May 2007 Examinations
Managerial Level
Paper P2 – Management Accounting – Decision
Management
Question
Paper
2
Examiner’s Brief Guide to the Paper
20
Examiner’s
Answers
21
The answers published here have been written by the Examiner and should provide a helpful guide for both tutors and students.
Published separately on the CIMA website (www.cimaglobal.com/students) from mid-September 2007 is a Post Examination Guide for this paper, which provides much valuable and
complementary material including indicative mark information.
2007 The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recorded or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.
P2 2 May 2007
Management Accounting Pillar
Managerial Level Paper
P2 – Management Accounting -
Decision Management
23 May 2007 – Wednesday Morning Session
Instructions to candidates
You are allowed three hours to answer this question paper.
You are allowed 20 minutes reading time before the examination begins
during which you should read the question paper and, if you wish, highlight and/or make notes on the question paper. However, you will not be allowed,
under any circumstances, to open the answer book and start writing or use your calculator during the reading time.
You are strongly advised to carefully read ALL the question requirements before attempting the question concerned (that is, all parts and/or sub-questions). The requirements for the questions in Sections B and C are contained in a dotted box.
ALL answers must be written in the answer book. Answers or notes written on the question paper will not be submitted for marking.
Answer the ONE compulsory question in Section A. This has eight sub-questions and is on pages 3 to 5.
Answer ALL THREE compulsory questions in Section B on pages 6 to 9. Answer TWO of the three questions in Section C on pages 10 to 15. Maths Tables and Formulae are provided on pages 16 to 18.
The list of verbs as published in the syllabus is given for reference on the inside back cover of this question paper.
Write your candidate number, the paper number and examination subject title in the spaces provided on the front of the answer book. Also write your contact ID and name in the space provided in the right hand margin and seal to close.
Tick the appropriate boxes on the front of the answer book to indicate which questions you have answered.
SECTION A – 20 MARKS
[the indicative time for answering this section is 36 minutes]
ANSWER
ALL
EIGHT SUB-QUESTIONS
Question One
1.1 An investment project that requires an initial investment of $500,000 has a residual value of $130,000 at the end of five years. The project’s cash flows have been discounted at the company’s cost of capital of 12% and the resulting net present value is $140,500. The profitability index of the project is closest to:
A 0·02
B 0·54
C 0·28
D 0·26
(2 marks)
1.2 A project has a net present value of $320,000.
The sales revenues for the project have a total pre-discounted value of $900,000 and a total present value of $630,000 after tax.
The sensitivity of the investment to changes in the value of sales is closest to:
A $310,000
B $580,000
C 51%
D 36%
(2 marks)
Instructions for answering Section A:
The answers to the eight sub-questions in Section A should ALL be written in your answer book.
Your answers should be clearly numbered with the sub-question number and then ruled off, so that the markers know which sub-question you are answering. For multiple choice questions, you need only write the sub-question number and the letter of the answer option you have chosen. You do not need to start a new page for each sub-question.
For sub-questions 1.6, 1.7 and 1.8 you should show your workings as marks are available for the method you use to answer these sub-questions.
P2 4 May 2007 1.3 A company provides a number of different services to its customers from a single office.
The fixed costs of the office, including staff costs, are absorbed into the company’s service costs using an absorption rate of $25 per consulting hour based on a budgeted activity level of 100,000 hours each period.
Fee income and variable costs are different depending on the services provided, but the average contribution to sales ratio is 35%. The breakeven fee income each period is closest to: A $1,400,000 B $11,500,000 C $875,000 D $7,143,000 (2 marks)
1.4 A company has recently completed the production of the first unit of a new product. The time taken for this was 12 minutes. The company expects that there will be a 75% learning rate for this product.
Calculate the total time expected to produce the first four units.
(2 marks)
The following data are given for sub-questions 1.5 and 1.6 below
An investment project with no residual value has a net present value of $87,980 when it is discounted using a cost of capital of 10%. The annual cash flows are as follows:
Year $ 0 (200,000) 1 80,000 2 90,000 3 100,000 4 60,000 5 40,000
1.5 Calculate the Accounting Rate of Return of the project using the average investment value basis.
(2 marks)
1.6 Calculate the Internal Rate of Return of the project.
1.7 A company manufactures three products. Each of these products use the same type of material but in different quantities. The unit selling prices, cost and profit details are as follows:
Product X Y Z
$/unit $/unit $/unit
Selling price 23 26 28 Direct materials 6 8 6 Direct labour 8 6 8 Variable overhead 2 3 3 Fixed overhead 4 5 6 Profit 3 4 5
The direct material used on all three products costs $10 per kg. The material available is expected to be limited to 600 kgs for the next accounting period. The maximum demand for each of the products during the next accounting period is expected to be as follows:
X 240 units Y 600 units Z 400 units No inventories of finished products are held.
Calculate the optimum product mix for the next accounting period.
(3 marks)
1.8 A company is launching a new product. Market research shows that if the selling price of the product is $100 then demand will be 1,200 units, but for every $10 increase in selling price there will be a corresponding decrease in demand of 200 units and for every $10 decrease in selling price there will be a corresponding increase in demand of 200 units. The estimated variable costs of the product are $30 per unit. There are no specific fixed costs but general fixed costs are absorbed using an absorption rate of $8 per unit. Calculate the selling price at which profit is maximised.
Note: When Price = a-bx then Marginal Revenue = a-2bx
(4 marks) (Total for Section A = 20 marks)
Reminder
All
answers to Section A must be written in your answer book.
Answers to Section A written on the question paper will
not
be
submitted for marking.
End of Section A
Section B starts on page 6
P2 6 May 2007
SECTION B – 30 MARKS
[the indicative time for answering this section is 54 minutes]
ANSWER
ALL
THREE QUESTIONS
Question Two
A company is planning to launch a new product. It has already carried out market research at a cost of $50,000 and as a result has discovered that the market price for the product should be $50 per unit. The company estimates that 80,000 units of the product could be sold at this price before one of the company’s competitors enters the market with a superior product. At this time any unsold units of the company’s product would be of no value.
