Cost accounting: the vital link to cost effectiveness.

Cost accounting--the identification, allocation, and measurement of costs incurred and values received--is the information complement to cost-effectiveness in foodservice management. It is a necessary adjunct to and entirely compatible with the professional skills of dietitians and foodservice administrators. Cost accounting provides the information for making decisions which enhance both the effectiveness (doing the right things) and the efficiency (doing things right). Cost accounting assists in maintaining the economic harmony of foodservice decisions and provides the proof that the right decisions were made. The heads-up professional will learn to make cost accounting work for survival and success in the arena of foodservice administration.