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Paper F5 | PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
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ACCA
PAPER F5
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT
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CONTENTS
CONTENTS
Page
Syllabus (iii)
Approach to examining (iv)
Formulae sheet (v)
Core topics (vi)
Cost accounting 0101
Developments in management accounting 0201
Relevant cost analysis 0301
Cost volume profit analysis 0401
Limiting factor decisions 0501
Pricing 0601
Risk and uncertainty 0701
Budgeting 0801
Quantitative analysis in budgeting 0901
Standard costing 1001
Basic variance analysis 1101
Advanced variance analysis 1201
Planning and operational variances 1301
Performance measurement 1401
Further aspects of performance analysis 1501
©2016 DeVry/Becker Educational Development Corp. All rights reserved. (i)
CONTENTS
Page
Divisional performance evaluation 1601
Transfer pricing 1701
Performance management information systems 1801
Additional reading 1901
Article – Approaching written questions 2001
Article – Target costing and lifecycle costing 2101
Article – Throughput accounting and the theory of constraints 2201
Article – Environmental management accounting 2301
Article – Cost volume profit analysis 2401
Article – The learning rate and learning effect 2501
Article – Materials mix and yield variances analysis 2601
Article – Performance measurement 2701
Article – Interpreting financial data 2801
Article – Performance measurement and the balanced scorecard 2901
Article – Transfer pricing 3001
Examiner’s report – September/December 2015 3101
Analysis of specimen and past examinations 3201
Examination technique 3301
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SYLLABUS
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APPROACH TO EXAMINING
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FORMULAE SHEET
Formulae Sheet
Learning curve
Y = axb
Where:
Y = cumulative average time per unit to produce x units
a = the time taken for the first unit of output
x = the cumulative number of units produced
b = the index of learning (log LR/log 2)
LR = the learning rate as a decimal
Demand curve
P = a – bQ
change in price
b=
change in quantity
a = price when Q = 0
MR = a – 2bQ
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CORE TOPICS
Specialist cost and management accounting techniques Standard costing and variance analysis
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COST ACCOUNTING
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COST ACCOUNTING
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DEVELOPMENTS IN MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
1 TARGET COSTING Target costing is more effective if used during the design of a
new product, as costs can be “designed out”. For existing
1.1 Aim and use
products, costs will have to be “controlled out” which is
In a competitive market, a business has to sell at the normally more difficult.
market price, irrespective of the cost of production.
1.3 Application to service industries
Target costing aims to reduce the production cost per
Target costing is less useful in service industries because:
unit so that an acceptable profit margin can be made
given that the selling price cannot be increased. Services are more likely to be customised so standard
services may not exist;
$
Selling price X Higher portion of costs are indirect and it may be harder
Less: required margin (X) to reduce these;
–––
Reducing costs may have a bigger impact on quality of
Target cost X COST service.
GAP
Actual (Budgeted cost) X 1.4 Methods to narrow the gap
–––
Eliminate features of the product not valued by
1.2 Steps in target costing customers.
1. Determine the selling price using market research. Standardise components & design with lower number
of components.
2. Deduct the required profit margin and deduct from the
price to obtain the target cost. Employ lower grade staff with training.
3. Compare actual (or budgeted) cost per unit with the Outsource parts of manufacture.
target cost to ascertain the cost gap.
4. Identify ways to narrow the gap.
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DEVELOPMENTS IN MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
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DEVELOPMENTS IN MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
Bottlenecks are processes that work slower than all Return per factory hour =
others. They limit output of the whole production line.
Throughput pet unit
To maximise profit Hours of bottleneck resource used per unit
Identify the bottlenecks.
Other factory costs
Rank products in order of throughput contribution per Cost per factory hour =
Bottleneck resource hours available
hour of bottleneck (i.e. return per factory hour).
Slow down non-bottleneck resources to work at the Meaning of TPAR
speed of the bottlenecks to avoid build-up of work in TPAR > 1 product profitable
progress. TPAR = 1 break even
Find ways to eliminate the bottleneck (e.g. working TPAR < 1 product makes a loss
overtime or reducing time spent on the bottleneck).
How to improve TPAR
3.2 Throughput contribution Eliminate bottlenecks or reduce time spent on
Materials are the only truly variable cost in the short bottleneck resources.
run.
Reduce other factory costs.
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DEVELOPMENTS IN MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
EMA aims to provide internal information to management in Conventional costs – buying inputs with environmental
the form of physical information on the use of energy, water relevance (e.g. energy);
and materials (including waste), and monetary information Potentially hidden costs – items with environmental
on environment related costs and savings. relevance hidden in overheads;
Contingent costs – such as cleaning up damage;
4.2 Relevance for business
Image and relationship costs.
