Simulating Activity‐based Costing

Abstract

Many traditional cost accounting methods can result in distorted cost information as they allocate overheads in proportion to labour. This can result in a low technology product being overcosted and a high technology product being undercosted. Activity‐based costing (ABC) allocates costs more accurately and pinpoints areas of waste. Describes software which provides a tutorial introduction to ABC and highlights the difference between ABC and conventional cost accounting by means of simulating a production environment for the user to explore. The simulator should foster improved understanding of the opportunities of ABC.