LUBS1245 - Introductory Management Accounting Flashcards
Define accounting
The process of identifying, measuring and communicating economic information to permit informed judgements and decisions by users of the information
Describe the 6 stages in a decision making process
- Identify objectives
- Alternative actions
- Select appropriate actions
- Implement decisions
- Compare plan with actual outcome
- Respond to differences form plan
What are the 3 main roles of management accounting?
Score keeping, attention directing and problem solving
What is cost accounting?
Cost accounting is an application if management accounting and it is the recording of planned and actual costs of products/services/departments for internal reporting and valuation of inventory for external reporting
Cost object
Any activity for which a separate measurement of cost is required
Cost unit
A unit of production for which management wishes to collect the costs incurred
Cost drivers
Any factors that affect costs
What is a cost collective system? And describe the 2 stages
A system that accounts for costs in 2 broad stages.
1. Accumulates costs by classifying them into certain categories
2. Assigns costs to cost objectives
Standard costs
Standards costs are target costs that are pre-determined and should be incurred under efficient operating conditions
Direct costs
Direct costs are those that can be specifically and exclusively traced to the cost object
Indirect costs (overheads)
Costs that cannot be specifically and exclusively traced to the cost object
Product costs
Costs associated with goods/services purchased or produced for sale to customers
Period costs
Costs that are treated as expenses in the period to which they relate
Relevant costs
Future costs that vary with the decision under consideration
Irrelevant costs
Costs that are the same irrespective of which deduction is undertaken
Incremental costs (differential costs)
Difference in terms of cost between each alternative course of action being considered
Marginal costs
Additional cost of one extra unit of output
Incremental revenue
Difference in terms of revenue between each alternative course of action being considered
Marginal revenue
Additional revenue from one extra unit of output
What is cost behaviour?
The response of costs to changes in circumstances and levels of activity or production volumes
4 basic cost classifications
- Variable costs
- Fixed costs
- Stepped costs
- Semi-variable costs
Variable costs
Costs that vary as a function of level of output and level of sales
Fixed costs
Costs that are likely to remain constant over a range of output levels and are payable regardless of output produced
Why may curvilinear functions be a better representations of actual cost behaviour?
- Extra unit of production may cause a less than proportional increase in costs
- Extra unit of output may cause a more than proportional increase in costs
Stepped costs
Costs that are associated with input factors which cannot be increased in very small amount but can be increase only in discrete steps
Semi-variable costs
Costs that have fixed and variable components
Break even formula
BE = fixed costs / contribution
Operating gearing formula
OG = Fixed costs / total costs