Concept explainers
Least-Square. Regression; Scattergraph; Comparison of Activity Bases
The Hard Rock Mining Company is developing cost formulas for management planning and decision-making purposes. The company’s cost analyst has concluded that utilities cost is a mixed cost, and he is attempting to find a base that correlates with the cost. The controller has suggested that tons mined might be a good base to use in developing a cost formula .The production superintendent disagrees, she thinks that direct labor-hours would be a better base. The cost analyst has decided to try both bases and has assembled the following information:
Required:
1. Using torn mined as the independent variable, prepare a scattergraph that plots tons mined on the horizontal axis and utilities cost on the vertical axis Using the least-squares regression method, estimate the variable utilities cost per ton mined and the total fixed utilities cost per quarter. Express these estimates in the form Y = a + bX.
2. Using direct labor-hours as the independent variable, prepare a scattergraph that plots direct labor-hours on the horizontal axis and utilities cost on the vertical axis. Using the least-squares regression method, estimate the variable utilities cost per direct labor-hour and the total fixed utilities cost per quarter. Express these estimates in the form Y = a+ bX.
3. Would you recommend that the company use tons mined or direct labor-hours as a base for planning utilities cost?
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Introduction To Managerial Accounting
- Explain how a plantwide overhead rate, using a unit-based driver, can produce distorted product costs. In your answer, identify two major factors that impair the ability of plantwide rates to assign cost accurately.arrow_forwardLarsen, Inc., produces two types of electronic parts and has provided the following data: There are four activities: machining, setting up, testing, and purchasing. Required: 1. Calculate the activity consumption ratios for each product. 2. Calculate the consumption ratios for the plantwide rate (direct labor hours). When compared with the activity ratios, what can you say about the relative accuracy of a plantwide rate? Which product is undercosted? 3. What if the machine hours were used for the plantwide rate? Would this remove the cost distortion of a plantwide rate?arrow_forwardBecause of high production-changeover time and costs, a director of manufacturing must convince management that a proposed manufacturing method reduces costs before the new method can be implemented. The current production method operates with a mean cost of $220 per hour. A research study will measure the cost of the new method over a sample production period. Develop the null and alternative hypotheses most appropriate for this study. Comment on the conclusion when H0 cannot be rejected. Comment on the conclusion when H0 can be rejected.arrow_forward
- (Appendix 3A) Scattergraph, High-Low Method, Method of Least Squares, Use of Judgment The management of Wheeler Company has decided to develop cost formulas for its major overhead activities. Wheeler uses a highly automated manufacturing process, and power costs are a significant manufacturing cost. Cost analysts have decided that power costs are mixed. The costs must be broken into their fixed and variable elements so that the cost behavior of the power usage activity can be properly described. Machine hours have been selected as the activity driver for power costs. The following data for the past 8 quarters have been collected: Note: For the following requirements, round the fixed cost to the nearest dollar, round the variable rates to three decimal places, and the R2 to two decimal places. Required: 1. Prepare a scattergraph by plotting power costs against machine hours. Does the scatter-graph show a linear relationship between machine hours and power cost? 2. Using the high and low points (i.e., the high-low method), compute a power cost formula. (Note: Round answers to three decimal places.) 3. Use the method of least squares to compute a power cost formula. Evaluate the coefficient of determination. 4. CONCEPTUAL CONNECTION Rerun the regression, and drop the point (20,000, 26,000) as an outlier. Compare the results from this regression to those for the regression in Requirement 3. Which is better?arrow_forwardContinuous improvement is the governing principle of a lean accounting system. Following are several performance measures. Some of these measures would be associated with a traditional standard-costing accounting system, and some would be associated with a lean accounting system. a. Materials price variances b. Cycle time c. Comparison of actual product costs with target costs d. Materials quantity or efficiency variances e. Comparison of actual product costs over time (trend reports) f. Comparison of actual overhead costs, item by item, with the corresponding budgeted costs g. Comparison of product costs with competitors product costs h. Percentage of on-time deliveries i. First-time through j. Reports of value- and non-value-added costs k. Labor efficiency variances l. Days of inventory m. Downtime n. Manufacturing cycle efficiency (MCE) o. Unused (available) capacity variance p. Labor rate variance q. Using a sister plants best practices as a performance standard Required: 1. Classify each measure as lean or traditional (standard costing). If traditional, discuss the measures limitations for a lean environment. If it is a lean measure, describe how the measure supports the objectives of lean manufacturing. 2. Classify the measures into operational (nonfinancial) and financial categories. Explain why operational measures are better for control at the shop level (production floor) than financial measures. 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These costs included the salaries of the two paralegals who worked full time on claims processing, the salary of the accountant who cut the checks, the cost of claims forms, checks, envelopes, and postage, and depreciation on the office equipment dedicated to the processing. Some of the paralegals time appears to vary with the routine processing of uncontested claims, but considerable time also appears to be spent on the claims that have incomplete documentation or are contested. The accountants time appears to vary with the number of claims processed. Li Ming was able to separate the costs of processing claims from the costs of running the departments of accounting and human resources. He gathered the data on claims processing cost and the number of claims processed per month for the past 6 months. These data are as follows: Required: 1. Classify the claims processing costs that Li Ming identified as variable and fixed. 2. What is the independent variable? The dependent variable? 3. 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- Lean manufacturing uses value streams to produce a family of products that require the same manufacturing sequence. Value-stream costing is an approach often used to determine the unit product costs in a lean manufacturing environment. Which of the following best describes how unit costs are calculated using value-stream costing? a. Value stream costs divided by units shipped b. Value stream costs divided by units produced c. (Total prime costs + overhead costs assigned to the value stream using a plantwide rate) divided by units produced d. Activity-based costing assignments within the value streamarrow_forwardThe controller of the South Charleston plant of Ravinia, Inc., monitored activities associated with materials handling costs. The high and low levels of resource usage occurred in September and March for three different resources associated with materials handling. The number of moves is the driver. The total costs of the three resources and the activity output, as measured by moves for the two different levels, are presented as follows: Required: 1. Determine the cost behavior formula of each resource. Use the high-low method to assess the fixed and variable components. 2. Using your knowledge of cost behavior, predict the cost of each item for an activity output level of 9,000 moves. 3. Construct a cost formula that can be used to predict the total cost of the three resources combined. Using this formula, predict the total materials handling cost if activity output is 9,000 moves. In general, when can cost formulas be combined to form a single cost formula?arrow_forwardWhich of the following is a reason a company would implement activity-based costing? A. The cost of record keeping is high. B. The additional data obtained through traditional allocation are not worth the cost. C. They want to improve the data on which decisions are made. D. A company only has one cost driver.arrow_forward
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