Bennett and James suggested six benefits of EMA:
Hansen and Mendova’s more narrow definition:
(1) Capex decisions can take account of environmental
impact of investments. Environmental prevention costs – such as redesigning
production processes to reduce pollution;
(2) Better understanding of environmental costs normally
hidden within other overheads. Environmental detection costs;
(3) Reducing waste and saving energy. Environmental internal failure costs – cost of cleaning
up pollution before it is released into the environment.
(4) Understanding environmental effects on life cycle costs
(e.g. costs of recycling at end of product life). Environmental external failure costs – cost of cleaning
up pollution after release into the environment.
(5) Stakeholders are interested in environmental
performance measures.
(6) Involving management accountants in longer term
strategic decision making for environment-related issues.
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DEVELOPMENTS IN MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
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RELEVANT COST ANALYSIS
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RELEVANT COST ANALYSIS
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RELEVANT COST ANALYSIS
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RELEVANT COST ANALYSIS
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COST VOLUME PROFIT ANALYSIS
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COST VOLUME PROFIT ANALYSIS
$ Total contribution
Break-even point (units)
Profit Unit contribution
Target profits
Profit at
volume Y Sales units to achieve a target profit
0 Fixed cost required profit
X BEP =
Y Volume Unit contribution
Loss at
volume X 3.3 C/S ratio (Contribution margin)
Shows portion of selling price which contributes to profits
and fixed costs
Contribution per unit
=
3 MATHEMATICAL APPROACH Selling price per unit
3.1 Contribution Fixed cost
Break even revenue
In any decision connected with varying levels of C/S ratio
production, fixed costs are not relevant. 3.4 Margin of safety
Unit contribution = Selling price – variable cost per unit. The amount by which anticipated or existing activity exceeds
break-even:
Unit contribution shows additional profit from selling
an additional unit. In units = Budgeted sales – Breakeven sales
Budgeted sales - Breakeven sales
As a percentage = 100%
Budgeted sales
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COST VOLUME PROFIT ANALYSIS
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COST VOLUME PROFIT ANALYSIS
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LIMITING FACTOR DECISIONS
1.3 Shadow price Where more than one input is limited, linear
programming is used to determine the mix of output
The additional contribution that would be generated if one that maximises contribution.
additional unit of a limited resource is made available.
At F5, iso-contribution (“graphical”) method must be
Represents the highest premium over the standard price used to solve linear programming unless equation
that should be paid for additional units of the resource. method is specifically asked for. Other methods (e.g.
simplex are outside of the syllabus).
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LIMITING FACTOR DECISIONS
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LIMITING FACTOR DECISIONS
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PRICING
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PRICING
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PRICING
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PRICING
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PRICING
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RISK AND UNCERTAINTY
Contribution could be $5,000, $30,000 or $50,000 with Value of perfect information = EV with perfect information
respective probabilities of 0.2, 0.5 and 0.3: – EV without perfect information.
$
$5,000 0.2 1,000 Example
$30,000 0.5 15,000 A decision maker has to choose between 3 courses of action
$50,000 0.3 15,000 on a daily basis – A, B and C. When making the decision,
–––––– the decision maker does not know what the state of the
EV of contribution 31,000 market will be – it could be 1, 2 or 3. Possible outcomes are:
––––––
Action A B C
Advantage
1 10 (25) 200
Reduces information to one choice. State of 2 200 300 (500)
market 3 20 30 40
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RISK AND UNCERTAINTY
Without perfect information the decision maker would select 1.4 Decision trees
action B and the EV would be $148.50. Used to show the EV of each path, to identify which
EV with perfect information path has the highest EV.
If the decision maker could commission a report to Decision fork (or point)
accurately predict the state of the market on each particular A point at which a decision maker has to decide
day, the decisions should be: between two or more decisions.
Action Unsuitable for one off decisions.
chosen Outcome Probability
1 C 200 0.3 Chance fork (or outcome point)
State of 2 B 300 0.5 Where there are several possible outcomes – normally
market 3 C 40 0.2 two or more for each decision.
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RISK AND UNCERTAINTY
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RISK AND UNCERTAINTY
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BUDGETING
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BUDGETING
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BUDGETING
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BUDGETING
Non-accounting style – financial performance is not Budgets are out of “kilter” with modern business.
seen as very important. Managers must react quickly to changes in the external
environment, while budgets are prepared many months
5.3 Level of difficulty before the period to which they relate.
If budget is too easy individuals will not be motivated Primary drivers of value today are intellectual capital
to improve performance. (e.g. brands), which are often outside the scope of
If budgets are too difficult, managers will be financial budgeting systems.
demotivated. Managers’ “gaming” activities means the budget process
Research suggests that targets that are just out of reach loses its validity.
are optimal for motivation.
