This book focuses on how cost accounting helps managers make better decisions, as cost account-ants increasingly are becoming integral members of their company's decision-making teams. In order to emphasize this prominence in decision making, we use the "different costs for different purposes" theme throughout this book. By focusing on basic concepts, analyses, uses, and procedures instead of procedures alone, we recognize cost accounting as a managerial tool for business strategy and implementation. We also prepare students for the rewards and challenges they face in the professional cost ac-counting world of today and tomorrow. For example, we emphasize both the development of tech-nical skills such as Excel and big-data analytics to leverage available information technology and the values and behaviors that make cost accountants effective in the workplace