Constraints accounting

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Constraints accounting is an accounting technique, much like throughput accounting, which focuses on ongoing improvement and implementation of the theory of constraints. It includes an explicit consideration of the role of constraints, a specification of throughput contribution effects, and the decoupling of throughput from operational expenses. [1]

Contrasting constraints accounting to cost accounting, while cost accounting focuses on price per unit, constraints accounting focuses on price per unit-of-time. This measure is known as 'product octane.' Maximizing octane can greatly increase profitability. [2]

Constraints accounting may be confused with accounting constraints which are general limitations in the field of accounting.

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The theory of constraints (TOC) is a management paradigm that views any manageable system as being limited in achieving more of its goals by a very small number of constraints. There is always at least one constraint, and TOC uses a focusing process to identify the constraint and restructure the rest of the organization around it. TOC adopts the common idiom "a chain is no stronger than its weakest link". That means that organizations and processes are vulnerable because the weakest person or part can always damage or break them, or at least adversely affect the outcome.

This is a list of topics related to the theory of constraints.

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In the field of accounting, when reporting the financial statements of a company, accounting constraints are boundaries, limitations, or guidelines.

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In economics, the long-run is a theoretical concept in which all markets are in equilibrium, and all prices and quantities have fully adjusted and are in equilibrium. The long-run contrasts with the short-run, in which there are some constraints and markets are not fully in equilibrium. More specifically, in microeconomics there are no fixed factors of production in the long-run, and there is enough time for adjustment so that there are no constraints preventing changing the output level by changing the capital stock or by entering or leaving an industry. This contrasts with the short-run, where some factors are variable and others are fixed, constraining entry or exit from an industry. In macroeconomics, the long-run is the period when the general price level, contractual wage rates, and expectations adjust fully to the state of the economy, in contrast to the short-run when these variables may not fully adjust.

<i>Critical Chain</i> (novel) Book by Eliyahu Goldratt

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Utility ratemaking is the formal regulatory process in the United States by which public utilities set the prices they will charge consumers. Ratemaking, typically carried out through "rate cases" before a public utilities commission, serves as one of the primary instruments of government regulation of public utilities.

Theory of constraints (TOC) is an engineering management technique used to evaluate a manageable procedure, identifying the largest constraint (bottleneck) and strategizing to reduce task time and maximise profit. It assists in determining what to change, when to change it, and how to cause the change. The theory was established by Dr. Eliyahu Goldratt through his 1984 bestselling novel The Goal. Since this time, TOC has continued to develop and evolve and is a primary management tool in the engineering industry. When Applying TOC, powerful tools are used to determine the constraint and reduce its effect on the procedure, including:

References

  1. Caspari, John A.; Caspari, Pamela (2004-11-23). Management Dynamics: Merging Constraints Accounting to Drive Improvement. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN   978-0-471-68741-2.
  2. "Constraints Accounting | Theory of Constraints (TOC) consulting, Australia". Ensemble. Retrieved 2020-08-07.