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BUDGETING
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QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FOR BUDGETING
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QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FOR BUDGETING
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QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FOR BUDGETING
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QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS FOR BUDGETING
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STANDARD COSTING
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STANDARD COSTING
2 DERIVING STANDARDS
2.1 Ideal standards
Standards that can only be obtained under ideal
operating circumstances.
Remind managers of what could be achieved.
Unlikely to be achieved leading to demotivated
managers.
2.2 Practical standards
Challenging but achievable under existing operating
conditions.
Achievable so managers will not be demotivated
Variances will highlight only abnormal conditions that
need to be brought to the attention of management.
3 CONTROLLABILITY
Managers should only be judged on things that are
within their control.
If managers’ performance is evaluated using variances
it is important to ensure that factors outside of the
control of the manager are taken into account.
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BASIC VARIANCE ANALYSIS
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BASIC VARIANCE ANALYSIS
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BASIC VARIANCE ANALYSIS
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BASIC VARIANCE ANALYSIS
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ADVANCED VARIANCE ANALYSIS
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ADVANCED VARIANCE ANALYSIS
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ADVANCED VARIANCE ANALYSIS
2 SALES MIX AND QUANTITY VARIANCES 2.2 Calculating the sales mix variance
2.1 The concept Example
In situations where similar products are sold, perhaps Bob sells two products, A and B. He budgets to sell 8 units
differentiated by brands, the budget will assume a of A per day and 4 units of B per day. The standard margin
standard mix of sales. (contribution per unit) is $10 per unit for A and $5 per unit
for B. Actual sales on one particular day were 10 units of A
If actual sales mix varies from budget and each product
and 8 units of B.
has very different margins this will affect profits.
Total sales
Sales mix variance
variance Similar in nature to the materials mix variance. A
tabular approach works best:
Product Actual Actual Diff. Standard Sales
Price variance Volume variance sales sales margin mix
actual standard variance
mix mix
(units) (units) (units) $ $
Mix Quantity
A 10 12 (2) 10 (20)
variance variance
B 8 6 2 5 10
–– –– –– ––
18 18 0 (10)
–– –– –– ––
Sales mix variance is $10 is adverse because less units
of A have been sold and more units of B. A has a
higher margin than B.
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ADVANCED VARIANCE ANALYSIS
2.3 Sales quantity variance 2.4 Interpreting sales mix and quantity variance
The difference between actual sales (in the standard Sales mix
mix) and budgeted sales. Using a tabular approach:
Only useful in situations where products are substitutes
Product Actual Diff. Standard Sales for each other.
sales margin mix
Implies consumers have switched between products,
standard Budgeted variance
buying one as an alternative to the other.
mix sales
(units) (units) (units) $ $ Adverse suggests switching from a high margin product
A 12 8 4 10 40 to a low margin one. May reflect:
B 6 4 2 5 10
hard economic circumstances (e.g. due to
–– –– –– ––
18 12 6 50 recession); or
–– –– –– –– price increases.
Favourable suggests the opposite.
Sales quantity variance
Reflects factors that affect total sales of all products.
Adverse may be due to new competitors or a fall in
incomes of consumers.
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PLANNING AND OPERATIONAL VARIANCES
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PLANNING AND OPERATIONAL VARIANCES
Materials price and labour rate variance Materials usage and labour efficiency variance
Traditional price (rate) variance Basic usage (efficiency) variance
$ Actual Q used X
Actual Q* × actual price** X − Standard Q for actual output X
− Actual Q × standard price X –––
––– Difference X
Price variance X × standard price ($) X
––– –––
Basic usage (efficiency) variance *** X
––– –––
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PLANNING AND OPERATIONAL VARIANCES
2.3 Learning curve and labour variances Sales volume variance analysed into:
Labour efficiency variances may require an expected Market volume variance (a planning variance);
learning curve to be taken into account. Market share variance (an operational variance).
Standard labour hours will be based on a standard cost Market volume variance
for the first unit(s) with an expected learning rate. Revised budgeted sales (units)* X
Approach Original budgeted sales (units) X
––
Calculate the standard labour hours for actual output Difference (units) X
taking into account the learning rate. × standard margin per unit ($) X
Compare this to the actual labour hours and multiply by ––
the standard rate per labour hour. Market volume variance ($) X
__
2.4 Market volume and market share variances
* Revised budget quantity may be calculated as
Traditional sales volume variance actual market size × budgeted market share.
