QUESTION

DLW is a company that builds innovative, environmentally friendly houses. DLW?s houses use high quality materials and the unique patented energy saving technology used in the houses has been the result of the company?s own extensive research in the area.

DLW is planning to expand into another country and has been asked by a prominent person in that country for a price quotation to build them a house. The Board of Directors believes that securing the contract will help to launch their houses in the country and have agreed to quote a price for the house that will exactly cover its relevant cost.

The following information has been obtained in relation to the contract:

1. The Chief Executive and Marketing Director recently met with the potential client to discuss the house. The meeting was held at a restaurant and DLW provided food and drinks at a cost of $375.

2. 1,200 kg of Material Z will be required for the house. DLW currently has 550 kg of Material Z in its inventory purchased at a price of $58 per kg. Material Z is regularly used by DLW in its houses and has a current replacement cost of $65 per kg. The resale value of the Material Z in inventory is $35 per kg.

3. 400 hours of construction worker time are required to build the house. DLW?s construction workers are paid an hourly rate of $22 under a guaranteed wage agreement and currently have spare capacity to build the house.

4. The house will require 90 hours of engineer time. DLW engineers are paid a monthly salary of $4,750 each and do not have any spare capacity. In order to meet the engineering requirement for the house, DLW can choose one of two options:

Pay the engineers an overtime rate of $52 per hour to perform the additional work.

Reduce the number of engineers? hours available for their existing job, the building of Product Y. This would result in lost sales of Product Y.

Summary details of the existing job the engineers are working on:

Information for one unit of Product Y

Sales revenue $4,860

Variable costs $3,365

Engineers? time required per unit 30 hours

5. A specialist machine would be required for 7 weeks for the house to build. DLW have 4 weeks remaining on the 15 weeks specialist machine rental contract that cost $15,000. The machine is currently not in use. The machine can be rented for an additional 15 weeks at a cost of $15,250. The specialist machine can only be rented in blocks of 15 weeks.

Alternatively, a machine can be purchased for $160,000 and sold after the work on the house has been completed for $140,000.

The windows required for the house have recently been developed by DLW and use the latest environmentally friendly insulating material. DLW produced the windows at a cost of $34,950 and they are currently the only ones of their type. DLW were planning to exhibit the windows at a house building conference. The windows would only be used for display purposes at the conference and would not be for sale to prospective clients.

DLW has had assurances from three separate clients that they would place an order for 25 windows each if they saw the technology demonstrated at the conference. The contribution from each window is $10,450. If the windows are used for the contract, DLW would not be able to attend the conference. The conference organiser will charge a penalty fee of $1,500 for non-attendance by DLW. The Chief Executive of DLW can meet the clients directly and still secure the orders for the windows. The meetings would require two days of the Chief Executive?s time. The Chief Executive is paid an annual salary of $414,000 and contracted to work 260 days per year.

The house to build requires 400kg of other materials. DLW currently has none of these materials in its inventory. The total current purchase price for these other materials is $6,000.

DLW?s fixed overhead absorption rate is $37 per construction worker hour.

DLW?s normal policy is to add a 12% mark up to the cost of each house.

REQUIRED:

Analyse the importance of relevant costing in decision making process.

(20 marks)

Produce a schedule that shows the minimum price that could be quoted for the contract to build the house.

Your schedule should show the relevant cost of each of the nine items identified above. You should also explain each relevant cost value you have included in your schedule and why any values you have excluded are not relevant.

(35 marks)

Explain TWO reasons why relevant costing may not be a suitable approach to pricing houses in the longer term for DLW.

(20 marks)

Recommend, with justifications, a pricing strategy for DLW to use to price the innovative, environmentally friendly houses when they are launched in the new country.

