The Only Thing That Counts Is That Which Is Counted: a Discussion of Behavioral and Ethical Issues in Cost Accounting That Are Relevant for the Ob Professor

In an earlier article in this journal, Martin (1983) describes how a knowledge of organizational behavior (OB) can enrich a managerial ac-counting course. The converse to this is also true. Ideas from cost account-ing can provide professors of organizational theory with both a rich source of examples for the OB classroom and an agenda for potential joint research projects with accounting faculty. The following quotation il-lustrates the behavioral elements in the organizational accounting system. Ron Mannino, chairperson of the Department of Accounting at the Univer-sity of Massachusetts, summarizes the interplay of cost accounting and behavioral aspects of the organization with the expression, The only thing that counts is that which is counted. This article will present several cost accounting applications which portray the behavioral problems that arise when managers are evaluated by the same financial data used by organiza-tions for external reporting, planning and control purposes. Another concern for both OB and accounting professors is the role of