Becton Labs, Incorporated, produces various chemical compounds for industrial use. One compound, called Fludex, is prepared using an elaborate distilling process. The company has developed standard costs for one unit of Fludex, as follows: Direct materials Direct labor Variable manufacturing overhead Total standard cost per unit Standard Quantity or Standard Price or Hours 2.30 ounces Rate 0.50 hours 0.50 hours $ 26.00 per ounce $ 14.00 per hour Standard Cost $ 59.80 $ 3.40 per hour 7.00 1.70 $ 68.50 During November, the following activity was recorded related to the production of Fludex: a. Materials purchased, 12,500 ounces at a cost of $305,625. b. There was no beginning inventory of materials; however, at the end of the month, 2,800 ounces of material remained in ending inventory. c. The company employs 21 lab technicians to work on the production of Fludex. During November, they each worked an average of 150 hours at an average pay rate of $12.00 per hour. d. Variable manufacturing overhead is assigned to Fludex on the basis of direct labor-hours. Variable manufacturing overhead costs during November totaled $4,200. e. During November, the company produced 4,200 units of Fludex. Required: 1. For direct materials: a. Compute the price and quantity variances. b. The materials were purchased from a new supplier who is anxious to enter into a long-term purchase contract. Would you recommend that the company sign the contract? 2. For direct labor: a. Compute the rate and efficiency variances. b. In the past, the 21 technicians employed in the production of Fludex consisted of 4 senior technicians and 17 assistants. During November, the company experimented with fewer senior technicians and more assistants in order to reduce labor costs. Would you recommend that the new labor mix be continued? 3. Compute the variable overhead rate and efficiency variances. Marvel Parts, Incorporated, manufactures auto accessories. One of the company's products is a set of seat covers that can be adjusted to fit nearly any small car. The company has a standard cost system in use for all of its products. According to the standards that have been set for the seat covers, the factory should work 995 hours each month to produce 1,990 sets of covers. The standard costs associated with this level of production are: Total Direct materials $ 47,362 Direct labor $ 8,955 Per Set of Covers $ 23.80 4.50 Variable manufacturing overhead (based on direct labor-hours) $ 2,388 1.20 $ 29.50 During August, the factory worked only 1,000 direct labor-hours and produced 2,300 sets of covers. The following actual costs were recorded during the month: Per Set of Total Direct materials (8,800 yards) Direct labor $ 50,600 $ 10,580 Variable manufacturing overhead $ 4,600 Covers $ 22.00 4.60 2.00 $ 28.60 At standard, each set of covers should require 3.5 yards of material. All of the materials purchased during the month were used in production. Required: 1. Compute the materials price and quantity variances for August. 2. Compute the labor rate and efficiency variances for August. 3. Compute the variable overhead rate and efficiency variances for August. (Indicate the effect of each variance by selecting "F" for favorable, "U" for unfavorable, and "None" for no effect (i.e., zero variance). Input all amounts as positive values.)