Práticas de custos e formação de preços: um estudo com pequenas empresas de produção por encomenda do estado de São Paulo

Abstract

The management of small businesses, although less complex than large companies, requires the knowledge of important cost concepts and patterns of cost behavior to strengthen the decision making process. In this sense, the main objective of this descriptive study is to identifying the current practices of cost management and price formation used in small industrial companies. The sample was formed by five make-to-order small organizations located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The qualitative approach for this study relied on the analysis of data collected from interviews with cost managers. The results showed that small companies adopt only one practice of cost management, based on the variable costing approach, and set their product prices taking the competitor's price into greater account than their own production costs. This study also pointed out that these companies use predefined mark up rates, which are not calculated on methodological basis and can expose them to financial and market risks.