A budget is a plan expressed in quantitative, usually monetary term, covering a specific period of time, usually one year. In other words a budget is a systematic plan for the utilization of manpower and material resources. In a business organization, a budget represents an estimate of future costs and revenues. Budgets may be divided into two basic classes: Capital Budgets and Operating Budgets. Capital budgets are directed towards proposed expenditures for new projects and often require special financing. The operating budgets are directed towards achieving short-term operational goals of the organization, for instance, production or profit goals in a business firm. Operating budgets may be sub-divided into various departmental of functional budgets.

The main characteristics of a budget are:

1. It is prepared in advance and is derived from the long-term strategy of the organization.
2. It relates to future period for which objectives or goals have already been laid down.

It is expressed in quantitative form, physical or monetary units, or both. Different types of budgets are prepared for different purposed e.g. Sales Budget, Production Budget, Administrative Expense Budget, Raw-material Budget etc. All these sectional budgets are afterwards integrated into a master budget, which represents an overall plan of the organization.

A budget helps us in the following ways:

1. It brings about efficiency and improvement in the working of the organization.
2. It is a way of communicating the plans to various units of the organization. By establishing the divisional, departmental, sectional budgets, exact responsibilities are assigned. It thus minimizes the possibilities of buck passing if the budget figures are not met.
3. It is a way or motivating managers to achieve the goals set for the units.
4. It serves as a benchmark for controlling on-going operations.
5. It helps in developing a team spirit where participation in budgeting is encouraged.
6. It helps in reducing wastage and losses by revealing them in time for corrective action.
7. It serves as a basis for evaluating the performance of managers.
8. It serves as a means of educating the managers.

Budgeting is closely connected with control. The exercise of control in the organization with the help of budgets is known as budgetary control. The process of budgetary control includes:

1. Preparation of various budgets
2. Continuous comparison of actual performance with budgetary performance
3. Revision of budgets in the light of changed circumstances

A system of budgetary control should not become rigid. There should be enough scope of flexibility to provide for individual initiative and drive. Budgetary control is an important device for making the organization more efficient on all fronts. It is an important tool for controlling costs and achieving the overall objectives.

The following steps may be taken for installing an effective system of budgetary control in an organization.

Organization for Budgeting: The setting up of a definite plan of organization is the first step towards installing budgetary control system in an organization. A budget manual should be prepared giving details of the powers, duties, responsibilities and areas of operation of each executive in the organization.

Responsibility for Budgeting: The responsibility for preparation and implementation of the budgets may be fixed as under:

Budget Controller: Although the chief executive is finally responsible for the budget program, it is better if a large part of the supervisory responsibility is delegated to an official designated as Budget Controller or Budget Director. Such a person should have knowledge of the technical details of the business and should report directly to the president or the Chief Executive of the organization.

Fixation of the budget period: Budget period means the period for which a budget is prepared and employed. The budget period depends upon the nature of the business and the control techniques. For example, a seasonal industry will budget for each season while an industry requiring long periods to complete work will budget for four, five or even larger number of year. However, it is necessary of control purposes to prepare budgets both for long as well as short periods.

Budget Procedures: Having established the budget organization and fixed the budget period, the actual work or budgetary control can be taken upon the following pattern:

Key Factor: It is also termed as limiting factor. The extent of influence of this factor must first be assessed in order to ensure that the budget targets are met. It would be desirable to prepare first the budget relating to this particular factor, and then prepare the other budgets. We are giving below an illustrative list of key factors in certain industries.

Industry Key factor
Motor car Sales demand
Aluminum Power
Petroleum refinery Supply of crude oil
Electro-optics Skilled technicians
Hydel power generation Monsoon

The key factors should be correctly identified and examined. The key Factors need not be of a permanent nature. In the long run, the management may overcome the key factors by introducing new products, by changing material mix or by working overtime or extra shifts etc.

Making a forecast: A forecast is an estimated of the future financial conditions or operating results. Any estimation is based on consideration of probabilities. An estimate differs from a budget in that the latter embodies an operating plan of an organization. A budget envisages a commitment to certain objectives or targets, which the management seeks to attain on the basis of the forecasts prepared. A forecast on the other hand is an estimate based on probabilities of an event. A forecast may be prepared in financial or physical terms for sales, production cost, or other resources required for business. Instead of just one forecast a number of alternative forecasts may be considered with a view to obtaining the most realistic overall plan.

Consideration of alternative combination of forecasts: Alternative combinations of forecasts are considered with a view to contain the most efficient overall plan so as to maximize profits. When the optimum-profit combination of forecasts is selected, the forecasts should be regarded as being finalized.

