Absorption Costing and Performance
Measurement
Absorption costing is the required inventory method for external reporting in most countries.
Many companies use absorption costing for internal accounting as well. Why?
Because it is cost-effective and less confusing to managers to use one common method of
inventory costing for both external and internal reporting and performance evaluation.
A common method of inventory costing can also help prevent managers from taking
actions that make their performance measure look good but that hurt the income they
report to shareholders. Another advantage of absorption costing is that it measures the
cost of all manufacturing resources, whether variable or fixed, necessary to produce
inventory. Many companies use inventory costing information for long-run decisions,
such as pricing and choosing a product mix. For these long-run decisions, inventory
costs should include both variable and fixed costs.
One problem with absorption costing is that it enables a manager to increase operating
income in a specific period by increasing production—even if there is no customer
demand for the additional production! By producing more ending inventory, the firm’s
margins and income can be made higher. Stassen’s managers may be tempted to do this to
get higher bonuses based on absorption-costing operating income. Generally, higher operating
income also has a positive effect on stock price, which increases managers’ stockbased
compensation.
To reduce the undesirable incentives to build up inventories that absorption costing
can create, a number of companies use variable costing for internal reporting.
Variable costing focuses attention on distinguishing variable manufacturing costs
from fixed manufacturing costs. This distinction is important for short-run decision
making (as in cost-volume-profit analysis in Chapter 3 and in planning and control in
Absorption Costing and PerformanceMeasurementAbsorption costing is the required inventory method for external reporting in most countries.Many companies use absorption costing for internal accounting as well. Why?Because it is cost-effective and less confusing to managers to use one common method ofinventory costing for both external and internal reporting and performance evaluation.A common method of inventory costing can also help prevent managers from takingactions that make their performance measure look good but that hurt the income theyreport to shareholders. Another advantage of absorption costing is that it measures thecost of all manufacturing resources, whether variable or fixed, necessary to produceinventory. Many companies use inventory costing information for long-run decisions,such as pricing and choosing a product mix. For these long-run decisions, inventorycosts should include both variable and fixed costs.One problem with absorption costing is that it enables a manager to increase operatingincome in a specific period by increasing production—even if there is no customerdemand for the additional production! By producing more ending inventory, the firm’smargins and income can be made higher. Stassen’s managers may be tempted to do this toget higher bonuses based on absorption-costing operating income. Generally, higher operatingincome also has a positive effect on stock price, which increases managers’ stockbasedcompensation.To reduce the undesirable incentives to build up inventories that absorption costingcan create, a number of companies use variable costing for internal reporting.Variable costing focuses attention on distinguishing variable manufacturing costsfrom fixed manufacturing costs. This distinction is important for short-run decisionmaking (as in cost-volume-profit analysis in Chapter 3 and in planning and control in
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