Market share variance
Actual sales (units) X
Units
Budgeted sales (units) X
Actual sales X
––
Revised budgeted sales X
Difference (units) X
––
× standard margin per unit ($) X
Difference X
––
× standard margin per unit ($) X
Sales volume variance ($) X
––
––
Market share variance ($) X
Budgeted sales may be revised at the end of the year if ––
the market size was bigger/smaller than expected.
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PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT
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PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT
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FURTHER ASPECTS OF PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
Learning and
Growth
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FURTHER ASPECTS OF PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS
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DIVISIONAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
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DIVISIONAL PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
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TRANSFER PRICING
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TRANSFER PRICING
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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
Executive information systems (EIS) assist senior What is outside of the system is the environment.
management’s decision making by providing Open systems react (adapt) to changes in their
summarised information from both internal and environment.
external sources relevant to meeting the strategic
goals of the organisation. Closed systems do not. (Are rare in the real
world.)
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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
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PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS
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ADDITIONAL READING
ARTICLES
The following technical articles written by members of the F5 examining team can be found on the ACCA website at
http://www.accaglobal.com/uk/en/student/exam-support-resources/fundamentals-exams-study-resources/f5/technical-
articles.html
Decision trees
The learning rate and learning effect **
Throughput accounting and the theory of constraints (parts 1 and 2) **
Transfer pricing *
Environmental management accounting **
Cost volume profit analysis **
Material mix and yield variances **
Comparing budgeting techniques
Target costing and lifecycle costing – by Ken Garrett **
Transfer pricing – by Ken Garrett **
Interpreting financial data **
Linear programming
Approaching written questions **
Examiner’s reports September and December 2015 **
* There are two articles about Transfer Pricing
** These are summarised in the sections that follow.
SPECIAL FEATURE
Examiner’s approach article – see http://www.accaglobal.com/uk/en/student/exam-support-resources/fundamentals-exams-
study-resources/f5/technical-articles/examiner-approach-to-paper-f5.html
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APPROACHING WRITTEN QUESTIONS
APPROACHING WRITTEN QUESTIONS Step by step approach to the exam on the day
For the full article see the ACCA’s website. Reading time
The skills papers, of which F5 is one, are often the first Although the 15 minutes reading time allowance is no longer
in which students have had to tackle written questions. separate, you should still:
Candidates are required to write clearly and set out Read all the requirements and the questions;
workings logically and neatly. The following four
Think about the order in which you will do the
skills are required:
questions – best question first;
(1) correctly interpret requirements;
Allocate 3 hours appropriately between the sections and
(2) actively read scenario based questions questions.
highlighting what is relevant for each part of the
When it comes to answering the question, be strict with your
requirement;
time allocation. Spending too long on one question is likely
(3) use that information to perform calculations that to mean that you cannot do it anyway (so move on and come
are carefully structured and clearly set out, with back to it later) or you are going beyond what the examiner
workings shown in an easy-to-follow layout; requires. How much an examiner expects you to write is
directly linked to the marks available and therefore to the
(4) write accurately and coherently using simple
time available.
English rather than long rambling sentences that
have no structure and no real content. When reading any question:
Where subjects that were in F2 are repeated in F5, the The requirement should be the first thing you read.
skills required are over and above the knowledge
What is the point in reading a scenario if you do
required in F2.
not know what you are looking for?
Underline the “content” (e.g. target costing) and the
“instruction” (i.e. what it is telling you to do).
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APPROACHING WRITTEN QUESTIONS
In constructed response questions, the instruction is a verb You should go into the exam with a “toolbox” of what is
(e.g. calculate, describe, interpret, discuss) that has been going to help you answer the questions. For example, if it is
carefully chosen by the examiner. If you do not read or a linear programming question, go into your toolbox and pull
understand it you may well find that you are not actually out your five-step guide for linear programming:
answering the question. If you are not answering the
define the variables
question you are not earning marks. Each of the common
state the objective function
exam instructions is dealt with below.
state the constraints
Answering numerical questions draw the graph
find the solution.
Calculate – you just have to work something out.
The problem with F5 is that students go into the exam with
Derive – sometimes requires more than simply being able to
only a few tools in their “box”. If you put the work in, you
calculate a figure as a candidate is required to use their
will reap the rewards.
powers of deduction to derive something. For example
derive an equation showing the relationship between price Answering “wordy” questions
and quantity.
