‘Performance may be both effective and efficient, but either condition can occur without the other.’ Do you agree? Give an example of effectiveness. Give an example of efficiency
> What are the most frequently used allocation bases for manufacturing overhead costs?
> The accountant of a retailer has just had a €50 000 request to implement an activity-based costing system quickly turned down. A senior vice-president, in rejecting the request, noted, ‘Given a choice, I will always prefer a €50 000 investment in improvi
> Define cost smoothing, and explain how managers can determine whether it occurs with their costing system.
> Define contribution margin, gross margin, and contribution margin percentage, variable-cost percentage and margin of safety.
> Distinguish between operating profit and net profit.
> Describe how the special case labeled CVP is different from the general case for predicting total revenues, total costs and operating profit.
> Name one reason why many companies prefer the master-budget utilization-level concept rather than the normal utilization-level concept.
> FG is preparing its cash budgets for January, February and March. Budgeted data are as follows: The selling price per unit is £200. The purchase price per kg of raw material is £25. Each unit of finished product requires 2 kg of
> The term variable costing could be improved by calling it variable manufacturing costing. Do you agree? Why?
> Describe an accounting method that would eliminate some key inconsistencies that often arise in by-product reporting.
> Which joint-cost-allocation method is supported by the cause-and-effect criterion for choosing among allocation methods?
> Define separable costs.
> What does environmental management accounting capture?
> What are the OECD’s corporate governance principles?
> What does the strategic scorecard force board members to do?
> Describe dimensions of the strategic scorecard?
> What is the digitally advanced enterprise control loop?
> What differentiates a digitally advanced firm from a traditional industrial one?
> Nyborg Supermarkets has a kaizen (continuous improvement) approach to budgeting monthly activity area costs for each month of 2018. February’s budgeted cost driver rate is 0.998 times the budgeted January 2018 rate. March’s budgeted cost driver rate is 0
> Starkuchen GmbH has been in the food-processing business for three years. For its first two years (2017 and 2018), its sole product was raisin cake. All cakes were manufactured and packaged in 1 kg units. A normal costing system was used by Starkuchen. T
> What are some key technologies producing data?
> How is data affected by digitization?
> What must management accounting system designers be careful to do?
> What impact is digitization having on firms?
> Describe the three main measures used in the theory of constraints.
> Outline how three di erent versions of back flush costing can di er.
> Companies adopting back flush costing often meet three conditions. Describe these three conditions.
> Describe how JIT systems a ect product costing.
> List five major features of JIT production systems.
> Distinguish a demand-pull from a push-through system.
> M plc designs, manufactures and assembles furniture. The furniture is for home use and therefore varies considerably in size, complexity and value. One of the departments in the company is the Assembly Department. This department is labor intensive; the
> Give examples of non-financial measures of customer satisfaction.
> What is strategic management accounting?
> The manager of a highly automated plant that assembles desktop computers commented, ‘Yield and mix variance information is irrelevant to my cost management decisions.’ Give two possible reasons for the manager’s statement.
> Give an example of an input other than direct materials and direct labor where calculating yield and mix variances might be useful. Explain your reasoning briefly.
> How might managers use information about direct-labour yield and mix variances in improving the performance of a business?
> Changes in the mix of direct materials used from the budgeted mix always hurt yield.’ Do you agree? Explain.
> Name three sources of the standards used in the total direct materials yield and mix variances.
> Direct materials yield and mix variances are particularly useful when materials are substitutable.’ Do you agree? Explain.
> Distinguish between total direct materials yield and mix variances.
> The 4-variance analysis format shows ‘never a variance’ for two areas. Which two areas? Why?
> Embutidos Vallina SA has two direct-cost categories: direct materials and direct manufacturing labor. Its single indirect-cost category (manufacturing overhead) is allocated on the basis of machine-hours. Numbers taken from the monthly budgets for June 2
> Explain how 4-variance analysis differs from 1-, 2- and 3-variance analyses.
> Assume variable manufacturing overhead is allocated using machine-hours. Give three possible reasons for a €25 000favourable variable-overhead efficiency variance.
> Both financial and non-financial measures are used to control variable manufacturing overhead. Give two examples of each type of measure.
> Budgeting for variable manufacturing overhead requires a knowledge of cost drivers. Name three possible cost drivers.
> What are the steps in planning variable-overhead costs?
> How might the continuous improvement theme be incorporated into the process of setting budgeted costs?
> ‘There are many costs associated with acquiring and using materials over and above materials purchase costs.’ Give three examples.
> What is the key question in deciding which variances should be calculated and analyzed?
> What is a benchmark? Give an example of three types of benchmark of interest to managers.
> A toy manufacturer that specializes in making fad items has just developed a £50 000 molding machine for producing a special toy. The machine has been used to produce only one unit so far. The company will depreciate the £50 000 initial machine investmen
> Outline three criticisms of traditional budgeting and a related proposal for change.
> Define responsibility accounting.
> Cite three benefits companies report from using an activity-based budgeting approach.
> ‘Budgets are wonderful vehicles for communication.’ Comment.
> ‘Discounted cash flow techniques are relevant only to for-profit organizations.’ Do you agree? Explain.
> What approaches might be used to recognize risk in capital budgeting?
