 支出 和使用成本驱动 带来的影响进而 创造一个 先进的成本 控制 意识。 例如，在约翰迪尔农机设备公司，经理的责任不仅在于取得利润的多少，还要考虑他们使用资产的成本，因为其报酬是基于对整体的性能而言的。如何在这段时间里从根本上削减成本呢 ？公司将需要同时处理成本降低和成本管理 以及成本 控制 三环节 。降低成本 环节 将侧重于查明和提供 资金收支的情况 。成本管理与控制 环节 将侧重在成本控制和稳定费用的方式 上 设法 做到 改进和可持续性。降低成本的基本要素和成本 管理与控制 的 框架包括财务管理和控制，采购和供应供，业务流程执行 和绩效管理。 为什么传统的成本削减计划会瓦解？ 通常情况
44、下，企业 摇摆在 短期 成本削减策略 和 大手笔投入转型策略之间 。突发性措施 让我知道 “ 在不折手段的情况下，实现成本的降低” 是被动和不可持续的。大规模 、 雄心勃勃的 成本降低方式 在 公司经营 极度紧张的时候 执行 也 是 同样 存在 风险的，因为他们往往会 出现一些 公司可能并不需要 ，或者 不适合，或者不能处理的 措施 。这里有三个常见的降低成本 的 方法，他们 是 ： （ 1） 自上而下的方法。 高级管理人员 的 重点是 注重对成本控制的转型以 降低成本 为 该公司 建立一个全新的成本控制方案 （ 成本控制结构的重新设计， IT 功能的普及 ， 成本数据的共享 等）将解决 其
45、长期 的 成7 本问题， 并不是注重 决策过程 中的支出成本 ， 只需将全面 降低 公司 成本 作为第一 位 。 但是 如果该公司并没有改变现有的 成本控制观念 ，任何新的 措施 将是不可持续。 （ 2） 一刀切 的方法。 公司 像往常一样开展业务，但各部门的目标是针对 自己部门 减少开支。这将导致削减成本没有 联系性 ，管理，或跟踪计划。而由于削减 的 随机性质，有可能 使企业文化出现偏差，从而使各部门之间出现隔阂，只求降低自己部门的成本而不考虑给其他部门带来的影响 。 （ 3） 大范围检查的 做法。 各部门进行广泛的采访， 对生产 过程 进行 分析，以提高效率，利用先进 技术，并找出节省成
46、本 的地方 。这是一个笨拙的过程中， 主要是在亏损的情况下，以投入大量的时间去扭转亏损的结果。但是， 个人投资部门 在 自己的经营过程 中， 一般 很少 发生 浪费。最后， 在 降低成本的过程中产生 各种不同的效果，但是都难以达到希望的结果 ， 这些都 不是创造可持续 成本降低 的 方法 。 这些方法教给我们之前尝试任何类型的成本 降低的方法中 必须采取两个重要的步骤：必须提供明确的方向 、 必须制定一个 在企业生产经营基础上真正可行的，可持续的方案。 一个准确 的成本控制理念是关键。 建立一个良好的 成本控制理念在 可持续的成本节约 中是 至关重要的。 管理团队必须了解它 从而 使每天的 成
47、本控制在成本基准线下。准确的成本控制理念和 可持续的成本 降低 包括以下内容： （ 1） 减少非必要支出。 审核日常过程中的花销是 理所当然的，因为它不是必需的经营活动。集中评估 和审查 这种类型的消费将有助于减少这些费用 的不必要的开支 。（ 2）区分 经营 支出与成本降低的关系 。 分析数据，以确定 财务账目的准确性，并预算潜在的花销。混乱的数据管理将使管理者很难区分经营支出带来的收益和成本降低所带来的收益比较。（ 3） 定义 自下 向上 的 成本 控制措施。 通过自下而上 结合 财务计划 、 经营计划 使提供的成本数据更加透明 。 （ 4） 以第三方控制支出。 企业内部相互监督，举报不必
48、要支出，可以得到相应的奖励 。被举报人将受到相应的惩罚。 通过企业文化降低成本， 鼓励个人责任管理和控制花费 从而 提高 收益 。 一个可持续的成本削减 方案 ：从哪里开始 。 许多组织已经建立了可持续的成本降低 的企业文化 。 例如，据报道，通用磨坊，各部门 人员 有一个 硬性规定在 三年 中 每星期和管理人员会面，讨论削减 成本 。从思想这个 层面 缩小 和消减企业经营成本。当然， 巩固 企业成本控制 文化 不是在于 一朝一夕，但这 确 实是一个良好的开端。设置 系统的成本支出链， 确定 成本降低的 目标和流程。 设置成本支出限额，确定成本支出的责任人 。 分析 基础工作 的 预 算 成本 从而 阻止 成本支出的失控 。 由 经营管理人员 分析 成本动因， 制定 经营成本假设，并酌情减少花费。衡量 成本支出的性价比。通过 监测活动，捕捉相关的 开销 结果，并产生 关于成本支出与经营收益之间联系 的报告 。 同时，注重成本管理和控制活动：8 立即建立更严格的 成本支出 的批准，开始 企业 文化转型 ，使员工拥有成本控制意识 。 一个 成功的企业往往在自己的战略地位 出现 衰退 时 ，使用成本管理和控制过程， 使 经济强复苏。例如， 亚 洲金融危机扩大的情况下 ， 其他西方公司都选择了暂时性的躲避 ， 而 苹果公司 却应时推出了 IPOD，并获得了相当好的收益 。
