Distinction Between Costing And Cost Accounting
Distinction
Between Costing And Cost Accounting
Costing is the technique and
process of ascertaining costs. It tries to find out the cost of doing
something, i.e., the cost of manufacturing an article, rendering a service, or
performing a function. Cost accounting is a broader term, in that it tries to determine the costs through a
formal system of accounting (unlike costing which can be performed even through
informal means). Stated precisely, cost accounting is a formal mechanism by
means of which costs of products and services are ascertained and controlled.
The institute of cost and management accountants, u.k. define cost accounting as: the
application of accounting and costing principles, methods and techniques in the
ascertainment of costs and the analysis of savings and/or excesses as compared
with previous experience or with standards. It, thus, includes three things:
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Cost Ascertainment: finding out
the specific and precise total and unit costs of products and services.
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Cost Presentation: reporting cost
data to various levels of management with a view to facilitate decision making.
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Cost Control: this consists of
estimating costs for production and activities for the future, and keeping them
within proper limits. Budgets and standards are employed for this purpose.
Cost
accounting also aims at cost reduction, i.e., achieving a permanent and real reduction in cost by improving
the standards. Cost accountancy is a comprehensive term that implies the
`application of costing and cost accounting principles, methods and techniques
to the science, art and practice of cost control’. It seeks to control costs
and ascertain the profitability of business operations.
Tags : Accounting For Managers - Cost Estimation And Control-Cost Accounting
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