The company has estimated the costs of the initial batch of the product as follows:
$000
Direct materials 200 Direct labour ($10 per hour) 250 Other direct costs 100
Production was planned to occur in batches of 10,000 units and it was expected that an 80% learning curve would apply to the direct labour until the fourth batch was complete. Thereafter the direct labour cost per batch was expected to be constant. No changes to the direct labour rate per hour were expected.
The company introduced the product at the price stated above, with production occurring in batches of 10,000 units. Direct labour was paid using the expected hourly rate of $10 and the company is now reviewing the profitability of the product. The following schedule shows the actual direct labour cost recorded:
Cumulative number of batches Actual cumulative direct labour cost $000 1 280 2 476 4 809 8 1,376
Required:
(i) Calculate the revised expected cumulative direct labour costs for the four levels of output given the actual cost of $280,000 for the first batch.
(ii) Calculate the actual learning rate exhibited at each level of output.
(iii) Discuss the implications of your answers to (i) and (ii) for the managers of the company.
(10 marks) (Total for Question Two = 10 marks)
Question Three
A company operates a fleet of three canal boats that provide cruises for tourists around the canals of a city. The company seeks your advice as to whether it is better to replace its boats every year, every two years or every three years. The company has provided the following data:
$
Annual sales revenue from operating each boat 800,000 Purchase cost of each boat 400,000
Operating costs, which include maintenance, servicing, and similar costs are paid at the end of each year. Operating costs and end of year trade-in values vary depending on the age of the boat and are as follows for each year of the boat’s life:
Year Operating Costs Trade-in values $ $
1 300,000 240,000 2 400,000 150,000 3 600,000 80,000
These costs do not include depreciation or any other fixed costs of providing the tourist service. These other fixed costs are a constant $100,000 per year regardless of the age of the boat. The company uses an 8% cost of capital for its investment decisions.
Required:
(a)
Produce calculations to determine the optimum replacement cycle of the boats and state clearly your recommendations. Ignore taxation.(6 marks) The same company is also considering investing in one of three marketing campaigns to increase its profitability. All three marketing campaigns have a life of five years, require the same initial investment and have no residual value. The company has already evaluated the marketing campaigns taking into consideration the range of possible outcomes that could result from the investment. A summary of the calculations is shown below:
Marketing Campaign J K L Expected Net Present Value $400,000 $800,000 $400,000
Standard Deviation of Net Present Value $35,000 $105,000 $105,000
Required:
(b)
(i) Explain the meaning of the data shown above; and
(ii) Briefly explain how the data may be used by the company when choosing between alternative investments.
(4 marks) (Total for Question Three = 10 marks)
P2 8 May 2007
Question Four
Z is one of a number of companies that produce three products for an external market. The three products, R, S and T may be bought or sold in this market.
The common process account of Z for March 2007 is shown below:
Kg $ Kg $
Inputs:
Material A 1,000 3,500 Normal loss 500 0 Material B 2,000 2,000 Outputs:
Material C 1,500 3,000 Product R 800 3,500 Direct labour 6,000 Product S 2,000 8,750 Variable overhead 2,000 Product T 1,200 5,250 Fixed cost 1,000
Totals 4,500 17,500 4,500 17,500 Z can sell products R, S or T after this common process or they can be individually further processed and sold as RZ, SZ and TZ respectively. The market prices for the products at the intermediate stage and after further processing are:
Market prices per kg:
$ R 3·00 S 5·00 T 3·50 RZ 6·00 SZ 5·75 TZ 6·75
The specific costs of the three individual further processes are: Process R to RZ variable cost of $1·40 per kg, no fixed costs Process S to SZ variable cost of $0·90 per kg, no fixed costs
Process T to TZ variable cost of $1·00 per kg, fixed cost of $600 per month
Required:
(a)
Produce calculations to determine whether any of the intermediate products should be further processed before being sold. Clearly state yourrecommendations together with any relevant assumptions that you have made.
(3 marks)
(b)
Produce calculations to assess the viability of the common process: (i) assuming that there is an external market for products R,S and T; and (ii) assuming that there is not an external market for products R,S and T.State clearly your recommendations.
(7 marks) (Total for Question Four =10 marks)
(Total for Section B = 30 marks)
End of Section B
Section C starts on page 10
P2 10 May 2007
SECTION C – 50 MARKS
[the indicative time for answering this section is 90 minutes]
ANSWER
TWO
QUESTIONS OUT OF THREE
Question Five
X operates in an economy that has almost zero inflation. Management ignores inflation when evaluating investment projects because it is so low as to be considered insignificant. X is evaluating a number of similar, alternative investments. The company uses an after tax cost of capital of 6% and has already completed the evaluation of two investments. The third investment is a new product that would be produced on a just-in-time basis and which is expected to have a life of three years. This investment requires an immediate cash outflow of $200,000, which does not qualify for tax depreciation. The expected residual value at the end of the project’s life is $50,000. A draft financial statement showing the values that are specific to this third investment for the three years is as follows:
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 $ $ $ Sales 230,000 350,000 270,000 Production costs: Materials 54,000 102,000 66,000 Labour 60,000 80,000 70,000 Other* 80,000 90,000 80,000 Profit 36,000 78,000 54,000 Closing receivables 20,000 30,000 25,000 Closing payables 6,000 9,000 8,000
*Other production costs shown above include depreciation calculated using the straight line method.
The company is liable to pay corporation tax at a rate of 30% of its profits. One half of this is payable in the same year as the profit is earned, the remainder is payable in the following year.
Required:
(a)
Calculate the net present value of the above investment proposal.(10 marks)
(b)
Explain how the above investment project would be appraised if there were to be a change in the rate of inflation so that it became too significant to be ignored.The evaluations of the other two investments are shown below:
Investment Initial investment Net Present Value
$ $
W 300,000 75,000 Y 100,000 27,000
The company only has $400,000 of funds available. All of the investment proposals are non-divisible. None of the investments may be repeated.
