A comparative study of the adoption and implementation of target costing in the UK, Australia and New Zealand

► Most studies on target costing (TC) do not address the levels of implementation of TC. ► These studies also assume that TC is only relevant to manufacturing firms. ► We examine the importance of attributes of TC for adopters of the technique. ► The study shows that TC is equally prevalent among manufacturing and service firms. ► The study shows a growing interest in cost-reducing strategies at the planning stage.