Reference no: EM131170904

Task

The purpose of Assessment item 1 is to establish the skills needed in the workplace for costing products and services using the appropriate processes and tools and apply analytical processes to construct accounting systems and models using workplace tools. Each question uses realistic data and the professional practices similar to that found in workplaces.

Your assignment consists of different question styles including discussion questions, reports, exercises, problem questions and spreadsheet questions. It assesses learning outcomes as listed in the assignment rationale below.

QUESTION 1 Management accounting

Describe the three factors that drive management accounting work. Give examples (about 150 words).

QUESTION 2 Control

What is meant by the control function of management accounting? Give examples (about 150 words).

QUESTION 3 Cost concepts

Which of the following statement is false?
A. Cost accumulation to determine the cost of goods sold is an example of the control function of management accounting work.
B. Cost represents the value of resources consumed to achieve a specific objective.
C. A cost object is an activity for which a cost is required.
D. A cost driver is an activity that causes costs to change.
E. A variable cost varies proportionately with changes in the cost driver.
Explain your answer.

QUESTION 4 Manufacturing statement and income statement

Spreadsheet. See the Spreadsheet Advice PDF in Interact2 Resources and the examples in your textbook.

See the requirements within the spreadsheet template below.

Check the assignment requirements below paying particular attention to the spreadsheet requirements. Ensure you have separate data and report areas showing only formulas. Use IF functions to allow for the possibility of either a net income or a net loss. Show row and column headings and paste both a normal view and a formula view.

The following information has been obtained from the books of Ponting Manufacturing Co. Ltd at 30 September, 20X7:
Inventories, 30/9/X6:
Finished Goods $300 000
Raw Materials 500 000
Work in Process: Material 80 000 Labour 30 000 OH Expense 20 000

Inventories, 30/9/X7:
Finished Goods 120 000
Raw Materials 70 000
Work in Process: Material 30 000 Labour 20 000 OH Expense 10 000
Summary of transactions for year
Raw material purchases 2 000 000
Inward Charges on raw materials 80 000
Direct labour 660 000
Manufacturing expense 200 000
Sales of finished goods 6 000 000
Advertising 45 000
Audit Fee 3 000
Discounts to debtors 10 000
Discounts from creditors 8 000
Cartage Outwards 20 000
Insurance 15 000
Light and power (Office) 28 000
General Expenses 25 000
Rates 30 000
Salaries (Office) 450 000
Salaries (Factory) 550 000
Travellers' Commission 150 000

Adjustments are to be made in respect of the following:
(a) Accrued expenses: Salaries (Office) $2000, Salaries (Factory) $3000
(b) Insurance paid in advance, $500
(c) Estimated taxation liability for current year, $340 000
(d) Depreciation of factory plant, $25 000
(e) Insurance and rates are to be apportioned three-quarters to the factory and one-quarter to the office.

Required: Spreadsheet.
(a) manufacturing statement for the year.
(b) income statement for the year.

QUESTION 5 Cost concepts

"If a perpetual inventory system is used for recording movements of raw materials there is no need to conduct a physical stocktake."
Do you agree? Why? (about 150 words).

QUESTION 6 Understanding the entries in the Materials Control account with GST
The Materials Control account balances were $20 000 on 1 August and $10 000 on 31 August. Raw materials issued to production during August cost $60 000. (All direct materials).
Required:
Show the Materials Control, Accounts Payable and GST Clearing accounts in the ledger for August and a general journal entry to record the cost of raw materials purchased (all on credit) during August, given that a 10% GST is paid on purchases.

QUESTION 7 Understanding the entries in the Accrued Payroll account
Salaries and wages payable to factory employees were $10 000 on 1 March and $4000 on 31 March. Gross salaries and wages paid during March totalled $40,000. March's direct labour totalled $18 000.

Required:
T-account for Accrued Payroll and general journal entries for recording salaries and wages earned by, and paid to, factory employees during March.

QUESTION 8 Payroll entries
The Ajax Company has a gross payroll of $20,000 per day. Withholdings for PAYG taxes are $6,000 per day. There are no other deductions from employees' earnings. The firm works five days per week, Monday to Friday inclusive. The payroll period covers Thursday to Wednesday inclusive and the payroll for the week is paid on the following Friday.

Gross payroll consists of $12 000 direct labour, $3000 indirect factory labour, $3000 selling expenses and $2000 general and administrative expenses each day. The following calendar should be used to answer the questions:

(a) What is the total amount to be credited to Accrued Payroll in respect of July earnings?

(b) If balance day adjustments are performed at the end of each month, what would be the balance in Accrued Payroll account at the close of business on July 31?

(c) Suppose that a single journal entry is made on the last day of each month to record the distribution of total labour costs for the month, but that entries are made each Friday to record payment of wages and withholdings. Also, PAYG taxes withheld are remitted to the Taxation Department at the end of each month.

(i) Show the weekly journal entry.

(ii) Construct the necessary ledger accounts to show all entries in respect of labour costs during the month of July.

