The easy way to get a grip on cost accounting Critical in supporting strategic business decisions and improving profitability, cost accounting is arguably one of the most important functions in the accounting field. For business students, cost accounting is a required course for those seeking an accounting degree and is a popular elective among other business majors. Cost Accounting For Dummies tracks to a typical cost accounting course and provides in-depth explanations and reviews of the essential concepts you'll encounter in your studies: how to define costs as direct materials, direct labor, fixed overhead, variable overhead, or period costs; how to use allocation methodology to assign costs to products and services; how to evaluate the need for capital expenditures; how to design a budget model that forecast changes in costs based on expected activity levels; and much more. Tracks to a typical cost accounting course Includes practical, real-world examples Walks you though homework problems with detailed, easy-to-understand answers If you're currently enrolled in a cost accounting course, this hands-on, friendly guide gives you everything you need to master this critical aspect of accounting.

This book explains how True Cost Accounting is an effective tool we can use to address the pervasive imbalance in our food system. Calls are coming from all quarters that the food system is broken and needs a radical transformation. A system that feeds many yet continues to create both extreme hunger and diet-related diseases, and one which has significant environmental impacts, is not serving the world adequately. This volume argues that True Cost Accounting in our food system can create a framework for a systemic shift. What sounds on the surface like a practice relegated to accountants is ultimately a call for a new lens on the valuation of food and a new relationship with the food we eat, starting with the reform of a system out of balance. From the true cost of corn, rice and water, to incentives for soil health, the chapters economically compare conventional and regenerative, more equitable farming practices in and food system structures, including taking an unflinching look at the true cost of cheap labour. Overall, this volume points towards the potential for our food system to be more human-centred than profit-centred and one that has a more respectful relationship to the planet. It sets forth a path forward based on True Cost Accounting for food. This path seeks to fix our current food metrics, in policy and in practice, by applying a holistic lens that evaluates the actual costs and benefits of different food systems, and the impacts and dependencies between natural systems, human systems, agriculture and food systems. This volume is essential reading for professionals and policymakers involved in developing and reforming the food system, as well as students and scholars working on food policy, food systems and sustainability.

The authors have kept the text concise by focusing on the key concepts students need to master. Opening vignettes & 'in action' boxes show realistic applications of these concepts throughout. Comprehensive end-of-chapter problems provide students with all the practice they need to fully learn each concept.

Strategic Cost Transformation offers a new framework, business domain management, which creates a comprehensive picture of your organization for improved cash based decision-making. Your product costs $2.86 to make. What does the number tell you about your operations, how effectively they were run, demand, or how much money you spent on capacity? Nothing. Shouldn’t you know? Accounting information creates a limited picture of operations and true cash performance. Strategic Cost Transformation offers a new framework, business domain management, which creates a comprehensive picture of your organization for improved cash based decision-making.

Proper cost accounting and financial management are essential elements of any successful construction job, and therefore make up essential skills for construction project managers and project engineers. Many textbooks on the market focus on the theoretical principles of accounting and finance required for head office staff like the chief financial officer (CFO) of a construction firm. This book's unique practical approach focuses on the activities of the construction management team, including the project manager, superintendent, project engineer, and jobsite cost engineers and cost accountants. In short, this book provides a seamless connection between cost accounting and construction project management from the construction management practitioner’s perspective. Following a complete accounting cycle, from the original estimate through cost controls to financial close-out, the book makes use of one commercial construction project case study throughout. It covers key topics like financial statements, ratios, cost control, earned value, equipment depreciation, cash flow, and pay requests. But unlike other texts, this book also covers additional financial responsibilities such as cost estimates, change orders, and project close-out. Also included are more advanced accounting and financial topics such as supply chain management, activity-based accounting, lean construction techniques, taxes, and the developer’s pro forma. Each chapter contains review questions and applied exercises and the book is supplemented with an eResource with instructor manual, estimates and schedules, further cases and figures from the book. This textbook is ideal for use in all cost accounting and financial management classes on both undergraduate and graduate level construction management or construction engineering programs.

The essential reference to help federal contractors negotiate and maintain profitable contracts—Now in its third edition! This is the essential reference to help federal contractors negotiate and maintain profitable contracts—and remain in compliance throughout the life of the contract. Government contracting rules and regulations have changed significantly over the past six years. This new third edition addresses these changes and more: New thresholds for certification of cost and pricing data Revisions in cost accounting standards Implementation of commercial time-and-material and labor-hour contracts New, stringent ethics requirements Impact of stimulus funding Revised cost principles, including excessive pass-through costs, post-retirement benefits, and travel costs Redirected audit initiatives based on the GAO review of DCAA Plus…changed requirements for bidding…pricing…cost accounting…subcontracting…contract modification…all the information you need to be in compliance with the new rules. No other single book provides as much up-to-date federal procurement cost and pricing information in such a concise - yet comprehensive - format.

This book introduces capacity management, describes cash flow dynamics, and offers ideas about how to manage both Business leaders rely on accounting data such as profit and calculated costs as a guide to whether they are making money. Should they? Accounting was designed to report financial performance not model cash flow. Accruals can disconnect cash flow from the timing and extent to which it occurs. Statements of cash flow do not provide insight into what was bought and how efficiently it was used. Costs and profits are not absolute, they change based on the model you use to calculate them. To manage cash, you must manage what you buy and how effectively you use it. The largest expenditure for most companies is capacity; space, labor, materials, equipment, and technology. Unless you model and manage capacity effectively, you will not achieve the cash flow results you seek. This book introduces capacity management, describes cash flow dynamics, and offers ideas about how to manage both. After reading it, you be able to see, understand, and manage cash flow as never before.