Concept explainers
Variances in the service sector. Derek Wilson operates Clean Ride Enterprises, an auto detailing company with 20 employees. Jamal Jackson has recently been hired by Wilson as a controller. Clean Ride’s previous accountant had done very little in the area of variance analysis, but Jackson believes that the company could benefit from a greater understanding of his business processes. Because of the labor-intensive nature of the business, he decides to focus on calculating labor variances.
Jackson examines past accounting records, and establishes some standards for the price and quantity of labor. While Clean Ride’s employees earn a range of hourly wages, they fall into two general categories: skilled labor, with an average wage of $20 per hour, and unskilled labor, with an average wage of $10 per hour. One standard 5-hour detailing job typically requires a combination of 3 skilled hours and 2 unskilled hours.
Actual data from last month, when 600 detailing jobs were completed, are as follows:
Skilled (2,006 hours) | $39,117 |
Unskilled (944 hours) | 9,292 |
Total actual direct labor cost | $ 48,409 |
Looking over last month’s data. Jackson determines that Clean Ride’s labor price variance was $1,151 favorable, but the labor efficiency variance was $1,560 unfavorable. When Jackson presents his findings to Wilson, the latter is furious. “Do you mean to tell me that my employees wasted $1,560 worth of time last month? I’ve had enough. They had better shape up, or else!” Jackson tries to calm him down, saying that in this case the efficiency variance doesn’t necessarily mean that employees were wasting time. Jackson tells him that he is going to perform a more detailed analysis, and will get back to him with more information soon.
- 1. What is the budgeted cost of direct labor for 600 detailing jobs?
- 2. How were the $1,151 favorable price variance and the $1,560 unfavorable labor efficiency variance calculated? What was the company’s flexible-
budget variance ? - 3. What do you think Jackson meant when said that “in this case the efficiency variance doesn’t necessarily mean that employees were wasting time”?
- 4. For the 600 detailing jobs performed last month, what is the actual direct labor input mix percentage? What was the standard mix for labor?
- 5. Calculate the total direct labor mix and yield variances.
- 6. How could these variances be interpreted? Did the employees waste time? Upon further investigation, you discover that there were some unfilled vacancies last month in the unskilled labor positions that have recently been filled. How will this new information likely impact the variances going forward?
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- Refer to the information for Cinturon Corporation on the previous page. Required: 1. Break down the total variance for labor into a rate variance and an efficiency variance using the columnar and formula approaches. 2. CONCEPTUAL CONNECTION As part of the investigation of the unfavorable variances, the plant manager interviews the production manager. The production manager complains strongly about the quality of the leather strips. He indicates that the strips are of lower quality than usual and that workers have to be more careful to avoid a belt with cracks and more time is required. Also, even with extra care, many belts have to be discarded and new ones produced to replace the rejects. This replacement work has also produced some overtime demands. What corrective action should the plant manager take?arrow_forwardMadison Company uses the following rule to determine whether direct labor efficiency variances ought to be investigated. A direct labor efficiency variance will be investigated anytime the amount exceeds the lesser of 12,000 or 10 percent of the standard labor cost. Reports for the past five weeks provided the following information: Required: 1. Using the rule provided, identify the cases that will be investigated. 2. Suppose that investigation reveals that the cause of an unfavorable direct labor efficiency variance is the use of lower quality direct materials than are usually used. Who is responsible? What corrective action would likely be taken? 3. Suppose that investigation reveals that the cause of a significant favorable direct labor efficiency variance is attributable to a new approach to manufacturing that takes less labor time but causes more direct materials waste. Upon examining the direct materials usage variance, it is discovered to be unfavorable, and it is larger than the favorable direct labor efficiency variance. Who is responsible? What action should be taken? How would your answer change if the unfavorable variance were smaller than the favorable?arrow_forwardLeather Works is a family-owned maker of leather travel bags and briefcases located in the northeastern part of the United States. Foreign competition has forced its owner, Heather Gray, to explore new ways to meet the competition. One of her cousins, Wallace Hayes, who recently graduated from college with a major in accounting, told her about the use of cost variance analysis to learn about efficiencies of production. In May of last year, Heather asked Matt Jones, chief accountant, and Alfred Prudest, production