ACCT 2220 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Cash Flow, Total Absorption Costing, Lean Manufacturing
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Variable Costing
An approach to measuring profitability that avoids the problemsinherent in making fixed overhead look like a variable cost isvariable costing. Variable costing (sometimes called directcosting) assigns only unit-level variable manufacturing costs tothe product; these costs include direct materials, direct labor,and variable overhead. Fixed overhead is treated as a period costand is not inventoried with the other product costs. Instead, it isexpensed in the period incurred.
The result of treating fixed manufacturing overhead as a periodexpense is to reduce the factory costs that are inventoriable.Under variable costing, only direct materials, direct labor, andvariable overhead are inventoried. (Remember that marketing andadministrative expenses are never inventoried-whether variable orfixed.)
Example: Fender Company showed the followingunit costs for its product:
Direct materials | $1.15 |
Direct labor | 0.60 |
Variable overhead | 0.22 |
Fixed overhead* | 2.44 |
*Based on capacity of 29,800units. |
Last year, Fender made 29,800 units and sold 27,700 units at aprice of $9.01. Selling and administrative expense equaled $49,170(all fixed). Beginning Finished Goods Inventory contained 410 unitswith cost of $1,808.10.
Cost of one unit under variablecosting | = Direct materials + Direct labor +Variable overhead |
= $1.15 + $0.60 + $0.22 =$1.97 | |
Units in ending Finished GoodsInventory | = 410 + 29,800 - 27,700 = 2,510units |
Ending Finished GoodsInventory | = 2,510 Ã $1.97 = $4,944.70 |
The income statement for Fender Company is as follows:
Sales | $249,577 | |
Variable cost of Goods Sold ($1.97Ã 27,700) | 54,569 | |
Contribution margin | $195,008 | |
Less: | ||
Fixed overhead | 72,712 | |
Selling andadministrative expense | 49,170 | 121,882 |
Variable-costing operatingincome | $73,126 |
Notice that all of the fixed factory overhead of $72,712 ($2.44Ã 29,800) and the variable cost of manufacturing for the units sold($1.97 Ã 27,700 units sold) appear on the variable-costing incomestatement. None of the fixed factory overhead is attached to unsoldunits added to Finished Goods inventory because the fixed overheadis treated as a period expense. Only the variable cost ofmanufacturing ($1.97 Ã 2,100) is added to Finished Goods inventory- attached to the 2,100 units that were produced but not sold.
1. | Under variable costing, ifbeginning Finished Goods Inventory equaled zero, the value ofending Finished Goods Inventory would be $?? . |
2. | Ignoring question 1 above,if Fender Company sold 30,020 units, there wouldbe units in ending Finished Goods Inventory with a valueof $?? (round to the nearest cent). |
Reconciling the Difference Between Absorption andVariable Costing
When inventories change from the beginning to the end of theperiod, the two costing approaches will give different operatingincomes. The reason for this is that absorption costing assignsfixed manufacturing overhead to units produced. If those units aresold, the fixed overhead appears on the income statement under costof goods sold. If the units are not sold, the fixed overhead goesinto inventory. Under variable costing, however, all fixed overheadfor the period is expensed. As a result, absorption costing allowsmanagers to manipulate operating income by producing for inventory.Let's compare the income statements under the two methods forFender Company.
Example: Fender Company showed the followingunit costs for its product:
Direct materials | $1.15 |
Direct labor | 0.60 |
Variable overhead | 0.22 |
Fixed overhead* | 2.44 |
*Based on capacity of 29,800units. |
Last year, Fender made 29,800 units and sold 27,700 units at aprice of $9.01. Selling and administrative expense equaled $49,170(all fixed). Beginning Finished Goods Inventory contained 410 unitswith cost of $1,808.1.
Absorption-CostingIncome | Variable CostingIncome | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Sales | $249,577.00 | Sales | $249,577.00 | |
COGS ($4.41 Ã 27,700) | 122,157.00 | Variable COGS ($1.97 Ã 27,700) | 54,569.00 | |
Gross margin | $127,420.00 | Contribution margin | $195,008.00 | |
Less: | Fixed overhead | 72,712 | ||
Selling & admin.exp | 49,170 | Selling & admin. exp. | 49,170 | |
Operating income | $78,250.00 | Operating income | $73,126.00 |
There is a difference of $5,124 between the absorption-costingoperating income and the variable-costing operating income. This$5,124 is caused by the different treatment of fixed factoryoverhead. Under absorption costing, the 2,100 units added to endinginventory took not only the $1.97 of variable manufacturing cost,but also $2.44 per unit in fixed overhead. Under variable costing,however, all the fixed factory overhead of $72,712 was expensed.None of it was added to units going into ending inventory.
Absorption-costing income -Variable-costing income | = Change in inventory à fixedoverhead rate |
= 2,100 units à $2.44 = $5,124 |
What if more units are sold than are produced? That is, what ifending inventory is less than beginning inventory? Let's look atthe comparative income statement assuming Fender sells 29,890units.
Absorption-CostingIncome | Variable CostingIncome | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Sales | $269,308.9 | Sales | $269,308.9 | |
COGS ($4.41 Ã 29,890) | 131,814.9 | Variable COGS ($1.97 Ã 29,890) | 58,883.3 | |
Gross margin | $137,494 | Contribution margin | $210,425.6 | |
Less: | Fixed overhead | 72,712 | ||
Selling & admin.exp | 49,170 | Selling & admin. exp. | 49,170 | |
Operating income | $88,324 | Operating income | $88,543.6 |
Now we see that variable-costing income is higher thanabsorption costing income. This is because each of the 90 unitsthat came out of inventory had $2.44 of fixed overhead attached.However, this did not occur under variable costing.
