Mercer Asbestos Removal Company removes potentially toxic asbestos insulation an
ID: 2522164 • Letter: M
Question
Mercer Asbestos Removal Company removes potentially toxic asbestos insulation and related products from buildings. There has been a long-simmering dispute between the company’s estimator and the work supervisors. The on-site supervisors claim that the estimators do not adequately distinguish between routine work such as removal of asbestos insulation around heating pipes in older homes and nonroutine work such as removing asbestos-contaminated ceiling plaster in industrial buildings. The on-site supervisors believe that nonroutine work is far more expensive than routine work and should bear higher customer charges. The estimator sums up his position in this way: “My job is to measure the area to be cleared of asbestos. As directed by top management, I simply multiply the square footage by $3.10 to determine the bid price. Since our average cost is only $2.85 per square foot, that leaves enough cushion to take care of the additional costs of nonroutine work that shows up. Besides, it is difficult to know what is routine or not routine until you actually start tearing things apart.”
To shed light on this controversy, the company initiated an activity-based costing study of all of its costs. Data from the activity-based costing system follow:
Note: The 100 nonroutine jobs are included in the total of 500 jobs. Both nonroutine jobs and routine jobs require estimating and setup.
Distribution of Resource Consumption Across Activities
Required:
1. Perform the first-stage allocation of costs to the activity cost pools.
2. Compute the activity rates for the activity cost pools.
3. Using the activity rates you have computed, determine the total cost and the average cost per thousand square feet of each of the following jobs according to the activity-based costing system. (Round the "Average cost" to 2 decimal places.)
a. A routine 1,000-square-foot asbestos removal job.
organization-sustaining costs) None
Explanation / Answer
Solution:
Part 1 --- the first-stage allocation of costs to the activity cost pools
Removing Asbestos
Estimating and Job Setup
Working on No routine Jobs
Other
Total
Wages and salaries
$270,000
$45,000
$90,000
$45,000
$450,000
Disposal fees
$492,000
$0
$328,000
$0
$820,000
Equipment depreciation
$44,000
$5,500
$27,500
$33,000
$110,000
On-site supplies
$45,500
$13,000
$6,500
$0
$65,000
Office expenses
$35,000
$140,000
$52,500
$122,500
$350,000
Licensing and insurance
$137,500
$0
$330,000
$82,500
$550,000
Total Cost
$1,024,000
$203,500
$834,500
$283,000
$2,345,000
Part 2 --- the activity rates for the activity cost pools.
Activity Cost pools
Overhead Costs (A)
Total Activity (B)
Activity Rate
Charges for Removing Asbestos
$1,024,000
800
thousand square feet
$1,280
per thousand square feet
Estimating and job setup
$203,500
500
jobs
$407
per job
Working on Non routine Job
$834,500
100
Non routine jobs
$8,345
per non routine job
Other
$283,000
Non
Total
$2,345,000
Part 3(a) --- total cost and the average cost per thousand square feet for routine 1,000-square-foot asbestos removal
Routine
1000 Sq.ft. Job
Charges for Removing Asbestos ($1280/1000)
$1.2800
Estimating and job setup (407 / 1000)
$0.4070
Working on Non routine Job
0
Average Cost per thousand square feet of 1000 sft routine job
$1.6870
Hope the above calculations, working and explanations are clear to you and help you in understanding the concept of question.... please rate my answer...in case any doubt, post a comment and I will try to resolve the doubt ASAP…thank you
Removing Asbestos
Estimating and Job Setup
Working on No routine Jobs
Other
Total
Wages and salaries
$270,000
$45,000
$90,000
$45,000
$450,000
Disposal fees
$492,000
$0
$328,000
$0
$820,000
Equipment depreciation
$44,000
$5,500
$27,500
$33,000
$110,000
On-site supplies
$45,500
$13,000
$6,500
$0
$65,000
Office expenses
$35,000
$140,000
$52,500
$122,500
$350,000
Licensing and insurance
$137,500
$0
$330,000
$82,500
$550,000
Total Cost
$1,024,000
$203,500
$834,500
$283,000
$2,345,000