Managerial Accounting: The Cornerstone of Business Decision-Making
7th Edition
ISBN: 9781337115773
Author: Maryanne M. Mowen, Don R. Hansen, Dan L. Heitger
Publisher: Cengage Learning
expand_more
expand_more
format_list_bulleted
Concept explainers
Videos
Textbook Question
Chapter 13, Problem 64C
Lindell Manufacturing embarked on an ambitious quality program that is centered on continual improvement. This improvement is operationalized by declining quality costs from year to year. Lindell rewards plant managers, production supervisors, and workers with bonuses ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 if their factory meets its annual quality cost goals.
Len Smith, manager of Lindell’s Boise plant, felt obligated to do everything he could to provide this increase to his employees. Accordingly, he has decided to take the following actions during the last quarter of the year to meet the plant’s budgeted quality cost targets:
- a. Decrease inspections of the process and final product by 50% and transfer inspectors temporarily to quality training programs. Len believes this move will increase the inspectors’ awareness of the importance of quality; also, decreasing inspection will produce significantly less downtime and less rework. By increasing the output and decreasing the costs of internal failure, the plant can meet the budgeted reductions for internal failure costs. Also, by showing an increase in the costs of quality training, the budgeted level for prevention costs can be met.
- b. Delay replacing and repairing defective products until the beginning of the following year. While this may increase customer dissatisfaction somewhat, Len believes that most customers expect some inconvenience. Besides, the policy of promptly dealing with customers who are dissatisfied could be reinstated in 3 months. In the meantime, the action would significantly reduce the costs of external failure, allowing the plant to meet its budgeted target.
- c. Cancel scheduled worker visits to customers’ plants. This program, which has been very well received by customers, enables Lindell workers to see just how the machinery they make is used by the customer and also gives them first-hand information on any remaining problems with the machinery. Workers who went on previous customer site visits came back enthusiastic and committed to Lindell’s quality program. Lindell’s quality program staff believes that these visits will reduce defects during the following year.
Required:
- 1. Evaluate Len’s ethical behavior. In this evaluation, consider his concern for his employees. Was he justified in taking the actions described? If not, what should he have done?
- 2. Assume that the company views Len’s behavior as undesirable. What can the company do to discourage it?
- 3. Assume that Len is a CMA and a member of the IMA. Refer to the ethical code for
management accountants in Chapter 1. Were any of these ethical standards violated?
Expert Solution & Answer
Trending nowThis is a popular solution!
Students have asked these similar questions
Lindell Manufacturing embarked on an ambitious quality program that is centered on continual improvement. This improvement is operationalized by declining quality costs from year toyear. Lindell rewards plant managers, production supervisors, and workers with bonuses ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 if their factory meets its annual quality cost goals.Len Smith, manager of Lindell’s Boise plant, felt obligated to do everything he could toprovide this increase to his employees. Accordingly, he has decided to take the following actionsduring the last quarter of the year to meet the plant’s budgeted quality cost targets:a. Decrease inspections of the process and final product by 50% and transfer inspectorstemporarily to quality training programs. Len believes this move will increase theinspectors’ awareness of the importance of quality; also, decreasing inspection willproduce significantly less downtime and less rework. By increasing the output anddecreasing the costs of internal failure,…
Mercury, Incorporated, produces cell phones at its plant in Texas. A year ago, a consumer survey ranked the company's cell phones
low in product quality. Shocked by this result, Jorge Gomez, Mercury's president, set up a task force to implement a formal quality
improvement program. Included on this task force were representatives from the Engineering, Marketing, Customer Service,
Production, and Accounting departments. After working together for a year, the task force prepared the quality cost report shown
below:
Prevention costs:
Machine maintenance
Training suppliers
Quality circles
Total prevention cost
Appraisal costs:
Incoming inspection
Final testing
Total appraisal cost
Internal failure costs:
Rework
Scrap
Total internal failure cost
External failure costs:
Warranty repairs
Customer returns
Mercury, Incorporated
Quality Cost Report
(in thousands)
Total external failure cost
Total quality cost
Total production cost
Prevention costs:
Machine maintenance
Training suppliers
Quality…
ABC Corporation has recently completed a project to reduce total production costs by 5%. Net
income has risen as a result, but the stock price has suffered from recent public disclosures about
faulty products. The vice president for manufacturing and the controller are concerned that their
successful cost-cutting efforts have resulted in lower market valuation. They are beginning to
understand that product quality has a cost component and they have asked you, a CMA, to explain
the concept of “cost of quality'" to them.
