Question: Zigbee & Associates is a local legal entity
Zigbee & Associates is a local legal entity employing six solicitors, four paralegals and six administrative staff. The entity has a costing system that assigns costs to clients. There are two departments — legal support and commercial. The entity uses a different indirect cost rate for each department. The following information is taken from the budget for the coming year. 
The indirect costs are allocated to the clients as follows. • Departmental indirect costs are the numbers of solicitor and paralegal hours. • Legal supplies are charged on a per-client basis. The entity uses a cost-plus pricing policy with a 20 per cent mark-up. Client Case Number FR110 has been completed and is ready for the invoice to be sent to the client. The following costs and times were recorded for the client. • Solicitor hours — legal support 90 hours • Solicitor hours — commercial 330 hours • Direct cost of solicitors — $30 060. Required (a) Identify the type of costs included in legal supplies and department indirect costs. (b) Calculate the indirect cost rate for each department. (c) Calculate the indirect cost rate for legal supplies. (d) Determine the total cost for Client Case Number FR110. (e) Calculate the amount that the client should be invoiced for the work undertaken.
> Consider a sample with a mean of 30 and a standard deviation of 5. Use Chebyshev’s theorem to determine the percentage of the data within each of the following ranges: a. 20 to 40 b. 15 to 45 c. 22 to 38 d. 18 to 42 e. 12 to 48
> A market research firm conducts telephone surveys with a 40% historical response rate. What is the probability that in a new sample of 400 telephone numbers, at least 150 individuals will cooperate and respond to the questions? In other words, what is th
> Consider a sample with a mean of 500 and a standard deviation of 100. What are the z-scores for the following data values: 520, 650, 500, 450, and 280?
> Consider a sample with data values of 10, 20, 12, 17, and 16. Compute the z-score for each of the five observations.
> The following times were recorded by the quarter- mile and mile runners of a university track team (times are in minutes). After viewing this sample of running times, one of the coaches commented that the quarter-milers turned in the more consistent ti
> Scores turned in by an amateur golfer at the Bonita Fairways Golf Course in Bonita Springs, Florida, during 2017 and 2018 are as follows: a. Use the mean and standard deviation to evaluate the golfer’s performance over the two-year pe
> Advertising Age annually compiles a list of the 100 companies that spend the most on advertising. Consumer-goods company Procter & Gamble has often topped the list, spending billions of dollars annually. Consider the data found in the file Advertising. I
> According to the 2016 Consumer Expenditure Survey, Americans spend an average of $1124 on cellular phone service annually (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics website). Suppose that we wish to determine if there are differences in cellular phone expenditures
> The following data were used to construct the histograms of the number of days required to fill orders for Dawson Supply, Inc., and J.C. Clark Distributors (see Figure 3.2). Use the range and standard deviation to support the previous observation that
> Consider the following data and corresponding weights. xi ………………………………………… Weight (wi) 3.2 …………………………………………………….. 6 2.0 …………………………………………………….. 3 2.5 …………………………………………………….. 2 5.0 …………………………………………………….. 8 a. Compute the weighted mean. b. Compute the samp
> The Los Angeles Times regularly reports the air quality index for various areas of Southern California. A sample of air quality index values for Pomona provided the following data: 28, 42, 58, 48, 45, 55, 60, 49, and 50. a. Compute the range and interqua
> Varatta Enterprises sells industrial plumbing valves. The following table lists the annual sales amounts for the different salespeople in the organization for the most recent fiscal year. / a. Compute the mean, variance, and standard deviation for thes
> Reuters reports that 15 percent of Australians smoke. By introducing tough laws banning brand labels on cigarette packages, Australia hopes to ultimately reduce the percentage of people smoking to 10%. Answer the following questions based on a sample of
> The time (in minutes) between telephone calls at an insurance claims office has the following exponential probability distribution. f (x) = .50e-.50x for x ≥ 0 a. What is the mean time between telephone calls? b. What is the probability of having 30 s
> Great Grasslands Grains, Inc. (GGG) manufactures and sells a wide variety of breakfast cereals. GGG’s product development lab recently created a new cereal that consists of rice flakes and banana-flavored marshmallows. The company’s marketing research de
> Rob’s Market (RM) is a regional food store chain in the southwest United States. David White, Director of Business Intelligence for RM, would like to initiate a study of the purchase behavior of customers who use the RM loyalty card (a
> Hamilton County judges try thousands of cases per year. In an overwhelming majority of the cases disposed, the verdict stands as rendered. However, some cases are appealed, and of those appealed, some of the cases are reversed. Kristen DelGuzzi of The Ci
> Heavenly Chocolates manufactures and sells quality chocolate products at its plant and retail store located in Saratoga Springs, New York. Two years ago the company developed a website and began selling its products over the Internet. Website sales have
