Contrary to the traditions of banking itself, which stretch back many centuries, cost accounting within banks is still in its relative infancy. It was only in the 1920s that any intensive theoretical or practical efforts were made to break down and understand the cost structures of banks. This...

In many sectors of the health care system, prices at which providers are reimbursed by payers are not determined by the market mechanism, but rather by a defined administrative process. Depending on the sector, prices are set "politically" and are negotiated between different actors or are...