Sugarcane industries usually deal with several operation problems mainly due to seasonality. On the other hand, they also face many administrative difficulties; particularly when it comes to issues related to and manpower employment and control which require a broad range of skills and abilities, from a simple manual labor to jobs skilled trade jobs. These factors associated to the fact that sugarcane is a permanent crop can lead to cost accounting problems. The purpose of this study is to use the action research methodology as well as the methods and techniques of Business Processes Modeling to identify manpower cost drivers and to support the development of a distribution and allocation automation system for cost accounting. The method of action research used was based on that proposed by McKay and Marshall, which proved efficient and effective in diagnosing organizational problems and providing solutions.
Action research; Business processes modeling; Cost drivers; Agri-business