A. Define, categorize, and give examples of the "cost of quality."
B. What is value chain analysis and how could this impact the company's evaluation of costs?
C. What other business process improvement tools may benefit the company?
Chapter 13 Solutions
Managerial Accounting: The Cornerstone of Business Decision-Making
Ch. 13 - Prob. 1DQCh. 13 - Prob. 2DQCh. 13 - Why should the incremental cost of a risk response...Ch. 13 - Prob. 4DQCh. 13 - Explain how performance measurement can help...Ch. 13 - Identify and discuss the four kinds of quality...Ch. 13 - Discuss the benefits of quality cost reports that...Ch. 13 - Prob. 8DQCh. 13 - Prob. 9DQCh. 13 - When will the average unit cost be used for value...
Ch. 13 - How do international issues affect the role of the...Ch. 13 - What it a foreign trade zone, and what advantages...Ch. 13 - Prob. 13DQCh. 13 - Prob. 14DQCh. 13 - Prob. 15DQCh. 13 - A fire insurance policy on a manufacturing plant...Ch. 13 - Prob. 2MCQCh. 13 - Prob. 3MCQCh. 13 - Which of the following risk response items would...Ch. 13 - Beginning with strategy, which of the following...Ch. 13 - In which areas of an organizations value chain can...Ch. 13 - Prob. 7MCQCh. 13 - Which of the following items (correctly describes...Ch. 13 - Which of the following is a prevention cost? a....Ch. 13 - Prob. 10MCQCh. 13 - Prob. 11MCQCh. 13 - Prob. 12MCQCh. 13 - Prob. 13MCQCh. 13 - A manufacturing cell within a value stream has...Ch. 13 - Prob. 15MCQCh. 13 - Prob. 16MCQCh. 13 - Prob. 17MCQCh. 13 - Prob. 18MCQCh. 13 - Prob. 19MCQCh. 13 - Prob. 20BEACh. 13 - Quality Cost Report Whitley Company had total...Ch. 13 - Andresen Company had the following quality costs...Ch. 13 - Norris Company implemented a quality improvement...Ch. 13 - Mabbut Company has the following departmental...Ch. 13 - During the week of May 10, Hyrum Manufacturing...Ch. 13 - Prob. 26BEACh. 13 - Prob. 27BEBCh. 13 - Quality Cost Report Loring Company had total sales...Ch. 13 - Cassara, Inc., had the following quality costs for...Ch. 13 - Pintura Company implemented a quality improvement...Ch. 13 - Gumbrecht Company has the following departmental...Ch. 13 - During the week of August 21, Parley Manufacturing...Ch. 13 - Prob. 33BEBCh. 13 - Prob. 34ECh. 13 - Prob. 35ECh. 13 - Crazy Fan Guard Company provides security services...Ch. 13 - Jacks Apps Company researches, develops, and sells...Ch. 13 - Prob. 38ECh. 13 - Prob. 39ECh. 13 - Classify the following quality costs as prevention...Ch. 13 - Bradshaw Company reported sales of 5,000,000 in...Ch. 13 - The controller of Emery, Inc. has computed quality...Ch. 13 - Erba Inc. has the following departmental layout...Ch. 13 - A value stream has three activities and two...Ch. 13 - A Box Scorecard was prepared for a value stream:...Ch. 13 - Match each term in Column A with its related...Ch. 13 - Match each term in Column A with its related...Ch. 13 - Prob. 48ECh. 13 - Refer to Exercise 13-48. Suppose that Kamber is...Ch. 13 - Prob. 50ECh. 13 - Prob. 51PCh. 13 - Prob. 52PCh. 13 - Dorsey Scott MU Company manufactures and bottles a...Ch. 13 - Danna Wise, president of Tidwell Company, recently...Ch. 13 - Prob. 55PCh. 13 - In 20X1, Don Blackburn, president of Price...Ch. 13 - Brasher Company is transitioning to a lean...Ch. 13 - Merkley Company, a manufacturer of machine parts,...Ch. 13 - Paladin Company manufactures plain paper fax...Ch. 13 - Custom Shutters. Inc., manufactures plantation...Ch. 13 - Prob. 61PCh. 13 - Corporate sustainability reports vary greatly...Ch. 13 - Luna Company is a printing company and a...Ch. 13 - Lindell Manufacturing embarked on an ambitious...Ch. 13 - Paterson Company, a U.S.-based company,...
