How should a responsibility-accounting system handle each of the following scenarios? 1. Department A manufactures a component, which is then used by Department B. Department A recently experienced a machine breakdown which held up production of the component. As a result, Department B was forced to curtail its own production, thereby incurring large costs of idle time. An investigation revealed that Department A’s machinery had not been properly maintained. 2. Refer to the scenario above, but suppose the investigation revealed the machinery in Department A had been properly maintained.
> Select one of the following companies (or any company of your choosing) and use the Internet to explore the company’s most recent annual report. American Airlines (www.americanair.com) Deere and Company (www.deere.com) Bridgestone www.bridgestone.com IBM
> The following data pertain to British Isles Aggregates Company, a producer of sand, gravel, and cement, for the year just ended. Sales revenue .............................................................. £6,000,000 Cost of goods sold ..................
> Refer to the data for Exercise 1. Assume that the company’s minimum desired rate o f return on invested capital is 11 percent. Data from exercise 2: Income .............................................................................. $ 10,000,000 Sales
> Refer to the preceding exercise. Data from preceding exercise: Income .............................................................................. $ 10,000,000 Sales revenue .................................................................... 125,000,
> The following data pertain to Pensacola Division’s most recent year of operations. Income .............................................................................. $ 10,000,000 Sales revenue ..........................................................
> Continental Industries is a diversified corporation with separate operating divisions. E ach division’s performance is evaluated on the basis of profit and return on investment. The Air Comfort Division manufactures and sells air-condit
> General Instrumentation Corporation manufactures dashboard instruments for heavy construction equipment. The firm is based in Baltimore, but operates several divisions in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The Hudson Bay Division manufactures complex
> Fun Times Entertainment Corporation (FTEC), a subsidiary of New Age Industries, manufactures go-carts and other recreational vehicles. Family recreational centers that feature not only go-cart tracks but miniature golf, batting cages, and arcade games as
> Using the measures selected in question 12-24, explain the difference between lead and lag measures.
> Using the Internet, identify the organizational strategy for a company of your choosing and suggest two performance measures in each of the four balanced scorecard categories.
> Adelphia Corporation, which uses absorption costing, just completed its first year of operations. Planned and actual production equaled 10,000 units, and sales totaled 9,600 units at $216 per unit. Cost data for the year are as follows: Direct material (
> Refer to the information given in the preceding case for Huron Chalk Company . Information in preceding case: Huron Chalk Company manufactures sidewalk chalk which it sells online by the box at $25 per unit. Huron uses an actual costing system, which me
> What is meant by aggregate productivity, and what are its limitations?
> List four examples of customer acceptance measures.
> What is meant by customer profitability analysis? Give an example of an activity that might be performed more commonly for one customer than for another.
> Can a common cost for one segment be a traceable cost for another segment? Explain your answer.
> Why is it important in responsibility accounting to distinguish between segments and segment managers?
> Referring to Exhibit 12–5, why are marketing costs distributed to the Waikiki Sands Hotel’s departments on the basis of budgeted sales dollars? Exhibit 12-5: Cost Pool Responsibily Center Allocation Base Percentag
> Define the term cost allocation base. What would be a sensible allocation base for assigning advertising costs to the various components of a large theme park?
> Explain how and why cost allocation might be used to assign the costs of a mainframe computer system used for research purposes in a university.
> Give an example of a common resource in an organization. List some of the opportunity costs associated with using the resource. Why might allocation of the cost of the common resource to its users be useful?
> Define and give examples of the following terms: cost pool, cost object, and cost allocation (or distribution).
> Outback, Ltd., manufactures tactical LED flashlights in Melbourne, Australia. The firm uses an absorption-costing system for internal reporting purposes; however, the company is considering using variable costing. Data regarding planned and actual operat
> Performance reports based on controllability are impossible. Nobody really controls anything in an organization!” Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer.
> Explain how to get positive behavioral effects from a responsibility-accounting system.
> What is the key feature of activity-based responsibility accounting? Briefly explain.
> Explain the relationship between performance reports and flexible budgeting.
> Define and give examples of the following terms: cost center, revenue center, profit center, and investment center.
