At IPS you spend the first few years analyzing the industry, comparing your firm’s financial health to other firms in the industry and making sure that the financial statements are accurate. After a while you start exploring the other areas of accounting and finance work in the firm. You realize that accounting information is not only needed by external stakeholders for evaluating the firm, but also by management to judge the efficiency and optimality of operations. Your work expands to include Managerial Accounting.
“Congratulations!”
You have been promoted to the CFO position at IPS! You have hardly settled into your new office when the CEO asks you to prepare a financial report on the proposed Android01. After you have done that, you will also have to look at the other products of the firm, MiniZ, MiniX and MiniY.
$2M has already been spent on market research, and IPS wishes to determine if the new Android01 component be produced in a way that will yield a profit.
“As you know,” the CEO says, “there are different ways of allocating fixed overhead costs and our choice will affect the cost-per-unit of Android01.” He continues, “I hope you can help us understand the different choices and how they’ll impact our business.”
Your prior manufacturing experience makes you think that examining an alternative method of assigning costs would also be prudent since Android01 shares component assembly with a related product — Processor01.
In your conversation with the IPS production manager, he alludes to the fact that a 30 percent markup is standard at IPS. While you’re at it, you look for information on the variable costs per unit for different levels of production so you can provide a recommendation on what level of output will maximize profit.
Thinking you’ve got everything covered, you decide to take a break. Just as your lunch arrives, you get a call from your CEO: “I almost forgot to ask you about the Mini line!”
The CEO continues, “The new MiniY product has been so successful that we would like to increase production. We will need a budget projection. Also, the shared production costs for the Mini line have affected the value of our premiere product, the MiniX — I would like you to provide me with a profit or loss figure for the MiniX as well.
As you scramble to take notes, she continues: “I’ll need a report summarizing your findings and projections.”
This project will require you to analyze operations costs for the organization using managerial finance techniques. You will next determine the level of production and prices that maximize the firm’s profit. Finally, you will prepare a financial budget for the firm and present your recommendations.
Step 1: Allocation of Costs.
You have been asked to look at production options for the Android01, since production methods and allocation of costs have implications for cost per unit. Two alternative methods of production are being considered. Begin by gathering data (using financial information in decision making), then determine the suitability of the project.
The production of Android01 will share some production facilities and service divisions with Processor01. Fixed costs are $5 million per year, and will be assigned at the rate of 30 percent to Android01 and 70 percent to Processor01.
The variable cost of the production facilities and service divisions is $25 million per year. The square footage of factory space and labor needed for the production of 500 units of Processor01 and 300 units of Android01 are listed below.
Square Feet Labor
Processor01 (500 units) 70,000 120
Android01 (300 units) 30,000 80
The remaining cost for the production of Android01 is for components, at $25,000 per unit.
Question 1: In Method B, what would be the cost per unit of producing Android01 using factory space as the allocation basis? What would be the cost per unit using labor as the allocation basis?
Before starting on your calculations, review materials on production cost allocation.
Submit a spreadsheet showing your calculations in Excel and provide a narrative analysis in Word. Please note that narrative in this Project does not mean audio. It rather means a presentation of the results of your analysis using words and the important numbers. Your narrative analysis should summarize the results of your analysis and make recommendations for the benefit of company.
An alternate method of assigning costs is activity-based costing. The major activities for the production of both Processor01 and Android01 are fabricator setup and component assembly. There are 500 units of Processor01 and 300 units of Android01 produced every year. There will be a total of 25,000 setups per year for at a total cost of $10 million. Each unit of Android01 will require 40 setups. There will be a total of 125,000 assemblies per year at a total cost of $15 million. Each unit of Android01 will require 180 assemblies. The remaining cost for the production of Android01 is for components, at $25,000 per unit.
Review Section 4.1, Activity-Based Costing and Management and Section 4.2, Activity Based-Costing Method
Question 2: What would be the cost per unit of producing Android01 using activity-based costing?
Note that in addition to the setup costs and assemblies costs there are two more costs to add: (1) fixed costs of $5 million, which are still distributed at a rate of 30 percent to Android01 and 70 percent to Processor01, and (2) the cost of Android01 components at $25,000 per unit.
Discuss the differences in the cost per unit of Android01 using space as an allocation basis, using labor as an allocation basis, and using activity-based costing. Which method do you think is the most accurate way to assign costs?
