Cost Accounting: Using a Cost Management Approach (Irwin Series in Economics)

This work looks at the concepts and principles of cost accounting. It covers cost accounting concepts concerned with cost collection factors influencing managerial decisions like sales price determination; and then deals with the application of cost concepts in cost management analysis and the quantitative tools for decision-making. The text enables students to learn how information is produced in cost accounting systems, and they are also encouraged to examine how it can be used by management. There is an emphasis on deficiencies of traditional capital budgeting models and performance measure, and quantitative tools such as PERT and linear programming are integrated into the text. Features new to this edition include: a chapter discussing activity-based cost systems and strategic cost analysis; end-of-chapter material encouraging students to use critical thinking in decision-making; Capstone Cases at the end of each section, including written and oral communication assignments; and expanded coverage of nonfinancial measures of performance, multiple measures of performance, and distribution and marketing costs.