USING THE PRODUaiON CYCLE TIME TO REDUCE THE
COMPLEXITY OF ACTIVITY-BASED COSTING SYSTEMS
Activity-Based Costing (ABC) is a more precise, but costly, alternative to the traditional costing
systems. This study introduces Duration-Based Costing (DBC) as a less complex alternative to
ABC. In DBC, the production cycle time is used to assign the overhead costs. This study uses
analytical methodology to analyze DBC relative to ABC. Equivalency conditions are provided in
which DBC cost assignments are parallel to those in ABC. Additionally, simulations are used to
illustrate whether a significant difference exists between the DBC cost assignments and those
of ABC. The results of this study imply that the production cycle time is a close summary
measure of the activity duration drivers of ABC. DBC is a feasible alternative to ABC and
traditional costing systems. Using DBC is less complex to implement, maintain, and update than
ABC. Thus, it may be a more feasible alternative to the more complex systems currently in
practice. This study adds to the current ABC literature by providing the theoretical background
of a new costing model, DBC model, and analytically comparing it to the ABC model.