Conventional management accounting systems include a range of financial performance
reports and measures to provide managers with information for cost control.
Contemporary management accounting systems also include various tools and techniques
that provide information for cost management. What is ‘cost management’ and how does it
differ from conventional approaches to cost control? Cost management is the improvement
of an organisation’s cost effectiveness through understanding and managing the real causes
of costs. Although the predominant focus is on costs, most contemporary approaches to
cost management also focus on improving other aspects of performance, such as quality
and delivery.
The major differences between conventional approaches to cost control and contemporary
cost management are: