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  lOMoAR cPSD| 47206071
COST INFORMATION FOR DECISION MAKING QUESTION CHAP 5 – 9 –  10 – 15 – 17  CHAP 05 
5-2 Overcosting may result in overpricing and competitors entering a market and taking market 
share for products that a company erroneously believes are low-margin or even unprofitable. 
Undercosting may result in companies selling products on which they are in fact losing money, 
when they erroneously believe them to be profitable. 
5-4 An activity-based approach refines a costing system by focusing on individual activities 
(events, tasks, or units of work with a specified purpose) as the fundamental cost objects. It uses 
the cost of these activities as the basis for assigning costs to other cost objects such as products  or services. 
5-9 No. Department indirect-cost rates are similar to activity-cost rates if: 
(1) a single activity accounts for a sizable fraction of the department’s costs 
(2) significant costs are incurred on different activities within a department but each activity 
hasthe same cost-allocation base 
(3) significant costs are incurred on different activities with different cost-allocation bases withina 
department but different products use resources from the different activity areas in the same  proportions. 
5-11 The main costs and limitations of ABC are the measurements necessary to 
implement thesystems. Even basic ABC systems require many calculations to determine 
costs of products and services. Activity-cost rates often need to be updated regularly. Very 
detailed ABC systems are costly to operate and difficult to understand. Sometimes the 
allocations necessary to calculate activity costs often result in activity-cost pools and 
quantities of cost-allocation bases being measured with error. When measurement errors 
are large, activity-cost information can be misleading. 
5-12 No, ABC systems apply equally well to service companies such as banks, 
railroads,hospitals, and accounting firms, as well merchandising companies such as  retailers and distributors. 
5-13 No. An activity-based approach should be adopted only if its expected benefits 
exceed itsexpected costs. It is not always a wise investment. If the jobs, products or 
services are alike in the way they consume indirect costs of a company, then a simple 
costing system will suffice. 5-14 Increasing the number of indirect-cost pools does NOT 
guarantee increased accuracy of product or service costs. If the existing cost pool is 
already homogeneous, increasing the number of cost pools will not increase accuracy. If      lOMoAR cPSD| 47206071
the existing cost pool is not homogeneous, accuracy will increase only if the increased 
cost pools themselves increase in homogeneity vis-àvis the single cost pool.  CHAP 09 
9-1 No. Differences in operating income between variable costing and absorption costing are due 
to accounting for fixed manufacturing costs. Under variable costing only variable manufacturing 
costs are included as inventoriable costs. Under absorption costing both variable and fixed 
manufacturing costs are included as inventoriable costs. Fixed marketing and distribution costs 
are not accounted for differently under variable costing and absorption costing. 
9-3 No. The difference between absorption costing and variable costs is due to accounting for 
fixed manufacturing costs. As service or merchandising companies have no fixed manufacturing 
costs, these companies do not make choices between absorption costing and variable costing. 
9-4 The main issue between variable costing and absorption costing is the proper timing of the 
release of fixed manufacturing costs as costs of the period: a. at the time of incurrence, or b. at 
the time the finished units to which the fixed overhead relates are sold. Variable costing uses (a) 
and absorption costing uses (b). 
9-6 Variable costing does not view fixed costs as unimportant or irrelevant, but it maintains that 
the distinction between behaviors of different costs is crucial for certain decisions. The planning 
and management of fixed costs is critical, irrespective of what inventory costing method is used. 
9-7 Under absorption costing, heavy reductions of inventory during the accounting period might 
combine with low production and a large production volume variance. This combination could 
result in lower operating income even if the unit sales level rises. 
9-11 The theoretical capacity and practical capacity denominator-level concepts emphasize what 
a plant can supply. The normal capacity utilization and master-budget capacity utilization 
concepts emphasize what customers demand for products produced by a plant 
9-15 No. The costs of having too much capacity/too little capacity involve revenue opportunities 
potentially forgone as well as costs of money tied up in plant assets.  CHAP 10 
10-1 The two assumptions are 1. Variations in the level of a single activity (the cost driver) explain 
the variations in the related total costs. 2. Cost behavior is approximated by a linear cost function 
within the relevant range. A linear cost function is a cost function where, within the relevant 
range, the graph of total costs versus the level of a single activity forms a straight line. 
10-4 No. High correlation merely indicates that the two variables move together in the data 
examined. It is essential also to consider economic plausibility before making inferences about      lOMoAR cPSD| 47206071
cause and effect. Without any economic plausibility for a relationship, it is less likely that a high 
level of correlation observed in one set of data will be similarly found in other sets of data. 
10-5 Four approaches to estimating a cost function are 
1. Industrial engineering method.  2. Conference method.  3. Account analysis method. 
4. Quantitative analysis of current or past cost relationships 
10-7 The account analysis method estimates cost functions by classifying cost accounts in 
thesubsidiary ledger as variable, fixed, or mixed with respect to the identified level 
of activity. Typically, managers use qualitative, rather than quantitative, analysis 
when making these costclassification decisions. 
10-8 The six steps are 
1. Choose the dependent variable (the variable to be predicted, which is some type of cost). 
2. Identify the independent variable or cost driver. 
3. Collect data on the dependent variable and the cost driver.  4. Plot the data. 
5. Estimate the cost function. 
6. Evaluate the cost driver of the estimated cost function. 
Step 3 typically is the most difficult for a cost analyst. 