Required:
(c)
Recommend, with supporting calculations, which of the three investment proposals should be accepted.(3 marks)
(d)
(i) Briefly explain gain sharing arrangements.
(3 marks) (ii) Explain the reasons why X might not want to overcome its investment funding
limitations by using a gain sharing arrangement.
(4 marks) (Total for Question Five = 25 marks)
P2 12 May 2007
Question Six
H, a printing company, uses traditional absorption costing to report its monthly profits. It is seeking to increase its business by winning work from new customers. It now has the opportunity to prepare a quotation for a large organisation that currently requires a new catalogue of its services.
A technical report on the resource requirements for the catalogues has been completed at a cost of $1,000 and its details are summarised below:
Production period
It is expected that the total time required to print and despatch the catalogue will be one week.
Material A
10,000 sheets of special printing paper will be required. This is a paper that is in regular use by H and the company has 3,400 sheets in inventory. These originally cost $1·40 per sheet but the current market price is $1·50 per sheet. The resale price of the sheets held in inventory is $1·20 per sheet.
Material B
This is a special ink that H will need to purchase at a cost of $8 per litre. 200 litres will be required for this catalogue but the supplier has a minimum order size of 250 litres. H does not foresee any other use for this ink, but will hold the surplus in inventory. H’s inventory policy is to review slow moving items regularly. The cost of any inventory item that has not been used for more than 6 months is accounted for as an expense of the period in which that review occurs.
Direct labour
Sufficient people are already employed by H to print the catalogue, but some of the printing will require overtime working due to the availability of a particular machine that is used on other work. The employees are normally paid $8 per hour, the order will require 150 hours of work and 50 of these hours will be in excess of the employees’ normal working week. A rate of $10 per hour is paid for these overtime hours. Employees are paid using an hourly rate with a
guaranteed minimum wage for their normal working week.
Supervision
An existing supervisor will take responsibility for the catalogue in addition to her existing duties. She is not currently fully employed and receives a salary of $500 per week.
Machinery
Two different types of machine will be required:
Machine A will print the catalogues. This is expected to take 20 hours of machine time. The running cost of machine A is $5 per hour. There is currently 30 hours of unused time on machine A per week that is being sold to other printers for $12 per hour.
Machine B will be used to cut and bind the catalogues. This machine is being used to full capacity in the normal working week and this is why there is a need to work overtime. The catalogue will require 25 machine hours and these have a running cost of $4 per hour.
Despatch
There will be a delivery cost of $400 to transport the catalogues to the customer.
Fixed overhead costs
H uses a traditional absorption costing system to attribute fixed overhead costs to its work. The absorption rate that it uses is $20 per direct labour hour.
Profit mark-up
Required:
(a)
In order to assist the management of H in preparing its quotation, prepare a schedule showing the relevant costs for the production of the catalogues. State clearly your reason for including or excluding each value that has been provided in the above scenario.(15 marks)
(b)
Explain how the use of relevant costs as the basis of setting a selling price may be appropriate for short-term pricing decisions but may be inappropriate for long-term pricing decisions. Your answer should also discuss the conflict between reporting profitability within a traditional absorption costing system and the use of relevant cost based pricing.(10 marks) (Total for Question Six = 25 marks)
P2 14 May 2007
Question Seven
D provides a motorist rescue service to its members. At present all members pay a basic fee of $100 per year but D is considering the introduction of different fees for members depending on the data they provide when joining the service. The number of members, and therefore the fee income of D, is uncertain but the following estimates have been made:
Number of members Probability
20,000 0·3 30,000 0·5 40,000 0·2
Required:
(a)
Calculate the expected annual fee income of D.(2 marks) The operating costs to be incurred by D have been analysed between call-out costs and administration costs. These operating costs have been assumed to vary in relation to the number of members and consequently the average costs per member for next year are expected to be:
Call-out cost per member for the year $50 Administration cost per member for the year $10
Each of these operating costs may vary by plus or minus 20%. There is equal probability of these costs being as expected, 20% higher, or 20% lower. In addition D expects to incur annual fixed costs of $1,100,000.
Required:
(b)
Using Expected Values, calculate the breakeven number of members.(3 marks)
(c)
Prepare a two-way data table that shows the nine possible profit values.(6 marks)
(d)
Explain the meaning of table that you have produced in (c) above and, by including appropriate probability values, how it may be used by management.(4 marks) Now that you have presented your calculations and explanations to the Management Team of D they have questioned the validity of the assumption that costs are caused by and therefore vary in relation to the number of members. They referred to the activities that are performed by the company:
• Processing applications for membership;
• Operating the call centre that deals with logging and scheduling rescues; • Providing patrol vehicles and mechanics for breakdown assistance; • Recording details of the time taken to respond to members’ rescues; • Recording details of the costs incurred in carrying out each rescue.
The Management Team collectively agreed that your assumption that operating costs are driven by the number of members was too simplistic and that in future the Administration department should request the following information from members:
• Member’s date of birth; • Member’s address;
• Number of years the member has been a qualified driver; • Age of vehicle;
• Make and model of vehicle; • Average annual mileage.
