Recently, the impact of ABC success implementation on the firms' performance is
considered as an important research area. Generally, the contemporary management
accounting literature argues that ABC systems are “better” than traditional systems. But,
the implementation rates appear low in several countries. In this context, Cotton et al.
(2003, 3-4) note: “after the initial flush of articles advocating the use of ABC and
extolling the virtues of the technique, several writers began to express some
reservations. Some questioned the substance of its practical application (Bjornenak
1997; Gosselin 1997; Malmi 1999) arguing that it may be a fad or a fashion, riding a
wave of popularity, rather than providing a genuine enhancement”. However, the
empirical researches on the relationship between ABC implementation and firms'
performance are very few, especially in the African context.