Potential benefits of operating a transfer pricing system within a divisionalised company include the following.
(a) It can lead to goal congruence by motivating divisional managers to make decisions, which improve divisional profit and improve profit of the organisation as a whole.
(b) It can prevent dysfunctional decision-making so that decisions taken by a divisional manager are in the best interests of their own part of the business, other divisions and the organisation as a whole.
(c) Transfer prices can be set at a level that enables divisional performance to be measured 'commercially'. A transfer pricing system should therefore report a level of divisional profit that is a reasonable measure of the managerial performance of the division.
(d) It should ensure that divisional autonomy is not undermined. A well-run transfer pricing system helps to ensure that a balance is kept between divisional autonomy to provide incentives and motivation, and centralised authority to ensure that the divisions are all working towards the same target; the benefit of the organisation as a whole.