Concept explainers
Activity-Based Costing versus Traditional Costing
Doaktown Products manufactures fishing equipment for recreational uses. The Miramichi plant produces the company’s two versions of a special reel used for river fishing. The two models are the M-008, a basic reel, and the M-123, a new and improved version. Cost accountants at company headquarters have prepared costs for the two reels for the most recent period. The plant manager is concerned. The cost report does not coincide with her intuition about the relative costs of the two models. She has asked you to review the cost accounting and help her prepare a response to headquarters.
Manufacturing
Management determined that overhead costs are caused by three cost drivers. These drivers and their costs for last year were as follows:
Required
- a. How much overhead will be assigned to each product if these three cost drivers are used to allocate overhead? What is the total cost per unit produced for each product?
- b. How much of the overhead will be assigned to each product if direct labor cost is used to allocate overhead? What is the total cost per unit produced for each product?
- c. Draft a memo for the plant manager explaining why the two systems result in different costs along with your recommendation for which costing system to use.
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Fundamentals Of Cost Accounting (6th Edition)
- Boston Executive. Inc., produces executive limousines and currently manufactures the mini-bar inset at these costs: The company received an offer from Elite Mini-Bars to produce the insets for $2,100 per Unit and supply 1,000 mini-bars for the coming years estimated production. If the company accepts this offer and shuts down production of this part of the business, production workers and supervisors will be reassigned to other areas. Assume that for the short-term decision-making process demonstrated in this problem, the companys total labor costs (direct labor and supervisor salaries) will remain the same if the bar inserts are purchased. The specialized equipment cannot be used and has no market value. However, the space occupied by the mini bar production can be used by a different production group that will lease it for $55,000 per year. Should the company make or buy the mini-bar insert?arrow_forwardProduction-Based Costing versus Activity-Based Costing, Assigning Costs to Activities, Resource Drivers Willow Company produces lawnmowers. One of its plants produces two versions of mowers: a basic model and a deluxe model. The deluxe model has a sturdier frame, a higher horsepower engine, a wider blade, and mulching capability. At the beginning of the year, the following data were prepared for this plant: Additionally, the following overhead activity costs are reported: Facility-level costs are allocated in proportion to machine hours (provides a measure of time the facility is used by each product). Receiving and materials handling use three inputs: two forklifts, gasoline to operate the forklift, and three operators. The three operators are paid a salary of 40,000 each. The operators spend 25% of their time on the receiving activity and 75% on moving goods (materials handling). Gasoline costs 3 per move. Depreciation amounts to 8,000 per forklift per year. Required: (Note: Round answers to two decimal places.) 1. Calculate the cost of the materials handling activity. Label the cost assignments as driver tracing or direct tracing. Identify the resource drivers. 2. Calculate the cost per unit for each product by using direct labor hours to assign all overhead costs. 3. Calculate activity rates, and assign costs to each product. Calculate a unit cost for each product, and compare these costs with those calculated in Requirement 2. 4. Calculate consumption ratios for each activity. 5. CONCEPTUAL CONNECTION Explain how the consumption ratios calculated in Requirement 4 can be used to reduce the number of rates. Calculate the rates that would apply under this approach.arrow_forwardYoung Company is beginning operations and is considering three alternatives to allocate manufacturing overhead to individual units produced. Young can use a plantwide rate, departmental rates, or activity-based costing. Young will produce many types of products in its single plant, and not all products will be processed through all departments. In which one of the following independent situations would reported net income for the first year be the same regardless of which overhead allocation method had been selected? a. All production costs approach those costs that were budgeted. b. The sales mix does not vary from the mix that was budgeted. c. All manufacturing overhead is a fixed cost. d. All ending inventory balances are zero.arrow_forward
