Abstract
Capital budgeting or investment appraisal is concerned with organizational management decisions about which projects or assets to invest in and how to finance them to achieve corporate goals. The background to this area of management accounting started by defining this as a routine part of the budgetary control system, hence the label ‘capital budgeting’ still used in many texts and organizations today. Investment appraisal techniques traditionally applied the principles of economics to asset replacement and expansion decisions, largely ignoring the wider context of strategy formulation and implementation; thus, non— financial factors and risk levels were not always fully appraised. Whilst this may have suited the relatively stable manufacturing environments of the post—war Anglo—American countries, it has become far less suitable in recent times and other international contexts.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Abdel-Kader, M. and Dugdale D. (1998) Investment in Advanced Manufacturing: A Study of Practice in large U.K. Companies, Management Accounting Research, 9, 261–284.
Abdel-Kader, M. and Dugdale D. (2001) Evaluating Investments in Advanced Manufacturing Technology: a fuzzy set theory approach, British Accounting Review, 33 (4), 455–489.
Accola, L. (1994) Assessing Risk and Uncertainty in New Technology Investments, Accounting Horizons, 8 (3), 19–35.
Adler, R. (2000) Strategic Investment Decision Appraisal Techniques: The Old and The New, Business Horizons, 43 (6), 15–22.
Alkaraan, F. and Northcott, D. (2006) Strategic Capital Investment Decision–Making: A Role for Emergent Analysis Tools? A Study of Practice in large UK Manufacturing Companies, British Accounting Review, 38 (2), 149–173.
Anderson, E. (1993) Can Stage–Gate Systems Deliver the Goods?, Financial Executive, 9 (6), pp. 34–5.
Anderson, W. and Lanen, W. (1999) Economic transition, strategy and the evolution of management accounting practices: The case of India, Accounting, Organizations and Society, 24 (5/6), 379–412.
Arnold, G, and Hatzopoulos, P. (2000) The Theory–Practice Gap in Capital Budgeting: Evidence from the United Kingdom, Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 27 (5and6), 603–626.
Arya, A., Fellingham, J. and Glover, C. (1998) Capital Budgeting: Some exceptions to the Net Present Rule, Issues in Accounting Education, 13 (3), 499–508.
Ashford, W., Dyson, G. and Hodges, S. (1988) The Capital–Investment Appraisal of New Technology: Problems, Misconceptions and Research Directions. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 39 (7), 637–642.
Berry, J. (1984) The Control of Capital Investment, Journal of Management Studies, 21 (1), 61–81.
Berry, J., Coad, F., Harris, E., Otley, D. and Stringer, C. (2009) Emerging Themes in Management Control: A review of recent literature, British Accounting Review, 41 (1), 2–20.
Bierman, H. (1993) Capital Budgeting in 1992: A Survey, Financial Management,22(3), 24.–32
Bower, L. (1986), Managing the Resource Allocation Process, Harvard Business School classics edition, Harvard Business School Press: Boston.
Butler, R., Davies, L., Pike, R. and Sharp, J. (1991) Strategic Investment Decision– Making: Complexities, Politics and Processes, Journal of Management Studies, 4 (28), 395–415.
Butler, R., Davies, L., Pike, R. and Sharp, J. (1993) Strategic Investment Decisions, Routledge: London.
Capon, N., Farley, J. and Hulbert, M. (1994) Strategic planning and financial performance: More evidence, Journal of Management Studies, 31 (1), 105–110.
Carr, C., Kohlemainen, K. and Mitchell, F. (2010) Strategic investment decision– making practices: A contextual approach, Management Accounting Research, 21 (3), 167–184.
Carr, C. and Tomkins, C. (1996). Strategic Investment Decisions: The Importance of SCM, A Comparative Analysis of 51 Case Studies in UK, US and German Companies, Management Accounting Research, 7 (2), 199–217.
Carr, C., Tomkins, C., and Bayliss, B. (1994), Strategic Investment Decisions: A Comparison of UK and German Practices in the Motor Components Industry, Avebury: Aldershot.
Carter, C. and Williams, B. (1958) Innovation in Investment, Oxford University Press: London
Charted Institute of Management Accounting (CIMA). (2005) Management Accounting Official Terminology. CIMA Publication: London
Chen, S. (1995) An Empirical Examination of Capital Budgeting Techniques: Impact of Investment Types and Firm Characteristics, Engineering Economist, 40 (2), 145–170.
Chenhall, R. H. and Langfield-Smith, K. (1998) Adoption and Benefits of Management Accounting Practices: an Australian study, Management Accounting Research, 9 (1), 1–19.
