Ethics in Action
The controller of Tri Con Global Systems Inc. has developed a new costing system that traces the cost of activities to products. The new system is able to measure post-manufacturing activities, such as selling, promotional, and distribution activities, and allocate these activities to products in a manner that provides a more complete view of the company’s product costs. This system produces better strategic information about the relative profitability of product lines.
In the course of implementing the new costing system, the controller realized that the company’s current-period GAAP net income would increase significantly if the new product cost information were used for
Why does the company’s net income increase when the new costing system is applied?
Is the controller acting ethically by using the new costing system for GAAP net income? Explain your answer.
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Chapter 4 Solutions
Managerial Accounting
- The actions listed next are associated with either an activity-based operational control system or a traditional operational control system: a. Budgeted costs for the maintenance department are compared with the actual costs of the maintenance department. b. The maintenance department manager receives a bonus for beating budget. c. The costs of resources are traced to activities and then to products. d. The purchasing department is set up as a responsibility center. e. Activities are identified and listed. f. Activities are categorized as adding or not adding value to the organization. g. A standard for a products material usage cost is set and compared against the products actual materials usage cost. h. The cost of performing an activity is tracked over time. i. The distance between moves is identified as the cause of materials handling cost. j. A purchasing agent is rewarded for buying parts below the standard price set by the company. k. The cost of the materials handling activity is reduced dramatically by redesigning the plant layout. l. An investigation is undertaken to find out why the actual labor cost for the production of 1,000 units is greater than the labor standard allowed. m. The percentage of defective units is calculated and tracked over time. n. Engineering has been given the charge to find a way to reduce setup time by 75 percent. o. The manager of the receiving department lays off two receiving clerks so that the fourth-quarter budget can be met. Required: Classify the preceding actions as belonging to either an activity-based operational control system or a traditional control system. Explain why you classified each action as you did.arrow_forwardWalsh & Coggins, a professional accounting firm, collects cost information about the services they provide to their clients. Describe the types of cost data they would collect and explain the importance of analyzing this cost data.arrow_forwardClassify each of the following performance measures into the balanced scorecard perspective to which it relates: financial perspective, internal operations perspective, learning and growth perspective, or customer perspective. A. Employee satisfaction surveys B. Units of waste per production process, uniformity of products and inventory control C. Number of energy-efficient bulbs replaced D. Management training course certificates awarded E. Divisional profit F. Number of customer referralsarrow_forward
- Describe the concept of a cost center and, using a specific organization, give an example of how this might be used to achieve the strategic goals of the organization.arrow_forwardConsider the following list of scorecard measures: a. Product profitability b. Ratings from customer surveys c. Number of patents pending d. Strategic job coverage ratio e. Revenue per employee f. Quality costs g. Percentage of market h. Employee turnover percentages i. First-pass yields j. On-time delivery percentage k. Percentage of revenues from new sources l. Economic value added Required: Classify each measure according to the following: perspective, financial or nonfinancial, subjective or objective, and external or internal. When the perspective is process, identify which type of process: innovation, operations, or post-sales service.arrow_forwardCommunication The controller of New Wave Sounds Inc. prepared the following product profitability report for management, using activity-based costing methods for allocating both the factory overhead and the marketing expenses. As such, the controller has confidence in the accuracy of this report. In addition, the controller interviewed the vice president of marketing, who provided the following insight into the companys three products: The home theater speakers are an older product that is highly recognized in the marketplace. The wireless speakers are a new product that was just recently launched. The wireless headphones are a new technology that has no competition in the marketplace, and it is hoped that they will become an important future addition to the companys product portfolio. Initial indications are that the product is well received by customers. The controller believes that the manufacturing costs for all three products are in line with expectations. Based on the information provided: 1. Calculate the ratio of gross profit to sales and the ratio of operating income to sales for each product. 2. Write a brief (one-page) memo using the product profitability report and the calculations in (a) to make recommendations to management with respect to strategies for the three products.arrow_forward
