دور إدارة التكاليف في تحسين الأداء المالي

Abstract

This study evaluates and diagnoses the pivotal role of cost management in enhancing financial performance and ensuring strategic stability within Algerian economic enterprises. A comprehensive field study was conducted at the Ain El Kebira Cement Company (SCAEK) in Sétif, a subsidiary of the GICA Group, spanning the financial periods from 2023 to 2025. The core research problem investigates the extent to which ex-ante and ex-post cost control tools contribute to rationalizing managerial decisions and sustaining competitive advantage. Methodologically, the research adopts a descriptive-analytical approach to process financial statements and structural ratios, supplemented by internal corporate documents including high-voltage electricity invoices, the 2026 prospective budget, and a diagnostic interview conducted with management control and analytical accounting executives. The empirical findings revealed substantial structural strength and financial resilience within the enterprise. The Net Global Working Capital maintained a positive, upward trajectory, entirely funded via stable resources and growing equity resulting from rigid operating expense control. Moreover, structural liquidity indicators demonstrated linear growth, reinforced by strategic cash flow coordination that minimized the accounts receivable collection period while extending supplier credit terms. Field analysis confirmed that fixed costs dominate the factory’s cost structure, justifying management’s strategy implemented at the end of 2024 to boost production volumes to absorb fixed overheads and maximize the Return on Assets. Despite recording negative technical variances driven by unscheduled technical shutdowns, surging imported spare parts expenses, and energy shocks, the digital synergy between the Odoo ERP system and the locally developed analytical application provided real-time feedback. This enabled executive management to deploy proactive corrective measures, safeguarding the Gross Operating Surplus and securing record net profit margins. Ultimately, this underscores that cost management at SCAEK transcends static accounting reporting to serve as a vital instrument for strategic corporate governance.