Since most companies experience substantial variations from their expected activity levels over the period encompassed by a budget, the amounts in the budget are likely to diverge from actual results. This divergence is likely to increase over time. The only situations in which a fixed budget is likely to track close to actual results are when:
● Costs are largely fixed, so that expenses do not change as revenues fluctuate
● the industry is not subject to much change, so that revenues are reasonably predictable
● The Company is in a monopoly situation, where customers must accept its pricing