> The pursuit of a higher education degree in business is now international. A survey shows that more and more Asians choose the master of business administration (MBA) degree route to corporate success. As a result, the number of applicants for MBA course
> The movie industry is a competitive business. More than 50 studios produce hundreds of new movies for theater release each year, and the financial success of each movie varies considerably. The opening weekend gross sales ($ millions), the total gross sa
> Pelican Stores, a division of National Clothing, is a chain of women’s apparel stores operating throughout the country. The chain recently ran a promotion in which discount coupons were sent to customers of other National Clothing store
> Although millions of elephants once roamed across Africa, by the mid-1980s elephant populations in African nations had been devastated by poaching. Elephants are important to African ecosystems. In tropical forests, elephants create clearings in the cano
> Cincinnati, Ohio, also known as the Queen City, has a population of approximately 298,000 and is the third largest city in the state of Ohio. The Cincinnati metropolitan area has a population of about 2.2 million. The city is governed by a mayor and a ni
> The movie industry is a competitive business. More than 50 studios produce hundreds of new movies for theater release each year, and the financial success of each movie varies considerably. The opening weekend gross sales ($ millions), the total gross sa
> Pelican Stores, a division of National Clothing, is a chain of women’s apparel stores operating throughout the country. The chain recently ran a promotion in which discount coupons were sent to customers of other National Clothing store
> Last year Marion Dairies decided to enter the yogurt market, and it began cautiously by producing, distributing, and marketing a single flavor—a blueberry-flavored yogurt that it calls Blugurt. The company’s initial venture into the yogurt market has bee
> Gebhardt Electronics produces a wide variety of transformers that it sells directly to manufacturers of electronics equipment. For one component used in several models of its transformers, Gebhardt uses a 3-foot length of .20 mm diameter solid wire made
> Specialty Toys, Inc., sells a variety of new and innovative children’s toys. Management learned that the preholiday season is the best time to introduce a new toy, because many families use this time to look for new ideas for December holiday gifts. When
> Several years ago, management at Tuglar Corporation established a grievance committee composed of employees who volunteered to work toward the amicable resolution of disputes between Tuglar management and its employees. Each year management issue a call
> Harriet McNeil, proprietor of McNeil’s Auto Mall, believes that it is good business for her atuomobile dealership to have more customers on the lot than can be served, as she believes this creates an impression that demand for the automobiles on her lot
> Jon Weideman, first shift foreman for Cut-Rate Machining, Inc., is attempting to decide on a vendor from whom to purchase a drilling machine. He narrows his alternatives to four vendors: The Hole-Maker, Inc. (HM); Shafts & Slips, Inc. (SS); Judge’s Jigs
> Explain the advantages and disadvantages of using factoring or discounting. (b) Discuss what type of businesses would benefit from floor-plan finance. (c) Graham Ltd is a profitable manufacturing company in the clothing industry and currently has a net w
> Investment decisions are made by managers in all types of business entities. Describe the common features of investments that must be taken into consideration for any investment decision-making activity.
> Discuss potential investment opportunities for each of the following. (a) A computer hardware manufacturer (b) A car dealership (c) A clothing retailer (d) An accounting firm
> In the 12 months to June 2018, IBM recorded $18.5 billion in cloud revenue, up 23 per cent. Ginni Rometty, IBM’s CEO, claimed ‘more clients are engaging IBM on their journey to the cloud . . . This demonstrates IBM’s unique leadership in providing innova
> Charlie Williams is a geologist working for a mining company. She spends a great deal of her time on field trips studying rocks and ground-truthing maps which have been developed from aerial and satellite surveys. Because Charlie has spent so much time i
> Chrystina and Diana own and manage Warm and Cosy, a roadside cafe located on a main highway on the way to the snowfields in the Victorian Alps. Warm and Cosy services the tourist traffic each year and, in addition, it supplies to the local community smal
> A company owned exclusively by residents in the New South Wales coastal community of Yamba is offered three projects for which the cash flows are as follows in thousands of dollars. The directors work on 12 per cent as their RRR. Assume all cash flows oc
> The directors of Summer and Rayne, a partnership of investors, have three independent investment projects before them for consideration. Each will cost $600 000 in the first instance. The net cash inflows in thousands of dollars each year of the projects
> Tracey has just started a new IT business and is thinking of leasing a new luxury car. She has her sights on a BMW coupe. A lease company offers her a deal which comprises a $35 200 payment on delivery of the vehicle, a $21100 payment at the end of year
> James Denning wants to buy a caravan rental business in the inner Melbourne suburb of Richmond. James spends $1 500 000 on the purchase of the business including caravans and further advertising and signage costs amount to $122 000. He thinks he can net
> Identify the three categories of environmental indicators as outlined by ISO 14031.
