The Design Of Cost Management Systems

This collection of readings and cases analyzes the defects with existing, traditional cost management systems, and shows how to design systems that will provide value to a wide range of organizations.

This book illustrates the importance effective cost management systems in providing a supportive environment in which reliable and relevant management information can be generated. Such a cost management system is only attainable if the importance of key business, operational and stakeholder requirements are recognised within the organisational context. In illustrating this importance, this book provides several case studies as examples thereof. The first two case studies focus on the engineering sector and illustrates the development of a cost management system in a water recycling context; and the design of a budgetary system in a mining engineering context. The remaining case studies focus on the services sector, including cost management systems for a digital technology services provider and a medical insurance services provider; an alternative activity-based costing approach for a public sector services provider; and finally a re-designed value stream for an automotive services provider. Academic researchers and industry managers in the fields of management accounting and financial management, as well as engineering and operations management, will find value in the experiences described herein.

Providing valuable insight into the latest practice and design philosophies, this collection of readings and cases analyzes the defects that exist with traditional cost management systems, and shows how to design systems that will benefit a wide range of organizations. Opens with a thorough introduction to cost systems - with discussions on their use, product and process costing, operational control, financial reporting, and strategic relevance - and explores target costing, and ABC and product design and development. Considers the foundations of activity-based costing, including its necessity for companies, cost hierarchy, and activity attributes, and dedicates entire sections to the use of cost systems for managing customer and supplier relationships, and for designing and developing new products. Second Edition features include many new cases and a critical study of service industry and activity-based budgeting. For management consultants, CFO's, and controllers.

An accessible, practical survey of cost management methods Essentials of Cost Management provides an unbiased survey and explanation of the cost management approaches and methods currently available for immediate application in day-to-day activities. Rather than advocate a particular method, this book assists readers in choosing the best approach or blend of cost management strategies to address specific business problems. The expert authors also discuss cutting-edge topics such as target costing, capacity management, and activity-based costing/management.

First published in 1999. This text aims to consider how the financial controller/management accountant decides to design a cost management system given the range of approaches to cost managment advocated in recent years. The book reports on research which tested the relationship between cost management systems adopted and the strategic orientation of the company, through five detailed case studies of well-known and named companies. The case studies trace the developments in each company through time.