Required:
(e)
Explain how and why the collection of this data from members might improve the information that would be available to the Management Team.(10 marks) (Total for Question Seven = 25 marks)
(Total for Section C = 50 marks)
End of question paper
P2 16 May 2007
PRESENT VALUE TABLE
Present value of $1, that is
( )
1+
r −n where r = interest rate; n = number of periods until payment or receipt. Interest rates (r) Periods (n) 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 9% 10% 1 0.990 0.980 0.971 0.962 0.952 0.943 0.935 0.926 0.917 0.909 2 0.980 0.961 0.943 0.925 0.907 0.890 0.873 0.857 0.842 0.826 3 0.971 0.942 0.915 0.889 0.864 0.840 0.816 0.794 0.772 0.751 4 0.961 0.924 0.888 0.855 0.823 0.792 0.763 0.735 0.708 0.683 5 0.951 0.906 0.863 0.822 0.784 0.747 0.713 0.681 0.650 0.621 6 0.942 0.888 0.837 0.790 0.746 0705 0.666 0.630 0.596 0.564 7 0.933 0.871 0.813 0.760 0.711 0.665 0.623 0.583 0.547 0.513 8 0.923 0.853 0.789 0.731 0.677 0.627 0.582 0.540 0.502 0.467 9 0.914 0.837 0.766 0.703 0.645 0.592 0.544 0.500 0.460 0.424 10 0.905 0.820 0.744 0.676 0.614 0.558 0.508 0.463 0.422 0.386 11 0.896 0.804 0.722 0.650 0.585 0.527 0.475 0.429 0.388 0.350 12 0.887 0.788 0.701 0.625 0.557 0.497 0.444 0.397 0.356 0.319 13 0.879 0.773 0.681 0.601 0.530 0.469 0.415 0.368 0.326 0.290 14 0.870 0.758 0.661 0.577 0.505 0.442 0.388 0.340 0.299 0.263 15 0.861 0.743 0.642 0.555 0.481 0.417 0.362 0.315 0.275 0.239 16 0.853 0.728 0.623 0.534 0.458 0.394 0.339 0.292 0.252 0.218 17 0.844 0.714 0.605 0.513 0.436 0.371 0.317 0.270 0.231 0.198 18 0.836 0.700 0.587 0.494 0.416 0.350 0.296 0.250 0.212 0.180 19 0.828 0.686 0.570 0.475 0.396 0.331 0.277 0.232 0.194 0.164 20 0.820 0.673 0.554 0.456 0.377 0.312 0.258 0.215 0.178 0.149 Interest rates (r) Periods (n) 11% 12% 13% 14% 15% 16% 17% 18% 19% 20% 1 0.901 0.893 0.885 0.877 0.870 0.862 0.855 0.847 0.840 0.833 2 0.812 0.797 0.783 0.769 0.756 0.743 0.731 0.718 0.706 0.694 3 0.731 0.712 0.693 0.675 0.658 0.641 0.624 0.609 0.593 0.579 4 0.659 0.636 0.613 0.592 0.572 0.552 0.534 0.516 0.499 0.482 5 0.593 0.567 0.543 0.519 0.497 0.476 0.456 0.437 0.419 0.402 6 0.535 0.507 0.480 0.456 0.432 0.410 0.390 0.370 0.352 0.335 7 0.482 0.452 0.425 0.400 0.376 0.354 0.333 0.314 0.296 0.279 8 0.434 0.404 0.376 0.351 0.327 0.305 0.285 0.266 0.249 0.233 9 0.391 0.361 0.333 0.308 0.284 0.263 0.243 0.225 0.209 0.194 10 0.352 0.322 0.295 0.270 0.247 0.227 0.208 0.191 0.176 0.162 11 0.317 0.287 0.261 0.237 0.215 0.195 0.178 0.162 0.148 0.135 12 0.286 0.257 0.231 0.208 0.187 0.168 0.152 0.137 0.124 0.112 13 0.258 0.229 0.204 0.182 0.163 0.145 0.130 0.116 0.104 0.093 14 0.232 0.205 0.181 0.160 0.141 0.125 0.111 0.099 0.088 0.078 15 0.209 0.183 0.160 0.140 0.123 0.108 0.095 0.084 0.079 0.065 16 0.188 0.163 0.141 0.123 0.107 0.093 0.081 0.071 0.062 0.054 17 0.170 0.146 0.125 0.108 0.093 0.080 0.069 0.060 0.052 0.045 18 0.153 0.130 0.111 0.095 0.081 0.069 0.059 0.051 0.044 0.038 19 0.138 0.116 0.098 0.083 0.070 0.060 0.051 0.043 0.037 0.031 20 0.124 0.104 0.087 0.073 0.061 0.051 0.043 0.037 0.031 0.026Cumulative present value of $1 per annum, Receivable or Payable at the end of each year for n years 1−(1+rr)−n Interest rates (r) Periods (n) 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 9% 10% 1 0.990 0.980 0.971 0.962 0.952 0.943 0.935 0.926 0.917 0.909 2 1.970 1.942 1.913 1.886 1.859 1.833 1.808 1.783 1.759 1.736 3 2.941 2.884 2.829 2.775 2.723 2.673 2.624 2.577 2.531 2.487 4 3.902 3.808 3.717 3.630 3.546 3.465 3.387 3.312 3.240 3.170 5 4.853 4.713 4.580 4.452 4.329 4.212 4.100 3.993 3.890 3.791 6 5.795 5.601 5.417 5.242 5.076 4.917 4.767 4.623 4.486 4.355 7 6.728 6.472 6.230 6.002 5.786 5.582 5.389 5.206 5.033 4.868 8 7.652 7.325 7.020 6.733 6.463 6.210 5.971 5.747 5.535 5.335 9 8.566 8.162 7.786 7.435 7.108 6.802 6.515 6.247 5.995 5.759 10 9.471 8.983 8.530 8.111 7.722 7.360 7.024 6.710 6.418 6.145 11 10.368 9.787 9.253 8.760 8.306 7.887 7.499 7.139 6.805 6.495 12 11.255 10.575 9.954 9.385 8.863 8.384 7.943 7.536 7.161 6.814 13 12.134 11.348 10.635 9.986 9.394 8.853 8.358 7.904 7.487 7.103 14 13.004 12.106 11.296 10.563 9.899 9.295 8.745 8.244 7.786 7.367 15 13.865 12.849 11.938 11.118 10.380 9.712 9.108 8.559 8.061 7.606 16 14.718 13.578 12.561 11.652 10.838 10.106 9.447 8.851 8.313 7.824 17 15.562 14.292 13.166 12.166 11.274 10.477 9.763 9.122 8.544 8.022 18 16.398 14.992 13.754 12.659 11.690 10.828 10.059 9.372 8.756 8.201 19 17.226 15.679 14.324 13.134 12.085 11.158 10.336 9.604 8.950 8.365 20 18.046 16.351 14.878 13.590 12.462 11.470 10.594 9.818 9.129 8.514 Interest rates (r) Periods (n) 11% 12% 13% 14% 15% 16% 17% 18% 19% 20% 1 0.901 0.893 0.885 0.877 0.870 0.862 0.855 0.847 0.840 0.833 2 1.713 1.690 1.668 1.647 1.626 1.605 1.585 1.566 1.547 1.528 3 2.444 2.402 2.361 2.322 2.283 2.246 2.210 2.174 2.140 2.106 4 3.102 3.037 2.974 2.914 2.855 2.798 2.743 2.690 2.639 2.589 5 3.696 3.605 3.517 3.433 3.352 3.274 3.199 3.127 3.058 2.991 6 4.231 4.111 3.998 3.889 3.784 3.685 3.589 3.498 3.410 3.326 7 4.712 4.564 4.423 4.288 4.160 4.039 3.922 3.812 3.706 3.605 8 5.146 4.968 4.799 4.639 4.487 4.344 4.207 4.078 3.954 3.837 9 5.537 5.328 5.132 4.946 4.772 4.607 4.451 4.303 4.163 4.031 10 5.889 5.650 5.426 5.216 5.019 4.833 4.659 4.494 4.339 4.192 11 6.207 5.938 5.687 5.453 5.234 5.029 4.836 4.656 4.486 4.327 12 6.492 6.194 5.918 5.660 5.421 5.197 4.988 7.793 4.611 4.439 13 6.750 6.424 6.122 5.842 5.583 5.342 5.118 4.910 4.715 4.533 14 6.982 6.628 6.302 6.002 5.724 5.468 5.229 5.008 4.802 4.611 15 7.191 6.811 6.462 6.142 5.847 5.575 5.324 5.092 4.876 4.675 16 7.379 6.974 6.604 6.265 5.954 5.668 5.405 5.162 4.938 4.730 17 7.549 7.120 6.729 6.373 6.047 5.749 5.475 5.222 4.990 4.775 18 7.702 7.250 6.840 6.467 6.128 5.818 5.534 5.273 5.033 4.812 19 7.839 7.366 6.938 6.550 6.198 5.877 5.584 5.316 5.070 4.843 20 7.963 7.469 7.025 6.623 6.259 5.929 5.628 5.353 5.101 4.870