> Your friends have decided to organise a number of functions to raise funds for a trek to a Himalayan base camp. The functions planned are: a cinema night; a disco at the local hotel; and a trivia night. As you have some knowledge of accounting, they have
> Watson University offers an MBA program that is widely respected around the world. The tuition fee for the program always covered the costs of the program until a recent recession increased the sensitivity of students to the cost of tuition. The business
> In recent years, slow response times and frequent repairs have plagued Jetson Engineering’s computer system. The cause was a substantial increase in computer-aided design work that pushed the system beyond its intended capacity. Roberta Wilson, the produ
> Blue Hills Hospital is a major hospital that serves 11 small rural communities within a 40-kilometre radius. The hospital offers all the medical and surgical services of a typical small hospital. It has a staff of 12 full-time doctors and 16 part-time vi
> Talk2Me Communications manufactures headsets to make phones hands free. In 2020, the entity produced 30 000 units, of which 24 000 were sold. The following costs were recorded for 2020. Direct material ………………………………. $1 200 000 Direct labour …………………………………
> Willow and Glen is a public accounting entity that offers auditing and tax services to local small entities. The partners are in dispute over who contributes the greater amount to the entity’s profit. The area of contention is the alloc
> Overseas Adventures is a travel agency with 20 offices located throughout Australia. Caleb Thomas, the managing director, recently attended an accounting seminar on cost allocation. During a coffee break, he was overheard making the following comment to
> Suppose that Willow Daycare provides two different services — full-time childcare for preschoolers and after-school care for older children. The director would like to estimate an annual cost per child in each of the daycare programs, ignoring any facili
> The Top Taste Cheesecake Company supplies cheesecakes to three large supermarket chains throughout Australia. Management have become concerned about the rising costs associated with the processing and dispatch of orders. An activity analysis of the indir
> List the advantages and disadvantages of ROI, RI and EVA.
> The accountants at French Scents decide to increase the price of a scent called Summer by 10 per cent, from $6 per bottle to $6.60. The accountants for French Scents expect the 10 per cent price increase to reduce unit sales by 20 per cent. Current sales
> An improvement to the process in a children’s shirt factory will cost $1.2 million, but will result in net cost savings of $380 000 annually for the next ten years. Required (a) If funds are worth 12 per cent, what is the NPV for the investment? (b) If
> Emerald Ltd is considering a new machine which will reduce net cash inflow by $38 000 in the current year, but increase net cash inflow by $9000, $14 000, $18 000, $22 000, $26 000 and $26 000 in the following six years. Required (a) If Emerald’s cost o
> A small industrial machine costs $136 000 and is expected to earn annual net cash inflows of $58 200, $52 600, $49 500 and $42 100, before it wears out sufficiently to be unreliable and must be sold for an estimated $16 300. Required (a) If funds earn 1
> Higgins Ltd is considering the purchase of one out of two acceptable pieces of equipment. Each design is expected to have individual advantages. Required (a) What additional financial information does the board need in order to make a decision? (b) Woul
> An inner city amateur theatre company, Theatre Empire, is planning on performing a new take on two Shakespearean plays, Hamlet and Macbeth, at an old Brisbane theatre in the inner-city suburb of South Bank. The producers of the theatre plan on alternatin
> The Flametree Company has two independent projects it could invest in. The financial operations manager has completed some analysis and presented the information to the board. The board has asked you for advice. The entity uses a PP criterion of not acce
> What is the difference between the profitability and liquidity of an investment?
> What is the difference between return and capital growth on an investment? Illustrate with an example of an investment in a new warehouse.
> Discuss three environmental concerns that could impact on a business manufacturing custom-made dining tables.
> Describe economic value added (EVA).
> List and describe three factors that must be considered with an investment in an overseas airline.
> If a six-year project has an NPV of $400 000 with a 8 per cent discount rate, will the NPV be higher or lower with a 12 per cent discount rate?
> Explain what is meant by positive and negative NPV.
