A U.S. Manager’s Guide to Differences Between IFRS and U.S. GAAP
Susan B. Hughes, Ph.D., CPA, and James F. Sander, Ph.D., CPA
Most management accountants will need to understand the differences between International Financial Reporting Standards and U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles in order to do business globally. The authors offer an in-depth explanation and guide.

Cost-System Redesign at a Medium-Sized Company: Getting the Right Numbers to Drive Improvements in Business Performance
David E. Stout, Ph.D., and Gregory P. Bedenis, CPIM
Here is the story of how activity-based costing (ABC) allowed a manufacturer to make business process changes that helped improve cash flow, product and channel profitability, and the company’s competitive position.

The Problem with Budgeting and How One Municipality Addressed It
Audrey Taylor, Ph.D., CPA, and Hans Steenpoorte
The authors explain a new budgeting format called Strategic Budgeting, which is capable of simultaneously controlling costs and delegating decision-making authority to those closest to the problems/issues of the organization. Then they show how one municipality in The Netherlands is incorporating it.

A Strategic Planning and Cost Management Model for Managed Care Companies
Dennis M. Kelemen; John B. MacArthur, Ph.D., FCCA; and Charles R. Menzel, CPA, PFS, CFE
Proper handling of the operating costs of managed care companies requires careful long-term planning and control using strategic cost management models at a product-by-product and customer-by-customer level. The authors describe how an activity-based strategic planning and cost management model can help.

Enhancing the ABC Cross
K.J. Euske and Alan Vercio
The ABC Cross, which has been around since the early days of activity-based costing, is supposed to capture both a cost and process view of an organization as simply as possible. The authors say this hasn’t been valuable for management accountants and offer several models that give them better information with which to do their jobs.