CASE 5A -- GLASER HEALTH PRODUCTS

Glaser Health Products of Ranier Falls, Georgia, is organized functionally into three divisions: Operations, Sales, and Administrative. Purchasing, receiving, materials and production control, manufacturing, factory personnel, inventory stores, and shipping activities are under the control of the vice-president for operations, George Gottlieb. Advertising, market research, and sales are the responsibility of the vice-president for sales, Jake Bogan. Accounting, budgeting, the firm's computer center, and general office management are delegated to the corporate controller (Administrative), Charlie Kaplan. The following cost categories are found in the company as a whole: (a) Depreciation on factory equipment. (b) Depreciation on office equipment. (c) Depreciation on factory building. (d) Advertising manager's salary. (e) Assembly foreman's salary. (f) Salespersons' salaries. (g) Salespersons' travel expenses. (h) Supplies for the Machining Department. (i) Advertising supplies used. (j) Electricity for the Assembly Department. (k) Lost materials (scrap) in a Machining Department. (l) Direct labor in the Assembly Department. (m) Supplies for the sales office. (n) Sales commissions. (o) Packing supplies. (p) Cost of hiring new employees. (q) Payroll fringe benefits for workers in the Shipping Department. (r) Supplies for Production Scheduling. (s) Cost of repairing parts improperly manufactured in the Machining Department. (t) Paint for the Assembly Department. (u) Heat, light, and power for the factory. (v) Leasing of computer equipment for the Accounting Department.

Management needs assistance in evaluating and classifying costs identified within Glaser Health Products in order to implement an activity-based costing system. Please address Questions 1 through 6 at the end of the case. Based on the case questions, you are required to provide a two to four double-spaced written report providing management with the necessary guidance in implementing an activity-based costing system. The written report should be properly formatted according to APA guidelines and demonstrate research and critical thinking skills. Explanations and recommendations should be supported by at least 3 scholarly sources from the Ashford Library or other external sources, excluding the textbook.

For Questions 1 through 3, create a chart to classify and identify a cost driver for each of the costs provided in the text. The chart should be included as an appendix to the written report. Explanations of the classifications and identifications within the chart should be included within the written report, supported by references to the appendix.

1. Identify each of the costs with the appropriate division: Operations, Sales, Administrative.

2. Identify each of the costs with one of the following: (a) Unit-level activities (b) Batch-level activities (c) Product-level activities (d) facility-level activities

Organize these classifications by division: Operations, Sales, Administratives.

3. Specify an appropriate cost driver for tracing costs associate with the various levels of activities to the next cost objective or products, whichever is appropriate.

Questions 4 through 6 should be addressed in fully developed explanations/instructions as part of your written report. The written analysis should be supported by at least 3 scholarly sources, excluding the textbook.

Question: Gaser Health Products is interested in using activity-based costing to identify as many costs as possible with the products. These costs will be used for planning and control decisions rather than for inventory valuation. The controller decided that all operation costs will be related to products but only those sales and administrative costs that are classified as unit-level, batch-level, or product-level costs should be related to products. Using preliminary stage cost drivers, explain how individual items of costs will be traced to activity groupings. Explain why it is necessary to use preliminary stage and primary stage cost drivers