The objective of the first seven chapters is to introduce the strategic approach to cost management and to cover the basic concepts of cost accounting systems. Chapter 1 is an introduction to cost management—how companies plan for success and the management accountant’s role in implementing strategy. The chapter includes coverage of the Institute of Management Accountants newly revised definition of management accounting. It is also an introduction to the current environment of business including contemporary management techniques and professional responsibilities. Chapter 2 focuses on some of the principal means that organizations use to implement strategy. The chapter introduces a strategic management system known as the balanced scorecard (BSC), the strategy map, and the value chain, and shows how these tools can be used to help the organization implement its strategy. These tools are foundational tools that appear throughout the text; this is why they are covered in this early chapter. Chapter 3 defines the key terms that management accountants use to describe product cost systems and cost information for planning, decision making, and control. This terminology is important for both accountants and managers alike. The chapter also introduces the differences in management accounting between service, manufacturing, and merchandising companies. Chapters 4–7 cover costing systems and their role in strategy implementation. Chapter 4 provides an introduction to costing systems by defining the elements of cost and how these elements are combined to determine the cost of a cost object (e.g., product or service). The chapter assumes a volume-based approach for allocating indirect costs to cost objects. There are a number of variations on this basic cost system, each of which is designed to fit a particular manufacturing or service environment. These variations are explained in Chapters 5, 6, and 7. Standard costing is considered primarily a control tool and is included…
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