Knowledge Booster
Learn more about
Need a deep-dive on the concept behind this application? Look no further. Learn more about this topic, accounting and related others by exploring similar questions and additional content below.Similar questions
- Recently, Ulrich Company received a report from an external consulting group on its quality costs. The consultants reported that the companys quality costs total about 21 percent of its sales revenues. Somewhat shocked by the magnitude of the costs, Rob Rustin, president of Ulrich Company, decided to launch a major quality improvement program. For the coming year, management decided to reduce quality costs to 17 percent of sales revenues. Although the amount of reduction was ambitious, most company officials believed that the goal could be realized. To improve the monitoring of the quality improvement program, Rob directed Pamela Golding, the controller, to prepare monthly performance reports comparing budgeted and actual quality costs. Budgeted costs and sales for the first two months of the year are as follows: The following actual sales and actual quality costs were reported for January: Required: 1. Reorganize the monthly budgets so that quality costs are grouped in one of four categories: appraisal, prevention, internal failure, or external failure. (Essentially, prepare a budgeted cost of quality report.) Also, identify each cost as variable (V) or fixed (F). (Assume that no costs are mixed.) 2. Prepare a performance report for January that compares actual costs with budgeted costs. Comment on the companys progress in improving quality and reducing its quality costs.arrow_forwardRenslen, Inc., a truck manufacturing conglomerate, has recently purchased two divisions: Meyers Service Company and Wellington Products, Inc. Meyers provides maintenance service on large truck cabs for 10-wheeler trucks, and Wellington produces air brakes for the 10-wheeler trucks. The employees at Meyers take pride in their work, as Meyers is proclaimed to offer the best maintenance service in the trucking industry. The management of Meyers, as a group, has received additional compensation from a 10 percent bonus pool based on income before income taxes and bonus. Renslen plans to continue to compensate the Meyers management team on this basis as it is the same incentive plan used for all other Renslen divisions, except for the Wellington division. Wellington offers a high-quality product to the trucking industry and is the premium choice even when compared to foreign competition. The management team at Wellington strives for zero defects and minimal scrap costs; current scrap levels are at 2 percent. The incentive compensation plan for Wellington management has been a 1 percent bonus based on gross margin. Renslen plans to continue to compensate the Wellington management team on this basis. The following condensed income statements are for both divisions for the fiscal year ended May 31, 20x1: Renslen, Inc. Divisional Income Statements For the Year Ended May 31, 20x1 Each division has 1,000,000 of management salary expense that is eligible for the bonus pool. Renslen has invited the management teams of all its divisions to an off-site management workshop in July where the bonus checks will be presented. Renslen is concerned that the different bonus plans at the two divisions may cause some heated discussion. Required: 1. Determine the 20x1 bonus pool available for the management team at: a. Meyers Service Company b. Wellington Products, Inc. 2. Identify at least two advantages and disadvantages to Renslen, Inc., of the bonus pool incentive plan at: a. Meyers Service Company b. Wellington Products, Inc. 3. Having two different types of incentive plans for two operating divisions of the same corporation can create problems. a. Discuss the behavioral problems that could arise within management for Meyers Service Company and Wellington Products, Inc., by having different types of incentive plans. b. Present arguments that Renslen, Inc., can give to the management teams of both Meyers and Wellington to justify having two different incentive plans.arrow_forwardJavier Company has sales of 8 million and quality costs of 1,600,000. The company is embarking on a major quality improvement program. During the next three years, Javier intends to attack failure costs by increasing its appraisal and prevention costs. The right prevention activities will be selected, and appraisal costs will be reduced according to the results achieved. For the coming year, management is considering six specific activities: quality training, process control, product inspection, supplier evaluation, prototype testing, and redesign of two major products. To encourage managers to focus on reducing non-value-added quality costs and select the right activities, a bonus pool is established relating to reduction of quality costs. The bonus pool is equal to 10 percent of the total reduction in quality costs. Current quality costs and the costs of these six activities are given in the following table. Each activity is added sequentially so that its effect on the cost categories can be assessed. For example, after quality training is added, the control costs increase to 320,000, and the failure costs drop to 1,040,000. Even though the activities are presented sequentially, they are totally independent of each other. Thus, only beneficial activities need be selected. Required: 1. Identify the control activities that should be implemented, and calculate the total quality costs associated with this selection. Assume that an activity is selected only if it increases the bonus pool. 2. Given the activities selected in Requirement 1, calculate the following: a. The reduction in total quality costs b. The percentage distribution for control and failure costs c. The amount for this years bonus pool 3. Suppose that a quality engineer complained about the gainsharing incentive system. Basically, he argued that the bonus should be based only on reductions of failure and appraisal costs. In this way, investment in prevention activities would be encouraged, and eventually, failure and appraisal costs would be eliminated. After eliminating the non-value-added costs, focus could then be placed on the level of prevention costs. If this approach were adopted, what activities would be selected? Do you agree or disagree with this approach? Explain.arrow_forward