manager, to implement a standard costing system. Matt and Alfred, in turn, retained Shannon Leikam, an accounting professor at Hardings College, to set up a standard costing system by using information supplied to her by Matts and Alfreds staff. To verify that the information was accurate, Shannon visited the plant and measured workers output using time and motion studies. During those visits, she was not accompanied by either Matt or Alfred, and the workers knew about Shannons schedule in advance. The cost system was implemented in June of last year. Recently, the following dialogue took place among Heather, Matt, and Alfred: HEATHER: How is the business performing? ALFRED: You know, we are producing a lot more than we used to, thanks to the contract that you helped obtain from Lean, Inc., for laptop covers. (Lean is a national supplier of computer accessories.) MATT: Thank goodness for that new product. It has kept us from sinking even more due to the inroads into our business made by those foreign suppliers of leather goods. HEATHER: What about the standard costing system? MATT: The variances are mostly favorable, except for the first few months when the supplier of leather started charging more. HEATHER: How did the union members take to the standards? ALFRED: Not bad. They grumbled a bit at first, but they have taken it in stride. Weve consistently shown favorable direct labor efficiency variances and direct materials usage variances. The direct labor rate variance has been flat. MATT: It should be since direct labor rates are negotiated by the union representative at the start of the year and remain the same for the entire year. HEATHER: Matt, would you send me the variance report for laptop covers immediately? The following chart summarizes the direct materials and direct labor variances from November of last year through April of this year (extracted from the report provided by Matt). Standards for each laptop cover are as follows: a. Three feet of direct materials at 7.50 per foot b. Forty-five minutes of direct labor at 14 per hour In addition, the data for May of this year, but not the variances for the month, are as follows: Actual direct labor cost per hour exceeded the budgeted rate by 0.10 per hour. Required: 1. For May of this year, calculate the price and quantity variances for direct labor and direct materials. 2. Discuss the trend of the direct materials and labor variances. 3. What type of actions must the workers have taken during the period they were being observed for the setting of standards? 4. What can be done to ensure that the standards are set correctly? (CMA adapted)arrow_forward
- The president of McGrade Industries wants an analysis prepared to help explain why the variances computed in requirement 1 occurred. Using the worksheet called PRIMEVAR that follows these requirements, calculate the material and labor variances for McGrade Industries. The problem requires you to enter the input in the Data Section as well as formulas in the Answer Section.arrow_forwardThe controller for Muir Companys Salem plant is analyzing overhead in order to determine appropriate drivers for use in flexible budgeting. She decided to concentrate on the past 12 months since that time period was one in which there was little important change in technology, product lines, and so on. Data on overhead costs, number of machine hours, number of setups, and number of purchase orders are in the following table. Required: 1. Calculate an overhead rate based on machine hours using the total overhead cost and total machine hours. (Round the overhead rate to the nearest cent and predicted overhead to the nearest dollar.) Use this rate to predict overhead for each of the 12 months. 2. Run a regression equation using only machine hours as the independent variable. Prepare a flexible budget for overhead for the 12 months using the results of this regression equation. (Round the intercept and x-coefficient to the nearest cent and predicted overhead to the nearest dollar.) Is this flexible budget better than the budget in Requirement 1? Why or why not?arrow_forwardSommers Company uses the following rule to determine whether materials usage variances should be investigated: A materials usage variance will be investigated anytime the amount exceeds the lesser of 12,000 or 10% of the standard cost. Reports for the past 5 weeks provided the following information: Required: 1. Using the rule provided, identify the cases that will be investigated. 2. CONCEPTUAL CONNECTION Suppose investigation reveals that the cause of an unfavorable materials usage variance is the use of lower-quality materials than are normally used. Who is responsible? What corrective action would likely be taken? 3. CONCEPTUAL CONNECTION Suppose investigation reveals that the cause of a significant unfavorable materials usage variance is attributable to a new approach to manufacturing that takes less labor time but causes more material waste. Examination of the labor efficiency variance reveals that it is favorable and larger than the unfavorable materials usage variance. Who is responsible? What action should be taken?arrow_forward
