Cross-Functional Perspective
Managing the value chain means that a management accountant must understand many functions of the business, from manufacturing to marketing to distribution to customer service. This need is magnified when the company is involved in interna- tional trade. We see this in the varying definitions of product cost. Activity-based management has moved beyond the traditional manufacturing cost definition of product cost to more inclusive definitions. These product costs may include initial design and engineering costs, manufacturing costs, and the costs of distribution sales, and service. An individual who understands the shifting definitions of cost from the short run to the long run can be invaluable in determining what informa- tion is relevant in decision making. For example, strategic decisions may require a product cost definition that assigns the costs of all value-chain activities, whereas a short-run decision that is concerned with whether a special order should be accepted or rejected may require a product cost that assigns only marginal or incremental costs Why try to relate management accounting to marketing, management, engineer ing, finance, and other business functions? When a value-chain approach is taken and customer value is emphasized, we see that these disciplines are interrelated; decision affecting one affects the others. For example, many manufacturing compa nies engage in frequent trade loading, the practice of encouraging (often by offering huge discounts) wholesalers and retailers to buy more product than they can quickly resell. As a result, inventories become bloated, and the wholesalers and retailers stop purchasing for a time. This looks like a marketing problem, but it is not-at least not entirely. When selling stops, so does production. Thus, trade-loading companies experience wild swings in production. Sometimes, their factories produce around the lock to meet demand for the heavily discounted product; other times, their factorie are idle, and workers are laid off. In effect, the sales end up costing the companies mil ions of dollars of added production cost. A cross-functional perspective see the big picture. This broader vision allows managers to increase quality, reduce the time equired to service customers (both internal and external), and improve efficiency.