In a process cost system who is a production cost report prepared for?
In a process cost system, a production cost report is prepared by management for management. The purpose is to determine the efficiency of the production operation and examine cost reducing alternatives. An example of a business that would use a process cost system would be a manufacturer that continuously produces a homogeneous product. For example, a soda bottling company produces the same product day after day. The costs associated with producing that product include the raw materials or ingredients, direct labor and factory overhead. This is contrasted with the cost system used by a printing company. In the latter case, the company would use a job order costing system. The job order costing system would specify the costs associated with producing a particular job order. In the example of a printing company, there would be a set-up charge that would depend on the work involved in preparing the job.