Cost Control: The Definition of Standard Cost

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Introduction:
Definition of standard cost according to the CIMA London, “predetermined cost which is calculated from management’s standards of efficient operations and relevant necessary expenditure.” They are the predetermined costs on technical estimate of material labor and overhead for a selected period of time and for prescribed set of working conditions. In other words, a standard cost is a planned cost for a unit of product or service rendered. (Langfield- Smith, 2009)
The technique of using standard cost for the purposes of cost control is known as standard costing. It is a system of cost accounting which is designed to find out how much should be the cost of a product under the existing conditions. The actual cost can be ascertained only when production is undertaken. The predetermined cost is compared to actual cost and the variance between the two, enables the management to take necessary measures.
Standard costing is a vital sub topic of costing accounting .Standard costing is generally related with cost of direct material, direct labor and manufacturing overhead of manufacturing company. Rather than assigning actual cost of direct material, direct labor and manufacturing overhead to a product. Many manufacturers assign the expected or standard cost. This means that manufacturer’s inventories and cost of goods sold will begin with standard cost, not the actual costs. As a result there are almost always differences between the actual cost and the standard costs, and those differences are known as variances. (Langfield- Smith, 2009). The two underlying principles of standard costing are:
1. A standard set before a period is a satisfactory measure throughout the
Period.
2. The performance is acceptable if it meets th...

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