The real cause of poor performance in written questions is
Estimate – suggests that the answer cannot be calculated failure to grasp what to write and how much to write:
with certainty. For example, if calculating the cost of a batch
Describe Give a narrative about something. For example
using an 80% learning rate, this rate reflects only what the
“describe suitable non-financial performance
business thinks will happen, but will not be confirmed until it
indicators for a hospital”. A mere list is
has happened.
insufficient – so state also how they might be
Candidates who perform poorly on the numerical parts of F5 calculated.
often do so due to:
Outline This requires a fairly brief and well-organised
failure to study the whole syllabus sufficiently well; overview, without the level of detail that would
be required in “describe” (e.g. “outline the
a disorganised approach (i.e. no logical progression objectives of a budgetary control system”).
through calculations and lack of referenced workings).
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APPROACHING WRITTEN QUESTIONS
Compare Discuss similarities between two or more things Explain Means to give a reason for something. This is a
and draw conclusions. For example, “compare common requirement. It is not the same as to
product costs using ABC with traditional describe. For example, to explain an action
costing”. You need to state why the costs are (why it happened) is not the same as describing
different. This means looking in detail at the the action (what happened).
product costs and ascertaining the reason why
Suggest Means give a suitable idea or solution, in
the overheads absorbed into one product are
situations where there may be more than one
higher under one method than the other.
answer to the question being asked. For
Identify This means pinpoint and state. This can be example, how a cost gap could be closed.
quite simple, requiring knowledge rather than There are many possible ways to do this.
skill. Sometimes, candidates may have to
Justify State why a particular answer or position makes
identify points from within a question scenario
sense. For example, to justify the use of back
which requires more skill.
flush accounting, you would have to mention
Discuss This means give views on a subject, supporting the relative immateriality of inventory.
it with facts and logical reasoning. For
Conclusion
example, “discuss the effect that variances have
on staff motivation”. Opinions must be sound F5 is not an especially hard paper if candidates:
and well-reasoned. To state that variances are
de-motivational without explaining why is Work hard to gain knowledge of areas that they have
worthless. Also you are expected to look at not practiced;
both sides of the story. Highlight the requirements of each question and keep
referring back to them;
Practice questions until their approach and layout
become “second nature” so there will be sufficient time
in the exam to think about the issues in the question.
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TARGET COSTING AND LIFECYCLE COSTING
TARGET COSTING AND LIFECYCLE COSTING For example, if a company normally expects a mark-up on
cost of 50% and estimates that a new product will sell
For the full article see the ACCA’s website.
successfully at a price of $12, then the maximum cost of
Typically, in conventional costing, once the absorption cost production should be $8.
of units has been calculated, a mark-up (or gross profit
This is a powerful discipline imposed on the company. The
percentage) is used to determine the selling price and the
main results are:
profit per unit.
The establishment of multi-functional teams making the
There are two flaws in this approach:
design and manufacturing decisions needed to
1. The product’s price is based on its cost, but no one determine the price and feature combinations that are
might want to buy at that price. most likely to appeal to potential buyers of products.
2. The costs incorporated are the current costs only. There An emphasis on the planning and design stage. This
may be other important costs which are not part of these becomes very important to the cost of the product.
categories, but without which the goods could not have
Here are some of the decisions, made at the design stage,
been made (e.g. research and development costs and
which can affect the cost of a product:
any close down costs at the end of the product’s life).
The features of the product;
Target costing
How to avoid “over design”;
Target costing is very much a marketing approach to costing. The number of components needed;
Whether the components are standard or specialised;
Instead of starting with cost and working to the selling price, The complexity of machining and construction;
target costing starts with the selling price of a product and
Where the product can be made;
works back to the cost by removing the profit element. This What to make in-house and what to sub-contract;
means the business has to find ways to not exceed that cost. The quality of the product;
The batch size in which the product can be made.
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TARGET COSTING AND LIFECYCLE COSTING
ABC can also play an important part in target costing. By The cost phases of a product can be identified as:
understanding the cost drivers (cost causers) a company can
Phase Examples of types of cost
better control its costs.
Design Research, development, design and tooling
Value engineering aims to reduce costs by identifying those
parts of a product or service which do not add value – where Manufacture Material, labour, overheads etc.
“value” is made up of both:
Operation Distribution, advertising and warranty claims
Use value (the ability of the product or service to do
what it sets out to do – its function) and End of life Environmental clean-up, disposal and
decommissioning
Esteem value (the status that ownership or use confers).
The four principal lessons of lifecycle costing are:
The aim of value engineering is to maximise use and esteem
values while reducing costs. All costs should be taken into account when working
out the cost of a unit and its profitability.
