A Survey of a Local Market Provided the Following Average

question 66

Multiple Choice

A survey of a local market provided the following average cost data: Johnson Construction Corp. (JCC) has assets of $5 million and an average cost of 15 percent; Anderson Architects (AA) has assets of $8 million and an average cost of 20 percent; Cole Home Builders (CHB) has assets of $8 million and an average cost of 17 percent. For each firm, average costs are measured as a proportion of assets. JCC is planning to acquire AA and CHB with the expectation of reducing overall average costs by eliminating the duplication of services. If JCC plans to reduce operating costs by $300,000 after the merger, what will the average cost be for the new firm?

• A) 16.238 percent
• B) 15.00 percent
• C) 17.33 percent
• D) 17.667 percent

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Definitions:

Direct Labour

The labor costs directly associated with the production of goods, easily traceable to the manufacturing process.

Direct Materials

Fundamental elements that can be directly connected to the manufacturing of a specific item.

Manufacturing Overhead

All indirect costs associated with manufacturing a product, which includes costs not directly tied to the product such as maintenance, utilities, and supervisor salaries.

Underapplied Manufacturing Overhead

Refers to the situation when the allocated manufacturing overhead costs are less than the actual overhead costs incurred.