The management of a private hospital is considering the installation of an automatic telephone switchboard, which would replace a manual switchboard and eliminate the attendant operator's position. The class of service provided by the new equipment is estimated to be at least equal to the present method of operation. Five operators are needed to provide telephone service three shifts per day, 365 days per year. Each operator earns $14,000 per year. Company-paid benefits and overhead are 25% of wages. Money costs 8% after income taxes. Combined federal and state income taxes are 40%. Annual property taxes and maintenance are 2%% and 4% of investment, respectively. Depreciation is 15-year straight line. Disregarding inflation, how large an investment in the new equipment can be economically justified by savings obtained by eliminating the present equipment and labor costs? The existing equipment has zero salvage value.

The management of a private hospital is considering the installation of an automatic telephone switchboard, which would replace a manual switchboard and eliminate the attendant operator's position. The class of service provided by the new equipment is estimated to be at least equal to the present method of operation. Five operators are needed to provide telephone service three shifts per day, 365 days per year. Each operator earns $14,000 per year. Company-paid benefits and overhead are 25% of wages. Money costs 8% after income taxes. Combined federal and state income taxes are 40%. Annual property taxes and maintenance are 2%% and 4% of investment, respectively. Depreciation is 15-year straight line. Disregarding inflation, how large an investment in the new equipment can be economically justified by savings obtained by eliminating the present equipment and labor costs? The existing equipment has zero salvage value.

Cornerstones of Cost Management (Cornerstones Series)

4th Edition

ISBN:9781305970663

Author:Don R. Hansen, Maryanne M. Mowen

Publisher:Don R. Hansen, Maryanne M. Mowen

Chapter7: Allocating Costs Of Support Departments And Joint Products

Section: Chapter Questions

Problem 33P: Biotechtron, Inc., has two research laboratories in the Southwest, one in Yuma, Arizona, and the...