Cheung, J. (1993), Managerial Flexibility in Capital Investment Decisions: Insights From the Real–Options literature, Journal of Accounting Literature, 12, 29–66.
Christy, G. (1966) Capital Budgeting–Current Practices and their Efficiency, Bureau of Business and Economic Research, University of Oregon.
Collier, P. and Gregory, A. (1995) Investment Appraisal in Service Industries: A Field Study Analysis of the U.K. Hotels Sector, Management Accounting Research, 6 (1), 33–57.
Dayananda, D., Irons, R., Harrision, S., Herbohn, J. and Rowland, P. (2002) Capital Budgeting: Financial Appraisal of Investment Project, London: Cambridge University Press.
Deegan, C, and Unerman, J. (2006) Financial Accounting Theory, London: McGraw Hill.
Dempsey, M. (2003) A Multidisciplinary Perspective on The Evaluation of Corporate Investment Decision Making, Accounting, Accountability and Performance, 9 (1), 1–33.
Dimitratos, P., Petrou, A., Plakoyiannaki, E. and Johnson, J. (2011) Strategic Decision–Making Processes in Internationalization: Does national culture of the focal firm matter?, Journal of World Business, 46 (2), 194–204.
Drury, C., Braund, S., Osborne, P. and Tayles, M. (1993) A Survey of Management Accounting Practices in UK’s Manufacturing Companies, A.C.C.A., Research Report No. 32, London.
Dugdale, D. and Jones, R. (1995) FinancialJustification of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, in Ashton, D., Hopper, T. and Scapens, R. (ed.), Issues in Management Accounting, 2nd Edition, London: Prentice Hall, 191–213.
Eisenhardt, M. (1989) Making Fast Strategic Decisions in High–Velocity Environments, Academy of Management Journal, 32 (3), 543–576.
Emmanuel, C., Harris, E. and Komakech, S. (2010) Towards a BetterUnderstanding of Capital Investment Decisions, Journal of Accounting and Organizational Change, 6 (4), 477–504.
Friedman, M. (1970) The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Profits, New York Times Magazine.
Fruitticher, I., Stroud, N., Laster, J. and cYakhou, M. (2005) Budget Practice Case Studies, Managerial Auditing Journal, 20 (2), 171–178
Gitman, L. (2008) Principles of Managerial Finance, 12th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson International.
Gitman, L., and Forrester, Jr. (1977) Forecasting and Evaluation: Practices and Performance, Financial Management, 6 (3), 66–71.
Graham, R., and, Harvey, R. (2001) The Theory and Practice of Corporate Finance: Evidence from the Field, Journal of Financial Economics, 60(2–3), 187– 243.
Grundy, T. and Johnson, G. (1993) Managers’ Perspectives on Making Major Investment Decisions: The Problem of Linking Strategic and Financial Appraisal, British Journal of Management, 4 (4), 253–267.
Guilding, C., Lamminmaki, D. and Crury, C. (1998) Budgeting and standard costing practices in New Zealand and the United Kingdom, International Journal of Accounting, 33 (5), 569–588.
Haka, F., Gordon, L. and Pinches, E. (1985) Sophisticated Capital Budgeting Selection Techniques and Firm Performance, Accounting Review, 60 (4), 651–669.
Harris, E. (1999) Project Risk Assessment: A European Field Study, British Accounting Review, 31 (3), 347–371.
Haka, F., Gordon, L. and Pinches, E. (2009) Strategic Project Risk Appraisal and Management, Farnham: Gower.
Harris, E., Emmanuel, C. and Komakech, S. (2009) Managerial Judgement and Strategic Investment Decisions: A Cross–Sectional Survey, Oxford: Elsevier.
Harvey, M., Griffith, D., Kiessling, T. and Moeller, M. (2011) A multi–level model of global decision–making: Developing a composite global frame–of–reference, Journal of World Business, 46 (2), 177–184.
Hastie, K. (1974) One Businessman’s View of Capital Budgeting, Financial Management, 3, 36–44.
Hayes, R. and Abernathy, W. (1980) Managing Our Way to Economic Decline, Harvard Business Review, 58 (4), 67–77.
Hickson, D., Butler, J., Cray, D., Mallory, R. and Wilson C. (1986) Top Decisions: Strategic Decision–Making in Organizations, San Francisco, CA: Jossey–Bass.
Hirst, M. and Baxter, A. (1993) A Capital Budgeting Case Study: An Analysis of a Choice Process and Roles of Information, Behavioural Research in Accounting, 5, 187–210.