For example, if you are selling perfume, the design of its
packaging is important. To reduce costs by economising too Attention to all costs will help to reduce the cost per
unit and will help an organisation achieve its target cost.
much on packaging would damage the esteem value.
Many costs will be linked. For example, more attention
Lifecycle costing
to design can reduce manufacturing and warranty costs.
When seeking to make a profit on a product it is essential that
Costs are committed and incurred at very different
the total revenue arising from the product exceeds total costs,
whether these costs are incurred before, during or after the times. A committed cost is a cost that will be incurred
product is produced. in the future because of decisions that have already been
made.
Typically by the end of the design phase approximately 80%
of costs are committed. For example, the design will largely
dictate material, labour and machine costs.
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THROUGHPUT ACCOUNTING AND THE THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS
THROUGHPUT ACCOUNTING AND THE THEORY The goal of the factory needs to be more clearly
OF CONSTRAINTS defined. Jonah helps Alex do this by explaining that it
will be achieved by increasing throughput while
This is a summary of a two part article written by a simultaneously reducing inventory and operational
member of the examining team. For the full articles see expenses.
the ACCA’s website.
Throughput: the rate at which the system generates
“The Goal: A Process of ongoing improvement” by Eli money through sales;
Goldratt and Jeff Cox, originally published in 1984, presents
the theory of constraints and throughput accounting as a Inventory: all the money that the system has
novel. invested in purchasing things that it intends to sell;
Alex Rogo, a plant manager at a fictional manufacturing Operational expense: all the money that the system
plant, is forced to question the belief that success in spends in order to turn inventory into throughput.
manufacturing is represented by a 100% efficient Working out how to achieve the goal
factory (i.e. everyone and every machine is busy 100%
of the time). Alex takes his son and other boys on a 10-mile hike.
Alex realises that if everyone is to stay in one group, the
Alex’s journey begins with a chance meeting with his group can only go as fast as the slowest walker. The
old physics teacher Jonah. Alex is proudly telling slow walker is a bottleneck that prevents the group from
Jonah about the improvements in efficiency at the going faster.
factory. Jonah is quick to question whether these have
actually led to an improvement in profits. Identifying bottlenecks
In fact, although the plant has become seemingly more Alex and his team identify obvious bottlenecks where
efficient, it has huge inventory levels and is constantly big piles of inventory sit in front of two machines.
failing to meet order deadlines. Observation shows that these machines are sometimes
idle because workers are taking their breaks or working
on other non-bottleneck machines.
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THROUGHPUT ACCOUNTING AND THE THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS
Alex learns that an hour lost on a bottleneck machine is The five focussing steps
an hour lost for the whole system. From then on, the
The theory of constraints is applied in five focussing steps:
bottleneck machines are permanently manned.
Step 1 – Identify the system’s bottleneck
The need to accept idle time
Alex realises that all machines must work at the pace of It is usually quite simple to work out what the
the bottleneck machines. It is important to let non- bottleneck resource is.
bottleneck machines and workers sit idle when they Step 2 – Decide how to exploit the system’s bottleneck
have produced to the capacity of the bottleneck
machines. It is only wasteful to produce parts that are This means making sure that the bottleneck is actively
not needed or cannot be processed. used and producing as many units as possible (e.g. by
making sure that there are always workers at bottleneck
Throughput and just-in-time (JIT)
machines).
Given that producing excess inventory both pushes
costs up and prevents throughput, it becomes clear that Step 3 – Subordinate everything else to the decisions made in
throughput accounting and JIT operate very well Step 2
together. The production capacity of the bottleneck resource
Alex reduces batch sizes substantially. If batch sizes should determine the production schedule for the
are halved: organisation as a whole. By definition, the system does
not require-non bottleneck resources to be used to their
inventory costs are also halved; and
full capacity. Pushing more work into the system than
lead time is halved which gives a competitive the constraints can deal with results in excess work in
advantage. progress and extended lead times.
Throughput increases dramatically because of increased
sales volumes; leading to a significantly lower operating
cost per unit.
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THROUGHPUT ACCOUNTING AND THE THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS
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THROUGHPUT ACCOUNTING AND THE THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS
Production plan to maximise throughput (320,000 hours) (1) Replace machine X with a newer model costing $6
million
Total Total
hours throughput (2) Purchase a second machine Y to increase capacity by
000 $000 550 units per week for $6.8 million
Produce 40,000 units of G 120 1,800
(3) Upgrade machine Z at a cost of $7.5 million to increase
Produce 30,000 units of E 150 1,800
capacity to 1,050 units.
