By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Discover the importance of analyzing and managing costs
• Develop important tools for planning and decision making
• Explain Activity-Based Costing (ABC) and Activity-Based Management (ABM)
• Estimate costs and allocate them properly
• Evaluate and manage performance through strategic cost management

Target Audience:

Financial managers or directors, accountants, financial assistants, budget accountants, analysts, budget and planning managers and coordinators, operations managers, facilities managers and professionals interested in cost management.

Target Competencies :

Distinguishing relevant costs
• Analyzing costs
• Allocating costs
• Calculating product costs using different methods
• Assessing value adding costs
• Choosing between cost alternatives
• Advising management to buy or manufacture
• Evaluating performance

This course aims at making this advanced subject easier for participants to understand by covering the material using several examples and exercises. In addition, there will be explanations from the subject matter expert and a sharing of knowledge between participants.

Strategic need for analyzing and managing costs

o Definition of cost management
o Dimensions of cost management
o Product costing systems: concepts and design issues
o Cost behavior, types and hierarchy
o Cost accumulation job shop
o Batch production operations
o Variable versus absorption costing

• Cost management decisions
o Decision making process
o Identifying relevant costs
o Evaluating alternatives
o Outsourcing decisions : make or buy
o Add or drop product or business line
o Replacing equipment
o Special order pricing decisions

• Activity based management
o ABC systems
o Analyzing value added versus non value added activities
o Activity-based management

Managing customer profitability
o Managing quality and time to create value

• Cost estimation and transfer pricing
o Cost estimation techniques
o Identifying and choosing a cost driver
o Simple regression analysis
o Multiple regression analysis
o High-low method
o Applications in Microsoft Excel
o Allocating costs of support departments
o Direct method
o Step method
o Reciprocal method
o Inter-group transfer pricing issues

• Evaluating and managing performance
o Cost, volume, profit analysis
o Breakeven point
o Breakeven point for multiple products
o Target income
o Operating leverage
o Margin of safety
o Managing scarce resources
o Flexible budget
o Activity-based budgeting
o Strategy, balanced scorecards and performance measurement

BTS attendance certificate will be issued to all attendees completing minimum of 80% of the total course duration