A longitudinal case study of target cost management implementation at a shipbuilding company
Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change
ISSN: 1832-5912
Article publication date: 28 October 2013
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine the implementation of target cost management (TCM) at a Japanese shipbuilding company.
Design/methodology/approach
Using Rogers' Diffusion of Innovation as a framework, the paper presents a longitudinal in-depth case study of TCM implementation project to show the issues involved in implementing TCM.
Findings
The paper finds that the diffusion of TCM is a consequence of a deliberate managerial activity – which in this case is the control over the TCM implementation. The TCM implementation project in our case ended in failure. The paper shows that the lack of appropriate controls over the TCM implementation project was the main reason for its failure.
Originality/value
The paper shows how TCM implementation is a part of the process of TCM diffusion within an organisation. In the previous studies of TCM, researchers have noted how well-managed TCM implementation projects were; thus, suggesting how TCM implementation should take place. The paper focuses on the control over the TCM implementation, simply because TCM does not naturally diffuse throughout an organisation.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge the helpful comments from Chris Akroyd (Guest Editor) and two anonymous reviewers. The authors also thank the staff at the case site. The authors greatly appreciate funding from Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B) 23330150, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).
Citation
Yasukata, K., Yoshida, E., Yamada, I. and Oura, K. (2013), "A longitudinal case study of target cost management implementation at a shipbuilding company", Journal of Accounting & Organizational Change, Vol. 9 No. 4, pp. 448-470. https://doi.org/10.1108/JAOC-09-2010-0044
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited