CostAccountingSeventeenthEdition,GlobalEditionChapter8FlexibleBudgets,OverheadCostVariances,andManagementControlCopyright?2021PearsonEducationLtd.
LearningObjectives(1of2)8.1Explainthesimilaritiesanddifferencesinplanningvariableoverheadcostsandfixedoverheadcosts8.2Developbudgetedvariableoverheadcostratesandbudgetedfixedoverheadcostrates8.3Computethevariableoverheadflexible-budgetvariance,thevariableoverheadefficiencyvariance,andthevariableoverheadspendingvariance8.4Computethefixedoverheadflexible-budgetvariance,thefixedoverheadspendingvarianceandthefixedoverheadproduction-volumevariance
LearningObjectives(2of2)8.5Showhowthefour-varianceanalysisapproachreconcilestheactualoverheadincurredwiththeoverheadamountsallocatedduringtheperiod8.6Explaintherelationshipbetweenthesales-volumevarianceandtheproduction-volumevariance8.7Calculatevariancesinactivity-basedcosting8.8Examinetheuseofoverheadvariancesinnonmanufacturingsettings
PlanningofVariableandFixedOverheadCostsToeffectivelyplanvariableoverheadcostsforaproductorservice,managersmustfocusontheactivitiesthatcreateasuperiorproductorservicefortheircustomersandeliminateactivitiesthatdonotaddvalue.Planningfixedoverheadcostsissimilartoplanningvariableoverheadcosts—undertakeonlyessentialactivitiesandthenplantobeefficientinthatundertaking.Butthereisanadditionalstrategicissuewhenitcomestoplanningfixedoverheadcosts:choosingtheappropriatelevelofcapacityorinvestmentthatwillbenefitthecompanyinthelongrun.
StandardCostingStandardcostingisacostingsystemthattracesdirectcoststooutputproducedbymultiplyingthestandardpricesorratebythestandardquantitiesofinputsallowedforactualoutputsproducedandallocatesoverheadcostsonthebasisofthestandardoverheadcostratestimesthestandardquantiti