Dubravka Pekanov Starčević

Investigation of the relationship between contemporary cost management methods and improvement in financial performance

This article gives an overview of contemporary cost management (CCM) methods (target costing [TC], activity-based costing [ABC] method, total quality management [TQM]), and presents the benefits of introducing them to business practices. Previous studies have considered the possibility of cost reduction and optimisation by introducing CCM methods thus improving company performance. This explorative empirical study is a first step in investigating the relationship between CCM methods and financial performance. The aim of the research is to clarify the conceptual and methodological ambiguities surrounding the justification of using adopted measurement scales. This study is based on the outcomes of a questionnaire completed by a representative sample of 48 Croatian limited companies. The findings highlight the influence of CCM methods on the financial performance of the companies surveyed. They also provide the basis for recommendations to management accountants and raise more questions for research. Based on psychometric characteristics of measurement constructs, the questionnaire applied in this study can serve as a starting point for instrument development in future research.

In Search of the New EU Energy Reforms: Assessing the Financial Performance of the EU Energy Companies

To unveil the challenges the European energy industry faces, this paper looks at the financial performance of energy companies that are different in terms of the energy generation mix in the period 2011–2013. Furthermore, the paper aims to draw general conclusions on how the share of conventional power plants in the companies’ generation mix has affected their operation as a whole. Finally, the paper discusses the trends in the energy industry, in particular regarding gas-fired power plants, as well the opportunities and threats facing them in the context of achieving the EU strategic energy goals. The results show that companies with a higher share of conventional thermal power plants in their energy mix operate with a significant decrease in profit, and generally face a decrease in their asset value. This is opposite to companies with large diversified portfolios and shares of hydropower and new renewables. Since conventional power plants, especially high-performing and flexible gas-fired cogeneration ones, may play a key role in producing the peak load and even the base load power, as well as in maintaining high quality in the electricity grid, this situation might jeopardize the achievement of the EU strategic energy goals. Hence, it calls for new energy reforms.