Red Glare Products Uses a Standard Costing System to Assist

question 84

Essay

Red Glare Products uses a standard costing system to assist in the evaluation of operations. The company has had considerable employee difficulties in recent months, so much so that management has hired a new production supervisor (John Silver). Silver has been on the job for six months and has seemingly brought order to an otherwise chaotic situation.
The vice-president of manufacturing recently commented that "… Silver has really done the trick. John's team-building/morale-boosting exercises have truly brought things under control." The vice-president's comments were based on both a plant tour, where he observed a contented work force, and review of a performance report that showed a total labour variance of $14,000F. This variance is truly outstanding, given that it is less than 2% of the company's budgeted labour cost. Additional data follow.
Total completed production amounted to 20,000 units.
A review of the firm's standard cost records found that each completed unit requires 2.75 hours of labour at $14 per hour. Red Glare's production actually required 42,000 labour hours at a total cost of $756,000.
Required:
A. As judged by the information contained in the performance report, should the vice-president be concerned about the company's labour variances? Why?
B. Calculate Red Glare's direct-labour variances.
C. On the basis of your answers to requirement "B," should Red Glare be concerned about its labour situation? Why?
D. Briefly analyze and explain the direct-labour variances.

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Definitions:

Qualified Prospects

Potential customers who have been researched and evaluated and are deemed to have a high likelihood of becoming buyers.

New-business Salespeople

Sales professionals specialized in identifying, engaging, and converting prospects into new customers, vital for business growth and market expansion.

The Approach Step

A phase in a process or strategy that involves moving towards a specific goal or objective through planned actions.

Rapport

A positive relationship characterized by mutual respect, trust, and understanding between individuals or groups.