Concept explainers
Maxey & Sons manufactures two types of storage cabinets—Type A and Type B—and applies manufacturing
The controller, who is studying the use of activity-based costing, has determined that the firm’s overhead can be identified with three activities: manufacturing setups, machine processing, and product shipping. Data on the number of setups, machine hours, and outgoing shipments, which are the activities’ three respective cost drivers, follow.
The firm’s total overhead of $3,080,000 is subdivided as follows: manufacturing setups, $672,000; machine processing. $1,848,000: and product shipping, $560,000.
Required:
- 1. Compute the unit
manufacturing cost of Type A and Type B storage cabinets by using the company’s current overhead costing procedures. - 2. Compute the unit manufacturing cost of Type A and Type B storage cabinets by using activity-based costing.
- 3. Is the cost of the Type A storage cabinet overstated or understated (i.e., distorted) by the use of machine hours to allocate total manufacturing overhead to production? By how much?
- 4. Assume that the current selling price of a Type A storage cabinet is $260 and the marketing manager is contemplating a $30 discount to stimulate volume. Is this discount advisable? Briefly discuss.
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Managerial Accounting: Creating Value in a Dynamic Business Environment
- Evans, Inc., has a unit-based costing system. Evanss Miami plant produces 10 different electronic products. The demand for each product is about the same. Although they differ in complexity, each product uses about the same labor time and materials. The plant has used direct labor hours for years to assign overhead to products. To help design engineers understand the assumed cost relationships, the Cost Accounting Department developed the following cost equation. (The equation describes the relationship between total manufacturing costs and direct labor hours; the equation is supported by a coefficient of determination of 60 percent.) Y=5,000,000+30X,whereX=directlaborhours The variable rate of 30 is broken down as follows: Because of competitive pressures, product engineering was given the charge to redesign products to reduce the total cost of manufacturing. Using the above cost relationships, product engineering adopted the strategy of redesigning to reduce direct labor content. As each design was completed, an engineering change order was cut, triggering a series of events such as design approval, vendor selection, bill of materials update, redrawing of schematic, test runs, changes in setup procedures, development of new inspection procedures, and so on. After one year of design changes, the normal volume of direct labor was reduced from 250,000 hours to 200,000 hours, with the same number of products being produced. Although each product differs in its labor content, the redesign efforts reduced the labor content for all products. On average, the labor content per unit of product dropped from 1.25 hours per unit to one hour per unit. Fixed overhead, however, increased from 5,000,000 to 6,600,000 per year. Suppose that a consultant was hired to explain the increase in fixed overhead costs. The consultants study revealed that the 30 per hour rate captured the unit-level variable costs; however, the cost behavior of other activities was quite different. For example, setting up equipment is a step-fixed cost, where each step is 2,000 setup hours, costing 90,000. The study also revealed that the cost of receiving goods is a function of the number of different components. This activity has a variable cost of 2,000 per component type and a fixed cost that follows a step-cost pattern. The step is defined by 20 components with a cost of 50,000 per step. Assume also that the consultant indicated that the design adopted by the engineers increased the demand for setups from 20,000 setup hours to 40,000 setup hours and the number of different components from 100 to 250. The demand for other non-unit-level activities remained unchanged. The consultant also recommended that management take a look at a rejected design for its products. This rejected design increased direct labor content from 250,000 hours to 260,000 hours, decreased the demand for setups from 20,000 hours to 10,000 hours, and decreased the demand for purchasing from 100 component types to 75 component types, while the demand for all other activities remained unchanged. Required: 1. Using normal volume, compute the manufacturing cost per labor hour before the year of design changes. What is the cost per unit of an average product? 2. Using normal volume after the one year of design changes, compute the manufacturing cost per hour. What is the cost per unit of an average product? 3. Before considering the consultants study, what do you think is the most likely explanation for the failure of the design changes to reduce manufacturing costs? Now use the information from the consultants study to explain the increase in the average cost per unit of product. What changes would you suggest to improve Evanss efforts to reduce costs? 