- Danna Lummus, the president of Karlene Company, has recently returned from a conference on quality and productivity. At the conference, she learned that many American firms have made significant progress in improving quality and reducing quality costs. Many of these firms have been able to reduce quality costs from 20 to 30 percent of sales to 2 to 3 percent of sales. She was skeptical, however, about this statistic. Even if the quality gurus were right, she was sure that her company’s quality costs were much lower—probably less than 5 percent. On the other hand, if she was wrong, she would be passing up an opportunity to improve profits significantly and simultaneously strengthen her competitive position. In fact, she reflected on the com- ment of one of the quality experts: “Quality has become a condition of entrance to the market. If the product is not good, you will quickly go out of business.” The qual- ity issue was at least worth exploring. Moreover, she decided that it may be…arrow_forwardvntkjarrow_forwardIn response to intense foreign competition, Florex Company has taken steps to improve the quality of its products. A summary of its quality costs (in thousands) over the past two years is given below: Inspection Quality engineering Depreciation of test equipment Rework labor Statistical process control Cost of field servicing Supplies used in testing Systems development Warranty repairs Prevention costs: Total prevention costs Appraisal costs Total appraisal costs Internal failure costs: Costs (in thousands) Last Year Total internal failure costs External failure costs: $630 $ $ $ 420 $588 1,050 $0 1,260 $ 42 $840 $ 4,200 $420 $840 $ 2,520 $630 Net cost of scrap Product testing Product recalls Disposal of production defects. Sales have been flat over the past few years, at $84,000,000 per year. Total external failure costs Total quality cost This Year $ 1,008 Required: 1. Prepare a quality cost report for this year and last year. Note: Enter amount values in thousands. Round your…arrow_forward
- As a cost accountant for San Francisco Cannery, you have been approached by Phil Perriman, canning room supervisor, about the 2020 costs charged to his department. In particular, he is concerned about the line item “depreciation.” Perriman is very proud of the excellent condition of his canning room equipment. He has always been vigilant about keeping all equipment serviced and well oiled. He is sure that the huge charge to depreciation is a mistake; it does not at all reflect the cost of minimal wear and tear that the machines have experienced over the last year. He believes that the charge should be considerably lower. The machines being depreciated are six automatic canning machines. All were put into use on January 1, 2020. Each cost $625,000, having a salvage value of $55,000 and a useful life of 12 years. San Francisco depreciates this and similar assets using double-declining-balance depreciation. Perriman has also pointed out that if you used straight-line depreciation, the…arrow_forwardhello, can someone help me out with this ?arrow_forwardI need help with this one please thank youarrow_forward
- CleanTech manufactures equipment to mitigate the environmental effects of waste. (a) If Product A has fixed expenses of $15,000 per year and each unit of product has a $0.20 variable cost, and Product B has fixed expenses of $5000 per year and a $0.50 variable cost, at what number of units of annual production will A have the same overall cost as B? (b) As a manager at CleanTech what other data would you need to evaluate these two products?arrow_forwardIn response to intense foreign competition, Florex Company has taken steps to improve the quality of its products. A summary of its quality costs (in thousands) over the past two years is given below: Inspection Quality engineering Depreciation of test equipment Rework labor Statistical process control Cost of field servicing Prevention costs: Total prevention costs Appraisal costs Total appraisal costs Internal failure costs: Total internal failure costs External failure costs: Costs (in thousands) Last Year This Year $ 630 $ 918 $ 540 $ 720 $ 180 Supplies used in testing Systems development Warranty repairs Net cost of scrap Product testing Product recalls $ 720 $ 990 $ 2,610 Disposal of production defects $ 900 Sales have been flat over the past few years, at $90,000,000 per year. Required: 1. Prepare a quality cost report for this year and last year. Note: Enter amount values in thousands. Round your percentage answers to 2 decimal places (i.e 0.1234 should be entered as 12.34).…arrow_forwardBased on the 2015 survey, Amanda Westerly believed that Osborn had to improve product quality. In making her case to Osborn management, how might Westerly have estimated the opportunity cost of not implementing the quality-improvement program?arrow_forward
arrow_back_ios
SEE MORE QUESTIONS
arrow_forward_ios
Recommended textbooks for you
Managerial Accounting: The Cornerstone of Busines...AccountingISBN:9781337115773Author:Maryanne M. Mowen, Don R. Hansen, Dan L. HeitgerPublisher:Cengage Learning
Cornerstones of Cost Management (Cornerstones Ser...AccountingISBN:9781305970663Author:Don R. Hansen, Maryanne M. MowenPublisher:Cengage Learning
Managerial Accounting: The Cornerstone of Busines...
Accounting
ISBN:9781337115773
Author:Maryanne M. Mowen, Don R. Hansen, Dan L. Heitger
Publisher:Cengage Learning
Cornerstones of Cost Management (Cornerstones Ser...
Accounting
ISBN:9781305970663
Author:Don R. Hansen, Maryanne M. Mowen
Publisher:Cengage Learning
What is Cost Allocation? Definition & Process; Author: FloQast;https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hLhvvHvZ3JM;License: Standard Youtube License