Assignment 1

Task: This is an individual assignment in which the student is required to answer all of the problems included.

Assessment Criteria:

This task will generally be assessed in terms of the following criteria:

1. Effectiveness of communication: readability, grammar, spelling, neatness, completeness and presentation.

2. Demonstrated competency and understanding: This will be evidenced by the student's ability to be dialectical in the discussion of contentious issues. The marker will pay attention to the accuracy of the content, coverage of relevant issues, structure of argument, English expressions, and absence of plagiarism, concise writing style, and referencing style.

Problem -1

Anwar Ltd produces a moulded plastic casing, LX201, for desktop computers. Summary data from its 2014 income statement are as follows:

Jane Woodall, Anwar's CEO, is very concerned about the company's poor profitability. She asks Max Wilson, production manager, and Lyle Hayes, management accountant, to see if there are ways to reduce costs.

After two weeks, Max returns with a proposal to reduce variable costs to 52% of revenues by reducing the costs Anwar Ltd currently incurs for safe disposal of wasted plastic. Lyle is concerned that this would expose the company to potential environmental liabilities. He tells Max: ‘We would need to estimate some of these potential environmental costs and include them in our analysis'. ‘You can't do that', Max replies. ‘We are not violating any laws. There is some possibility that we may have to incur environmental costs in the future, but if we bring it up now, this proposal will not go through because our senior management always assumes these costs to be larger than they turn out to be. The market is very tough, and we are in danger of shutting down the company. We don't want all our colleagues to lose their jobs. The only reason our competitors are making money is because they are doing exactly what I am proposing.'

Required

a) Calculate Anwar Ltd's break-even revenues for 2014.

b) Calculate Anwar Ltd's break-even revenues if variable costs are 52% of revenues.

c) Calculate Anwar Ltd's profit for 2014 if variable costs had been 52% of revenues.

d) Given Max Wilson's comments, what should Lyle Hayes do?

Problem  2:

Kim Daley is examining customer service costs in the southern region of Capital Products. Capital Products has more than 200 separate electrical products that are sold with a six-month guarantee of full repair or replacement with a new product. When a product is returned by a customer, a service report is prepared. This service report includes details of the problem and the time and cost of resolving the problem.

Weekly data for the most recent 8-week period are:

Required

a) Plot the relationship between customer service costs and number of service reports. Is the relationship economically plausible?

b) Use the high-low method to calculate the cost function, relating customer service costs to the number of service reports.

c) What variables, in addition to number of service reports, might be cost drivers of weekly customer service costs of Capital Products?

Problem -3

Pet Products Company uses an automated process to manufacture its pet replica products. For June, the company had the following activities:

Direct materials are placed into production at the beginning of the process and conversion costs are incurred evenly throughout the process.

Required:

a) Prepare a production cost worksheet using the FIFO method.

b) What is the difference between a weighted-average method of process costing and a first- in, first-out method of process costing?

Problem -4

Universal Industries operates a division in Zimbabwe, a country with very high inflation rates. Traditionally, the company has used the same costing techniques in all countries to facilitate reporting to corporate headquarters. However, the financial accounting reports from Zimbabwe never seem to match the actual unit results of the division. Management has studied the problem and it appears that beginning inventories may be the cause of the unmatched information. The reason for this is that the inventories have a different financial base because of the severe inflation.

Required:

How can process costing assist in addressing the problem facing Universal Industries?

Problem  5

Brilliant Accents Company manufactures and sells three styles of kitchen taps: brass, chrome, and white. Production takes 25, 25, and 10 machine hours to manufacture 1000-unit batches of brass, chrome and white taps, respectively. The following additional data apply:

Total overhead costs and activity levels for the year are estimated as follows:

Required:

a. Using the traditional system, determine the operating profit per unit for each style of tap.

b. Determine the activity-cost-driver rate for setup costs and inspection costs.

c. Using the ABC system, for each style of tap

1. compute the estimated overhead costs per unit.

2. compute the estimated operating profit per unit.

d. Explain the differences between the profits obtained from the traditional system and the ABC system. Which system provides a better estimate of profitability? Why?

Problem  6

Jack Halpern is the owner and CEO of Aerospace Comfort, a firm specialising in the manufacture of seats for aeroplanes. He has just received a copy of a letter written to the general audit section of the RAAF. He believes it is from an ex-employee of Aerospace Comfort.

Dear Sir,

Aerospace Comfort manufactured 100 X7 seats for the RAAF in 2014. The following may be of interest.

1- Direct materials costs billed for the 100 X7 seats were $25000.

2- Direct manufacturing labour costs billed for 100 X7 seats were $6000. These costs include 16 hours of set-up labour at $25 per hour, an amount included in the manufacturing overhead cost pool as well. The $6000 also includes 12 hours of design time at $50 an hour. Design time was explicitly identified as a cost the RAAF would not reimburse.

3- Manufacturing overhead costs billed for 100 X7 seats were $9000 (150% of direct manufacturing labour costs). This amount includes the 16 hours of set-up labour at $25 per hour that is incorrectly included as part of direct manufacturing labour costs.

You may also want to know that over 40% of the direct materials is purchased from Frontier Technology, a company that is 51% owned by Jack Halpern's brother. For obvious reasons, this letter will not be signed.

cc: The Australian, Jack Halpern, CEO of Aerospace Comfort

Aerospace Comfort's contract states that the RAAF reimburses Aerospace Comfort at 130% of total manufacturing costs. Assume that the facts in the letter are correct as you answer the following Problem s.

Required

a- What is the cost amount per X7 seat that Aerospace Comfort billed the RAAF? Assume that the actual direct materials costs were $25 000.

b- What is the amount per X7 seat that Aerospace Comfort should have billed the RAAF? Assume that the actual direct materials costs were $25000.

c- What should the RAAF do to tighten its procurement procedures to reduce the likelihood of such situations recurring in the future?