How should a responsibility-accounting system handle each of the following scenarios? 1. Department A manufactures a component, which is then used by Department B. Department A recently experienced a machine breakdown that held up production of the component. As a result, Department B was forced to curtail its own production, thereby incurring large costs of idle time. An investigation revealed that Department A’s machinery had not been properly maintained.2. Refer to the scenario above, but suppose the investigation revealed the machinery in Department A had been properly maintained.

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 $2.70 to determine the bid price. Since our average cost is only $2.405 per square foot, that leaves enough cushion to take care of the additional costs of nonroutine work that shows up. Besides,…

An example of a staff management function would be A. determining that new equipment is required. B. managing production. C. preparing operating cost estimates for proposed new equipment. D. ensuring that environmental standards are met. E. being responsible for attaining a set level of plant income.

A3

The Carla Vista Burkett Company uses a responsibility reporting system to measure the performance of its three investment centers: Planes, Taxis, and Limos. Segment performance is measured using a system of responsibility reports and return on investment calculations. The allocation of resources within the company and the segment managers' bonuses are based in part on the results shown in these reports. Recently, the company was the victim of a computer virus that deleted portions of the company's accounting records. This was discovered when the current period's responsibility reports were being prepared. The actual operating results appeared as follows. Determine the missing amounts. (Round Return on Investment to 1 decimal place, e.g. 52.7%.) Service revenue Variable costs Contribution margin Controllable fixed costs Controllable margin Average operating assets Return on investment $ Planes 5,018,000 1,518,000 25,018,000 12% Taxis $459,000 $ 189,000 79,000 10% Limos 329,000 389,000…

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 $2.70 to determine the bid price. Since our average cost is only $2.405 per square foot, that leaves enough cushion to take care of the additional costs of nonroutine work that shows up. Besides,…