QUESTION 9 Activity Based Costing

Your employer is contemplating changing the existing traditional costing systems used in the business to adopt activity based costing (ABC). See your text page 81.

Prepare a business report outlining the traditional costing system and evaluate arguments for and against ABC. Use the Internet as a resource and academic journal articles (about 400 words excluding references). The following CSU resource will help you prepare and format your report:eportfolio.csu.edu.au/pebblepad/viewasset.aspx
Or see this resource. unilearning.uow.edu.au/report/4b.html

QUESTION 10 Service department cost allocation

Review the examples in your textbook.

Direct, step and reciprocal methods of overhead allocation: moderately difficult

A company has two production departments (Component Manufacture and Assembly) and two service departments (Staff Cafeteria and Materials Handling). The budgeted costs of these departments are:

The services of the Cafeteria are allocated according to the number of employees in the other departments: Materials Handling has 20 employees, Component Manufacture 50 employees and Assembly 40 employees.

The services of the Materials Handling department are allocated according to the number of budgeted requisitions per period. These are estimated as 30 for the Cafeteria, 40 for Component Manufacture and 30 for Assembly.

Required:

Allocate service department costs to the production departments using

(a) the direct method

(b) the step method

(c) the reciprocal services method.

You can choose if you wish to answer with a spreadsheet. Or not.

Rationale
This assignment assesses your achievement of learning outcomes including the application of cognitive skills in the design and operation of costing systems; the design and operation of performance management systems including manufacturing statements, job costing systems, ABC and service department cost allocation; the role of management accounting in organisational contexts and the implications for management accounting of different paradigms; the application of analytical and synthetical skills in report writing; quantitative techniques and computer software including using the Internet as a professional source; the creation and implementation of computerised decision models; and to critique how managers make decisions.

Requirements

Assignment Requirements (also check the presentation expectations above).

1. On the first page of your assignment list all questions attempted and include an academic integrity statement that the work submitted is your own and that all sources used have been acknowledged.

2. Your EASTS submission will consist of two files - a Word file and an Excel file. Submit one after the other. EASTS may give you a warning about the spreadsheet file. Don't worry. This is because EASTS cannot print spreadsheet files. We manually download them and look at the electronic version.

3. Paste the spreadsheet solution and a formula view of each spreadsheet in the word file showing row and column headings for both. Paste the normal view first then the formula view. Your word file will provide a complete answer to every question. Use portrait orientation wherever possible. All data will be in the data entry area. The report area will contain no data - just formulas. Check the spreadsheet requirements carefully. You only need to submit a spreadsheet file for those problems specifying such. You can, if you wish submit spreadsheet solutions to other assignment questions but these do not need to comply with the spreadsheet requirements. Name the two files with your family name only as the file name. Record your name, student ID number and page number as a footer on every page of your assignments. Where you are asked to make changes in a spreadsheet, please highlight the changes.

4. Assignment solutions must be presented in the same sequence as set out in the Study Schedule.

5. See referencing requirements above in the Presentation section.

6. Your text and Interact2 resources may provide spreadsheet relevant templates.

7. For good spreadsheet design it is very important that you have completely separate data entry and solution/report areas. A good spreadsheet solution format is to key in the question in a structure which allows the solution to be completely formula driven. Thus NO data/numbers are entered into the solution/report area.

8. Create the spreadsheets as separate spreadsheets in one workbook. Name the tags at the bottom of the computer screen with the question number. See the examples provided with the Spreadsheet Advice PDF in Interact2 Resources.

9. Where appropriate, use the IF function to provide built-in checks etc. Variances? Net income or net loss?

10. How do you display potential negative numbers in brackets? Google the question! Hint. Format / Cells / Number and select Custom. Enter this: #,##0;(#,##0);0

11. Save each spreadsheet in your workbook with the cursor in cell A1 of the first spreadsheet.

12. Examples of spreadsheets are provided in the Spreadsheet Advice document in Interact2. You MUST read and follow these examples. If you choose to create spreadsheet solutions for other assignment problems, these solutions do not need to comply with the spreadsheet requirements.

13. Please check for viruses. Do not use macros in your files.

14. Keep a copy of all your work. Make copies of your work in progress in case your computer has an accident. Backup frequently.

15. It is imperative that you retain a copy of your assignments including your spreadsheets. Complete feedback will be provided to you with your grade and comments by the assessor.

You can discuss your work with other students prior to submission using the discussion forum. However, please do not post complete versions of answers to the forum. Do not leave assignments until the last minute.

The first page of your assignment should consist of the following parts:
• subject code and name;
• your name and student ID number;
• assignment task number;
• list of questions attempted and a list of questions not attempted;
• dates and details of any extension granted; usually include a copy of the approval email;
• an academic integrity statement that the work submitted is your own;
• an acknowledgement of all your sources, and
• a footer with your name, student ID and page number.

In today's business environment we need verbal skills, writing skills, numeracy skills AND digital literacy skills. All of these skills are assessed throughout your study. It is suggested that you attempt the assignment questions week by week.