Reference no: EM132870441

Question - Platinum Tracks, Inc., is a small audio recording studio located in Los Angeles. The company handles work for advertising agencies-primarily for radio ads-and has a few singers and bands as clients. Platinum Tracks handles all aspects of recording from editing to making a digital master from which CDs can be copied. The competition in the audio recording industry in Los Angeles has always been tough, but it has been getting even tougher over the last several years. The studio has been losing customers to newer studios that are equipped with more up-to-date equipment and that are able to offer very attractive prices and excellent service. Summary data concerning the last two years of operations follow:

	Last Year	This Year
Estimated hours of studio service	1,300	1,050
Estimated Studio Overhead Cost	$105,000	$105,000
Actual Hours of Studio Service Provided	1,200	950
Actual Studio Overhead cost incurred	$105,000	$105,000
Hours of Studio Service at Capacity	2,100	2,100

Required -

1. Platinum Tracks computes its predetermined overhead rate at the beginning of each year based on the estimated studio overhead cost and the estimated hours of studio service for the year. Using this approach, how much overhead would have been applied to the Verde Baja job last year? How about this year?

2. The president of Platinum Tracks has heard that some companies in the industry have changed to a system of computing the predetermined overhead rate based on the hours of studio service that could be provided at capacity. He would like to know what effect this method would have on job costs. How much overhead would have been applied using this method to the Verde Baja job if it had been done last year? This year?

3. If Platinum Tracks computes its predetermined overhead rate based on the hours of studio service that could be provided at capacity as in (2) above, how much unused capacity cost would the company have incurred last year? This year?