Next, suppose IPS uses markup pricing for Android01. Fixed costs are $4.5 million, and for a level of production of 300 units, the variable cost per unit is $48,000.
Question 3: What is the price of the Android01 at 30 percent markup over full cost?
When you have submitted your Allocation of Costs Report, Activity-Based Costing Report, and Markup Pricing Report, continue to the next step, where you will assess the profit-maximizing output level, prepare a production cost budget, and produce a Profit or Loss Report.
Step 2: Budget and Profit Analysis
The CEO’s next question is, “What level of output would be required to maximize our profit on the MiniZ?” You have calculated the variable cost per unit for different levels of production. From market research, you have a schedule of prices for these levels. The information for MiniZ is summarized in the table below:
Number of Units Variable Cost per Unit ($) Sale Price per Unit ($)
200 60,000 70,000
250 54,000 66,000
300 48,000 64,000
350 46,000 59,000
400 45,000 52,000
A recommendation on output could affect everyone in the company, from management to sales, to the floor manager and assembly line workers! You don’t want to get this one wrong so you take some extra time to proof your calculations.
Question 4: Based on profit-maximization analysis, what level of output of MiniZ should you recommend to the CEO?
Before starting your calculations, review materials on maximization output.
Submit a spreadsheet showing your calculations in Excel and provide a narrative analysis in Word. Your narrative analysis should summarize the results of your analysis and make recommendations for the benefit of the company.
Your CEO has also asked you to prepare a production cost budget for the MiniY for May 20X8. The actual costs in April 20X8 were as follows:
MiniY: Production Cost Budget
April 20X8
Production–Units of MiniY 3,000
Components cost (variable) 24,000,000
Labor cost (variable) 13,500,000
Rent (fixed) 6,000,000
Depreciation (fixed) 6,000,000
Other (fixed) 2,000,000
Total $51,500,000
For the month of May, the number of MiniY produced will increase to 3,200, reflecting an anticipated sales increase related to a new marketing campaign.
Question 5: Using the above information, prepare a budget for MiniY for May 20X8, stating the total cost. Use a spreadsheet to display your data and calculations.
Before starting your calculations, review materials on integrating accounting and financial information.
Submit a spreadsheet showing your calculations in Excel and provide a narrative analysis in Word. Your narrative analysis should summarize the results of your analysis and make recommendations for the benefit of the company.
IPS operates a factory, which produces the MiniY and the MiniX. During September 20X8, the factory produced 3200 units of MiniY and 3000 units of MiniX. The joint cost related to the operation was $3,000,000. MiniX sells for $27,100 per unit and MiniY sells for $25,000 per unit. Allocate the joint costs using the relative sales values of MiniY and MiniX.
Question 6: With the costs that you calculate, what is the profit or loss associated with MiniY? NOTE:Assume that the variable and fixed costs mentioned in Question 5 are also applicable to Question 6 when calculating the profit or loss for MiniY. The costs for this question will be the total of the cost calculated in the above MiniY: Production Cost Budget plus the share of costs of the $3,000,000 (from the paragraph above) allocated to MiniY.
Submit a spreadsheet showing your calculations in Excel and provide a narrative analysis in Word. Your narrative analysis should summarize the results of your analysis and make recommendations for the benefit of the company.
After you have submitted these three reports, continue to the next step, where you will prepare an analysis and summary of financial projections.
Step 3: Managerial Accounting Report to Management
Step 3: Managerial Accounting Report to Management
Although you get frustrated at times with your CEO’s constant requests for information, it is your job as a CFO to analyze that data for her. You both understand that data provides a basis for sound operational decision-making (integrating accounting and financial information). The CEO’s final request is for an analysis and summary of financial projections for the Mini and Android lines, based on the information gathered in the previous steps.
You collect your previous reports and spreadsheets and pore over them, looking for meaningful trends and patterns.
Before you submit your assignment, review the competencies below, which your instructor will use to evaluate your work. A good practice would be to use each competency as a self-check to confirm you have incorporated all of them in your work.
• 3.1: Identify numerical or mathematical information that is relevant in a problem or situation.
• 3.2: Employ mathematical or statistical operations and data analysis techniques to arrive at a correct or optimal solution.
• 3.3: Analyze mathematical or statistical information, or the results of quantitative inquiry and manipulation of data.
• 3.4: Employ software applications and analytic tools to analyze, visualize, and present data to inform decision-making.
• 10.5: Develop operating forecasts and budgets and apply managerial accounting techniques to support strategic decisions.