> Why is goal congruence important to an organization’s success? How does a responsibility-accounting system foster goal congruence?
> Explain how an improvement in employee retention (a learning and growth measure) could flow through each of the balanced scorecard perspectives to result in improved financial performance.
> Southern Plastics Corporation manufactures a range of molded plastic products, such as kitchen utensils and desk accessories. The production process in the Baton Rouge plant utilizes a just-in-time inventory and production management system. Each month t
> Diagnostic Technology, Inc., manufactures diagnostic testing equipment used in hospitals. The company practices just-in-time inventory management and has a state-of-the-art manufacturing system. The following nonfinancial data were collected biweekly in
> Ujvari Equipment Company, which is located in Stutgardt, Germany, manufactures heavy construction equipment. The company’s primary product, an especially powerful bulldozer, is among the best produced in Europe. The company operates in
> Skinny Dippers, Inc., produces nonfat frozen yogurt which it sells to restaurants and ice cream shops. The product is sold in 10-gallon containers, which have the following price and variable costs. Sales price ...........................................
> Piedmont Novelties, Inc., sells merchandise through three retail outlets—in Raleigh, Charlotte, and Savannah—and operates a general corporate headquarters in Charlotte. A review of the company’s incom
> RELY Cleaning Services, Inc., was started a number of years ago by Rick Ely to provide c leaning services to both large and small businesses in their home city. Over the years, as local businesses reduced underutilized building maintenance staffs, more a
> Buckeye Department Stores, Inc., operates a chain of department stores in Ohio. The company’s organization chart appears below. Operating data for 20x5 follow. The following fixed expenses are controllable at the divisional level: depr
> Refer to the organization chart for Mount Ranier General Hospital given in the preceding problem. Ignore the rest of the data in that problem. The following table shows the cost application bases used to distribute various costs among the hospitalâ
> Mount Ranier General Hospital serves three counties in the state of Washington. The hospital is a nonprofit organization which is supported by patient billings, county and state funds, and private donations. The hospital’s organization chart foll
> The following partial organization chart is an extension of Exhibit 12–1 for Aloha Hotels and Resorts. Each of the hotel’s five main departments is managed by a director (e.g., director of hospitality). The Front Desk
> After designing your company in the preceding problem, design a set of performance reports for the subunits you identified in your chart. Make up numbers for the performance reports, and show the relationship between the reports. Refer to Exhibit 12&acir
> Here is your chance to be a tycoon. Create your own company. You will be the president and chief executive officer. It could be a manufacturer, retailer, or service industry firm, but not a hotel or bank. Draw an organization chart for your company, simi
> CommLine Equipment Corporation specializes in the manufacture of communications equipment, a field that has become increasingly competitive. Approximately two years ago, Ben Harrington, president of CommLine, became concerned that the companyâ€
> Hiawatha Hydrant Company manufactures fire hydrants in Oswego, New York. The following Information pertains to operations during May. Processing time (average per batch) ............................................... 4.25 hours Inspection time (average
> Cincinnati Cylinder Company began operations on January 1 to produce pneumatic cylinders used in a variety of machines. It used an absorption costing system with a planned production volume of 100,000 units. During its first year of operations, 100,000 u
> Ontario Bank and T rust Company’s total output of financial services during the year just ended was valued at $11 million. The total cost of the firm’s inputs, primarily direct labor and overhead, was $10 million. Required: 1. Compute Ontario’s aggregat
> Tri-County Cable Services, Inc., is organized with three segments: Metro, Suburban, and Outlying. Data for these segments for the year just ended follow. In addition to the expenses listed above, the company has $45,000 of common fixed expenses. Income-
> Wyoming Community College has three divisions: Liberal Arts, Sciences, and Business Administration. The college’s comptroller is trying to decide how to allocate the costs of the Admissions Department, the Registrar’s
> Xerox Corporation has been an innovator in its responsibility-accounting system. In one initiative, management changed the responsibility-center orientation of its Logistics and Distribution Department from a cost center to a profit center. The departmen
> The following data pertain to the Waikiki Sands Hotel for the month of March. Required: Prepare a March performance report similar to the lower portion of Exhibit 12–4 . The report should have six numerical columns with headings analog
> For each of the following organizational subunits, indicate the type of responsibility center that is most appropriate. 1. An orange juice factory operated by a large orange grower. 2. The College of Engineering at a large state university. 3. The Europe
> Oradell Electronics Company manufactures complex circuit boards for the aerospace industry. Demand for the company’s products has fallen in recent months, and the firm has cut its production significantly. Many unskilled workers have been temporarily lai
> Think carefully about the overall mission and goals of your college or university. Required: 1. How does the task of building a balanced scorecard for an educational institution differ from that for a profit-seeking enterprise? 2. Design a simple balanc
> Elite Classic Clothes is a retailer that sells to professional women in the northeast. The firm leases space for stores in upscale shopping centers, and the organizational structure consists of regions, districts, and stores. Each region consists of two
> Chenango Can Company manufactures metal cans used in the food-processing industry. A case of cans sells for $25. The variable costs of production for one case of cans are as follows: Direct material .......................................................