- Mott Company recently implemented a JIT manufacturing system. After one year of operation, Heidi Burrows, president of the company, wanted to compare product cost under the JIT system with product cost under the old system. Motts two products are weed eaters and lawn edgers. The unit prime costs under the old system are as follows: Under the old manufacturing system, the company operated three service centers and two production departments. Overhead was applied using departmental overhead rates. The direct overhead costs associated with each department for the year preceding the installation of JIT are as follows: Under the old system, the overhead costs of the service departments were allocated directly to the producing departments and then to the products passing through them. (Both products passed through each producing department.) The overhead rate for the Machining Department was based on machine hours, and the overhead rate for assembly was based on direct labor hours. During the last year of operations for the old system, the Machining Department used 80,000 machine hours, and the Assembly Department used 20,000 direct labor hours. Each weed eater required 1.0 machine hour in Machining and 0.25 direct labor hour in Assembly. Each lawn edger required 2.0 machine hours in Machining and 0.5 hour in Assembly. Bases for allocation of the service costs are as follows: Upon implementing JIT, a manufacturing cell for each product was created to replace the departmental structure. Each cell occupied 40,000 square feet. Maintenance and materials handling were both decentralized to the cell level. Essentially, cell workers were trained to operate the machines in each cell, assemble the components, maintain the machines, and move the partially completed units from one point to the next within the cell. During the first year of the JIT system, the company produced and sold 20,000 weed eaters and 30,000 lawn edgers. This output was identical to that for the last year of operations under the old system. The following costs have been assigned to the manufacturing cells: Required: 1. Compute the unit cost for each product under the old manufacturing system. 2. Compute the unit cost for each product under the JIT system. 3. Which of the unit costs is more accurate? Explain. Include in your explanation a discussion of how the computational approaches differ. 4. Calculate the decrease in overhead costs under JIT, and provide some possible reasons that explain the decrease.arrow_forwardOle Company manufactures two products, Product A and Product B. Currently, machine hours are used to allocate the overhead costs to the two products. Ole Company is considering adopting an activity-based costing system. If so, overhead costs will be traced to the following activities: Activities Machining Quality Control Material Moves Activity cost pools $300,000 $200,000 $400,000 Cost Drivers Machine Hours Number of inspections Number of moves Product A 30,000 400 2,000 Product B 20,000 600 6,000 (a) Calculate the total overhead cost assigned to Product A under the current system. (b) Calculate the total overhead cost for Product A if the company implements activity-based costing system. (c) Briefly explain which costing method gives a more accurate picture of the costs. (d) Suppose you are the management accountant in a university. List any three (3)activities commonly carried out in universities and identify an appropriate cost driver for each activity.arrow_forwardthere is some question about whether the company is actually making any money on jobs for some customers-particularly those located on remote ranches that require considerable travel time. The owner's daughter, home for the summer from college, has suggested investigating this question using activity-based costing. After some discussion, she designed a simple system consisting of four activity cost pools. The activity cost pools and their activity measures appear below: Activity Cost Pool Cleaning carpets Activity for the Year 13,500 hundred square feet 65,000 miles 1,900 jobs Travel to jobs Job support Other (organization-sustaining costs and idle capacity costs) Not applicable The total cost of operating the company for the year is $369,000 which includes the following costs: Wages Cleaning supplies Cleaning equipment depreciation Vehicle expenses Office expenses President's compensation Total cost Activity Measure Square feet cleaned (00s) Miles driven Number of jobs Wages Cleaning…arrow_forward
- BASIC PROBLEM Doaktown Products manufactures fishing equipment for recreational uses. The Miramichi plant produces the company's two versions of a special reel used for river fishing. The two models are the M-008, a basic reel, and the M-123, a new and improved version. Cost ac- countants at company headquarters have prepared costs for the two reels for the most recent period. The plant manager is concerned. The cost report does not coincide with her intuition about the relative costs of the two models She has asked you to review the cost accounting and help her prepare a response to headquarters. Manufacturing overhead is currently assigned to products based on their direct labor costs. For the most recent month, manufacturing overhead was $280,000. During that time, the company produced 12,000 units of the M-008 and 2,000 units of the M-123. The direct costs of production were as follows: M-123 Total 800-M $100,000 $180,000 Direct materials Direct labor. 