Question

Joint Cost Allocation—Net Realizable Value Method Nature's Garden Inc. produces wood chips, wood pulp, and mulch. These products are produced through harvesting trees and sending the logs through a wood chipper machine. One batch of logs produces 20,304 cubic yards of wood chips, 14,100 cubic yards of mulch, and 9,024 cubic yards of wood pulp. The joint production process costs a total of $32,000 per batch. After the split-off point, wood chips are immediately sold for $25 per cubic yard while wood pulp and mulch are processed further. The market value of the wood pulp and mulch at the split-off point is estimated to be $22 and $24 per cubic yard, respectively. The additional production process of the wood pulp costs $5 per cubic yard, after which it is sold for $30 per cubic yard. The additional production process of the mulch costs $4 per cubic yard, after which it is sold for $32 per cubic yard.

Allocate the joint costs of production to each product using the net realizable value method.
Joint Product Allocation
Wood chips $
Wood pulp
Mulch
Totals $
Support department cost allocation—comparison
Becker Tabletops has two support departments ( Janitorial and Cafeteria) and two production departments (Cutting and Assembly). Relevant details for these departments are as follows:
Support Department Cost Driver
Janitorial Department Square footage to be serviced
Cafeteria Department Number of employees
Janitorial
Department Cafeteria
Department Cutting
Department Assembly
Department
Department costs $310,000 $169,000 $1,504,000 $680,000
Square feet 50 5,000 1,000 4,000
Number of employees 10 3 30 10
Allocated the support department costs to the production departments using the direct method below.
Cutting
Department Assembly
Department
Janitorial Department cost allocation $62,000 $248,000
Cafeteria Department cost allocation $126,750 $42,250
Allocated the support department costs to the production departments using the reciprocal services method below.
Cutting
Department Assembly
Department
Janitorial Department cost allocation $38,200 $152,800
Cafeteria Department cost allocation $216,000 $72,000
Allocated the support department costs to the production departments and Cafeteria Department using the sequential method below.
Cafeteria
Department Cutting
Department Assembly
Department
Janitorial Department cost allocation $155,000 $31,000 $124,000
Cafeteria Department cost allocation $243,000 $81,000
Compare the total support department costs allocated to each production department under each cost allocation method.
a. Which production department is allocated the most support department costs under the direct method?
Cost
$
b. Which production department is allocated the most support department costs under the sequential method?
Cost
$
c. Which production department is allocated the most support department costs under the reciprocal services method?
Cost
$
Support Department Cost Allocation—Direct Method
Christmas Timber, Inc., produces Christmas trees. The trees are produced through a cutting and pruning process. Machine maintenance and janitorial labors are performed throughout the production process by nonproduction employees. Maintenance and janitorial costs are allocated based on machine hours used and the number of trees in each department, respectively. The company estimates that the cutting and pruning areas typically have about 18 and 72 trees, respectively, in them at 1 time. The company also estimates that the cutting process requires about 9 times as many machine hours as the pruning process. The total costs of each department are as follows:
Maintenance Department $8,000
Janitorial Department 5,000
Cutting Department 56,000
Pruning Department 12,000
Using the direct method of support department cost allocation, determine the total cost of each production department after allocating all support costs to the production departments.
Cutting
Department Pruning
Department
Production departmentsʼ total costs $ $

Answer 1

1. Nature's Garden Inc.

Joint Cost Allocation—Net Realizable Value Method:

Joint Product Allocation

Wood chips $11,268 ($25/$71 * $32,000)

Wood pulp 9,915 ($22/$71 * $32,000)

Mulch 10,817 ($24/$71 * $32,000)

Totals $32,000

2. Becker Tabletops

Allocation of Janitorial and Cafeteria Costs:

a. Assembly

b. Cutting

c. Cutting

Direct Method:

Department Cutting Assembly

Janitorial $62,000 $248,000

Cafeteria $126,750 $42,250

Total costs $188,750 $290,250

Reciprocal Method:

Department Cutting Assembly

Janitorial $38,200 $152,800

Cafeteria $216,000 $72,000

Total costs $254,200 $224,800

Sequential Method:

Department Cutting Assembly Cafeteria

Janitorial $155,000 $31,000 $124,000

Cafeteria $243,000 $81,000

Total costs $398,000 $112,000 $124,000

3. Christmas Timber, Inc.

Allocation of support departmental costs to production to departments:

Maintenance Janitorial Cutting Pruning

Department costs $8,000 $5,000 $56,000 $12,000

Maintenance (8,000) 7,200 800

Janitorial (5,000) 1,000 4,000

Total costs $64,200 $16,800

Maintenance allocation ratio = 9:1

Janitorial allocation ratio = 1:4

Step-by-step explanation:

Becker Tabletops

Allocation of Janitorial and Cafeteria Costs:

Direct Method:

Department Cutting Assembly

Janitorial $62,000 $248,000

Cafeteria $126,750 $42,250

Total costs $188,750 $290,250

Reciprocal Method:

Department Cutting Assembly

Janitorial $38,200 $152,800

Cafeteria $216,000 $72,000

Total costs $254,200 $224,800

Sequential Method:

Department Cutting Assembly Cafeteria

Janitorial $155,000 $31,000 $124,000

Cafeteria $243,000 $81,000

Total costs $398,000 $112,000 $124,000