Chapter 5: Cost Behavior: Analysis and Use
As we shall see in later chapters, the ability to predict how costs respond to changes in activity is critical for making decisions, controlling operations, and evaluating performance. Three major classifications of costs were discussed in this chapter—variable, fixed, and mixed. Mixed costs consist of variable and fixed elements and can be expressed in equation form as Y = a + bX, where X is the activity, Y is the cost, a is the fixed cost element, and b is the variable cost per unit of activity.
Several methods can be used to estimate the fixed and variable cost components of a mixed cost using past records of cost and activity. If the relation between cost and activity appears to be linear
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|(Appendix 5A) Analyze a mixed cost using the least-squares regression method. |
Key terms:
|Account analysis |A method for analyzing cost behavior in which an account is classified as either variable or fixed based on |
| |the analyst 's prior knowledge of how the cost in the account behaves. |
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|Activity base |A measure of whatever causes the
2.) What is the ‘relevant range’ for the cost structure? In other words, at what volume might you expect the fixed and variable costs to change appreciably?
Managerial accounting is essential for decision making. Making the best choice depends on the manager's goals, the anticipated results from each alternative, and the information available when the decision is made (Schneider, 2012). The different techniques associated with managerial accounting are very helpful in the decisions that need to be made. In order to truly understand decision making with managerial accounting one must first discern exactly what managerial accounting means and some of the techniques associated with it. The definition of managerial accounting will be discussed along with the techniques of cost management techniques, budgeting, and quality control.
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To effectively plan overhead costs for a product the management must aim to eliminate activities that do not add any value to the product in question. The process of costing is very important in that it supplies information on evaluation and control to various aspects of a business enterprise. Variance measures price and quantity differences that occur in any budgeted and actual prices and quantities. There exist a difference between fixed overhead spending variance and variable overhead spending variance in that the fixed overhead spending variance does not include estimation error while variable spending variable does.
Section “Cost behaviour analysis” – A mixed cost contains a variable cost element and a fixed
3. Under the new activity-based costing (ABC) system, compute the indirect cost allocation rates for each of the three activities:
(a) The activity index identifies the activity that causes changes in the behavior of costs. Once the index is determined, it is possible to classify the behavior of costs in response to changes in activity levels into three categories: variable, fixed, or mixed. (b) Variable costs may be defined in total or on a per-unit basis. Variable costs in total vary directly and proportionately with changes in the activity level. Variable costs per unit remain the same at every level of activity. Fixed costs remain the same in total regardless of changes in the activity level. In contrast, fixed costs per unit vary inversely with activity. As volume increases, fixed costs per unit decline and vice versa. (a) The relevant range is the range of activity over which a company expects to operate during the year. (b) Disagree. The behavior of both fixed and variable costs are linear only over a certain range of activity. CVP analysis is based on the assumption that both fixed and variable costs remain linear within the relevant range. This is true. Most companies operate within the relevant range. Within this range, it is possible to establish a linear (straight-line) relationship for both variable and fixed costs. If a relevant range cannot be established, segregation of costs into fixed and variable becomes extremely difficult. Apartment rent is
We will examine the given data from the case and compare the unit costs from the company’s current costing system (traditional costing) and from activity-based costing. We will also highlight other qualitative data in consideration with the numerical factors that may result to a significant change on our recommendation.
1. Distinguish between variable and fixed costs. Variable costs are costs that vary in total directly and proportionately with changes in the activity index. Fixed costs are costs that remain the same in total regardless of changes in the activity index. 2. Explain the significance of the relevant range. The relevant range is the range of activity in which a company expects to operate during a year. It is important in CVP analysis because the behavior of costs is assumed to be linear throughout the relevant range. 3. Explain the concept of mixed costs. Mixed costs increase
With this system each customer’s order cost the same amount to complete causing orders with high profit limits to subsidized orders with low profit limits making it difficult for Super Bakery to know the true cost for an order. The company changed to the activity-based costing (ABC) system allowing the managers the ability to recognize the cost and profit margins for each sale. The ABC system associates the costs with the activities allowing managers the opportunity to access a system that allocates overhead costs that uses multiple bases. Costs can be traced back to each individual’s account regardless of the product provider letting managers know which products are profitable and which ones are not. The traditional costing system allocates cost to departments or jobs instead of overhead cost pools. The traditional costing system makes it difficult to know which activity or product is making a profit.
For instance, the concept of cost estimation which assists in estimating future expenditure as the expenditure depends on the cost of the respective activities can be applied in the setting of a budget which is simply an estimate and schedule of all costs required to be assigned to an activity. One can make an estimation of the resources required for an activity by applying the cost estimation techniques. Since there are limiting factors to each activity such as scarcity of resources for activities, the concept of constraints can be applied together with the concept of cost volume profit analysis to ensure that maximum benefits are driven from the scarce resources and the number of activities that are available. This facilitates the allocation of resources that most equitable and profitable. The theory of constraints is also applicable in the process of setting up budgets. In setting up budget one considers the amount of resources that are available and cannot therefore set a budget plan that exceeds the amount of resources that are available. This implies that the budget is constrained by the amount of
The cost concept AFC Avrage fix cost provaids a company with information about the total fixed cost per unit
The aim of this essay is to explain the purposes of full absorption product costs which are categorized into traditional method and Activity-Based-Costing (ABC) system; to examine the benefit of ABC system that outweigh traditional method; to analyse the survey finding that only about 15 per cent of companies surveyed use ABC system; and to justify why ABC system has been found to be more useful in financial and service organisations.
Cost behavior is one of the most important aspect which helps in analyzing the nature and responses of different costs. Generally the cost behavior is breakdown of costs into fixed and variable components. The cost behavior is usually analyzed with the help of CVP analysis. The cost behavior patterns are analyzed by cost-volume-profit analysis, including the calculation of a firm 's break-even point in units and sales dollars.
b) b) b) how to split their total costs into their fixed and variable components if asked!