Limitations of profit measurement
Profit measurement is important, and accountants can genuinely help a business by measuring profit levels. Still, there is more to life and business than monetary profit measurement. In this section, we look at the limitations of profit measurement.
One limitation to profitability analysis is its focus on past, not future, performance. The economic environment is unpredictable, and consistent profitability ---brought about by great management, productive employees, and a high-quality product---does not guarantee success when economic conditions change. At that point, shifts in strategy may prove crucial. For example, the shift from payment for costs incurred to payment by diagnosis code has changed life considerably in the health-care industry, previously, insurance companies and the federal government paid doctors and hospitals for all costs incurred. Clearly, cost cutting was not important. Now, the emphasis on efficiency and cost control has had a significant impact on all participants in the medical field.
Johnson & Johnson, for example, worked hard to change the rate of reimbursement for stents used in angioplasty. The J&J stent was technically superior to others on the market and cost more. However, Medicare paid hospitals the same amount no matter which stent was used. J&J was able to show, using data on 200,000 Medicare patients, that patients using the J&J stent were able to avoid a second and third angioplasty. Stent reimbursement increased.
The point is that companies must remain flexible and be aware of changing business conditions.
The savvy cost manager in aware of economic and environmental trends outside the company, these can determine the success of management plans. They also help provide a reference point for management in determining whether profits are good or bad. A small increase in profit during a recession may signal outstanding performance. The same increase during economic expansion raises doubts about management’s ability.
Another limitation is profit’s emphasis on quantifiable measures. Henry Ford said that both buyer and seller must be wealthier in some form as a result of a transaction. But must wealth always be measured in money? Some aspects of profit are, no doubt, qualitative. Start-up companies may be thrilled to have made it past the one-year mark. The confidence that comes with being able to successfully start and continue a business is part of their wealth. Many companies give back a portion of their profits to their communities; this, too, is a form of wealth.
Finally, we must remember that profit has a strong impact on people’s behavior. Predictably, individuals prefer profit to loss. Their jobs, promotions, and bonuses may depend on the annual profit, and this dependence can affect their behavior in expected and unexpected ways. As accountants, it is important to realize that profit measurement can lead to different incentives for individuals to work harder and to act ethically.
ETHICS People’s desire to avoid losses and their inclination to take a short-run perspective can affect the potential for unethical conduct. Unethical conduct can take any number of forms, but basically it comes down to lying. Companies may try to pass off inferior work or materials as high-quality work-worthy of a higher price. Companies may keep two sets of books-for the purpose of cheating on income and inventory taxes. They may overstate the value of inventory in order to understate the cost of goods sold and thereby overstate net income.
Companies that value numerical profit above all else should not be surprised if employees act accordingly and do what is in their power to increase the numbers. Not only does this overreliance on numerical profit lead to unethical behavior, but it also provides incentives to ignore the less measurable outcomes which might benefit the company. Workers basically look for companies to “put their money where their mouth is.” If raises, promotions, and bonuses are awarded only on the basis of profit, employees will to increase profits. Even if the company says other factors are important (e.g., good corporate citizenship, innovation, and high-quality products), this will be seen as mere lip service.
The ever-present salience of monthly, quarterly, and annual profit and loss statements may cause companies to emphasize short-run results. Too much emphasis on short-run optimization can lead to ethical problems. A solution is to focus on the long run. Companies that take a long-run orientation know that they cannot cheat customers and expect to retain their business. Eventually, shoddy materials and workmanship will be realized by the customer. The customer will go elsewhere, and regaining trust once lost is an agonizingly slow process. As a result, ethical people and companies often emphasize the long run as the best basis for behavior.
SUMMARY OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES
7. Describe some of the limitations of pr