> Corporation tax only plays a role in capital budgeting because of capital allowances.’ Do you agree? Explain.
> How is the accounting rate of return method different from the payback method?
> How is an activity-based approach different from a traditional approach to designing a job-costing system?
> When explaining a motor vehicle market-share turnaround, a car manufacturer stated: ‘We listened to what our customers wanted and acted on what they said. Good things happen when you pay attention to the boss.’ How might management accountants apply the
> Assume that six projects, A–F in the table that follows, have been submitted for inclusion in the coming year’s budget for capital expenditures: Required 1. Calculate the internal rates of return (to the nearest half
> Peter Drucker, a noted business observer, made the following comment in an address to management accountants: ‘I am not saying that you do not need a “cop on the beat”, you do . . . But your great challenge is to get across to your associates your abilit
> Explain the meaning of cost management.
> The accounting system should provide information for five broad purposes. Describe them.
> Describe two consequences of using direct manufacturing labour-hours as an allocation base in a machine-paced work environment.
> Why is the distinction between labour-paced and machine-paced operations important when selecting indirect-cost allocation bases?
> Different costs for different purposes means that a cost allocated for one purpose is not allocated for another purpose. Do you agree?
> How do cost–benefit considerations affect choices by a company about the allocation of indirect costs to products, services or customers?
> How can an individual cost item, such as the salary of a plant security guard, be both a direct cost and an indirect cost at the same time?
> Why might the classification of a cost as a direct cost or an indirect cost of a cost object change over time?
> Previous department costs are those incurred in the preceding accounting period.’ Do you agree? Explain.
> The manager of the Robin Hood Company is considering two investment projects that are mutually exclusive. The after-tax required rate of return of this company is 10%, and the anticipated cash flows are as follows: Required 1. Calculate the internal ra
> Why should the accountant distinguish between transferred-in costs and additional direct material costs for a particular department?
> What problems might arise in estimating the degree of completion of an aircraft blade in a machining shop?
> Changes in the way managers operate require rethinking the design and operation of management accounting systems. Describe five themes that are affecting both the way managers operate and developments in management accounting.
> A leading management observer stated that the most successful companies are those which have an obsession for their customers. Is this statement pertinent to management accountants? Explain.
> Which costs are considered direct? Indirect? Give an example of each.
> What are the three major categories of the inventorial costs of a manufactured product?
> What is a cost driver? Give one example for each area in the value chain.
> Give three factors that will affect the classification of a cost as direct or indirect.
> Describe how a given cost item can be both a direct cost and an indirect cost.
> Why might an advertising agency use job costing for an advertising campaign for Pepsi while a bank uses process costing for the cost of current account withdrawals?
> AalesundFotballklubb is a Norwegian football team with a long tradition of winning. However, the last three years have been traumatic. The team has not won a major championship, and attendance at games has dropped considerably. NorskFiskevæ
> In the production of services, direct materials are usually the major cost.’ Is this quote accurate? Explain.
> Why might a company prefer the adjusted allocation rate approach over a proration approach to under- or over allocated indirect costs?
> Describe alternative ways to prorate end-of-period adjustments for under- or over allocated indirect costs.
> Give two reasons for under- or over allocation of indirect costs at the end of an accounting period.
> Describe the role of a manufacturing overhead allocation base in job costing.
> What are two major goals of a job-costing system?
> Compaq Computer incurs the following costs: a. Electricity costs for the plant assembling the Presario computer line of products. b. Transportation costs for shipping Presario software to a retail chain. c. Payment to David Kelley Designs for design of t
> Zimmermann GmbH is an international consulting firm. Its annual budget includes the following for each category of professional labor: Required 1. Calculate the budgeted direct-cost rate for professional labor (salary and fringe benefits) per hour for (
> A student association has hired a music group for a graduation party. The cost will be a fixed amount of €40 000. Required 1. Suppose 500 people attend the party. What will be the total cost of the music group? The unit cost per person? 2. Suppose 2000
> Olympiakos SA provides outsourcing services and advice to both government and corporate clients. For costing purposes, Olympiakos classifies its departments into two support departments The Administrative/Human Resource support percentages are based on h
> Meer has been offered a special-purpose metal-cutting machine for €110 000. The machine is expected to have a useful life of eight years with a terminal disposal value of €30 000. Savings in cash-operating costs are expected to be €25 000 per year. Howev
> Catherine MacDougall, a third-year undergraduate student at a university near Edinburgh, received an invitation to visit a prospective employer in Nice. A few days later, she received an invitation from a prospective employer in Copenhagen. She decided t
> Rolf, Ilse and Ulrich are members of the Frankfurt Fire Brigade. They share an apartment that has a lounge with the latest wide-screen TV. Ulrich owns the apartment, its furniture and the wide-screen TV. He can subscribe to a cable television company tha
> The Fredensborg power plant that services all manufacturing departments of Fabri-Danmark AS has a budget for the coming year. This budget has been expressed in the following terms on a monthly basis: The expected monthly costs for operating the departmen
> Brian McGarrigle went to Les Arcs for his annual winter vacation. Unfortunately, he suffered a broken ankle while skiing and had to spend two days at the Hôpital de Grasse. McGarrigle’s insurance company received a â