(25 marks)

(Total: 100 marks)

BM056-3.5-3 MAT Page 1 of 3 QUESTION DLW is a company that builds innovative, environmentally friendly houses. DLW's houses use high quality materials and the unique patented energy saving technology used in the houses has been the result of the company's own extensive research in the area. DLW is planning to expand into another country and has been asked by a prominent person in that country for a price quotation to build them a house. The Board of Directors believes that securing the contract will help to launch their houses in the country and have agreed to quote a price for the house that will exactly cover its relevant cost. The following information has been obtained in relation to the contract: 1. The Chief Executive and Marketing Director recently met with the potential client to discuss the house. The meeting was held at a restaurant and DLW provided food and drinks at a cost of $375. 2. 1,200 kg of Material Z will be required for the house. DLW currently has 550 kg of Material Z in its inventory purchased at a price of $58 per kg. Material Z is regularly used by DLW in its houses and has a current replacement cost of $65 per kg. The resale value of the Material Z in inventory is $35 per kg. 3. 400 hours of construction worker time are required to build the house. DLW's construction workers are paid an hourly rate of $22 under a guaranteed wage agreement and currently have spare capacity to build the house. 4. The house will require 90 hours of engineer time. DLW engineers are paid a monthly salary of $4,750 each and do not have any spare capacity. In order to meet the engineering requirement for the house, DLW can choose one of two options: (i) Pay the engineers an overtime rate of $52 per hour to perform the additional work. (ii) Reduce the number of engineers' hours available for their existing job, the building of Product Y. This would result in lost sales of Product Y. Summary details of the existing job the engineers are working on: Information for one unit of Product Y Sales revenue Variable costs APU Level 3 $4,860 $3,365 Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation 201506 BM056-3.5-3 MAT Page 2 of 3 Engineers' time required per unit 5. 30 hours A specialist machine would be required for 7 weeks for the house to build. DLW have 4 weeks remaining on the 15 weeks specialist machine rental contract that cost $15,000. The machine is currently not in use. The machine can be rented for an additional 15 weeks at a cost of $15,250. The specialist machine can only be rented in blocks of 15 weeks. Alternatively, a machine can be purchased for $160,000 and sold after the work on the house has been completed for $140,000. 6. The windows required for the house have recently been developed by DLW and use the latest environmentally friendly insulating material. DLW produced the windows at a cost of $34,950 and they are currently the only ones of their type. DLW were planning to exhibit the windows at a house building conference. The windows would only be used for display purposes at the conference and would not be for sale to prospective clients. DLW has had assurances from three separate clients that they would place an order for 25 windows each if they saw the technology demonstrated at the conference. The contribution from each window is $10,450. If the windows are used for the contract, DLW would not be able to attend the conference. The conference organiser will charge a penalty fee of $1,500 for non-attendance by DLW. The Chief Executive of DLW can meet the clients directly and still secure the orders for the windows. The meetings would require two days of the Chief Executive's time. The Chief Executive is paid an annual salary of $414,000 and contracted to work 260 days per year. 7. The house to build requires 400kg of other materials. DLW currently has none of these materials in its inventory. The total current purchase price for these other materials is $6,000. 8. DLW's fixed overhead absorption rate is $37 per construction worker hour. 9. DLW's normal policy is to add a 12% mark up to the cost of each house. REQUIRED: (a) Analyse the importance of relevant costing in decision making process. (20 marks) APU Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation 201506 BM056-3.5-3 MAT (b) Page 3 of 3 Produce a schedule that shows the minimum price that could be quoted for the contract to build the house. Your schedule should show the relevant cost of each of the nine items identified above. You should also explain each relevant cost value you have included in your schedule and why any values you have excluded are not relevant. (35 marks) (c) Explain TWO reasons why relevant costing may not be a suitable approach to pricing houses in the longer term for DLW. (20 marks) (d) Recommend, with justifications, a pricing strategy for DLW to use to price the innovative, environmentally friendly houses when they are launched in the new country. (25 marks) (Total: 100 marks) APU Level 3 Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation 201506