> North American Industries is a diversified company whose products are marketed both domestically and internationally. The company’s major product lines are furniture, sports equipment, and household appliances. At a recent meeting of th
> Give one example of a plausible activity base to use in flexible budgeting for each of the following organizations: an insurance company, an express delivery service, a restaurant, and a state tax-collection agency.
> Draw a graph showing both budgeted and applied variable overhead. Explain why the graph appears as it does.
> Why are fixed-overhead costs sometimes called capacity-producing costs
> Distinguish between the control purpose and the product-costing purpose of standard costing and flexible budgeting.
> What is the conceptual problem of applying fixed production overhead as a product cost?
> Draw a graph showing budgeted and applied fixed overhead, and show an unfavorable (or positive) volume variance on the graph.
> Describe a common but misleading interpretation of the fixed-overhead volume variance. Why is this interpretation misleading?
> What is the correct interpretation of the fixed-overhead volume variance?
> Distinguish between the interpretations of the direct labor and variable-overhead efficiency variances.
> News Technology, Inc., manufactures computerized laser printing equipment used by newspaper publishers throughout North America. In recent years, the company’s market share has been eroded by stiff competition from Asian and European co
> What is the interpretation of the variable-overhead efficiency variance?
> What is the interpretation of the variable-overhead spending variance?
> How have advances in manufacturing technology affected overhead application?
> Distinguish between a columnar and a formula flexible budget
> Why are flexible overhead budgets based on activity measures, such as hours of process time, machine time, or direct-labor hours?
> Explain how an activity-based flexible budget differs from a conventional flexible budget.
> Bear Mountain Sled Company manufactures children’s snow sleds. The company’s performance report for December is as follows. The company uses sales variance analysis to explain the difference between budgeted and actua
> EuroGuide, Inc., publishes European Tour Guide Books in New York City. A monthly flexible overhead budget for the firm follows The planned monthly production is 6,400 guide books. The standard direct-labor allowance is .25 hours per book and overhead is
> Vancouver Scholastic Supply Company uses a standard-costing system. The firm estimates t hat it will operate its manufacturing facilities at 600,000 machine hours for the year. The estimate for total budgeted overhead is $1,500,000. The standard variable
> Ice Box Gourmet, Inc., produces containers of frozen food. During April, the company produced 725 cases of food and incurred the following actual costs. Variable overhead ..................................................................... $ 5,500 Fixed
> Altoona Valve Company’s planned production for the year just ended was 20,000 units. This production level was achieved, and 21,000 units were sold. Other data follow: Direct material used ............................................... $300,000 Direct l
> Albuquerque Wood Crafts, Inc., is a manufacturer of furniture for specialty shops throughout the southwest and has an annual sales volume of $24 million. The company has four major product lines: bookcases, magazine racks, end tables, and bar stools. Eac
> Williamsport Wheel and Axle, Inc., has an automated production process, and production activity is quantified in terms of machine hours. The company uses a standard-costing system. The annual static budget for 20x4 called for 6,000 units to be produced,
> Western A uto Parts Company manufactures replacement parts for automobile repair. The company recently installed a flexible manufacturing system (FMS), which has significantly changed the production process. The installation of the new FMS was not antici
> For each of the following independent Cases A and B, fill in the missing information. The company budgets and applies production-overhead costs on the basis of direct-labor hours. (U denotes unfavorable variance; F denotes favorable variance.) Case A
> EduSoft Corporation’s president, Mark Fletcher, was looking forward to seeing the p erformance reports for October because he knew the company’s sales for the month had exceeded budget by a considerable margin. EduSoft