P2 18 May 2007
FORMULAE
Time series
Additive model:
Series = Trend + Seasonal + Random Multiplicative model:
Series = Trend*Seasonal*Random
Regression analysis
The linear regression equation of Y on X is given by:
Y = a + bX or Y – Y = b(X – X), where: b = ) ( ) ( X XY Variance Covariance = 2 2 ) ( ) )( ( X X n Y X XY n ∑ − ∑ ∑ ∑ − ∑ and a = Y – bX or solve ∑Y = na + b∑X ∑XY = a∑X + b∑X2 Exponential Y = abx Geometric Y = aXb
Learning curve
Yx = aXb where:Yx = the cumulative average time per unit to produce X units;
a = the time required to produce the first unit of output;
X = the cumulative number of units;
b = the index of learning.
LIST OF VERBS USED IN THE QUESTION REQUIREMENTS
A list of the learning objectives and verbs that appear in the syllabus and in the question requirements for each question in this paper.
It is important that you answer the question according to the definition of the verb.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE VERBS USED DEFINITION
1 KNOWLEDGE
What you are expected to know. List Make a list of
State Express, fully or clearly, the details of/facts of Define Give the exact meaning of
2 COMPREHENSION
What you are expected to understand. Describe Communicate the key features Distinguish Highlight the differences between
Explain Make clear or intelligible/State the meaning of Identify Recognise, establish or select after
consideration
Illustrate Use an example to describe or explain something
3 APPLICATION
How you are expected to apply your knowledge. Apply
Calculate/compute
To put to practical use
To ascertain or reckon mathematically Demonstrate To prove with certainty or to exhibit by
practical means
Prepare To make or get ready for use
Reconcile To make or prove consistent/compatible Solve Find an answer to
Tabulate Arrange in a table
4 ANALYSIS
How are you expected to analyse the detail of what you have learned.
Analyse Categorise
Examine in detail the structure of Place into a defined class or division Compare and contrast Show the similarities and/or differences
between
Construct To build up or compile
Discuss To examine in detail by argument
Interpret To translate into intelligible or familiar terms Produce To create or bring into existence
5 EVALUATION
How are you expected to use your learning to evaluate, make decisions or recommendations.
Advise Evaluate Recommend
To counsel, inform or notify To appraise or assess the value of To advise on a course of action
P2 20 May 2007 The Examiner for Management Accounting – Decision Management offers to future
candidates and to tutors using this booklet for study purposes, the following background and guidance on the questions included in this examination paper.
Section A – Question One – Compulsory
Question One comprises eight sub questions in objective testing format. Some of the questions provide a choice of answers of which only one is correct while others require solution by the candidate. This question covers a number of syllabus areas and learning outcomes and is designed to complement the syllabus coverage of the remaining questions on the paper.
Section B – Questions Two, Three and Four – Compulsory
Question Two This question tests candidates’ understanding of the learning curve and the effect of differences between the expected and actual initial unit/time cost, the learning rate and the length of the learning period on the eventual time/cost of units produced. This question addresses the learning outcome:
Explain and apply learning and experience curves to estimate time and cost for new products and services.
Question Three This question tests candidates’ knowledge of two specific areas of long term decision making. In part (a) candidates are required to prepare calculations to determine the optimum asset replacement cycle for a company. In part (b) candidates are required to explain the data provided and how it may be used to choose between alternative investments. This question addresses the learning outcome:
Evaluate and rank projects that might be mutually exclusive, involve unequal lives and/or be subject to capital rationing.
Question Four This question tests candidates’ ability to interpret a process account and with the other data provided to determine the viability of the process. This question addresses the learning outcome:
Explain why joint costs must be allocated to final products for financial reporting purposes, but why this is unhelpful when decisions concerning process and product viability have to be taken.
