Question

A traditional GAAP income statement does not help managers to predict the financial results of their decisions. Which of the following is a reason for this shortcoming?

a. The GAAP statement is based on cost function rather than cost behavior.
b. The GAAP statement is based on classification rather than function.
c. The GAAP statement is based on cost behavior rather than cost function.
d. The GAAP statement is based on function rather than classification.

Answer 1

A) The GAAP statement is based on cost function rather than cost behavior.

Step-by-step explanation:

Income statements that follow GAAP rules categorizes expenses based on their business function: product, selling or administrative.

While cost behavior categorizes costs based on how they influence a company's activities: variable, fixed and mixed. When a manager wants to measure the impact of any decision he/she makes, they need to use this type of categorization. For example, if fixed costs increase, what is the new break even point? If variable costs decrease, how is the marginal cost affected?