Article Abstract:
The UK Parliament is considering a Companies Bill which includes a clause allowing listed companies to issue an abbreviated annual report instead of a full report. Two arguments in favor of such a change are that most shareholders are not interested in all the information in annual reports, and that it is expensive to send the full reports. Under the new system, shareholders would receive the shortened report several weeks before the full report is published, so that those interested in receiving the full report can request it using a reply card. Whether or not there would be cost savings for companies is debatable, and the plan would certainly involve extra tracking duties for company secretaries.
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Article Abstract:
Activity-based costing (ABC) corrects for the distortions inherent in conventional cost systems in the accounting of diverse product lines. ABC systems are different from conventional accounting costing systems in that costs are traced to drivers at the levels of unit, batch, and product. ABC traces the activities that make up a product's production process by tracing the consumption of the activities. The allocation bases are the cost drivers of the product. ABC is superior to conventional accounting cost systems in determining the costs of products whose manufacturing processes are characterized by diversity in batch-size, physical-size, complexity, and material.
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Article Abstract:
The British Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, Lord Young, has some suggestions for accountants regarding the single market in 1992. The British government is offering several information sources for businesses including the Spearhead database which includes details of 500 measures and the Department of Trade and Industry's booklet, 'action checklist for business'. The Eighth Company Law Directive will impose standards for auditor qualification. Another important development is the Directive on a General System for the Recognition of Higher Education Diplomas.
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