See similar textbooks

Similar questions

St. Johns Medical Center (SJMC) has five medical technicians who are responsible for conducting cardiac catheterization testing in SJMCs Cath Lab. Each technician is paid a salary of 36,000 and is capable of conducting 1,000 procedures per year. The cardiac catheterization equipment is one year old and was purchased for 250,000. It is expected to last five years. The equipments capacity is 25,000 procedures over its life. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis, with no salvage value expected. The reading of the catheterization results is conducted by an outside physician whose fee is 120 per test. The technicians report with the outside physicians note of results is sent to the referring physician. In addition to the salaries and equipment, SJMC spends 50,000 for supplies and other costs needed to operate the equipment (assuming 5,000 procedures are conducted). When SJMC purchased the equipment, it fully expected to perform 5,000 procedures per year. In fact, during its first year of operation, 5,000 procedures were run. However, a larger hospital has established a clinic in the city and will siphon off some of SJMCs business. During the coming years, SJMC expects to run only 4,200 cath procedures yearly. SJMC has been charging 850 for the procedureenough to cover the direct costs of the procedure plus an assignment of general overhead (e.g., depreciation on the hospital building, lighting and heating, and janitorial services). At the beginning of the second year, an HMO from a neighboring community approached SJMC and offered to send its clients to SJMC for cardiac catheterization provided that the charge per procedure would be 550. The HMO estimates that it can provide about 500 patients per year. The HMO has indicated that the arrangement is temporaryfor one year only. The HMO expects to have its own testing capabilities within one year. Required: 1. Classify the resources associated with the cardiac catheterization activity into one of the following: (1) committed resources, or (2) flexible resources. 2. Calculate the activity rate for the cardiac catheterization activity. Break the activity rate into fixed and variable components. Now, classify each activity resource as relevant or irrelevant with respect to the following alternatives: (1) accept the HMO offer, or (2) reject the HMO offer. Explain your reasoning. 3. Assume that SJMC will accept the HMO offer if it reduces the hospitals operating costs. Should the HMO offer be accepted? 4. Jerold Bosserman, SJMCs hospital controller, argued against accepting the HMOs offer. Instead, he argued that the hospital should be increasing the charge per procedure rather than accepting business that doesnt even cover full costs. He also was concerned about local physician reaction if word got out that the HMO was receiving procedures for 550. Discuss the merits of Jerolds position. Include in your discussion an assessment of the price increase that would be needed if the objective is to maintain total revenues from cardiac catheterizations experienced in the first year of operation. 5. Chandra Denton, SJMCs administrator, has been informed that one of the Cath Lab technicians is leaving for an opportunity at a larger hospital. She met with the other technicians, and they agreed to increase their hours to pick up the slack so that SJMC wont need to hire another technician. By working a couple hours extra every week, each remaining technician can perform 1,050 procedures per year. They agreed to do this for an increase in salary of 2,000 per year. How does this outcome affect the analysis of the HMO offer? 6. Assuming that SJMC wants to bring in the same revenues earned in the cardiac catheterization activitys first year less the reduction in resource spending attributable to using only four technicians, how much must SJMC charge for a procedure?
Basuras Waste Disposal Company has a long-term contract with several large cities to collect garbage and trash from residential customers. To facilitate the collection, Basuras places a large plastic container with each household. Because of wear and tear, growth, and other factors, Basuras places about 200,000 new containers each year (about 20% of the total households). Several years ago, Basuras decided to manufacture its own containers as a cost-saving measure. A strategically located plant involved in this type of manufacturing was acquired. To help ensure cost efficiency, a standard cost system was installed in the plant. The following standards have been established for the products variable inputs: During the first week in January, Basuras had the following actual results: The purchasing agent located a new source of slightly higher-quality plastic, and this material was used during the first week in January. Also, a new manufacturing process was implemented on a trial basis. The new process required a slightly higher level of skilled labor. The higher- quality material has no effect on labor utilization. However, the new manufacturing process was expected to reduce materials usage by 0.25 pound per container. Required: 1. CONCEPTUAL CONNECTION Compute the materials price and usage variances. Assume that the 0.25 pound per container reduction of materials occurred as expected and that the remaining effects are all attributable to the higher-quality material. Would you recommend that the purchasing agent continue to buy this quality, or should the usual quality be purchased? Assume that the quality of the end product is not affected significantly. 2. CONCEPTUAL CONNECTION Compute the labor rate and efficiency variances. Assuming that the labor variances are attributable to the new manufacturing process, should it be continued or discontinued? In answering, consider the new processs materials reduction effect as well. Explain. 3. CONCEPTUAL CONNECTION Refer to Requirement 2. Suppose that the industrial engineer argued that the new process should not be evaluated after only one week. His reasoning was that it would take at least a week for the workers to become efficient with the new approach. Suppose that the production is the same the second week and that the actual labor hours were 9,000 and the labor cost was 99,000. Should the new process be adopted? Assume the variances are attributable to the new process. Assuming production of 6,000 units per week, what would be the projected annual savings? (Include the materials reduction effect.)
Sacred Heart Hospital (SHH) faces skyrocketing nursing costs, all of which relate to its two biggest nursing service linesthe Emergency Room (ER) and the Operating Room (OR). SHHs current cost system assigns total nursing costs to the ER and OR based on the number of patients serviced by each line. Total hospital annual nursing costs for these two lines are expected to equal 300,000. The table below shows expected patient volume for both lines. After discussion with several experienced nurses, Jack Bauer (SHHs accountant) decided that assigning nursing costs to the two service lines based on the number of times that nurses must check patients vital signs might more closely match the underlying use of costly hospital resources. Therefore, for comparative purposes, Jack decided to develop a second cost system that assigns total nursing costs to the ER and OR based on the number of times nurses check patients vital signs. This system is referred to as the vital-signs costing system. The earlier table also shows data for vital signs checks for lines. In an effort to better plan for and control OR costs, SHH management asked Jack to calculate the flexible budget variance (i.e., flexible budget costs - actual costs) for OR nursing costs, including the price variance and efficiency variance. Given that Jack is interested in comparing the reported costs of both systems, he decided to prepare the requested OR variance analysis for both the current cost system and the vital-signs costing system. In addition, Jack chose to use each cost systems estimate of the cost per OR nursing hour as the standard cost per OR nursing hour. Jack collected the following additional information for use in preparing the flexible budget variance for both systems: Actual number of surgeries performed = 950 Standard number of nursing hours allowed for each OR surgery = 5 Actual number of OR nursing hours used = 5,000 Actual OR nursing costs = 190,000 What does each of the calculated variances suggest to Jack regarding actions that he should or should not take with respect to investigating and improving each variance? Also, briefly explain why the variances differ between the two cost systems.
