Final answer:
A manufacturing environment that uses job order costing is characterized by d) differentiated products, which require a unique set of materials and labor for each individual product.
Step-by-step explanation:
The characteristic of a manufacturing environment that would use job order costing is d) differentiated products. Job order costing is suitable for industries where products are unique or require different amounts of resources, allowing for a specific cost to be associated with each job. Unlike environments with standardized production processes and homogeneous products, job order costing thrives where each product is customized or produced in a different way, demanding a unique set of materials and labor. This cost system contrasts with industries focused on continuous manufacturing and economies of scale, where processes are optimized for producing large quantities of identical items using a standardized method.