G. Charter Harrison

George Charter Harrison (1881–1959) was an Anglo-American management consultant and cost account pioneer, known for designing one of the earliest known complete standard cost systems.

G. Charter Harrison was born and educated in England and passed eighth in order of merit in the Anal examination of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. For eight years, up to October, 1916, he was employed by Price, Waterhouse & Company in various capacities: during the later part of this period as manager of the system division of that firm. From January, 1909, to February, 1911, he was comptroller for the Russell, Burdsall and Ward Bolt & Nut Company. At the latter date he returned to Price, Waterhouse & Company to take up the managership of the system division.

In November, 1916, he entered into partnership with the principals of Baker, Sutton & Company, London, England, chartered accountants, under the firm name of Baker, Sutton & Harrison, practicing in New York City. Owing to conditions brought on by the war that firm dissolved in May, 1918. Harrison took out the business and has continued it under his own name. In those days Harrison was known as a merchandising expert, and member of the National Retail Hardware Association.

Chatfield summarized that ïn 1911 Harrison "designed the earliest known complete standard cost system. He elaborated on this system in a series of articles, "Cost Accounting to Aid Production" (1918-1919). His descriptions of accounts, ledgers, and cost analysis sheets were detailed enough to be applied in cookbook fashion."

Harrison is also noted as one of the foremost pioneers of interest costs, with J. Lee Nicholson, William Morse Cole, John R. Wildman, DR Scott, D. C. Eggleston, and Thomas H. Sanders. He is also credited for coining the term "fixed budgeting."

Harrison is characterized as propagandist in the great field of productive industry. He recognized that the "objective of industry is the production of goods, that everything that hampered the productive process should be eliminated, that impatience with a factory system or detail that hindered, or at least did not help, production was natural, and that cost accounting, instead of being static in accumulating history, should be an active part of the great process of production."

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