Section C – answer two of three questions
Question Five This question tests candidates’ ability in part (a) to calculate the net present value of an investment proposal from the data provided and in part (b) to discuss how their appraisal would change if inflation were at a significant level. Part (c) of the question requires candidates to choose between
alternative investment opportunities, and part (d) requires candidates to explain gain sharing arrangements and why they may not be a solution to a limitation in investment funding. This question addresses the learning outcomes: Calculate project cash flows, accountingfor tax and inflation, and apply perpetuities to derive “end of project” value where appropriate; and Evaluate and rank projects that might be mutually exclusive, involve unequal lives and/or be subject to capital rationing and Discuss gain sharing arrangements whereby contractors and customers benefit if contract targets for cost, delivery etc are beaten.
Question Six This question tests candidates’ ability in part (a) to interpret relevant cost data to determine the relevant cost of printing a brochure and in part (b) to explain the appropriateness of using relevant costs as the basis of pricing and the conflict that can arise when reporting profitability if a relevant cost based pricing method is used. This question addresses the learning outcomes: Discuss the principles of decision making including the identification of relevant cash flows and their use alongside non-quantifiable factors in making rounded judgements; and Explain the possible conflicts between cost accounting for profit reporting and stock valuation and the convenient availability of information for decision making; and
Explain the particular issues that arise in pricing decisions and the conflict between “marginal cost” principles and the need for full recovery of all costs incurred.
Question Seven This question tests candidates’ ability to analyse data to determine the expected value and range of possible profit values that could arise for a company that provides a motorist rescue service and then to explain how the use of activity based costing might improve the information available to the Management Team. This question addresses the learning outcomes: Evaluate the impact of uncertainty and risk on decision models that may be based on CVP analysis, relevant cash flows, learning curves, discounting techniques etc; and Apply activity based costing ideas to analyse direct customer profitability and extend this analysis to distribution channel profitability.
Managerial Level Paper
P2 – Management Accounting – Decision
Management
Examiner’s Answers
SECTION A
Answer to Question One
1.1 Profitability Index = $140,500 / $500,000 = 0·28
The correct answer is C.
1.2 Sensitivity = $320,000 / $630,000 = 51%
The correct answer is C.
1.3 Breakeven sales value = Fixed cost / Contribution to sales ratio = $2,500,000/ 0·35
= $7,142,857
The correct answer is D.
1.4 Units Average Time/unit (minutes) Total time (minutes)
1 12·00 12·00
2 9·00 18·00
4 6·75 27·00
1.5 $
Lifetime cash flows 370,000 Lifetime depreciation 200,000 Lifetime profit 170,000 Average annual profit 34,000
ARR = Average annual profit / Average investment value = $34,000 / $100,000
P2 22 May 2007 1.6 Discounting the cash flows using 20% gives:
Year Cash flow
$ DF PV $ 0 (200,000) 1·000 (200,000) 1 80,000 0·833 66,640 2 90,000 0·694 62,460 3 100,000 0·579 57,900 4 60,000 0·482 28,920 5 40,000 0·402 16,080 32,000 IRR (%) = 20 + (32,000/55,980 x 10) = 26% 1.7 Product X Y Z Contribution / unit $7 $9 $11 Materials / unit (kg) 0·6 0·8 0·6 Contribution / kg $11·67 $11·25 $18·33 Ranking 2nd 3rd 1st Produce (units) 240 270 400 Uses (kgs) 144 216 240 1.8 P = $160 – 0·05q MR = 160 – 0·1q MC = 30
Profit is maximised when MC = MR so 30 = 160 – 0·1q
130 = 0·1q q = 1,300
P = $160 – 0·05q
SECTION B
Answer to Question Two
(i) The company expected that the first batch of units would have a labour cost of $250 whereas the actual labour cost of the first batch was $280.
The company expected that there would be an 80% learning curve for the first four batches, if this applied to the actual time taken for the first batch, the expected labour cost for the first four levels would have been as follows:
Cumulative number of
batches Average direct labour cost $ Cumulative direct labour cost $
1 280 280 2 224 448 4 8 179·2 153·1 716·80 1224·85 (ii) The average actual direct labour costs per batch and their comparison with previous
averages can be calculated from the data provided as follows:
Cumulative number of
batches Average direct labour cost per batch $ Average as % of previous average 1 280 2 238 85% 4 202·25 85% 8 172 85%
The learning period did not end after four batches.
(iii) It can be seen that there were differences in the initial time, the rate of learning and the length of the learning period compared to those expected. As a consequence there will be an impact on the profitability of the company or its pricing strategy depending upon the basis of pricing being used. Further this may impact of the pricing of similar items in the future.
P2 24 May 2007
Answer to Question Three
Requirement (a)
The sales revenue and fixed costs are the same regardless of the age of the boat and are therefore not relevant to the decision. Depreciation is irrelevant because it is not a cash cost. The solution is found by comparing the equivalent annual costs of each replacement cycle.
One year cycle
Year 1 Description Cash flow DF PV
0 Purchase cost $400,000 1·000 $400,000 1 Operating costs $300,000 Trade in value ($240,000) $ 60,000 0·926 $55,560 $455,560 Annualised equivalent $455,560/0·926 $491,965 Two year cycle
Year 1 Description Cash flow DF PV
0 Purchase cost $400,000 1·000 $400,000 1 Operating costs $300,000 0·926 $277,800 2 Operating costs $400,000 Trade in value ($150,000) $250,000 0·857 $214,250 1·783 $892,050 Annualised equivalent $892,050/1·783 $500,308 Three year cycle
Year 1 Description Cash flow DF PV
0 Purchase cost $400,000 1·000 $400,000 1 Operating costs $300,000 0·926 $277,800 2 Operating costs $400,000 0·857 $342,800 3 Operating costs $600,000 Trade in value ($80,000) $520,000 0·794 $412,880 2·578 $1,433,480 Annualised equivalent $1,433,480/2·578 $556,043
Requirement (b)
(i) The expected net present value of the campaigns is an average value based upon the probability associated with each possible outcome. Its use as a management tool can therefore be misleading because it does not provide any indication of the range of values that may result. The standard deviation is a measure of the range of values that could occur. The higher the standard deviation, the greater is the range of possible values and therefore the more risky is the campaign.
