Target Costing is a process that can significantly improve new product development results in accounting, operations management, and purchasing. It can be defined as a cost management tool for reducing the overall cost of a product during its life cycle. Although the Japanese expanded the concept of Target Costing back in the 1960s, the roots of this concept can actually be traced back to World War II.
Back in World War II, product shortages contributed in US manufacturers making an effort to build the most into a product for the lowest cost possible in a process called Value Engineering. Value Engineering then evolved and became known as Target Costing after the Japanese adopted the idea. As a customer-driven, price-led, long-term profit planning system, Target Costing can be a very useful measure in saving money and in turn, making a profit. As a result, some American companies today have begun to use target costing as their form of profit planning system, such as Chrysler Corp. and The Boeing Co., despite the fact Target Costing has not caught on in the US. American manufacturers using Target Costing are light years away from having an integrated, company wide system compared to its Japanese counterparts. Perhaps because the Japanese are the main users of the Target Costing concept, and 80 percent to 85 percent of all Japanese manufacturers use this concept. These manufacturers include manufacturing giants such as Sony, Toyota, Nissan, Canon, NEC, and Olympus.
Assuming that the company’s goal is to maximize profits, the current cost system is not an appropriate tool for strategic planning. The ambiguity of the overhead costs per product makes it difficult to accurately analyze the cause and effect relationships of changes and/or improvements to specific product line.
Target has been a successful retail company coming in 2nd place behind Wal-Mart. Although these successes come in many forms, there are factors that deter Target from ever reaching first place. Target Corporation has run into a few weaknesses in the recent years. These weaknesses that Target are facing can impact their future goals. They include lawsuits that Target is facing with the recent events and not having an international presence.
Target Corporation was founded in 1902 and headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Target Corporation operates general merchandise and food discount stores throughout the United States. The company’s products range from household essentials, to electronics, to toys, to apparel and accessories, to home furnishings, to food and pet supplies. Most of the merchandise is sold under Target and SuperTarget trademarks, but it also sells under private-label brands, such as Archer Farms, Circo, Merona, and Room Essentials. The company also offers merchandise through programs like ClearRx, Great Save, and Home Design Event. Additionally, Target markets its merchandise under license and designer
Actual costing is rarely used because managers can’t wait until the end of the year to obtain product costs. Information about product costs is needed as the year goes for planning, control, and decision making.
However, as a new member with a new product, electronic product in North American market, the reputation is also an important attribute. Especially, quick delivery time is a key attribute for this company, due to the demand of quick delivery in all markets. Moreover, the manufacturing process of the new product, electronic product, on which our company will definitely focus, has a lot demands. Such as, technology, innovation and quick delivery time even the ability to make the product be the first one appearing in the market (other company, which is developing the same product, may become our competitive opponents). Especially, technology is predicted to play the most important role in the manufacturing process. On the other hand, the traditional cost system has a lot of limitations. Traditional costing system focuses on the cost reduction and the efficiency, particular the products with relatively few standardized components; Clifton, however, produces a wide range of airplane components. In addition, nonfinancial aspects of
The procurement section of Target’s supply chain is an essential part of how it replicate costs to customer requirements. The overall affiliation between customer fulfillment and the supply chain are closely linked to products that are designated based on benchmarks that have been appropriately matched to target costing structured with market criticism and feedback provided. When focusing on purchasing products to sell to customers, the organization selects and processes the best option that best matches Target’s
John Deere Component Works (JDCW), subdivision of John Deere and Co. was in charged specifically of the manufacturing of tractor component parts. The demand for JDCW’s products had problems due to the collapse of farmland value and commodity prices. Numerous and constant failures in JDCW’s competition for bids, alerted top management to start questioning their current costing methods. As an outcome, the analysis has to be guided to research on the current costing methods with the intention of establishing legitimacy and to help the company in adopting a more appropriate costing system.
Businesses – from manufacturing, merchandising and service industries alike – take careful considerations for their costing systems. Setting-up competitive prices in the market can be a result of proper costing methods. Misallocation of costs may lead to incorrect price estimates, continuous production of unprofitable products, and ineffective processing schedules. In this case study, we will discuss the costing methods Zauner Ornaments are currently using and upon conclusion, it will enable us to distinguish the advantages and disadvantages of each costing method.
with a number of strategic issues facing a capital-intensive, mature industry. Their product costing system was
John Deere Component Works (JDCW), subdivision of John Deere and Co. was in charged specifically of the manufacturing of tractor component parts. The demand for JDCW’s products had problems due to the collapse of farmland value and commodity prices. Numerous and constant failures in JDCW’s competition for bids, alerted top management to start questioning their current costing methods. As an outcome, the analysis has to be guided to research on the current costing methods with the intention of establishing legitimacy and to help the company in adopting a more appropriate costing system.
INTRODUCTION Businesses – from manufacturing, merchandising and service industries alike – take careful consideration in the analysis of their costing systems in order to be able to set up competitive prices in the market. Misallocation of costs may lead to incorrect price estimates, continuous production of unprofitable products, and ineffective processing schedules. In this case study, we will discuss the costing methods which Zauner Ornaments have used or is currently using and, in conclusion, be able to distinguish the advantages and disadvantages of each costing method. CASE CONTEXT The case seeks to assist Zauner’s comptroller, Yu Chia-yi, in determining the best costing method for their overhead costs. In addition we also aim to
Based on the real world functioning of businesses, every organization that deals with the process of manufacturing of certain products operates in accordance with the main principle of maximizing its profits. During the performance of daily activities, many business managers face a series of questions related to planning, control and decision making. In order to give answers to all these questions, an additional analysis needs to be considered. It is very important for managers to plan carefully how they are going to generate sufficient money to pay down costs and, in this way to result with a profit. As managers are interested in having the adequate information about the influence that certain actions might have on the profitability of the business, "Cost Volume and Profit" analysis plays a significant role by being a potential tool in facilitating the process of making the right decisions regarding planning and control in order to add value to the company. (Trifan and Anton, 2011). To further illustrate the essential impact that CVP analysis has on management authorities in making better decisions, I will refer to and analyze the case of the Hampshire Company which follows as below.
Cost volume profit (CVP) analysis and costing for the 21st century has evolved into a very complex and difficult paradigm. Even the most gifted accountants find that grasping the entire concept of accounting for a corporation can be very mind-boggling and difficult. Yet, understanding such a fundamental principle can allow corporations to grow in ways that other, less educated, corporations can never dream to achieve and simultaneously understand the ‘bottom-line’. In this paper we will discuss value costing in the 21st century, other relevant costing methods, and the relevancy of CVP in today’s workplace.
3.1 Target costing: It is the estimated price for a product that customers will be willing to pay. The estimates are made on an understanding of customers’ perceived value for a product and competitors responses. Example is in Appendix5. Benefits of target costing at the distribution centres are like helping identify value and non value activities, helping cut costs (material, handling, transportation, installation cost),Increasing
During the 1980s the limitations of traditional product costing systems began to be widely publicised. These systems were designed decades ago when most companies manufactured a narrow range of products, and direct labour and materials were the dominant factory costs. Overhead costs were relatively small, and the distortions arising from inappropriate overhead allocations were not significant. Information processing costs were high, and it was therefore difficult to justify more sophisticated overhead allocation methods.