10-9 Causality in a cost function runs from the cost driver to the dependent variable. 
Thus,choosing the highest observation and the lowest observation of the cost driver 
is appropriate in the high-low method. 
10-10 Three criteria important when choosing among alternative cost functions are:  1. Economic plausibility.  2. Goodness of fit. 
3. Slope of the regression line. 
10-13 Four key assumptions examined in specification analysis are 1. Linearity of relationship 
between the dependent variable and the independent variable within the relevant range. 2.      lOMoAR cPSD| 47206071
Constant variance of residuals for all values of the independent variable. 3. Independence of 
residuals. 4. Normal distribution of residuals.  CHAP 15 
15-2 The dual-rate method provides information to division managers about cost behavior. 
Recognizing the different behavior or fixed costs and variable costs is useful in decision making. 
15-3 Budgeted costs rates motivate the manager of the support department to improve efficiency 
because the support department bears the risk of any unfavorable cost variances. 
15-4 Give examples of allocation bases used to allocate aupport-department cost pools to  operating departments. 
Examples of bases used to allocate support department cost p pools to operating departments 
include the number of employees, square feet of space, number of direct labor hours, and  machine-hours. 
15-8 The reciprocal method is theoretically the most defensible method because it fully 
recognizes the mutual services provided among all departments, irrespective of whether those 
departments are operating or support departments. 
15-11 All contracts with U.S. government agencies must comply with cost accouting standards 
issued by the Cost Accouting Standards Board (CASB). 
15-12 Areas of dispute between contracting parties can be reduced by making the “rules of the 
game” explicit and in writing at the time the contract is signed. 
15-13 Companies increasingly are selling packages of products or services for a single price. 
Revenue allocation is required when managers in charge of developing or makerting individual 
products in a bundle are evaluated using product-specific revenues.  CHAP 17 
17-1 Indutries using process costing in their manufacturing area include chemical processing, oil 
refining, pharmaceuticals, plastics, brick and tile manufacturing, semiconductor chips, beverages,  and breakfast cereals. 
17-4 The accuracy of the estimates of complietion depends on the care and skill of the estimator 
and the nature of the process. Semiconductor chips may differ substantially in the finishing 
necessary to obtain a final product. The amount of work necessary to finish a product may not 
always be easy to ascertain in advance. 
17-6 Three inventory methods associated with process costing are:  - Weighted average      lOMoAR cPSD| 47206071 - First-in, first-out  - Standard costing 
17-7 The weighted-average process-costing method calculates, the equivalent-unit cost of all the 
work done to date (regardless of the accounting period in which it was done), assisgns this cost 
to equivalent units completed and transferred out of the process, and to equivalent units in 
ending work-in-process inventory. 
17-9 FIFO should be called a modified or departmental FIFO method because the 
goodstransferred in during a given period usually bear a single average unit cost (rather 
than a distinct FIFO cost for each unit transferred in) as a matter of convenience. 
17-10 A major advantage of FIFO is that managers can judge the performance in the 
currentperiod independently from the performance in the preceding period. 
17-11 The journal entries in process costing are basically similar to those made in job-
costingsystems. The main difference is that, in process costing, there is often more than 
one work-inprocess account – one for each process.  17-4 The accuracy of the  estimates of completion  depends on the care and  skill of the  estimator and the nature of  the process. Semiconductor 
chips may differ substantially  in the      lOMoAR cPSD| 47206071
finishing necessary to obtain a  final product. The amount of  work necessary to finish a  product  may not always be easy to  ascertain in advance.  17-5 The five key steps in  process costing follow:  Step 1: Summarize the flow of  physical units of output.  Step 2: Compute output in  terms of equivalent units.  Step 3: Summarize total costs  to account for. Step 4:      lOMoAR cPSD| 47206071 Compute cost per equivalent 
unit. Step 5: Assign total costs 
to units completed and to units  in ending work in process.  17-6 Three inventory  methods associated with  process costing are:   Weighted average.   First-in, first-out.   Standard costing.  17-7 The weightedaverage  process-costing method  calculates the  equivalent-unit cost of      lOMoAR cPSD| 47206071 all  the work done to date  (regardless of the accounting  period in which it was  done), assigns this cost to  equivalent units completed  and transferred out of the  process, and to equivalent  units in ending work-in- process inventory  17-4 The accuracy of the  estimates of completion  depends on the care and  skill of the      lOMoAR cPSD| 47206071 estimator and the nature of  the process. Semiconductor 
chips may differ substantially  in the 
finishing necessary to obtain a  final product. The amount of  work necessary to finish a  product  may not always be easy to  ascertain in advance.  17-5 The five key steps in  process costing follow:  Step 1: Summarize the flow of  physical units of output.      lOMoAR cPSD| 47206071 Step 2: Compute output in  terms of equivalent units.  Step 3: Summarize total costs  to account for. Step 4:  Compute cost per equivalent 
unit. Step 5: Assign total costs 
to units completed and to units  in ending work in process.  17-6 Three inventory  methods associated with  process costing are:   Weighted average.   First-in, first-out.   Standard costing.      lOMoAR cPSD| 47206071 17-7 The weightedaverage  process-costing method  calculates the  equivalent-unit cost of  all  the work done to date  (regardless of the accounting  period in which it was  done), assigns this cost to  equivalent units completed  and transferred out of the  process, and to equivalent  units in ending work-in- process inventory