Analyzing the Master Budget.

Essay by eldonfieldsUniversity, Bachelor's October 2005

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A master budget is a summary of a company's plans in which specific targets are set for sales, production, distribution, and financing activities and that generally culminates in a cash budget, budgeted income statement, and budgeted balance sheet (www.mcgrawhill.ca/college/garrison5/student/olc/5mag).

The "Analyzing the Master Budget" simulation summary takes you through different scenarios where changes occur in the master budget. These changes require that you analyze the impact and make modifications to the master budget in order for the organization to remain financially stable. According to the simulation, a master budget is a helpful tool to prepare an organization financially. The screenshots of the completed simulation are included in Appendix A, B, and C.

It is important for organizations to prepare detailed budgets in order to meet their goals and objectives. Detailed budgets include sales forecasts, production forecasts, operating expenses, capital expenditure, cash budget and others. The name of the collection of budgets is the Master Budget..

In regards to accuracy of a budgeting process, all budgets need to be as accurate as possible. To help ensure accuracy of a budget process, an organization can develop a bottom-up process by involving each department in order to recognize any special problems or needs within each department expense. By doing so, the budget committee can adjust proposals as needed to ensure that all parties accept the budget as reasonable and attainable.

This is not to say that you may not have sudden changes in your company's budget. To avoid any sudden changes in a company's cost structure, plan and monitor for these changes in advance. One way is to prepare monthly and quarterly budgets and revise when necessary.

Planning can have an impact on your cash budget - projection of your company's cash inflow and outflow over a specific period. The purpose...