4. Explain why the consultant recommended a second look at a rejected design. Provide computational support. What does this tell you about the strategic importance of cost management?arrow_forwardBrees, Inc., a manufacturer of golf carts, has just received an offer from a supplier to provide 2,600 units of a component used in its main product. The component is a track assembly that is currently produced internally. The supplier has offered to sell the track assembly for 66 per unit. Brees is currently using a traditional, unit-based costing system that assigns overhead to jobs on the basis of direct labor hours. The estimated traditional full cost of producing the track assembly is as follows: Prior to making a decision, the companys CEO commissioned a special study to see whether there would be any decrease in the fixed overhead costs. The results of the study revealed the following: 3 setups1,160 each (The setups would be avoided, and total spending could be reduced by 1,160 per setup.) One half-time inspector is needed. The company already uses part-time inspectors hired through a temporary employment agency. The yearly cost of the part-time inspectors for the track assembly operation is 12,300 and could be totally avoided if the part were purchased. Engineering work: 470 hours, 45/hour. (Although the work decreases by 470 hours, the engineer assigned to the track assembly line also spends time on other products, and there would be no reduction in his salary.) 75 fewer material moves at 30 per move. Required: 1. Ignore the special study, and determine whether the track assembly should be produced internally or purchased from the supplier. 2. Now, using the special study data, repeat the analysis. 3. Discuss the qualitative factors that would affect the decision, including strategic implications. 4. After reviewing the special study, the controller made the following remark: This study ignores the additional activity demands that purchasing would cause. For example, although the demand for inspecting the part on the production floor decreases, we may need to inspect the incoming parts in the receiving area. Will we actually save any inspection costs? Is the controller right?arrow_forwardVargas, Inc., produces industrial machinery. Vargas has a machining department and a group of direct laborers called machinists. Each machinist is paid 25,000 and can machine up to 500 units per year. Vargas also hires supervisors to develop machine specification plans and to oversee production within the machining department. Given the planning and supervisory work, a supervisor can oversee three machinists, at most. Vargass accounting and production history reveal the following relationships between units produced and the costs of direct labor and supervision (measured on an annual basis): Required: 1. Prepare two graphs: one that illustrates the relationship between direct labor cost and units produced, and one that illustrates the relationship between the cost of supervision and units produced. Let cost be the vertical axis and units produced the horizontal axis. 2. How would you classify each cost? Why? 3. Suppose that the normal range of activity is between 2,400 and 2,450 units and that the exact number of machinists is currently hired to support this level of activity. Further suppose that production for the next year is expected to increase by an additional 400 units. How much will the cost of direct labor increase (and how will this increase be realized)? Cost of supervision?arrow_forward
- Big Mikes, a large hardware store, has gathered data on its overhead activities and associated costs for the past 10 months. Nizam Sanjay, a member of the controllers department, believes that overhead activities and costs should be classified into groups that have the same driver. He has decided that unloading incoming goods, counting goods, and inspecting goods can be grouped together as a more general receiving activity, since these three activities are all driven by the number of receiving orders. The 10 months of data shown below have been gathered for the receiving activity. Required: 1. Prepare a scattergraph, plotting the receiving costs against the number of purchase orders. Use the vertical axis for costs and the horizontal axis for orders. 2. Select two points that make the best fit, and compute a cost formula for receiving costs. 3. Using the high-low method, prepare a cost formula for the receiving activity. 4. Using the method of least squares, prepare a cost formula for the receiving activity. What is the coefficient of determination?arrow_forwardGeneva, Inc., makes two products, X and Y, that require allocation of indirect manufacturing costs. The following data were compiled by the accountants before making any allocations: The total cost of purchasing and receiving parts used in manufacturing is 60,000. The company uses a job-costing system with a single indirect cost rate. Under this system, allocated costs were 48,000 and 12,000 for X and Y, respectively. If an activity-based system is used, what would be the allocated costs for each product?arrow_forwardEclipse Motor Company manufactures two types of specialty electric motors, a commercial motor and a residential motor, through two production departments, Assembly and Testing. Presently, the company uses a single plantwide factory overhead rate for allocating factory overhead to the two products. However, management is considering using the multiple production department factory overhead rate method. The following factory overhead was budgeted for Eclipse: Direct machine hours were estimated as follows: In addition, the direct machine hours (dmh) used to produce a unit of each product in each department were determined from engineering records, as follows: a. Determine the per-unit factory overhead allocated to the commercial and residential motors under the single plantwide factory overhead rate method, using direct machine hours as the allocation base. b. Determine the per-unit factory overhead allocated to the commercial and residential motors under the multiple production department factory overhead rate method, using direct machine hours as the allocation base for each department. c. Recommend to management a product costing approach, based on your analyses in (a) and (b). Support your recommendation.arrow_forward
