Question

Problem 9-18 Comprehensive Variance Analysis [LO9-4, LO9-5, LO9-6]

Miller Toy Company manufactures a plastic swimming pool at its Westwood Plant. The plant has been experiencing problems as shown by its June contribution format income statement below:

Flexible Budget Actual
Sales (3,000 pools) $ 179,000 $ 179,000
Variable expenses:
Variable cost of goods sold* 33,390 44,540
Variable selling expenses
11,000

11,000
Total variable expenses
44,390

55,540
Contribution margin
134,610

123,460
Fixed expenses:
Manufacturing overhead 50,000 50,000
Selling and administrative 75,000 75,000
Total fixed expenses
125,000

125,000
Net operating income (loss) $ 9,610 $
(1,540

)
*Contains direct materials, direct labor, and variable manufacturing overhead.

Janet Dunn, who has just been appointed general manager of the Westwood Plant, has been given instructions to "get things under control." Upon reviewing the plant’s income statement, Ms. Dunn has concluded that the major problem lies in the variable cost of goods sold. She has been provided with the following standard cost per swimming pool:

Standard Quantity or Hours Standard Price
or Rate Standard Cost
Direct materials 3.6 pounds $
2.00

per pound $ 7.20
Direct labor 0.5 hours $
6.60

per hour 3.30
Variable manufacturing overhead 0.3 hours* $
2.10

per hour
0.63

Total standard cost per unit $ 11.13
*Based on machine-hours.

During June the plant produced 3,000 pools and incurred the following costs:

Purchased 15,800 pounds of materials at a cost of $2.45 per pound.

Used 10,600 pounds of materials in production. (Finished goods and work in process inventories are insignificant and can be ignored.)

Worked 2,100 direct labor-hours at a cost of $6.30 per hour.

Incurred variable manufacturing overhead cost totaling $3,000 for the month. A total of 1,200 machine-hours was recorded.

It is the company’s policy to close all variances to cost of goods sold on a monthly basis.

Required:

1. Compute the following variances for June:

a. Materials price and quantity variances.

b. Labor rate and efficiency variances.

c. Variable overhead rate and efficiency variances.

2. Summarize the variances that you computed in (1) above by showing the net overall favorable or unfavorable variance for the month.

Answer 1

1 a. Materials price and quantity variances.

Material price variance = (Actual price - Standard price) * Actual Quantity purchased

= ($2.45 - $2) * 15,800

= $0.45 * 15,800

= $7110 (Unfavorable)

Materials Quantity variance = (Actual Quantity used - Standard Quantity allowed) * Standard price

(10600 - 3000 * 3.6) * $2

= (10,600 - 10,800) * $2

= 200 * $2

= 400 (Favorable)

b. Labor rate and efficiency variances.

Labor rate variance = (Actual rate - standard rate) * Actual hours

= (6.30 - 6.6) * 2,100

= 0.3 * 2,100

= 630 (Favorable)

Labor Efficiency variance = (Actual hours - standard hours allowed) * Standard rate

= (2100 - 3000 * 0.5) * 6.6

= (2,100 - 1,500) * 6.6

= 600 * 6.6

= 3960 (Unfavorable)

c. Variable overhead rate and efficiency variances

Variable overhead rate variance = (Actual rate - Standard rate * Actual machine hours)

= 3000 - (2.10 * 1200)

= 3,000 - 2,520

= 480 Unfavorable

Variable overhead Efficiency variance = (Actual hours - standard hours allowed)* Standard rate

= (1200 - 3000 * 0.3) * 2.10

= (1200 - 900) * 2.10

= 300 * 2.10

= 630 (Unfavorable)

2. Variances Amount

Material price variance 7,110 U

Material quantity variance 400 F

Labor rate variance 630 F

Labor efficiency variance 3,960 U

Variable overhead rate variance 480 U

Variable overhead efficiency variance 630 U

Net variance 11,150 U

The net variance of all the variance of the month is 11,150 (Unfavorable)