ABC, cost hierarchy, service. (CMA, adapted) Vineyard Test Laboratories does heat testing (HT) and stress testing (ST) on materials and operates at capacity. Under its current simple costing system, Vineyard aggregates all operating costs of $1,190,000 into a single overhead cost pool. Vineyard calculates a rate per test-hour of $17 ($1, 190, 000 ÷ 70, 000 total test-hours). HT uses 40,000 test-hours, and ST uses 30,000 test-hours. Gary Celeste, Vineyard’s controller, believes that there is enough variation in test procedures and cost structures to establish separate costing and billing rates for HT and ST. The market for test services is becoming competitive. Without this information, any miscosting and mispricing of its services could cause Vineyard to lose business. Celeste divides Vineyard’s costs into four activity-cost categories. a. Direct-labor costs, $146,000. These costs can be directly traced to HT, $100,000, and ST, $46,000. b. Equipment-related costs (rent, maintenance, energy, and so on), $350,000. These costs are allocated to HT and ST on the basis of test-hours. c. Setup costs, $430.000. These costs are allocated to HT and ST on the basis of the number of setup-hours required. HT requires 13,600 setup-hours, and ST requires 3,600 setup-hours. d. Costs of designing tests, $264,000. These costs are allocated to HT and ST on the basis of the time required for designing the tests. HT requires 3,000 hours, and ST requires 1,400 hours. 1. Classify each activity cost as output unit–level, batch-level, product- or service-sustaining, or facility-sustaining. Explain each answer. Required 2. Calculate the cost per test-hour for HT and ST. Explain briefly the reasons why these numbers differ from the $17 per test-hour that Vineyard calculated using its simple costing system. 3. Explain the accuracy of the product costs calculated using the simple costing system and the ABC system. How might Vineyard’s management use the cost hierarchy and ABC information to better manage its business?

The following product costs are available for Stellis Company on the production of erasers: direct materials, $22,000; direct labor, $35,000; manufacturing overhead, $17,500; selling expenses, $17,600; and administrative expenses; $13,400. What are the prime costs? What are the conversion costs? What is the total product cost? What is the total period cost? If 13,750 equivalent units are produced, what is the equivalent material cost per unit? If 17,500 equivalent units are produced, what is the equivalent conversion cost per unit?

Box Springs. Inc., makes two sizes of box springs: queen and king. The direct material for the queen is $35 per unit and $55 is used in direct labor, while the direct material for the king is $55 per unit, and the labor cost is $70 per unit. Box Springs estimates it will make 4,300 queens and 3,000 kings in the next year. It estimates the overhead for each cost pool and cost driver activities as follows: How much does each unit cost to manufacture?

