Final answer:
The question about Minstrel Manufacturing using a job order costing system highlights the accounting process of tracking production costs for individual jobs in manufacturing. The mechanization of industry and the historical evolution of manufacturing have impacted such costing systems. Job order costing is essential in modern manufacturing environments to monitor materials, labor, and overhead for specific orders.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to Minstrel Manufacturing, which operates on a job order costing system. This cost accounting system is applied in environments where goods are produced to specific order. An understanding of the mechanization of the textile industry shows its evolution from manual home production to industrial-scale factory output. For instance, previously, spinning yards of fabrics were done at home, but mechanization moved this to factories, greatly increasing productivity. Similarly, job cost accounting would be critical in tracking the costs associated with specific jobs in such a manufacturing environment, which could include materials, labor, and overhead.
Diving into historical context, the rise of industrial production in the South and the increase of railroads during the 1870s and 1880s supports the fact that manufacturing systems, like job order costing, have been subject to significant evolution based on technological and societal changes. Originally, Southern poverty was exploited with lower wages for women and children, which in turn, impacted the manufacturing processes and costs associated with production. Apprenticeships in the Colonial era also contributed to the skilled labor pool that would later become integral in industrial manufacturing settings.
Considering the transition to factory-based production and the historical context of manufacturing evolution, Minstrel Manufacturing's job order costing system represents a modern approach to tracking and managing the costs associated with producing goods on a job-by-job basis.