Studying cost accounting is one of the best business invesment a student can make. Why? Because success in any business- from the smallest corner store to the largest multinational corporation- requires the use of cost accounting principel and pratices. Cost accounting provides key data to manager for planning and controlling, as well as for costing products, services and customers. Today expecially, as more and more cost accountant are being called on to become decisions makers instead of data provider, our theme of different cost for different purposes, wich we stress throughout the book, is essential for a thorough and useful accounting education. By focusing on basic concept, analyses, uses, and procedures instead of procedures alone. We recognize cost accounting as a managerial tool for business strategy and implementation, and we also prepare student for the rewards and challenges facing them in the world of professional cost accounting both today and tomorrow. In this edition for example, we emphasize both the development of analytical skills such as excel to levearge available information technology and also the values and behaviors that make cost accountants affective in the workplace.