Ho, S. and Pike, R. (1991) Risk Analysis in Capital Budgeting Contexts: Simple or Sophisticated?, Accounting and Business Research, 21 (83), 227–238.
Hofstede, G. (2001) Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviours, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations, London: Sage.
Horngren, T., Foster, G., and Data, M. (2000) Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis, New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Hopwood, A. (2009) The economic crisis and accounting: Implications for the research community, Accounting, Organizations and Society, 34 (6–7), 797–802.
Howell, D. and Jägle, J. (1997) Laboratory Evidence on How Manages Intuitively Value Real Growth Options, Journal of Business Finance andand Accounting, 24 (7and–8), 915–935.
Jensen, C. and Meckling, H. (1976) Theory of The Firm: Managerial Behaviour, Agency Costs and Ownership Structure, Journal of Financial Economics, 3(3), 305–360.
Jones, C., Currie, L., and Dugdale, D. (1993) Accounting and Technology in Britain and Japan: Learning from Field Research, Management Accounting Research, 4 (2), 109–137.
Joshi, L. (1999) Budgetary practices in the banking sector in Bahrain: empirical research findings, Journal of Financial Management and Analysis, 10 (2), 44–51.
Kahneman, D. and Tversky, A. (1979) Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision Under Risk, Econometrica, 47 (2), 263–291.
Kaplan, R. (1986) Must CIM Be Justified By Faith Alone?, Harvard Business Review, 64 (2), 87–95.
Kester, W. (1984) Today’s Options for Tomorrow’s Growth, Harvard Business Review 62 (2), 153–160.
Kester, G., Rosita P., Erlinda S., Shalahuddin H., Mansor Md., Isa, Michael T., Kai–Chong, T., and Chi–Jeng, W. (1999) Capital Budgeting Practices in the Asia Pacific Region: Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore, Financial Practice and Education, 9 (1), 25–33.
Kim, S. (1982) An Empirical Study of The Relationship between Capital Budgeting Practices and Earnings Performance, Engineering Economist, Spring, 185–196.
King, P. (1975) Is the Emphasis of Capital Budgeting theory Misplaced?, Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 2 (1), 69–82.
Klammer, T. (1973) The Association of Capital Budgeting Techniques with Firm Performance, Accounting Review, 48 (2), 353–364.
Lazaridis, T. (2004), Capital Budgeting Practices: A Survey in The Businesses of Cyprus, Journal of Small Business Management, 42 (4), 427–433.
Lefley, F. (1994) Capital Investment Appraisal of Manufacturing Technology, International Journal of Production Research, 32 (12), 2751–2756.
Marsh, R., Barwise, P., Thomas, K., and Wensley, C. (1988) Managing Strategic Investment Decisions, in A. Pettigrew (ed.), Competitiveness and the Management Process, Oxford, Blackwell, 86–136.
Mensah, M, and Miranti, J. (1989), Capital Expenditure Analysis and Automated Manufacturing Systems: A Review and Synthesis, Journal of Accounting Literature, 8, 181–207.
Miller, P. (1991) Accounting Innovation Beyond The Enterprise: Problematizing Investment Decisions and Programming Economic Growth in The United Kingdom in The 1960s, Accounting, Organizations and Society, 16 (8), 733–762.
Miller P. and O’Leary T. (1994) Accounting, Economic Citizenship and The Spatial Reordering of Manufacture, Accounting, Organizations and Society, 19 (1), 15–43.
Miller P. and O’Leary T. (1997) Capital Budgeting and the Transition to Modern Manufacture, Journal of Accounting Research, 35 (2), 257–271.
Miller P. and O’Leary T. (2005) Managing Operational Flexibility in Investment Decisions, Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, 17 (2), 18–24.
Mintzberg, D., Raisinghani, D. and Théorêt, A. (1976) The Structure of Unstructured Decision Processes, Administrative Science Quarterly, 21 (2), 246–275.
Nielsen, B. and Nielsen, S. (2011) The role of top management team nationality diversity in international strategic decision–making: The choice of foreign entry mode, Journal of World Business, 46 (2), 185–193 (doi: 10.1016/j.jwb.2010.05.007
Nixon, B. (1995) Technology Investment and Management Accounting Practice, British Journal of Management, 6 (4), 271–288.
Northcott, D. (1991) Rationality and Decision Making in Capital Budgeting, British Accounting Review, 23 (3), 219–234.
Phelan, S. (1997) Exposing the Illusion of Confidence in Financial Analysis, Management Decision 35(2), 163–168.
Pike, R. (1982), Capital Budgeting in the 1980s, Institute of Certified Management Accountants: London.