Evans, Inc., has a unit-based costing system. Evanss Miami plant produces 10 different electronic products. The demand for each product is about the same. Although they differ in complexity, each product uses about the same labor time and materials. The plant has used direct labor hours for years to assign overhead to products. To help design engineers understand the assumed cost relationships, the Cost Accounting Department developed the following cost equation. (The equation describes the relationship between total manufacturing costs and direct labor hours; the equation is supported by a coefficient of determination of 60 percent.) Y=5,000,000+30X,whereX=directlaborhours The variable rate of 30 is broken down as follows: Because of competitive pressures, product engineering was given the charge to redesign products to reduce the total cost of manufacturing. Using the above cost relationships, product engineering adopted the strategy of redesigning to reduce direct labor content. As each design was completed, an engineering change order was cut, triggering a series of events such as design approval, vendor selection, bill of materials update, redrawing of schematic, test runs, changes in setup procedures, development of new inspection procedures, and so on. After one year of design changes, the normal volume of direct labor was reduced from 250,000 hours to 200,000 hours, with the same number of products being produced. Although each product differs in its labor content, the redesign efforts reduced the labor content for all products. On average, the labor content per unit of product dropped from 1.25 hours per unit to one hour per unit. Fixed overhead, however, increased from 5,000,000 to 6,600,000 per year. Suppose that a consultant was hired to explain the increase in fixed overhead costs. The consultants study revealed that the 30 per hour rate captured the unit-level variable costs; however, the cost behavior of other activities was quite different. For example, setting up equipment is a step-fixed cost, where each step is 2,000 setup hours, costing 90,000. The study also revealed that the cost of receiving goods is a function of the number of different components. This activity has a variable cost of 2,000 per component type and a fixed cost that follows a step-cost pattern. The step is defined by 20 components with a cost of 50,000 per step. Assume also that the consultant indicated that the design adopted by the engineers increased the demand for setups from 20,000 setup hours to 40,000 setup hours and the number of different components from 100 to 250. The demand for other non-unit-level activities remained unchanged. The consultant also recommended that management take a look at a rejected design for its products. This rejected design increased direct labor content from 250,000 hours to 260,000 hours, decreased the demand for setups from 20,000 hours to 10,000 hours, and decreased the demand for purchasing from 100 component types to 75 component types, while the demand for all other activities remained unchanged. Required: 1. Using normal volume, compute the manufacturing cost per labor hour before the year of design changes. What is the cost per unit of an average product? 2. Using normal volume after the one year of design changes, compute the manufacturing cost per hour. What is the cost per unit of an average product? 3. Before considering the consultants study, what do you think is the most likely explanation for the failure of the design changes to reduce manufacturing costs? Now use the information from the consultants study to explain the increase in the average cost per unit of product. What changes would you suggest to improve Evanss efforts to reduce costs? 4. Explain why the consultant recommended a second look at a rejected design. Provide computational support. What does this tell you about the strategic importance of cost management?

Cool Pool has these costs associated with production of 20,000 units of accessory products: direct materials, $70; direct labor, $110; variable manufacturing overhead, $45; total fixed manufacturing overhead, $800,000. What is the cost per unit under both the variable and absorption methods?

Pinter Company had the following environmental activities and product information: 1. Environmental activity costs 2. Driver data 3. Other production data Required: 1. Calculate the activity rates that will be used to assign environmental costs to products. 2. Determine the unit environmental and unit costs of each product using ABC. 3. What if the design costs increased to 360,000 and the cost of toxic waste decreased to 750,000? Assume that Solvent Y uses 6,000 out of 12,000 design hours. Also assume that waste is cut by 50 percent and that Solvent Y is responsible for 14,250 of 15,000 pounds of toxic waste. What is the new environmental cost for Solvent Y?

Box Springs, Inc., makes two sizes of box springs: twin and double. The direct material for the twin is $25 per unit and $40 s used in direct labor, while the direct material for the double is $40 per unit, and the labor cost is $50 per unit. Box Springs estimates it will make 5,000 twins and 9,000 doubles in the next year. It estimates the overhead for each cost pool and cost driver activities as follows: How much does each unit cost to manufacture?

Brees, Inc., a manufacturer of golf carts, has just received an offer from a supplier to provide 2,600 units of a component used in its main product. The component is a track assembly that is currently produced internally. The supplier has offered to sell the track assembly for 66 per unit. Brees is currently using a traditional, unit-based costing system that assigns overhead to jobs on the basis of direct labor hours. The estimated traditional full cost of producing the track assembly is as follows: Prior to making a decision, the companys CEO commissioned a special study to see whether there would be any decrease in the fixed overhead costs. The results of the study revealed the following: 3 setups1,160 each (The setups would be avoided, and total spending could be reduced by 1,160 per setup.) One half-time inspector is needed. The company already uses part-time inspectors hired through a temporary employment agency. The yearly cost of the part-time inspectors for the track assembly operation is 12,300 and could be totally avoided if the part were purchased. Engineering work: 470 hours, 45/hour. (Although the work decreases by 470 hours, the engineer assigned to the track assembly line also spends time on other products, and there would be no reduction in his salary.) 75 fewer material moves at 30 per move. Required: 1. Ignore the special study, and determine whether the track assembly should be produced internally or purchased from the supplier. 2. Now, using the special study data, repeat the analysis. 3. Discuss the qualitative factors that would affect the decision, including strategic implications. 4. After reviewing the special study, the controller made the following remark: This study ignores the additional activity demands that purchasing would cause. For example, although the demand for inspecting the part on the production floor decreases, we may need to inspect the incoming parts in the receiving area. Will we actually save any inspection costs? Is the controller right?