Absorption-costing income -Variable-costing income | = Change in inventory à fixedoverhead rate |
= 90 units à $2.44 = $219.60 |
The following table summarizes the impact of changes ininventory on the difference between absorption-costing income andvariable-costing income.
Changes in Inventoryunder Absorption and Variable Costing | |
---|---|
If | Then |
Production > Sales | Absorption-costing income >Variable-costing income |
Production < Sales | Variable-costing income >Absorption-costing income |
Production = Sales | Absorption-costing income =Variable-costing income |
The variable-costing income statement has an advantage inaddition to providing better signals regarding performance. It alsoprovides more useful information for management decision making.For example, how much more will Fender Company earn if it sells onemore unit? Under absorption costing, the per-unit gross profit is$4.60 ($9.01 - $4.41). However, that figure includes some fixedoverhead, and fixed overhead will not change if another unit isproduced and sold. The variable-costing gives more usefulinformation. Additional contribution margin of the extra unit is$7.04 ($9.01 - $1.97). The key insight of variable costing is thatfixed expenses do not change as units produced and sold change.Therefore, while the variable-costing income statement cannot beused for external reporting, it is a valuable tool for somemanagement decisions.
1) All of the following are examples of product costs except:
depreciation on the company's administrative offices.
salary of the plant manager.
insurance on the factory equipment.
rental costs of the factory facility.
2) Period costs:
are treated as expenses in the period they are incurred
are directly traceable to products
include direct labor
are also referred to as manufacturing overhead costs
.
3) Axle and Wheel Manufacturing currently produces 1,000 axles per month. The following per unit data apply for sales to regular customers:
Direct materials $30
Direct manufacturing labor 5
Variable manufacturing overhead 10
Fixed manufacturing overhead 40
Total manufacturing costs $85
The plant has capacity for 2,000 axles and is considering expanding production to 1,500 axles. What is the total cost of producing 1,500 axles?
a. $85,000
b. $170,000
c. $107,500
d. $102,500
4) In the preparation of the schedule of Cost of Goods Manufactured, the accountant incorrectly included as part of manufacturing overhead the rental expense on the firm's retail facilities. This inclusion would:
overstate period expenses on the income statement.
overstate the cost of goods sold on the income statement.
understate the cost of goods manufactured.
have no effect on the cost of goods manufactured.
5) In CVP analysis, focusing on target net income rather than operating income:
a. will increase the breakeven point
b. will decrease the breakeven point
c. will not change the breakeven point
d. does not allow calculation of breakeven point
6) A variable cost is constant if expressed on a per unit basis but the total dollar amount changes as the number of units increases or decreases.
a. True
b. False
7) As activity increases within the relevant range, fixed costs remain constant on a per unit basis.
a. True
b. False
8) Which of the following statements is correct with regard to a CVP graph?
A CVP graph shows the maximum possible profit.
A CVP graph shows the break-even point as the intersection of the total sales revenue line and the total expense line.
A CVP graph assumes that total expense varies in direct proportion to unit sales.
A CVP graph shows the operating leverage as the gap between total sales revenue and total expense at the actual level of sales.
9) How would the following costs be classified (product or period) under variable costing at a retail clothing store?
Cost of purchasing clothing | Sales commissions | |
a. | Product | Product |
b. | Product | Period |
c. | Period | Product |
d. | Period | Period |
10) The principal difference between variable costing and absorption costing centers on:
whether variable manufacturing costs should be included as product costs.
whether fixed manufacturing costs should be included as product costs.
whether fixed manufacturing costs and fixed selling and administrative costs should be included as product costs.
none of these.
11) Joe has a hot dog cart that he parks on the NY sidewalk and sells hotdogs during the day. The variable cost of a hot dog is $.90. The selling price of the hot dog is $2.00. The fixed cost is $3,000 per month which covers the loan for the cart and the salary Joe needs to make to live. How many hotdogs must Joe sell in one month in order to break even?
3,300 hot dogs
3,000 hot dogs
2,727.27 hot dogs
2,728 hot dogs
12) Shun Corporation manufactures and sells a hand held calculator. The following information relates to Shun's operations for last year:
Unit product cost under variable costing.......................... | $5.20 per unit | |
Fixed manufacturing overhead cost for the year.............. | $260,000 | |
Fixed selling and administrative cost for the year............ | $180,000 | |
Units (calculators) produced and sold.............................. | 400,000 |
What is Shun's unit product cost under absorption costing for last year?
$4.10
$4.55
$5.85
$6.30.
Use the following information to answer questions 13 to 15:
Barnett Company uses the weighted-average method in its process costing system. The company adds materials at the beginning of the process in Department M. Conversion costs were 75% complete with respect to the 4,000 units in work in process at May 1 and 50% complete with respect to the 6,000 units in work in process at May 31. During May, 14,000 units were started, 12,000 units were completed and transferred to the next department.
13) Calculate the number of equivalent units for materials.
10,000 units
12,000 units
14,000 units
15,000 units
18,000 units
14) Calculate the number of equivalent units for conversion?
10,000 units
12,000 units
14,000 units
15,000 units
18,000 units
15) An analysis of the costs relating to work in process at May 1 and to production activity for May follows:
Materials | Conversion | ||
Work in process 5/1....................... | $13,800 | $3,740 | |
Costs added during May................ | $42,000 | $26,260 |
The total cost per equivalent unit for May was:
$5.02
$5.10
$5.12
$5.25