Produce 12,500 units F (50,000 ÷ 4) 50 500
–––– –––––– Required:
320 4,100
–––– –––––– Determine Cat Co’s best course of action.
Answer
Example 2
Initially machine Z is the bottleneck. Therefore neither
Cat Co makes a product using three machines – X, Y and Z. investment 1 or 2 should be considered first, since X and Z
The capacity of each machine is: are not currently bottlenecks.
Machine X Y Z How does capacity change with choices available?
Capacity per week 800 600 500
Machine X Y Z Demand
Capacity per week 800 600 500* 1,000
Demand for the product is 1,000 units per week. For every Invest in Z 800 600* 1,050 1,000
additional unit sold net present value increases by $50,000. Invest in Z and Y 800* 1,150 1,050 1,000
Cat Co is considering the following possible investments Invest in Z, Y and X 1,100 1,150 1,050 1,000*
(they are not mutually exclusive):
* = Bottleneck resource, represents maximum capacity of
system. Y becomes the bottleneck resource after investment
in Z.
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THROUGHPUT ACCOUNTING AND THE THEORY OF CONSTRAINTS
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ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
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ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
Managing environmental costs is difficult: (2) Many environment costs captured by the accounting
system are difficult to separately identify as they are
(1) It is difficult to define EMA and the actual costs
found within the category of “general overheads
involved. The US Environmental Protection Agency
made a distinction between four types of costs: UNDSD identified four management accounting
techniques for identifying and allocating environmental
(i) conventional costs (e.g. raw materials and energy);
costs:
(ii) potentially hidden costs captured by accounting
(i) input/output analysis;
systems but getting hidden in “general overheads”;
(ii) flow cost accounting;
(iii) contingent costs (e.g. site clean-up costs): and (iii) ABC; and
(iv) lifecycle costing.
(iv) image and relationship costs that, by their nature,
are intangible. Input/output analysis
On the other hand, the United Nations Division for This records material inflows and balances this with
Sustainable Development (UNDSD) described material outflows on the basis that what comes in must
environmental costs as comprising of two components: go out.
(i) costs incurred to protect the environment (e.g. Flow cost accounting
measures taken to prevent pollution); and
This uses not only material flows but also the
(ii) costs of wasted material, capital and labour organisational structure. It divides material flows into
including inefficiencies. three categories: material, system, and, delivery and
disposal. The values and costs of each of the three are
These definitions do not contradict each other; they just
calculated. The aim of flow cost accounting is to
look at the costs from slightly different angles. reduce the quantity of materials which, as well as
having a positive effect on the environment, should
have a positive effect on a business’s total costs in the
long run.
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ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
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COST VOLUME PROFIT ANALYSIS
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COST VOLUME PROFIT ANALYSIS
Fixed costs
It could be calculated in revenue terms as:
Budgeted sales Break-even sales Selling price
Contribution to sales (C/S) ratio
Shows how much each $ sold actually contributes
towards fixed cost.
Units sold In single product situations C/S ratio = unit contribution
÷ unit selling price:
Ascertaining sales volume to achieve a target profit
In multi-product situations, calculate a weighted
A business may want to know how many items it must sell to average C/S ratio. This can then be used to find CVP
obtain a target profit: information (e.g. breakeven point, margin of safety).
FC P Weighted average C/S ratio = total expected contribution ÷
Q=
UCM total expected sales:
It can also be used to calculate break-even revenue:
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COST VOLUME PROFIT ANALYSIS
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COST VOLUME PROFIT ANALYSIS
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COST VOLUME PROFIT ANALYSIS
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COST VOLUME PROFIT ANALYSIS
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COST VOLUME PROFIT ANALYSIS
Example 1 Answer
P Co recently launched a new product. The actual number of Month Incremental Incremental Cumulative Cumulative Cumulative
batches produced during the first four months and the actual number of labour number of total average
time taken to produce them is as follows: batches hours batches hours hours per batch
June 1 200 1 200 200
Month Incremental number Incremental labour
of batches hours taken
July 1 152 2 352 176
June 1 200
July 1 152
August 2 267.52 4 619.52 154.88
August 2 267.52
September 4 470.8
September 4 470.8 8 1,090.32 136.29
Learning rate: 176 ÷ 200 = 88%
Required:
154.88 ÷ 176 = 88%
Calculate the rate of learning that arose during the 136.29 ÷ 154.88 = 88%
period.
Example 2
The first batch of a new product took six hours to make and
the total time for the first 16 units was 42.8 hours, at which
point the learning effect came to an end.
Calculate the rate of learning.