(ii) In the example provided campaigns J and L have the same expected net present value but the standard deviation of campaign J is much lower. Thus campaign J is more acceptable to a risk averse manager than campaign L because the expected return is the same but for lower risk. Campaign K has the highest expected net present value but has the same standard deviation (risk) as campaign L. Clearly therefore campaign K is preferable to campaign L because it has higher return for the same risk. The selection of campaign J rather than campaign K or vice versa will depend on the risk attitude of the company. One campaign (J) is low risk but with a relatively low average return whereas the other (K) is high risk with a high average return.
Answer to Question Four
Requirement (a)
Product Incremental revenue per kg Incremental cost per kg
RZ $3·00 $1·40
SZ $0·75 $0·90
TZ $3·25 $1·00*
*excludes specific fixed cost of further process.
On financial grounds, it can clearly be seen that product R should be processed into RZ before it is sold because the incremental revenue exceeds the incremental cost of further processing. However, the opposite is true in respect of product S.
For product T the average further processing fixed cost per kg is $0·50 and thus this too should be further processed provided the output shown from the earlier process of 1,200 kg is
representative of expected future output levels.
However, before making any final decisions the company must consider any non-financial factors which might affect the decision such as the marketing effect of not supplying SZ and whether this will affect the demand for RZ and TZ.
Requirement (b) (i)
The sales value of the output from the common process can be calculated as follows:
Product Selling price/kg Kgs Sales value
R $3·00 800 $ 2,400
S $5·00 2,000 $10,000
T $3·50 1,200 $ 4,200
$16,600
The costs of the common process during March 2007 were $17,500 and thus exceeded the sales values of the products produced. The common process is not financially viable.
P2 26 May 2007
Requirement (b) (ii)
If there is no intermediate market then the further processing benefits also accrue to the common process when assessing its financial viability since without the common process the further processing profits cannot be earned. Therefore:
Benefits from further processing products R, S and T:
Product Incremental
Revenue per kg Incremental cost per kg contribution per kgIncremental Total
RZ $3·00 $1·40 $1·60 $1,280
SZ $0·75 $0·90 ($0·15) ($300)
TZ $3·25 $1·00* $2·25 $2,700
$3,680
Summary $
Deficit from common process (900)
Incremental contribution (above) 3,680
Incremental fixed costs (600)
Net surplus 2,180
On this basis the common process is financially viable. Alternatively, Revenue: $ RZ 800 x $6·00 4,800 SZ 2,000 x $5·75 11,500 TZ 1,200 x $6·75 8,100 24,400 Common costs 17,500 Further costs: RÆRZ 800 x $1·40 1,120 SÆSZ 2,000 x $0·90 1,800 TÆTZ 1,200 x $1·00 1,200 Fixed 600 1,800 4,720 22,220 2,180
SECTION C
Answer to Question Five
Requirement (a)
Depreciation has been included in “other costs” but since it is not a cash flow it must be
removed. Annual depreciation using the straight line method is $50,000 {($200,000 - $50,000) / 3 years}.
Revenues and costs need to be further adjusted using the values of receivables and payables to convert them into cash flows.
Calculations follow below:
Year 0 1 2 3 4
$ $ $ $ $
Investment (200,000) 50,000
Sales 230,000 350,000 270,000
Less closing receivables (20,000) (30,000) (25,000)
Add opening receivables 0 20,000 30,000 25,000
210,000 340,000 275,000 25,000
Product costs (144,000) (222,000) (166,000) Less closing payables 6,000 9,000 8,000
Add opening payables 0 (6,000) (9,000) (8,000)
(138,000) (219,000) (167,000) (8,000) Pre-tax net cash flow (200,000) 72,000 121,000 158,000 17,000
Taxation (25,800) (38,400) (31,200)
Less c/fwd 12,900 19,200 15,600
Add b/fwd 0 12,900 19,200 15,600
(12,900) (32,100) (34,800) (15,600)
Post-tax net cash flow (200,000) 59,100 88,900 123,200 1,400
Discount Factor 1·000 0·943 0·890 0·840 0·792
PV (200,000) 55,731 79,121 103,488 1,109
NPV = $39,449
Requirement (b)
If inflation were to become relevant then each of the underlying elements of the project (that is sales and product costs) would need to be inflated by their own respective inflation rates. This may require product costs to be analysed in more detail if different rates of inflation apply. These would then be converted into cash flows for each year, taking care to ensure that where receipts and payments relate to previous years sales and costs then these are at the money values of the year in which they arose.
P2 28 May 2007 The net cash flows of each year would then be discounted using the money cost of capital (that
is a rate that includes an allowance for the effects of inflation). This can be calculated as follows: (1 + real rate) x (1 + inflation rate) = (1 + money rate).
For example, if the real rate is 6% and if inflation is 4% then the money rate is approximately 10%.
Requirement (c)
As the projects are non-divisible then in a capital rationing situation it is necessary to identify the combinations of projects/investments that are possible within the funding limitations and
maximise the total NPV.
Possible project combinations are:
Investment required NPV
W & Y $400,000 $102,000
Y & Product $300,000 $66,449
Thus it is recommended that investments W & Y are undertaken because they yield a higher total NPV.
Requirement (d) (i)
A gain sharing arrangement is a contractual arrangement between two parties whereby they seek to make a profit which is shared between them in accordance with their arrangement. A simple example of this is an employee bonus scheme based upon time saved whereby the value of the time saved is shared between the employer and the employee. The employee receives a bonus payment and the employer has reduced costs/increased saleable output. In the context of this question X has insufficient capital available to invest in all three projects/ investments even though they are all worthwhile (they all have a positive NPV). In order to carry out all of the projects/investments X could enter into a gain sharing arrangement with another organisation who would invest in one or more of the projects up to a total of $200,000 (the funding deficit), and who would then share in the profit yielded from the projects.