Biotechtron, Inc., has two research laboratories in the Southwest, one in Yuma, Arizona, and the other in Bernalillo, New Mexico. The owner of Biotechtron centralized the legal services function in the Yuma office and had both laboratories send any legal questions or issues to the Yuma office. The legal services support center has budgeted fixed costs of 160,000 per year and a budgeted variable rate of 65 per hour of professional time. The normal usage of the legal services center is 2,600 hours per year for the Yuma office and 1,400 hours per year for the Bernalillo office. This corresponds to the expected usage for the coming year. Required: 1. Determine the amount of legal services support center costs that should be assigned to each office. 2. Since the offices produce services, not tangible products, what purpose is served by allocating the budgeted costs? 3. Now, assume that during the year, the legal services center incurred actual fixed costs of 163,000 and actual variable costs of 272,400. It delivered 4,180 hours of professional time2,580 hours to Yuma and 1,600 hours to Bernalillo. Determine the amount of the legal services centers costs that should be allocated to each office. Explain the purposes of this allocation. 4. Did the costs allocated differ from the costs incurred by the legal services center? If so, why?
Elliott, Inc., has four salaried clerks to process purchase orders. Each clerk is paid a salary of 25,750 and is capable of processing as many as 6,500 purchase orders per year. Each clerk uses a PC and laser printer in processing orders. Time available on each PC system is sufficient to process 6,500 orders per year. The cost of each PC system is 1,100 per year. In addition to the salaries, Elliott spends 27,560 for forms, postage, and other supplies (assuming 26,000 purchase orders are processed). During the year, 25,350 orders were processed. Required: 1. Classify the resources associated with purchasing as (1) flexible or (2) committed. 2. Compute the total activity availability, and break this into activity usage and unused activity. 3. Calculate the total cost of resources supplied (activity cost), and break this into the cost of activity used and the cost of unused activity. 4. (a) Suppose that a large special order will cause an additional 500 purchase orders. What purchasing costs are relevant? By how much will purchasing costs increase if the order is accepted? (b) Suppose that the special order causes 700 additional purchase orders. How will your answer to (a) change?
The management of a private hospital is considering automating some back office functions. This would replace five personnel that currently cover three shifts per day, 365 days per year. Each person earns $35,000 per year. Company-paid benefits and overhead are 45% of wages. Money costs 8% after income taxes. Combined federal and state income taxes are 28%. Annual property taxes and maintenance are and 4% of investment, respectively. Depreciation is 15-year straight line. Disregarding inflation, how large an investment in the automation project can be economically justified?
The hospital where you are employed is continuing with their analysis with the goal of opening a walk-in clinic. After conducting additional research, the financial projections for the first year of operations are as follows: Revenues (from 10,000 visits): $400,000 Wages and benefits: $220,000 Rent: $5,000 Depreciation: $30,000 Utilities: $2,500 Medical supplies: $50,000 Administrative supplies: $10,000 Assume that all costs are fixed except supply costs, which are variable. Assume that the clinic will be required to pay taxes at a 30% tax rate. Respond to the following questions. Be sure to show your work for all calculations. Prepare the clinic’s projected Profit and Loss (P&L) Statement. (8 points) What number of visits is required to break even? (3 points) What number of visits is required to provide you with an after-tax profit of $100,000? (4 points)
Alva Community Hospital has five laboratory technicians who are responsible for doing a seriesof standard blood tests. Each technician is paid a salary of $30,000. The lab facility representsa recent addition to the hospital and cost $300,000. It is expected to last 20 years. Equipmentused for the testing cost $10,000 and has a life expectancy of 5 years. In addition to the salaries,facility, and equipment, Alva expects to spend $200,000 for chemicals, forms, power, and othersupplies. This $200,000 is enough for 200,000 blood tests.Required:Assuming that the driver (measure of output) for each type of cost is the number of blood testsrun, classify the costs by completing the following table. Put an X in the appropriate box forvariable cost, discretionary fixed cost, or committed fixed cost.
Fulton National Hospital is reviewing ways of cutting the costs for stocking medical supplies. Two new stockless systems are being considered to lower the hospital's holding and handling costs. The hospital's industrial engineer has compiled the relevant financial data for each system, as follows, where dollar values are in millions: The system life of eight years represents the contract period with the medicalsuppliers. If the hospital's MARR is 10%, which system is more economical?
Humana Hospital Corporation installed a new MRI machine at a cost of $750,000 this year in its medical professional clinic in Cedar Park. This state-of-the-art system is expected to be used for 5 years and then sold for $125,000. Humana uses a return requirement of 15% per year for all of its medical diagnostic equipment. As a bioengineering student currently serving a coop semester on the management staff of Humana Hospital Corporation in Louisville, Kentucky, you are asked to determine the minimum revenue required each year to realize the expected recovery and return. If the AOC is expected to be $80,000 per year, what is the total revenue required to provide for recovery of capital, the 15% return, and the annual expenses? -258917 -343654 -285197 -334654
A hospital germ-fighting and floor cleaning robot, named Maurice, costs $104,000. Patients are billed $1 per day for Maurice’s use and upkeep. A certain 300-bed hospital is considering purchasing this robot. What is the simple payback period for Maurice? What assumptions did you make?
Lutheran Regional Hospital uses a planning process to define a new radiology service line. The decision matrix gave it a high priority, and administrators want to evaluate its financial feasibility. Estimated fixed costs are $1 million, and the estimated net reimbursement level is $1,500 per procedure. Physician and other provider salaries on a direct basis are $340 per procedure, and total operating expenses will add another $160 per procedure. If Lutheran Regional discovered a way to reduce the total initial investment to $600,000, causing the average pricing level to fall to $1,200 and the other assumptions to stay the same, how many procedures would be required to break even?