Customer-cost hierarchy, customer profitability. Louise Newman operates Interiors by Louise, an interior design consulting and window treatment fabrication business. Her business is made up of two different distribution channels, a consulting business in which Louise serves two architecture firms (Adams and Betz) and a commercial window treatment business in which Louise designs and constructs window treatments for three commercial clients (Chatham, Dedham, and Elm). Louise would like to evaluate the profitability of her two architecture firm clients and three commercial window treatment clients, as well as evaluate the profitability of each of the two channels and the business as a whole. Information about her most recent quarter follow:
Overhead costs total $340,400. Louise has determined that 25% of her overhead costs relate directly to her architectural business, 40% relate directly to her window treatment business, and the remainder are corporate overhead costs.
On the revenues indicated above, Louise gave a 10% discount to Adams in order to lure it away from a competitor and gave a 5% discount to Elm for advance payment in cash.
- 1. Prepare a customer-cost hierarchy report for Interiors by Louise, using the format in Figure 14-6.
Required
- 2. Prepare a customer-profitability analysis for the five customers, using the format in Figure 14-4.
- 3. Comment on the results of the preceding reports. What recommendations would you give Louise?
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionChapter 14 Solutions
COST ACCOUNTING
- The Chocolate Baker specializes in chocolate baked goods. The firm has long assessed the profitability of a product line by comparing revenues to the cost of goods sold. However, Barry White, the firms new accountant, wants to use an activity-based costing system that takes into consideration the cost of the delivery person. Following are activity and cost information relating to two of Chocolate Bakers major products: Using activity-based costing, which of the following statements is correct? a. The muffins are 2,000 more profitable. b. The cheesecakes are 75 more profitable. c. The muffins are 1,925 more profitable. d. The muffins have a higher profitability as a percentage of sales and, therefore, are more advantageous.arrow_forwardAssign the customer-related activity costs to each customer type using activity rates. Now calculate the profitability of each customer category. As a manager, how would you use this information? Emery Company sells small machine parts to heavy equipment manufacturers for an average price of 1.05 per part. There are two types of customers: those who place small, frequent orders and those who place larger, less frequent orders. Each time an order is placed and processed, a setup is required. Scheduling is also needed to coordinate the many different orders that come in and place demands on the plants manufacturing resources. Emery also inspects a sample of the products each time a batch is produced to ensure that the customers specifications have been met Inspection takes essentially the same time regardless of the type of part being produced. Emerys Cost Accounting Department has provided the following budgeted data for customer-related activities and costs (the amounts expected for the coming year): Required: 1. Assign the customer-related activity costs to each category of customers in proportion to the sales revenue earned by each customer type. Calculate the profitability of each customer type. Discuss the problems with this measure of customer profitability.arrow_forwardA large company sells a range of electrical, clothing, and homeware products through a chain of department stores. The main administration functions are provided from the company’s head office. Each department store has its own warehouse which receives goods that are delivered from a central distribution centre. The company currently measures profitability by product group for each store using an absorption costing system. All overhead costs are charged to product groups based on sales revenue. Overhead costs account for approximately one-third of total costs and the directors are concerned about the arbitrary nature of the current method used to charge these costs to product groups. A consultant has been appointed to analyse the activities that are undertaken in the department stores and to establish an activity-based costing system. The consultant has identified the following data for the latest period for each of the product groups for the X town store in the image below: (a)…arrow_forward
- Please answer the 2 questions below: Chocolate Bars, Inc. (CBI), manufactures creamy deluxe chocolate candy bars. The firm has developed three distinct products: Almond Dream, Krispy Krackle, and Creamy Crunch. CBI is profitable, but management is quite concerned about the profitability of each product and the product costing methods currently employed. In particular, management questions whether the overhead allocation base of direct labor-hours accurately reflects the costs incurred during the production process of each product. In reviewing cost reports with the marketing manager, Steve Hoffman, who is the cost accountant, notices that Creamy Crunch appears exceptionally profitable and that Almond Dream appears to be produced at a loss. This surprises both him and the manager, and after much discussion, they are convinced that the cost accounting system is at fault and that Almond Dream is performing very well at the current market price. Steve decides to hire Jean Sharpe, a…arrow_forwardClassify the following costs of this new product as direct materials, direct labor, manufacturing overhead, selling, or administrative 1. President's salary. 2. Packages used to hold the skin wipes. 3. Cleaning materials used to clean the skin wipe packages. 4. Wages of workers who package the product. 5. Cost of advertising the product. 6. The salary of the supervisor of the workers who package the product. 7. Cost accountant's salary (the accountant works in the factory). 8. Cost of a market research survey. 9. Sales commissions paid as a percent of sales. 