> What are the NPVs for the two machines in exercise 12.16 if Lavender Plantations has an RRR of 10 per cent? Demonstrate your answer using the discount table in appendix 12A at the end of this chapter. In exercise 12.16 Lavender Plantations Pty Ltd is co
> What are the PPs for each of the machines in the Lavender Plantations exercise 12.16? What are the risks associated with these investment analyses? In exercise 12.16 Lavender Plantations Pty Ltd is contemplating acquiring a new machine to be used for a
> Lavender Plantations Pty Ltd is contemplating acquiring a new machine to be used for a relatively short period until its new factory is built with computerised equipment installed. Two machines are being investigated as follows. Calculate the ARR of eac
> Given the analyses you have completed in exercises 12.13 and 12.14, which of the two contracts would you recommend? Why? In exercise 12.13 Acacia Constructions is offered two contracts on the same day for building a new retirement village and a new libr
> Acacia Constructions (from exercise 12.13) recovers its project investment by straight-line methods so that the $5 million is recovered by the end of each project. Assuming profits are also booked in a straight-line fashion, what is the PP for each contr
> Acacia Constructions is offered two contracts on the same day for building a new retirement village and a new library complex, respectively. The contracts promise total profits of $6 million and $9 million extending over four years and five years, respec
> What impact does taxation have on investment decisions?
> List the formulas for the three basic financial performance indicators to measure divisional performance.
> Compare the calculation of the ARR with the NPV. What advantages does the NPV have compared with the ARR?
> How does inflation impact on the setting of discount rates?
> Define the term ‘discount rate’ and explain how entities set their rates.
> Discuss the factors that would lead to an investment being selected with a shorter PP.
> What factors are taken into consideration in determining an appropriate ARR?
> Define the ARR. What are the two components of the investment that must be known in order to perform this calculation?
> What factors must be taken into consideration in determining the discount rate used in investment decisions?
> What is the difference between risk and return in finance?
> Eloise Tan, a student, recently received a digital SLR camera for her 18th birthday. Over the summer months she has been busy experimenting with the lenses and taking photos of Brisbane attractions such as the Brisbane River, the Gabba, Southbank, Suncor
> Chang De Silva Ltd, an Australian entity, is offered three projects for which the cash flows are as follows in thousands of dollars. The directors work on 14 per cent as their required rate of return (RRR). Assume all cash flows occur at the end of the r
> List some typical goals and performance measures for a balanced scorecard.
> (a) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of both the ARR and the PP. (b) Examine the practical issues in making capital investment decisions. (c) Distinguish between the net present value (NPV) of an investment and its future value (FV). Provide an e
> What is the balanced scorecard framework?
> Why measure organisational performance?
> CEO remuneration packages have courted much controversy. These packages are normally divided into a base salary and incentive payments. The incentive payments are usually aligned with the financial performance of the company, and are made up of bonuses a
> Beginning with the June 28, 2007 issue, Rolling Stone magazine became the first mass-marketed magazine to print on carbon-neutral paper. The special June issue of the magazine included a series of features devoted to the climate change issue, including a
> Fit Solutions is a provider of personal exercise equipment. One division of Fit Solutions produces a product called Fab Abs, a specialised piece of equipment that exercises the abdominal region. Most of the components for the Fab Abs are sourced from var
> Enviro Solutions Pty Ltd operates three divisions that supply products and services relating to water. The two older divisions produce and supply water hardware such as pumps, pipes and tanks. The new division is a service division. It supplies consultan
> ‘Information management is an essential component of an environmental and social performance measurement system.’ Discuss whether you agree with this statement.
> For each of the scenarios below, indicate the effect (increase, decrease or no effect) it would have on ROI, RI, profit margin and asset turnover. (a) Equipment is sold for $20 000. It is currently valued on the books at $25 000 and was originally acquir
> Refer to the information supplied in problem 14.41. The management of Pineapple Plantations Pty Ltd have come across a further investment opportunity. They do not want to develop a separate division, so one of the existing divisions would need to take re
> What are the three purposes of preparing divisional performance reports?
> Suggest indicators that could be used to assess an improvement in efficiency in each of the following areas. (a) Reducing the amount of energy used in production of goods and services. (b) Reducing the material intensity of the production of goods and se
> Susan is a divisional manager with the Generator Company. Her performance report shows a positive divisional margin, but a loss for the year. Susan has complained to the CEO about the common costs that were charged to her division and she has questioned
> Global Enterprises is a division of an international conglomerate. The following information relates to its performance. Target profit margin …………………………………………….. 12% Target asset turnover ………………………………….. 1.34 times Charge for capital …………………………………………………
> Pineapple Plantations Pty Ltd is located on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and manufactures sustainable, pineapple-based products for three different markets. The business has grown from a backyard hobby for the owner, Dave Geitz, to quite a large manu
