Midterm 1 Flashcards
Cost Accounting Definition
the process of collecting, analyzing, and reporting financial and nonfinancial information related to the costs of acquiring or using resources in an organization
Strategy
specifies how a firm matches its own capabilities with the opportunities in the marketplace
cost leadership
providing high quality products at the lowest cost possible
product differentiation
providing unique or differentiated products that appeal to customers
Questions asked by Management
Who are our most important customers, and how can we be competitive and deliver value to them?
What substitute products exist in the marketplace, and how do they differ from our own?
Will adequate cash be available to fund the strategy or will additional funds need to be raised?
What is our most critical capability?
Value
the usefulness a customer gains from a company’s product or service
Value Chain
sequence of steps is necessary to create value
Inbound Logistics, Operations, Outbound Logistics, Marketing Sales, Services
Supply-Chain
Production and Distribution functions of the Value Chain
Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials, and components into a finished product that is delivered to the end customer
Key Success Factors
Cost and efficiency Quality Time Innovation Sustainability
The Five Step Decision-Making Process
- Identify the problem and uncertainties
- Obtain information
- Make predictions about the future
- Make decisions by choosing alternatives
- Implement the decision, evaluate performance, and learn
Planning through 1-4 and take control on step 5
Cost object
anything for which a cost measurement is desired
Cost Object BMW Example
Product: BMW Car
Service: Telephone hotline providing info and assistance to BMW dealers
Project: R&D project on GPS systems for cars
Customer: South Motors, a dealer
Activity: Setting up machines for production or maintaining production equipment
Department: Assembly, Quality Control, Customer service
Cost accumulation
collection of data in an organized way by means of an accounting system
Examples: Raw materials + Production + Quality check + Packaging = accumulated cost
Cost assignment
General term that encompasses the gathering of accumulated costs to cost an object in two ways
- Tracing accumulated costs with direct relationship to the cost object
- Allocating costs with indirect relationship
Direct Costs
Can be conveniently and economically traced to a cost object. These expenses go into directly producing goods/providing services
Ex: Direct Labor, Direct materials, manufacturing supplies
Indirect Costs
Cannot be traced easily, instead requires judgement . General business expenses that keep you operating
Ex: Rent, Utilities, General office expenses
Factors that affect Direct/Indirect Costs
- Materiality of the cost
- Available info-gathering technology
- Design of operations
Electricity is direct for whole factory while it’s also indirect for each department
Cost driver
variable, such as level of activity or volume, that casually affects cost at a given time span
of miles, # of units, square feet that increases costs
Variable costs
remain unchanged in total, for a given time period, despite changes in the related level of activity of output produced
More output = lower cost per unit
Merchandising companies
purchase and sell tangible products without changing basic form
- merchandise inventory
Manufacturing companies
purchase materials and components and convert them to finished products
- Raw materials
- Work in Process
- Finished goods
Service companies
provide services (intangible) like legal advice or audits
Raw materials
resources in-stock and available for use
Work-in-process (WIP)
Products started but not let completed
Finished goods
products ready for sale
Direct Materials
acquisition costs of all materials that will become part of the cost object
Direct Labor
Compensation of all manufacturing labor that can be traced to cost objects
Overhead Costs
factory costs that are not traceable to the product in an economically feasible way
Includes lubricants, indirect manufacturing labor, utilities, and supplies
Inventoriable Costs
Costs of a product that are considered assets in a company’s balance sheet when costs are incurred and that are expensed as cost of goods sold only when the product is sold
All manufacturing costs are inventoriable costs for manufacturing companies