The correct answer is: C. Management accounting
Management accounting is a branch of accounting that provides financial and non-financial information to managers within an organization to assist them in decision-making. It is used to plan, control, and evaluate the performance of the organization.
Management accounting helps in ascertaining costs beforehand by providing managers with information on the costs of different activities and products. This information can be used to make decisions about pricing, production, and marketing.
Financial accounting, on the other hand, is a branch of accounting that is concerned with the preparation of financial statements for external users, such as investors, creditors, and regulators. Financial accounting does not provide information on costs in the same way as management accounting.
None of the other options are correct.