Cost Accounting Chapter 4

differential analysis

process of estimating revenues and costs of alternative actions available to decision makers and of comparing these estimates to the status quo

short run

period of time over which capacity will be unchanged, usually one year

differential costs

with two or more alternatives, costs that differ among or between alternatives

sunk costs

costs incurred in the past that cannot be changed by present or future decisions

full cost

sum of all fixed and variable costs of manufacturing and selling a unit

special order

order that will not affect other sales and is usually a short-run occurrence

product life cycle

time from initial research and development to the time that support to the customer ends

target price

price based on customers' perceived value for the product and the price that competitors charge

target cost

equals the target price minus the desired profit margin
- target profit - target profit

predatory pricing

practice of setting price below cost with the intent to drive competitors out of business

dumping

exporting a product to another country at a price below domestic price

price discrimination

practice of selling identical goods to different customers at different prices

peak-load pricing

practice of setting prices highest when the quantity demanded for the product approaches capacity

price fixing

agreement among business competitors to set prices at a particular level

make-or-buy decision

decision concerning whether to make needed goods internally or purchase them from outside sources

contraint

activity, resource, or policy that limits or bounds the attainment of an objective

contribution margin per unit of scarce resource

contribution margin per unit of a particular input with limited availability

theory of constraints (TOC)

focuses on revenue and cost management when faced with bottlenecks
1. the rate of throughput contribution
2. minimizing investments
3. minimizing other operating costs

bottleneck

operation where the work required limits production

throughput contribution

sales dollars - direct materials costs and variables, such as energy and piecework labor

Use differential analysis to analyze decisions

- differential analysis-the process of estimating revenues and costs of alternative actions available to decision makers and of comparing these estimates to the status quo
- short run-the period of time over which capacity will be unchanged, usually one y

Understand how to apply differential analysis to pricing decisions

- variable costs must always be covered
- fixed costs must be covered in the long run
- short-run pricing decision-less than one year, pricing a one time special order
- long-run pricing decision- longer than one year, pricing a new product
- Special orde

Understand several approaches for establishing prices based on costs for long-run pricing decisions

- full cost is the total cost to produce and sell a unit
- full costs are relevant for the long term pricing decisions
- in the short run, differential costs may be very low
- in the long run, differential costs are higher than in the short run
- in the l

Understand how to apply differential analysis to production decisions

- make or buy- decision to make goods or services internally or purchase them externally
- add or drop a segment- decision to add or drop a product line or close a business unit
- product choice- decision on what products or services to offer
- constraint

Understand the theory of constraints

- theory of constraints- focuses on revenue and cost management when faced with bottlenecks
- bottleneck- operation where the work required limited production; constraining resource
- throughput contribution=
sales dollars - direct materials costs and var