10. Depreciation of administrative office building. Problem B Classify the costs listed in the previous problem as either product costs or period costs.arrow_forwardActivity-Based Costing; Customer Group Cost Analysis Franklin Furniture Inc. (FFI) manufactures bedroom furniture in sets (a set includes a dresser, two queen-size beds, and one bedsidetable) for use in motels and hotels. FFI has three customer groups, which it calls the value, quality,and luxury groups. The value products are targeted to low-price motels that are looking for simplefurniture, while the luxury furniture is targeted to the very best hotels. The value line is attractive toa variety of hotels and motels that appreciate the combination of quality and value. Currently therehas been a small increase in the quality and value lines, and an appreciable increase in demand in theluxury line, reflecting cyclical changes in the marketplace. Luxury hotels are now in more demandfor business travel, while a few years ago, the value segment was the most popular for business travelers. FFI wants to be able to respond to the increased demand with increased production but worriesabout the…arrow_forward
- Identify the type of responsibility center (revenue center, cost center, profit center, or investment center) for each of the following situations. the legal department for Avon Manufacturing. Cost center the Macy’s store in Mansfield, Ohio Investment center the food and beverage division of the Best Western the marketing department of the Hershey Company the Walmart #5030 on Central Avenue in Toledo, Ohio Apple’s Braeburn Capital Inc., where most of Apple’s billions of dollars are invested Zappo’s department store the men’s clothing department in the Walmart #5030 in Toledo, Ohioarrow_forwardClassification of costs, service sector. Market Focus is a marketing research firm that organizes focus groups for consumer-product companies. Each focus group has eight individuals who are paid $60 per session to provide comments on new products. These focus groups meet in hotels and are led by a trained, independent marketing specialist hired by Market Focus. Each specialist is paid a fixed retainer to conduct a minimum number of sessions and a per session fee of $2,200. A Market Focus staff member attends each session to ensure that all the logistical aspects run smoothly. Direct or indirect (D or I) costs of each individual focus group. Variable or fixed (V or F) costs of how the total costs of Market Focus change as the number of focus groups conducted changes. (If in doubt, select on the basis of whether the total costs will change substantially if there is a large change in the number of groups conducted.) You will have two answers (D or I; V or F) for each of the following…arrow_forwardTaylor Construction builds custom homes in Dallas, Texas. Brandon Taylor knows that his future depends on the quality of the homes he builds and the service he provides to customers. Most new-customer sales arise from word-of-mouth advertising by former customers.Identify the balanced scorecard perspective for each measure in the exercise. Perspective a. Number of customer complaints Internal business processesCustomerLearning & growthFinancial b. Employee turnover Learning & growthFinancialInternal business processesCustomer c. Net profit per house constructed Learning & growthFinancialInternal business processesCustomer d. Turnaround time on customer design changes Learning & growthInternal business processesCustomerFinancial e. Hours of training per employee Learning & growthFinancialInternal business processesCustomer f. Average labor cost per house CustomerLearning &…arrow_forward
- Value chain classifications Match each of the following cost items with the value chain business function where you would expect the cost to be incurred: Business Function Cost Item Answera. Research and development 1. Labor time to repair products under warrantyb. Design 2. TV commercial spotsc. Production 3. Labor costs of fi lling customer ordersd. Marketing 4. Testing of competitor’s producte. Distribution 5. Direct manufacturing labor costsf. Customer service 6. Development of order tracking system forthe Internet7. Printing cost of new product brochures8. Hours spent designing childproof bottles9. Training costs for representatives to staff the customer call center10. Installation of robotics equipment in manufacturing plantarrow_forwardWorld View Outfitters operates a large outdoor clothing and equipment store with three main product lines: clothing, equipment, and shoes. World View Outfitters operates at capacity and allocates selling, general, and administration (S, G & A) costs to each product line using the cost of merchandise of each product line. The company wants to optimize the pricing and cost management of each product line and is wondering if its accounting system is providing it with the best information for making such decisions. Store manager Abe Barry gathers the following information regarding the three product lines: For2017,World View Outfitters budgets the following selling, general, and administration costs: 1. Suppose World View Outfitters uses cost of merchandise to allocate all S, G & A costs. Prepare budgeted product-line and total company income statements. 2. Identify an improved method for allocating costs to the three product lines. Explain. Use the…arrow_forwardAccounting Areen has just been employed as a Trainee Management Accountant by Sarween & Sons, a newly established manufacturing company in Duhok. Areen is one of the seven members of a committee recently set up by the managing director of Sarween & Sons to advise the company on the benefits of changing its product costing method from Absorption costing to Activity Based Costing. As part of this project, Areen has come to you - the Finance Manager to ask for help with understanding the differences between activity-based costing and strategic activity-based management. Required: Explain how you would be of help to Areen?arrow_forward
- Cornerstones of Cost Management (Cornerstones Ser...AccountingISBN:9781305970663Author:Don R. Hansen, Maryanne M. MowenPublisher:Cengage LearningManagerial AccountingAccountingISBN:9781337912020Author:Carl Warren, Ph.d. Cma William B. TaylerPublisher:South-Western College PubFinancial And Managerial AccountingAccountingISBN:9781337902663Author:WARREN, Carl S.Publisher:Cengage Learning,