- Aaron McKinney is a cost accountant for Majik Systems Inc. Martin Dodd, Vice President of Marketing, has asked Aaron to meet with representatives of Majik Systems major competitor to discuss product cost data. Martin indicates that the sharing of these data will enable Majik Systems to determine a fair and equitable price for its products. Would it be ethical for Aaron to attend the meeting and share the relevant cost data? Explain your answer.arrow_forwardAs manager of department B in MarIeys Manufacturing, based on the costs you identified in the previous exercise for further research, how does this impact the financial performance of your department, and what might be some questions you want to ask or solutions you might propose to Marleys management?arrow_forwardClassify the following cost drivers as structural, executional, or operational. a. Number of plants b. Number of moves c. Degree of employee involvement d. Capacity utilization e. Number of product lines f. Number of distribution channels g. Engineering hours h. Direct labor hours i. Scope j. Product configuration k. Quality management approach l. Number of receiving orders m. Number of defective units n. Employee experience o. Types of process technologies p. Number of purchase orders q. Type and efficiency of layout r. Scale s. Number of functional departments t. Number of planning meetingsarrow_forward
- Which of the following is a reason a company would implement activity-based costing? A. The cost of record keeping is high. B. The additional data obtained through traditional allocation are not worth the cost. C. They want to improve the data on which decisions are made. D. A company only has one cost driver.arrow_forwardLean manufacturing is characterized by all but one of the following: a. Employee empowerment b. Total quality management c. Inventories of goods awaiting further processing or consumption d. Elimination of wastearrow_forwardTom Young, vice president of Dunn Company (a producer of plastic products), has been supervising the implementation of an activity-based cost management system. One of Toms objectives is to improve process efficiency by improving the activities that define the processes. To illustrate the potential of the new system to the president, Tom has decided to focus on two processes: production and customer service. Within each process, one activity will be selected for improvement: molding for production and sustaining engineering for customer service. (Sustaining engineers are responsible for redesigning products based on customer needs and feedback.) Value-added standards are identified for each activity. For molding, the value-added standard calls for nine pounds per mold. (Although the products differ in shape and function, their size, as measured by weight, is uniform.) The value-added standard is based on the elimination of all waste due to defective molds (materials is by far the major cost for the molding activity). The standard price for molding is 15 per pound. For sustaining engineering, the standard is 60 percent of current practical activity capacity. This standard is based on the fact that about 40 percent of the complaints have to do with design features that could have been avoided or anticipated by the company. Current practical capacity (the first year) is defined by the following requirements: 18,000 engineering hours for each product group that has been on the market or in development for five years or less, and 7,200 hours per product group of more than five years. Four product groups have less than five years experience, and 10 product groups have more. There are 72 engineers, each paid a salary of 70,000. Each engineer can provide 2,000 hours of service per year. There are no other significant costs for the engineering activity. For the first year, actual pounds used for molding were 25 percent above the level called for by the value-added standard; engineering usage was 138,000 hours. There were 240,000 units of output produced. Tom and the operational managers have selected some improvement measures that promise to reduce non-value-added activity usage by 30 percent in the second year. Selected actual results achieved for the second year are as follows: The actual prices paid per pound and per engineering hour are identical to the standard or budgeted prices. Required: 1. For the first year, calculate the non-value-added usage and costs for molding and sustaining engineering. Also, calculate the cost of unused capacity for the engineering activity. 2. Using the targeted reduction, establish kaizen standards for molding and engineering (for the second year). 3. Using the kaizen standards prepared in Requirement 2, compute the second-year usage variances, expressed in both physical and financial measures, for molding and engineering. (For engineering, explain why it is necessary to compare actual resource usage with the kaizen standard.) Comment on the companys ability to achieve its targeted reductions. In particular, discuss what measures the company must take to capture any realized reductions in resource usage.arrow_forward
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