- San Mateo Optics, Inc., specializes in manufacturing lenses for large telescopes and cameras used in space exploration. As the specifications for the lenses are determined by the customer and vary considerably, the company uses a job-order costing system. Manufacturing overhead is applied to jobs on the basis of direct labor hours, utilizing the absorption- or full-costing method. San Mateos predetermined overhead rates for 20x1 and 20x2 were based on the following estimates. Jim Cimino, San Mateos controller, would like to use variable (direct) costing for internal reporting purposes as he believes statements prepared using variable costing are more appropriate for making product decisions. In order to explain the benefits of variable costing to the other members of San Mateos management team, Cimino plans to convert the companys income statement from absorption costing to variable costing. He has gathered the following information for this purpose, along with a copy of San Mateos 20x1 and 20x2 comparative income statement. San Mateo Optics, Inc. Comparative Income Statement For the Years 20x1 and 20x2 San Mateos actual manufacturing data for the two years are as follows: The companys actual inventory balances were as follows: For both years, all administrative expenses were fixed, while a portion of the selling expenses resulting from an 8 percent commission on net sales was variable. San Mateo reports any over-or underapplied overhead as an adjustment to the cost of goods sold. Required: 1. For the year ended December 31, 20x2, prepare the revised income statement for San Mateo Optics, Inc., utilizing the variable-costing method. Be sure to include the contribution margin on the revised income statement. 2. Describe two advantages of using variable costing rather than absorption costing. (CMA adapted)arrow_forwardPelder Products Company manufactures two types of engineering diagnostic equipment used in construction. The two products are based upon different technologies, X-ray and ultrasound, but are manufactured in the same factory. Pelder has computed the manufacturing cost of the X-ray and ultrasound products by adding together direct materials, direct labor, and overhead cost applied based on the number of direct labor hours. The factory has three overhead departments that support the single production line that makes both products. Budgeted overhead spending for the departments is as follows: Pelders budgeted manufacturing activities and costs for the period are as follows: The budgeted cost to manufacture one ultrasound machine using the activity-based costing method is: a. 225. b. 264. c. 293. d. 305.arrow_forwardKenkel, Ltd. uses backflush costing to account for its manufacturing costs. The trigger points are the purchase of materials, the completion of goods, and the sale of goods. Prepare journal entries to account for the following: a. Purchased raw materials, on account, 80,000. b. Requisitioned raw materials to production, 80,000. c. Distributed direct labor costs, 10,000. d. Factory overhead costs incurred, 60,000. (Use Various Credits for the account in the credit part of the entry.) e. Completed all of the production started. f. Sold the completed production for 225,000, on account.arrow_forward
- Stacks manufactures two different levels of hockey sticks: the Standard and the Slap Shot. The total overhead of $600,000 has traditionally been allocated by direct labor hours, with 400,000 hours for the Standard and 200.000 hours for the Slap Shot. After analyzing and assigning costs to two cost pools, it was determined that machine hours is estimated to have $450.000 of overhead, with 30,000 hours used on the Standard product and 15,000 hours used on the Slap Shot product. It was also estimated that the inspection cost pool would have $150,000 of overhead, with 25,000 hours for the Standard and 5,000 hours for the Slap Shot. What is the overhead rate per product, under traditional and under ABC costing?arrow_forwardBox Springs. Inc., makes two sizes of box springs: queen and king. The direct material for the queen is $35 per unit and $55 is used in direct labor, while the direct material for the king is $55 per unit, and the labor cost is $70 per unit. Box Springs estimates it will make 4,300 queens and 3,000 kings in the next year. It estimates the overhead for each cost pool and cost driver activities as follows: How much does each unit cost to manufacture?arrow_forwardHandy Leather, Inc., produces three sizes of sports gloves: small, medium, and large. A glove pattern is first stencilled onto leather in the Pattern Department. The stenciled patterns are then sent to the Cut and Sew Department, where the glove is cut and sewed together. Handy Leather uses the multiple production department factory overhead rate method of allocating factory overhead costs. Its factory overhead costs were budgeted as follows: The direct labor estimated for each production department was as follows: Direct labor hours are used to allocate the production department overhead to the products. The direct labor hours per unit for each product for each production department were obtained from the engineering records as follows: a. Determine the two production department factory overhead rates. b. Use the two production department factory overhead rates to determine the factory overhead per unit for each product.arrow_forward
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