Pike, R. (1996) A Longitudinal Survey on Capital Budgeting Practices, Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, 23 (1), 79–92.
Pike, R., Sharp, J. and Price, D. (1989) AMT Investment in the large UK Firm, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, 19 (2), 13–26.
Powell, C. (1992) Strategic planning as competitive advantage, Strategic Management Journal, 13 (2), 551–558.
Putterill, M., Maquire, W. and Sohal, A. (1996) Advanced Manufacturing Technology Investment: Criteria for Organizational Choice and Appraisal, Integrated Manufacturing Systems, 7 (5), 12–24.
Ronen, J. and Sorter, H. (1972) Relevant Accounting, Journal of Business, 45 (2), 104–109.
Ross, M. (1986) Capital Budgeting Practices of Twelve Large Manufacturers, Financial Management. 15 (4), 15–22.
Scarborough, P., Nanni, A., and M. Sakurai. (1991) Japanese Management Accounting Practices and the Effects of Assembly and Process Automation, Management Accounting Research, 2, 27–46.
Scholl, D., Sundem, L. and Geijsbeek, R. (1978) Survey and Analysis of Capital Budgeting Methods, Journal of Finance, 33 (1), 281–287.
Sharp, A. (1980) Capital Investment– An Optimal Control Perspective, Operational Research Society, 41 (1), 1053–1063.
Simon, A. (1947) Administrative Behaviour, New York: Macmillan.
Sinha, K. (1990) The contribution of formal planning to decisions, Strategic Planning Journal, 11 (6), 479–492.
Slagmulder, R. and Bruggeman, W. (1992) Justification of Strategic Investment in Flexible Manufacturing Technology, Integrated Manufacturing Systems, 13 (3), 4–14.
Slagmulder, R., Bruggeman, W. and Wassenhove, V. (1995) An Empirical Study of Capital Budgeting Practices for Strategic Investments in CIM Technologies, International Journal of Production Economics, 40 (2–3), 121–152.
Smit, H. and Trigeorgis, L. (2004) Strategic Investment: Real Options and Games, Princeton: NJ: Princeton University Press.
Smith, D. and Murray, K. (1997) Coping Mechanisms: The Use of Informal Techniques to deal with the Uncertainty of Investment Decisions, CIMA Research Foundation Management Report, Chartered Institute of Management Accountants: London.
Stanley, T. and Block, S. (1984) A Survey of Multinational Capital Budgeting, Financial Review, 19 (1), 36–54.
Stirling, A. (1994) Diversity and Ignorance in Electricity Supply Investment: Addressing the solution Rather Than the Problem, Energy Policy, 22 (3), 195–216.
Sullivan, G. and Reeve, M. (1988) XVENTURE: Expert systems to the rescue– They can help justify investments in new technology, Management Accounting, (October), 51–58.
Swain, R. and Haka, S. (2000) Effects of Information Load on Capital Budgeting Decisions, Behavioural Research in Accounting, 12, 171–199.
Van Cauwenbergh, A., Durinck, E., Martens, R., Laveren, E. and Bogaert, I. (1996) On The Role and Function of Formal Analysis in Strategic Investment Decision Processes, Management Accounting Research, 7 (2), 169–184.
Verbeeten, M. (2006) Do Organizations Adopt Sophisticated Capital Budgeting Practices to Deal with Uncertainty in the Investment Decision? A research note, Management Accounting Research, 17 (1), 106–120.
Watts, R. and Zimmerman, J. (1986), Positive Accounting Theory, London: Prentice Hall.
Wijewardena, H, Zoysa, D. (1999) A comparative analysis of management accounting practices in Australia and Japan: An empirical investigation, International Journal of Accounting, 34 (1), 49–68.
Williams, B. and Scott, W. (1965) Investment Proposals and Decisions, London: George Allen and Unwin.
Woiceshyn, J. 2009. Lessons from “Good Minds”: How CEOs Use Intuition, Analysis and Guiding Principles to Make Strategic Decisions. Long Range Planning, 42 (3): 298–319.
Zanibbi, L. and Pike, R. (1996) Behaviour Congruence in Capital Budgeting Judgements, Management Accounting Research, 7, 305–320.
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 2011 Elaine Pamela Harris and Moataz El-Massri
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Harris, E.P., El-Massri, M. (2011). Capital Investment Appraisal. In: Abdel-Kader, M.G. (eds) Review of Management Accounting Research. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230353275_14
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230353275_14
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-32197-1
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-35327-5
eBook Packages: Palgrave Economics & Finance CollectionEconomics and Finance (R0)