> Vermont Sky T ours is a small sightseeing tour company based in Burlington, Vermont. The firm specializes in aerial tours of the New England countryside during September and October, when the fall color is at its peak. Until recently, the company had no
> LakeMaster Company manufactures outboard motors that are sold throughout the United States and Canada. The company uses a comprehensive budgeting process and compares actual results to budgeted amounts on a monthly basis. Each month, LakeMasterâ
> Valley View Hospital has an outpatient clinic. Jeffrey Harper, the hospital’s chief administrator, is very concerned about cost control and has asked that performance reports be prepared that compare budgeted and actual amounts for medical assistants, cl
> Midwest Ventilation, Inc., produces industrial ventilation fans. The company plans to manufacture 72,000 fans evenly over the next quarter at the following costs: direct material, $2,880,000; direct labor, $720,000; variable production overhead, $900,000
> Lackawanna Licorice Company uses a standard cost accounting system and applies production overhead to products on the basis of machine hours. The following information is available for the year just ended: Actual variable overhead: $166,320 Actual total
> Refer to the data given in the preceding exercise for Dolphin Company. Data from preceding exercise: 1. Production ......................................... 22,000 units Sales ................................................... 25,000 units 2. Produ
> Countrytime Studios is a r e cording studio in Nashville. The studio budgets and applies overhead costs on the basis of production time. Countrytime’s controller anticipates 10,000 hours of production time to be available during the year. The following o
> Wilmington Composites, Inc., developed its overhead application rate from the annual budget. The budget is based on an expected total output of 720,000 units requiring 3,600,000 machine hours. The company is able to schedule production uniformly througho
> Countrytime Studios is a recording studio in Nashville. The studio budgets and applies overhead costs on the basis of production time. Countrytime’s controller anticipates 10,000 hours of production time to be available during the year. The following ove
> Manitoba Paper Company packages paper for photocopiers. The company has developed standard overhead rates based on a monthly practical capacity of 90,000 direct-labor hours as follows: Standard costs per unit (one box of paper): Variable overhead (2 hour
> Kalamazoo Computer Accessory Company (KCAC) distributes keyboard trays to computer stores. The keyboard trays can be attached to the underside of a desk, effectively turning it into a computer table. The keyboard trays are purchased from a manufacturer t
> Refer to the data in Exercise 11–25 for Starlight Glassware Company. Prepare journal entries to: • Record the incurrence of actual variable overhead and actual fixed overhead. • Add variable and fixed overhead to Work-in-Process Inventory. • Close undera
> The controller for Rainbow Children’s Hospital, located in Munich, Germany, estimates that the hospital uses 25 kilowatt-hours of electricity per patient-day, and that the electric rate will be €.13 per kilowatt hour. The hospital also pays a fixed month
> You brought your work home one evening, and your nephew spilled his chocolate m ilk shake on the variance report you were preparing. Fortunately, knowing that overhead was applied based on machine hours, you were able to reconstruct the obliterated infor
> Refer to DCdesserts.com’s activity-based flexible budget in Exhibit 11–11. Suppose that the company’s activity in June is described as follows: Process hours ..........................................
> Choose a city or state in the United States (or a Canadian city or province), and use the Internet to explore the annual budget for the governmental unit you selected. For example, you could check out the annual budget for Los Angeles at www.losangeles.c
> Dolphin Company manufactures two-person sailboats with a variable cost of $1,000. The sailboats sell for $1,750 each. Budgeted fixed manufacturing overhead for the most recent year was $11,000,000. Planned and actual production for the year were the same
> You recently received the following note from the production supervisor of the company where you serve as controller. “I don’t understand these crazy variable-overhead efficiency variances. My employees are very careful in their use of electricity and pr