Medical Tape makes two products: Generic and Label. It estimates it will produce 423,694 units of Generic and 652,200 of Label, and the overhead for each of its cost pools is as follows: It has also estimated the activities for each cost driver as follows: How much is the overhead allocated to each unit of Generic and Label?

The following product costs are available for Kellee Company on the production of eyeglass frames: direct materials, $32,125; direct labor, $23.50; manufacturing overhead, applied at 225% of direct labor cost; selling expenses, $22,225; and administrative expenses, $31,125. The direct labor hours worked for the month are 3,200 hours. A. What are the prime costs? B. What are the conversion costs? C. What is the total product cost? D. What is the total period cost? E. If 6.425 equivalent units are produced, what is the equivalent material cost per unit? F. What is the equivalent conversion cost per unit?

Vineyard Test Laboratories does heat testing (HT) and stress testing (ST) on materials and operates at capacity. Under its current simple costing system, Vineyard aggregates all operating costs of $1,190,000 into a single overhead cost pool. Vineyard calculates a rate per test-hour of $17 ($1,190,000 , 70,000 total test@hours). HT uses 40,000 test-hours, and ST uses 30,000 test-hours. Gary Celeste, Vineyard’s controller, believes that there is enough variation in test procedures and cost structures to establish separate costing and billing rates for HT and ST. The market for test services is becoming competitive. Without this information, any miscosting and mispricing of its services could cause Vineyard to lose business. Celeste divides Vineyard’s costs into four activity-cost categories. a. Direct-labor costs, $146,000. These costs can be directly traced to HT, $100,000, and ST, $46,000. b. Equipment-related costs (rent, maintenance, energy, and so on), $350,000. These costs are…

Holliston Test Laboratories does heat testing (HT) and stress testing (ST) on materials and operates at capacity. Under its current simple costing system, Holliston aggregates all operating costs of $1,200,000 into a single overhead cost pool. Holliston calculates a rate per test-hour of $16 ($1,200,000 -75,000 total test-hours). HT uses 50,000 test-hours, and ST uses 25,000 test-hours. Gary Celeste, Holliston's controller, believes that there is enough variation in test procedures and cost structures to establish separate costing and billing rates for HT and ST. The market for test services is becoming competitive. Without this information, any miscosting and mispricing of its services could cause Holliston to lose business. Celeste divides Holliston's costs into four activity-cost categories. (Click the icon to view the activity-cost categories.) Read the requirements. Requirement 1. Classify each activity cost as output unit-level, batch-level, product- or service-sustaining, or…

Hakara Company has been using direct labor costs as the basis for assigning overhead to its many products. Under this allocation system, product A has been assigned overhead of $35.29 per unit, while product B has been assigned $8.25 per unit. Management feels that an ABC system will provide a more accurate allocation of the overhead costs and has collected the following cost pool and cost driver information: Cost Pools Activity Costs Cost Drivers Activity Driver Consumption Machine setup $ 261,000 Setup hours 3,000 Materials handling 153,000 Pounds of materials 17,000 Electric power 38,000 Kilowatt-hours 38,000 The following cost information pertains to the production of A and B, just two of Hakara's many products: A B Number of units produced 4,000 20,000 Direct materials cost $ 37,000 $ 27,000 Direct labor cost $ 41,000 $ 40,000 Number of setup hours 200 200 Pounds of materials used 1,000…

Solution Summary: The author explains that activity-based costing is used to allocate the overhead cost of resources or indirect cost to the related products.

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