000'08$ .... 000'0L ....…arrow_forwardDrippin' in Heat manufactures the finest formal wear west of the Mississippi. The company produces two main products: Suit Jackets and Sport Coats. Currently the company uses a traditional overhead rate in which Manufacturing Overhead is allocated to products based on direct labor hours logged. The projected production levels for the period are 1,200 Suit Jackets and 400 Sport Coats. Due to profitability concerns, management is considering switching to Activity-Based Costing (ABC). Management has divided manufacturing overhead costs into three activities and cost pools: Assembly $30,000; Machine Setup $20,000; and Product Movement $102,400. Management has identified the following cost drivers for each overhead activity: direct labor hours for assembly, number of setups for machine setup, and number of moves for product movement. The following information has been compiled for each product line: Direct Labor Requirements Machine Setup Requirements Product Movement Requirements Suit…arrow_forwardCalifornia Dreamin' manufactures 1960’s style clothing and accessories. The company produces two main products: Floral and Tie-Dye. Currently the company uses a traditional overhead rate in which Manufacturing Overhead is allocated to products based on direct labor hours logged. The projected production levels for the period are 1,000 units of Floral and 500 units of Tie-Dye. Due to profitability concerns, management is considering switching to Activity Based Costing (ABC). Management has divided Manufacturing Overhead Costs into three activities and cost pools: Assembly $32,000; Machine Setup $12,000; and Product Movement $102,600. Management has identified the following cost drivers for each overhead activity: direct labor hours for assembly, number of setups for machine setup, and number of moves for product movement. The following information has been compiled for each product line: Floral Tie-Dye direct labor requirements 0.75 direct labor hours per…arrow_forward
- Harbortown Marine Products (HMP) manufactures and sells various fixtures for boat cabins. One fixture uses a specialized fitting that is not used in any other HMP product. The management of HMP has considered outsourcing the fitting for several years but has never identified a suitable supplier. HMP has collected the following data on the cost of the fitting: Materials $ 6.55 Labor 4.95 Manufacturing overhead 14.55 Total $ 26.05 Rivard Fittings, a local auto supplier, contacts HMP and tells them that because of the loss of one of Rivard's customers, there is enough capacity to produce up to 5,000 units of the fitting monthly. Rivard has offered to sell HMP any quantity (up to 5,000 units monthly) at a price of $20.45 per fitting. If Rivard supplies all of the 3,060 fittings currently produced by HMP, HMP will avoid all of the variable overhead associated with the fitting and one-third of the fixed overhead. Management estimates that variable overhead for the fitting is…arrow_forwardHarbortown Marine Products (HMP) manufactures and sells various fixtures for boat cabins. One fixture uses a specialized fitting that is not used in any other HMP product. The management of HMP has considered outsourcing the fitting for several years but has never identified a suitable supplier. HMP has collected the following data on the cost of the fitting: Materials $ 6.45 Labor 4.85 Manufacturing overhead 14.45 Total $ 25.75 Rivard Fittings, a local auto supplier, contacts HMP and tells them that because of the loss of one of Rivard's customers, there is enough capacity to produce up to 5,000 units of the fitting monthly. Rivard has offered to sell HMP any quantity (up to 5,000 units monthly) at a price of $20.15 per fitting. If Rivard supplies all of the 3,020 fittings currently produced by HMP, HMP will avoid all of the variable overhead associated with the fitting and one-third of the fixed overhead. Management estimates that variable overhead for the fitting is…arrow_forwardUsing variable costing, service company Professional Pool Cleaning Service provides pool cleaning services to residential customers. The company has three employees, each assigned to specific customers. The company considers each employees territory as a business segment. The company incurs variable costs that include the employees’ Wages, pool chemicals, and gas for the service vans. Fixed costs include depreciation on the service vans. Following is the income statement for the month of July: Requirements Calculate the contribution margin ratio for each business segment. The business segments had the following numbers of customers: Birman, 60; Meech, 70; and Frond, 40. Compute the service revenue per customer, variable cost per customer, and contribution margin per customer for each business segment. Which business segment was most profitable? List some possible reasons why this segment was most profitable. How might the various reasons affect the company in the long term?arrow_forward
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