ACCOUNTING TOOLS VS. LOGISTICS COSTS CONTROL IN A TRADING COMPANY

 Background: Logistics costs constitute an important part of trading companies' costs. The main problem in logistics costs management is the fact that these costs are not included in financial statements. The profit and loss statement includes control accounts exclusively. This article discusses the accounting tools that may be used in trading companies in order to improve present logistics costs and the management thereof.

Methods: In the article, the author gives examples of how accounting tools are applied in trading companies operating in the same industry. On the basis of the financial statements from selected companies for  2013-2015, the way to use the basic tools of accounting in business management are presented. For this purpose a system of full-cost accounting with the use of analytical accounts of logistics is presented, along with a preliminary analysis of the balance sheet and an indicative analysis of costs for logistics.

Results: The article is based on a review of the literature and the financial statements of the companies surveyed. The model solutions for the cost analysis and cost management presented herein make it possible to create a detailed analysis of logistics costs and assess how effectively they are managed . In this way, the foundations for further analyses related to logistics costs management are laid.

Conclusions: The work presents the accounting tools that assist the decision-making processes in the management of logistics costs. In the article, an example of the plan of sub-accounts for the logistics costs of trading companies is presented. Furthermore, the cost accounting system for the accounts of group 4 and 5 in trading companies is shown, together with the benefits that this accounting system brings for the companies. The author also presents preparatory and index analyses as the basic tools that assess the effectiveness of logistics costs management.