Preparing budgets: After the forecasts have been completed the preparation of budgets follows. The budget activity starts with the preparation of the sales budget. Then production budget is prepared on the basis of sales budget and the production capacity available. Financial budget (i.e., cash or working capital budget) will be prepared on the basis of sales forecasts and the production budget. All these budgets are combined and coordinated into a master budget. The budget may be revised in the course of the financial period if it becomes necessary to do so in view of the unexpected developments, which have already taken place or are likely to take place.

Choice between fixed and flexible budgets: A budget may be fixed or flexible. A fixed budget is base on a fixed Volume of activity. It may lose it s effectiveness in planning and controlling if the actual capacity utilization is different from what was planned for any particular unit of time e.g., a month or a quarter. The flexible budget is more useful for changing levels of activity as it considers fixed and variable costs separately fixed costs as you are aware, remain unchanged over a certain range of output. Such costs change when there is a change in capacity level.

The variable costs change in direct proportion to output. If flexible budgeting approach is adopted, the budget controller can analyses the variance between actual costs and budgeted costs depending upon the actual level of activity

STEPS IN BUDGETARY CONTROL

1. Organization for budgeting
2. Budget manual + Theory

"A document which sets out, inter alias, the responsibilities of the persons engaged in, the routine of and forms and records required for budgetary control."

The budget manual is a written document or booklet that specifies the objectives of budgeting organization and procedures. Following are some of the important matters covered in a budget manual:

1. A statement regarding the objectives of the organization and how they can be achieved through budgetary control.
2. A statement regarding the functions and responsibilities of each Executive by designation both regarding preparation and execution of budgets.
3. Procedures to be followed for obtaining the necessary approval of budgets.
4. The authority of granting approval should be stated in explicit terms.
5. Whether one, two or more signatures are to be required on each document
   should also be clearly stated.
6. Timetable for all stages of budgeting.
7. Reports, statements, forms and other records to be maintained.
8. The accounts classification to be employed. It is necessary that the framework within which the costs, revenues and other financial amount are classified must be identical both in accounts and the budget departments.

There are many advantages attached to the use of budget manual. It is a formal record defining the functions and responsibilities of each executive.
The methods and procedures of budgetary control are standardized.
There is synchronization of the efforts of all which result in maximization of the profits of the organization.

 CLASSIFICATION OF BUDGETS

Budgets can be classified into different categories on the basis of time, function or flexibility. The different budgets covered under each category are shown

Chart : Classification of Budgets

Rolling Budget: Some organizations follow the practice of preparing a rolling or progressive budget In such organizations, a budget for a year in advance will always be there. Immediately after a month, or a quarter, passes, as the case may be, a new budget is prepared for a twelve months. The figures for the month/quarter, which has rolled down, are dropped and the figures for the next month/quarter are added.

Capital Expenditure Budget: The budget provides guidance as to the amount of capital that may be needed for procurement of capital assets during the budget period. The budget is prepared after taking into account the available productive capacitates probable reallocation of existing assets and possible improvement in production techniques. If necessary separate budgets may be prepared for each item o assets, such a building budget, a plant and equipment budget etc.

Research and Development Budget: Research and development costs are to be incurred so that the products or the methods of the concern do not become out of date. The research and development budget is a forecast of all such expenses.

Sales budget: Sales budget generally forms the fundamental basis on which all other Budgets are built. The budget is based on projected sales to be achieved in a budget period. The sales manager is directly responsible for the preparation and execution of this budget. He usually takes into consideration the following organizational and environmental factors while preparing the sales budget.

It is desirable to break up the entire sales budget on the basis of different products, time periods and sales areas or territories.

Description

1. Past sales figures and trend: The record of previous experience forms the most reliable guide as to future sales as the past performances related to actual business conditions. However, the other factors such as seasonal fluctuations, growth of market, trade cycles etc., should not be lost sight of.

2. Salesmen's estimates: Salesmen are in a position to estimate the potential demand of the customers more accurately because they come in direct contact with the customers. However, proper discount should be making for over-optimistic or to conservative estimates of the salesmen depending upon their temperament.

3. Plant capacity: It should be the endeavor of the business to ensure proper utilization of the plant facilitates and that the seal budget provides an economic and balanced production on the factory.

4. General trade prospects: The general trade prospects considerably affect the sales. Valuable information can be gathered in this connection from trade papers and magazines.

5. Orders on hand: In case of industries where production is quite a lengthy process, orders on hand also have a considerable influence in the amount of sales.

