The Adoption of Activity-Based Costing in Thailand

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between the adoption of ABC by firms based in Thailand and the Thai economic crisis (1997) through theoretical models of organisational learning and the relationship between the implementation of ABC and the philosophy of organisational learning. The research model in this study is developed from Hurst's (1995) and Argyris' (1999) theoretical models of organisational learning. A mail questionnaire survey was considered an appropriate method for this study. The sample was selected from firms listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) that operate in the Bangkok region (292 firms). 101 questionnaires were returned, generating a 34.59% response rate. Furthermore, the structured interviews with a selfselecting sub-sample were conducted to supplement the survey data. Out of 101 questionnaire respondents, 12 agreed to be interviewed. The quantitative data were processed using a SPSS program and the qualitative data gathered from the interviews were analysed using content analysis. The results show that the economic crisis was a significant variable forcing Thai firms to build organisational learning, in terms of the reorganisation or the adoption of innovations, including ABC, for their survival. Due to the changed environment, such as increased competition or growing costs, and the inability of the traditional cost systems to provide information in the new environment, several Thai firms had adopted and implemented ABC in response to the changed environment. This finding also revealed that the adoption of ABC promoted Thai firms' organisational learning in the double-loop mode, which enables an organisation to survive in the rapidly changed environment. In addition, it was found that the development and implementation of ABC were involved with an organisation's learning and the success of ABC was partly contingent on the level of organisational learning. This study also confirmed that behavioural and organisational variables played crucial roles in helping an organisation to create learning about ABC and leading an organisation to achieve the implementation of ABC. Especially, the clarity of the objectives of ABC was an important variable affecting significant variation in the degree of ABC success. Last, the findings suggest that an expansion of coverage of surveys and an extension of study to the government sector would be beneficial. Future researchers can also extend the investigation to other innovations and other variables associated with the implementation of ABC, such as contextual variables.

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