Requirement (d) (ii)
A gain sharing partner would expect to have some control over the use of their capital and would probably expect to influence the projects in which they were investing. This would mean that X would be answerable to them for their actions and may even be prevented from running the project in the way that they would normally. Furthermore this involvement may mean that the gain sharing partner learns more about X than X would want. Such an arrangement may mean that the reasons why X is successful become known to one of its competitors with the obvious damage that this may cause to X in the future. For this reason there will be a reluctance within X to share any information.
Answer to Question Six
Requirement (a)
$ Technical report 0 Material A 15,000 Material B 2,000 Direct labour 500 Supervisor 0 Machine A 240 Machine B 100 Despatch 400 Overhead 0 Profit mark-up 0 Total 18,240Technical report This is a sunk cost and is therefore irrelevant
Material A This material is in regular use, therefore its replacement cost is relevant Material B This is the full purchase cost because there is no certainty that the
remaining inventory will have any future value
Direct labour The only relevant cost is that of the overtime hours because the employees are guaranteed a minimum wage
Supervisor The supervisor’s salary is unchanged by the decision so the relevant cost is zero
Machine A The opportunity cost of the lost income is relevant to the cost of the catalogues
Machine B The additional running cost of the machine is relevant Despatch This is a future cost caused by the work
Overhead Absorbed overhead is not relevant because it is not specific to this work Profit mark-up Profit is not a relevant cost
Requirement (b)
When selling prices are based on relevant costs in order to win a one-off contract it is clear from a decision making point of view that the work is worthwhile at that moment in time because there is no better alternative available. However, the difficulty is that such a pricing policy cannot be sustained in the longer term because it does not provide for the costs that are incurred by the organisation in providing the facilities for the work to be carried out. These costs will be incurred whether the work is carried out or not. Further difficulties thus arise when a repeat order is received if the organisation is going to try to move towards a price that reflects these additional facility costs.
With respect to the routine reporting of profit, the traditional absorption costing system will attribute costs based on inventory values, time taken and agreed overhead absorption rates. For example the cost of Material A that is recorded against this work will depend on whether the company uses an AVCO, LIFO or FIFO basis of valuing materials issued from inventory and also the quantity that is ordered from the supplier in order to complete the work. If the order quantity is 6,600 sheets (thus leaving zero inventory when the work is done) the cost attributed to the work will be:
Existing inventory 3,400 sheets x $1·40 = $4,760 Purchases 6,600 sheets x $1·50 = $9,990
P2 30 May 2007 The cost recorded for material B will be only the cost relating to the quantity used. The
remainder will be held in inventory for up to six months and then if the material remains unused its cost will be expensed.
The direct labour cost would be attributed to the work on the basis of hours worked. This is likely to $1,200 (150 hours x $8 per hour) as the overtime is not being worked at the request of the customer and so would probably be regarded as an overhead cost by H.
The overhead costs attributed to the work would be 150 hours x $20 per hour = $3,000 even though these costs will not be affected by the acceptance of the work.
As a consequence it is likely that the special order contract will be reported as making a loss. The manager accepting this contract must be prepared to justify his or her acceptance of the work to the remainder of the management team.
Answer to Question Seven
Requirement (a)
Expected number of members: 20,000 x 0·3 6,000 30,000 x 0·5 15,000 40,000 x 0·2 8.000
29,000 paying $100 each = $2,900,000
Requirement (b)
Since these costs are equally distributed their expected values will equal the values given. Expected contribution per member = $100 - $50 - $10 = $40
Annual fixed costs $1,100,000 Breakeven number of members = $1,100,000 / $40 = 27,500 members
Requirement (c)
Number of members
Contribution per member 20,000 30,000 40,000 $28 ($540,000) ($260,000) $20,000 $40 ($300,000) $100,000 $500,000
$52 ($60,000) $460,000 $980,000
Requirement (d)
The two-way data table shows management the possible values of profit or loss that could occur based upon the data provided. Depending upon the risk attitude of the management they can decide whether their business model is viable based upon this data. For example the most likely number of members is 30,000 and the most likely values of cost cause the result of a profit of $100,000, but the table shows that the business could make a loss of $540,000 or a profit of $980,000 depending upon the number of members and the level of costs.
Further analysis incorporating the probabilities shows the following: Result Probability Loss $540,000 0·10 Loss $300,000 0·10 Loss $ 60,000 0·10 Loss $260,000 0·17 Total 47% Profit $100,000 0·17 Profit $460,000 0·17 Profit $ 20,000 0·06 Profit $500,000 0·06 Profit $980,000 0·07 Total 53%
This shows that there is a high likelihood of making a loss (47%) so if the management are risk averse they may wish to re-consider their business strategy.
Requirement (e)
The assertion by the Management Team that the assumption that costs are caused by the number of members is too simplistic is a criticism that has been accepted by a number of organisations in recent years and has led to the development of Activity Based Costing (ABC). ABC recognises that there are many causes of costs being incurred rather than simply the number of units of activity (or members as in this case).
The proposed collection of the additional data will enable D to analyse the cause of its costs by recording the costs incurred in respect of each member and then cross referencing these costs to the other data provided. For example:
• the age of the member may indicate the type of motoring that is being done by the member. If they are of retirement age this would imply that their driving is outside of the rush hour which may result in less breakdowns as a result of the engine overheating; • the age of the vehicle may be an indicator of its reliability. The older the vehicle the more
likely it is to break down;
• the number of miles driven may also indicate the likelihood of a breakdown occurring. The more miles the more likely is a breakdown;
• the make and model of the vehicle may be an indicator of the cost associated with repairing the vehicle as a result of a breakdown. Also some makes and models of vehicle may be more reliable than others.
By collecting this data and cross referencing it to the costs being collected it will be possible to identify the key causes of costs and consider applying this new knowledge to the pricing strategy adopted by D. A better understanding of costs will also lead to improved cost planning and control.