6. Proposed expansion of discontinuance of products: It is affects sales and therefore, it should also be considered.

7. Potential market: Market research should be carried out for ascertaining the potential market for the company's products. Such an estimate is made on the basis of expected population growth, purchasing power of consumers and buying habits of the people.

8. Availability of material and supply: Adequate supply of raw materials and other supplies must be ensured before drafting the sales program.

9. Financial aspects: Expansion of sales usually requires increase in capital outlay also, therefore, sales budget must be kept within the bounds of financial capacity.

10. Other factors

a. The nature and degree of competition within the industry;
b. Cost of distributing goods;
c. Governments controls, rules and regulations related to the industry;
d. Political situation: national and international as it may have an influence upon the market.
e. Seasonal fluctuations

Production Budget :This budget provides an estimate of the total volume of production Distributed product-wise with scheduling of operations by days, weeks and months, and a forecast of the inventory of finished products. Generally, the production budget is based on the sales budget. The responsibility for the overall production budget ties with works manager and that of with departmental works managers.

Production budget may be expressed in physical or financial terms or both in relation to production. The production budgets attempt to answer questions like

1. What is to be produced?
2. When is to be produced?
3. How is to be produced?
4. Where it is to be produced?

The production budget envisages the production program for achieving the sales target. It serves as a basis for preparation of related cost budgets, e.g., materials cost budget, labor cost budget, etc. it also facilities the preparation of a cash budget. The production budget is prepared after taking into consideration several factors like - Inventory policies, sales requirements, production stability, plant capacity, availability of materials and labor, time taken in production process etc.

Production costs budgets: Basically, there are three elements of costs, namely direct material, Direct labor and overheads. Separate budgets for each of there elements has to be prepared.

The direct materials budget has two components, (i) Materials Requirement budget, (ii) Materials procurement or purchase budget. The former deals with the total quantity of materials required during the budget period, while the latter deals with the materials to be acquired from the market during the budget period. Materials to be acquired are estimated after taking into account the closing and the opening inventories and the materials from which orders have already been placed.

Overhead budget: The overheads may relate to factory, general administration, sales and distribution function. Separate budgets may, therefore, be prepared for factory overheads, administrative overheads and selling and distribution overheads.

Manufacturing overheads budget: Factory or manufacturing overheads includes the cost of indirect material, indirect labor and indirect expenses. Manufacturing overheads may be classified into

1. Fixed overheads i.e., which tend to remain constant irrespective of change in the volume of output,
2. Variable overheads i.e., which tend to vary with the output,
3. Semi-variable overheads, i.e., which are partly variable and partly fixed. The manufacturing overhead budget will provide an estimate of these Overheads to be incurred during the budget period.

Fixed manufacturing overhead can be estimated on the basis of past Information and knowledge of any changes which may occur during the ensuring budget period. Variable overheads are estimated after considering the scheduled production and operating conditions in the budget period.

Administrative overheads budget: This budget covers the administrative expenses including the salaries of the managerial staff. A careful analysis of the needs of all administrative departments of the enterprise is necessary.

Selling and distributing overhead budget: This budget includes all the expenses relating to selling, advertising, delivery of goods to customers’ etc. It is better if such costs are analyzed according to products, types of customers, territories and the sales departments. The responsibility of the preparation of this budget rests with the executives of the sales expected and an effort should be made to control the costs of distribution. The preparation of the budget would depend on analysis of the market situation by the management, advertising policies, research programs, and the fixed and variable elements.

Cash budget

The cash budget is a summary of the firm's expected cash inflows and outflows over a particular period of time. In other words, cash budget involves a projection of future cash receipts and cash disbursements over various time intervals.

A cash budget helps the management in:

• Determining the future cash needs of the firm.
  Planning for financing of those needs.
  Exercising control over cash and liquidity of the firm.

The overall cash budget can be prepared by any of the following methods :

1. Receipts and payments method
2. The adjusted profit and loss method
3. The balance sheet method

Receipts and payments method: In case of this method the cash receipts from various sources and the cash payments to various agencies are estimated. In the opening balance of cash estimated cash receipts are added and from the total, the total of estimated cash payments are deducted to find out the closing balance.

The adjusted profit and loss method: In case of this method the cash Budget is prepared on the basis of opening cash and bank balances, projected profit and loss account and the balances of the various assets and liabilities.

The balance sheet method: With the help of budgeted balances at the End except cash and bank balances, a budgeted balance sheet can be prepared and the balancing figure would be the estimated closing cash/bank balance. Thus, under this method, closing balances other than cash/bank will have to be found out first to be put in the budgeted balance sheet. This can be done, by adjusting the anticipated transactions of the year in the opening balances.