- Drew Castello, general manager of Sunflower Manufacturing, was frustrated. He wanted the budgeted results, and his staff was not getting them to him fast enough. Drew decided to pay a visit to the accounting office, where Jeff Hollingsworth was supposed to be working on the reports. Jeff had recently been hired to update the accounting system and speed up the reporting process. “What’s taking so long?” Drew asked. “When am I going to get the variance reports?” Jeff sighed and attempted to explain the problem. “Some of the variances appear to be way off. We either have a serious problem in production, or there is an error in the spreadsheet. I want to recheck the spreadsheet before I distribute the report.” Drew pulled up a chair, and the two men went through the spreadsheet together. The formulas in the spreadsheet were correct and showed a large unfavorable direct labor efficiency variance. It was time for Drew and Jeff to do some investigating. After looking at the time records, Jeff…arrow_forwardDrew Castello, general manager of Sunflower Manufacturing, was frustrated. He wanted the budgeted results, and his staff was not getting them to him fast enough. Drew decided to pay a visit to the accounting office, where Jeff Hollingsworth was supposed to be working on the reports. Jeff had recently been hired to update the accounting system and speed up the reporting process. “What’s taking so long?” Drew asked. “When am I going to get the variance reports?” Jeff sighed and attempted to explain the problem. “Some of the variances appear to be way off. We either have a serious problem in production, or there is an error in the spreadsheet. I want to recheck the spreadsheet before I distribute the report.” Drew pulled up a chair, and the two men went through the spreadsheet together. The formulas in the spreadsheet were correct and showed a large unfavorable direct labor efficiency variance. It was time for Drew and Jeff to do some investigating. After looking at the time records, Jeff…arrow_forwardIn 2020 standard cost variance analysis report presented by the controller of ABC Corporation, the labor cost variance shows that efficiency has resulted to favorable variance, while rate shows unfavorable variance. Which of the following could have been the reason for the said outcome? The workers assigned in the production department were experienced and skilled individuals and relatively high paid The workers assigned by the human resources management were unskilled and relatively low paid The workers were pushed to over time due to inefficiency in making the product. Low quality materials were used and caused more labor hours to be producedarrow_forward
- 1. In 2020 standard cost variance analysis report presented by the controller of ABC Corporation, the labor cost variance shows that efficiency has resulted to favorable variance, while rate shows unfavorable variance. Which of the following could have been the reason for the said outcome? a) The workers assigned in the production department were experienced and skilled individuals and relatively high paid b) The workers assigned by the human resources management were unskilled and relatively low paid c)The workers were pushed to over time due to inefficiency in making the product. d) Low quality materials were used and caused more labor hours to be produced 2. Which of the following would result to a favorable volume variance? a)There is a favorable spending variance b)Production is equal to sales c)There is a favorable efficiency variance d)Production is greater than budgeted 3. Which of the following…arrow_forwardIn 2020 standard cost variance analysis report presented by the controller of ABC Corporation, the labor cost variance shows that efficiency has resulted to favorable variance, while rate shows unfavorable variance. Which of the following could have been the reason for the said outcome? a. The workers assigned by the human resources management were unskilled and relatively low paid b. The workers assigned in the production department were experienced and skilled individuals and relatively high paid c.Low quality materials were used and caused more labor hours to be produced d.The workers were pushed to over time due to inefficiency in making the product. . Which of the following would result to a favorable volume variance? a. There is a favorable spending variance b. Production is equal to sales c. Production is greater than budgeted d. There is a favorable efficiency variancearrow_forwardThe auto repair shop of Quality Motor Company uses standards to control the labor time and labor cost in the shop. The standard labor cost for a motor tune-up is given below: Standard Hours Standard Rate Standard Cost Motor tune-up 2.50 $31.00 $77.50 The record showing the time spent in the shop last week on motor tune-ups has been misplaced. However, the shop supervisor recalls that 56 tune-ups were completed during the week, and the controller recalls the following variance data relating to tune-ups: Labor rate variance $ 146 F Labor spending variance $ 102 U Required: 1. Determine the number of actual labor-hours spent on tune-ups during the week. 2. Determine the actual hourly rate of pay for tune-ups last week. (Round your answer to 2 decimal places.)arrow_forward
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