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The traditional view of cost behavior assumes a simple mechanistic relation between cost drivers and costs. In contrast, contemporary cost management research recognizes that costs are caused by managers' operating decisions subject to various constraints, incentives, and psychological biases. This conceptual innovation opens up the “black box” of cost behavior and gives researchers a powerful new way to use observed cost behavior as a lens to study the determinants and the consequences of managers' operating decisions. Banker and Byzalov (2014) presented an overview of the economic theory of cost behavior and major estimation issues. The research literature on cost management has grown rapidly in the past few years and has enhanced the understanding of how managerial decisions influence observed costs. In this study, we provide a comprehensive review of recent findings and insights, with a particular emphasis on the implications of cost management for understanding issues in cost, managerial, and financial accounting, and challenges and opportunities for future research.

Vertical distribution of bacterial community structure was investigated in the sediments of two eutrophic lakes of China, Lake Taihu and Lake Xuanwu. Profiles of bacterial communities were generated using a molecular fingerprinting technique, denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) followed by DNA sequence analysis, and the results were interpreted with multivariate statistical analysis. To assess changes in the genetic diversity of bacterial communities with changing depth, DGGE banding patterns were analysed by cluster analysis. Distinct clusters were recognized in different sampling stations of Lake Taihu. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) was carried out to infer the relationship between environmental variables and bacterial community structure. DGGE samples collected at the same sampling site clustered together in both lakes. Total phosphorus, organic matter and pH were considered to be the key factors driving the changes in bacterial community composition.