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Chapter 17, Problem 17.3CP

Factory overhead rate

Salvo Inc., a specialized equipment manufacturer, uses a job order costing system. The overhead is allocated to jobs on the basis of direct labor hours. The overhead race is now $1,500 per direct labor hour. The design engineer thinks that this is illogical. The design engineer has started the following:

Our accounting system doesn’t make any sense to me. It tells me that every labor hour carries an additional burden of $1,500. This means that direct labor makes up only 6% of our total product cost yet it drives all our costs. In addition, these rates give my design engineers incentives to "design out" direct labor by using machine technology. Yet, over the past years as we have had less and less direct labor, the overhead rate keeps going up and up. I won’t be surprised if next year the rate is $2,000 per direct labor hour. I’m also concerned because small errors in our estimates of the direct labor content can have a large impact on our estimated costs. Just a 30-minute error in our estimate of assembly time is worth $750. Small mistakes in our direct labor time estimates really swing our bids around. I think this puts us at a disadvantage when we are going after business.

  1. 1. What is the engineer’s concern about the overhead rate going “up and up”?
  2. 2. What did the engineer mean about the large overhead rate being a disadvantage when placing bids and seeking new business?
  3. 3. What do you think is a possible solution?
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Chapter 17 Solutions

Bundle: Financial & Managerial Accounting, Loose-leaf Version, 13th + CengageNOWv2, 1 term (6 months) Printed Access Card Corporate Financial ... Access Card for Managerial Accounting, 13th

Ch. 17 - Issuance of materials On April 6, Almerinda...Ch. 17 - Prob. 17.1BPECh. 17 - Direct labor costs During April, Almerinda Company...Ch. 17 - Direct labor costs During August, Rothchild...Ch. 17 - Factory overhead costs During April, Almerinda...Ch. 17 - Prob. 17.3BPECh. 17 - Applying factory overhead Almerinda Company...Ch. 17 - Prob. 17.4BPECh. 17 - Job costs At the end of April, Almerinda Company...Ch. 17 - Job costs At the end of August, Rothchild Company...Ch. 17 - Prob. 17.6APECh. 17 - Prob. 17.6BPECh. 17 - Transactions in a job order cost system Five...Ch. 17 - Cost flow relationships The following information...Ch. 17 - Cost of materials issuances under the FIFO method...Ch. 17 - Entry for issuing materials Materials issued for...Ch. 17 - Entries for materials Eclectic Ergonomics Company...Ch. 17 - Prob. 17.6EXCh. 17 - Entry for factory labor costs The weekly time...Ch. 17 - Prob. 17.8EXCh. 17 - Factory overhead rates, entries, and account...Ch. 17 - Predetermined factory overhead rate Spring Street...Ch. 17 - Predetermined factory overhead rate Poehling...Ch. 17 - Entry for jobs completed; cost of unfinished jobs...Ch. 17 - Entries for factory costs and jobs completed Old...Ch. 17 - Financial statements of a manufacturing firm The...Ch. 17 - Decision making with job order costs Alvarez...Ch. 17 - Prob. 17.16EXCh. 17 - Job order cost accounting for a service company...Ch. 17 - Job order cost accounting for a service company...Ch. 17 - Entries for costs in a job order cost system...Ch. 17 - Prob. 17.2APRCh. 17 - Job order cost sheet Remnant Carpet Company sells...Ch. 17 - Analyzing manufacturing cost accounts Fire Rock...Ch. 17 - Flow of costs and income statement Ginocera Inc....Ch. 17 - Entries for costs in a job order cost system Royal...Ch. 17 - Entries and schedules for unfinished jobs and...Ch. 17 - Job order cost sheet Stretch and Trim Carpet...Ch. 17 - Analyzing manufacturing cost accounts Clapton...Ch. 17 - Prob. 17.5BPRCh. 17 - Managerial analysis The controller of the plant of...Ch. 17 - Job order decision making and rate deficiencies...Ch. 17 - Factory overhead rate Salvo Inc., a specialized...Ch. 17 - Recording manufacturing costs Todd Lay just began...Ch. 17 - Prob. 17.5CP
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