Cost accounting in Spanish and Catalan universities: Its current status of implementation

Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the development, implementation and use of different cost systems at universities. Design/methodology: First, the need for a system of costs has been justified. The main elements favouring the process of implementing a cost system have been ident...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Saladrigues, Ramon, Tena, Anna
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2017
País:España
Institución:Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)
Repositorio:UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC
Idioma:español
inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/99782
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/2117/99782
https://dx.doi.org/10.3926/ic.915
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Cost accounting
Universities and colleges--Accounting
College costs
Educational costs
Research costs
Contabilidad de costes
Costes universitarios
Costes docentes
Costes de investigación
Comptabilitat de costos
Universitats -- Comptabilitat
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Ensenyament i aprenentatge::Ensenyament universitari::Universitats i centres de recerca
Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Economia i organització d'empreses::Comptabilitat i control financer
Descripción
Sumario:Purpose: The main purpose of this paper is to analyse the development, implementation and use of different cost systems at universities. Design/methodology: First, the need for a system of costs has been justified. The main elements favouring the process of implementing a cost system have been identified. Subsequently, through literature review, surveys from various agencies and interviews with those responsible for the cost management of universities, the degree of implementation of cost accounting in public universities, and whether or not there is any uniformity between different cost systems is analysed. Findings: The disparity between systems is confirmed, and the elements are identified that contribute to both improving the cost accounting knowledge of higher education institutions and achieving a greater degree of approximation between different cost systems. Research limitations/implications: The process of implementing cost systems in universities is not complete. It should be noted that the analysis is therefore performed during the implementation process. Practical implications: The results are interesting for university management professionals and information users. In addition, they will contribute to improving the efficiency of public resources. Originality/value: This article provides up-to-date and timely information on a new tool that helps to improve university management.