Final answer:
Possible causes of an unfavorable material price variance include purchasing higher-quality material, buying substandard material, and purchasing too much material.
Step-by-step explanation:
An unfavorable material price variance occurs when the actual cost of purchasing materials is higher than the standard cost. One possible cause for this is purchasing higher-quality material. Higher-quality material can be more expensive than the standard material, leading to a higher material price variance.
Other possible causes of an unfavorable material price variance include buying substandard material. Substandard material may be cheaper, but if the quality is lower than expected, it can lead to additional costs in terms of waste, rework, or lower-quality products.
Purchasing too much material can also result in an unfavorable material price variance. When excess material is purchased, it may not be used efficiently or may go to waste, resulting in a higher cost than anticipated.