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COST VOLUME PROFIT ANALYSIS
Answer
The easiest way to do this is to use a combination of the
tabular approach plus a little bit of maths:
Cumulative number Cumulative total Cumulative average
of products made hour per unit
1 6 6
2 ? 6×r
4 ? 6 × r2
8 ? 6 × r3
16 ? 6 × r4
⇒ 42.8 = 16 × (6 × r4)
⇒ 2.675 = (6 × r4)
⇒ 0.4458333 = r4
⇒ 0.8171 = r
This means the learning rate is approximately 82%.
An alternative method involves some more difficult
maths and the use of the inverse log function.
Candidates would not be expected to use this method.
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MATERIALS MIX AND YIELD VARIANCE ANALYSIS
MATERIALS MIX AND YIELD VARIANCE ANALYSIS Material mix refers to the quantity of each material used
(i.e. inputs).
For the full article see ACCA’s website.
Yield refers to how much product is produced (i.e.
Material usage variance
output).
Recap
Materials mix variance
The material usage variance analyses the difference
The optimum mix of materials will be the one that balances
between how much actual material we have used for
the cost of each of the materials with the yield that they
our production relative to how much we expected to use
generate. The yield must also reach certain quality standards.
based on standard usage levels.
Managers may fail to adhere to the standard mix. This
Any difference between the standard and actual cost
would result in a materials mix variance.
would be dealt with by the material price variance.
How do we calculate the mix variance?
There can be many reasons for an adverse material usage
variance, e.g.: Actual
Actual quantity
inferior quality materials have been purchased;
quantity in standard
changes in the production process have been made; or
used mix Difference Variance
increased quality controls have been introduced
litres litres litres $
resulting in more items being rejected.
A XX XX XX XX
Further variance analysis involving material mix B XX XX XX XX
–––––– –––––– –––––– ––––––
Most products consist of several different materials, so the
XXX XXX XX XX
more detailed mix and yield variances can be calculated. If it –––––– –––––– –––––– ––––––
is possible to combine different levels of component
materials to make the same product, this may result in Tutorial note: When calculating the difference, calculate the
differing yields. standard mix minus the actual mix. If the resulting variance
is negative, it will be adverse.
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MATERIALS MIX AND YIELD VARIANCE ANALYSIS
It is essential that for every variance you calculate, you Making observations about variances
state whether it is favourable or adverse. These can be
There is a direct relationship between materials mix and
denoted by a clear “A” or “F”. This leads to mistakes.
yield variance. Using a cheaper mix of materials may
The key to variance analysis is to understand what is result in a significantly lower yield.
actually happening rather than rely on rote learn
The overall net effect is the material usage variance
formulae.
which is the sum of the two variances.
Materials yield variance
Understanding the bigger picture
Where there is a difference between the actual and standard
Quality issues cannot be dealt with by this variance
level of output for a given set of inputs, a material yield
analysis.
variance arises.
It can be tempting for production managers to change
Yield variance
the product mix to make savings; however, if the
Expected output given materials used XXX litres quality of the product is adversely affected, this is
Actual output XXX litres damaging to the reputation of the business and hence its
––––––––– long-term survival prospects.
Shortage/ surplus XX litres
In the long run it may be deduced from an adverse sales
X standard cost per litre of output $X
volume variance, as demand for the businesses products
–––––––––
decreases.
Yield variance $XX
Any sales volume variance that does arise as a result of
poor quality products is likely to arise in a different
period from the one in which the mix and yield
variances arose, and the correlation will then be more
difficult to prove.
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MATERIALS MIX AND YIELD VARIANCE ANALYSIS
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PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT
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PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT
(b) During the early part of 20X4 TIP employed a newly Movement in sales, on the other hand, is also relatively
qualified management accountant. He quickly became small but is mentioned because:
concerned about the potential performance of TIP and
(1) sales in a key figure and cannot be ignored; and
to investigate his concerns he started to gather data to
(2) we know enough about other things going on in the
measure some non-financial measures of success. The
business (e.g. reduction in the number of visitors) to be
data he has gathered is shown in Table 2
able to draw valid conclusions about sales.
[Not reproduced].
The following workings are set out as the examiner expects
Required:
to see them (i.e. labelled and referenced). While, in the real
Assess the quality of the service that TIP provides to world, such analysis would be expected to appear after any
its customers using Table 1 and any other relevant commentary (e.g. as an appendix), since you are not being
data and indicate the risks it is likely to face if it asked for a report here it does not matter whether you show
continues with its current policies. them at the beginning or end of your answer.
Workings
Breaking down the question
(1) Sales growth is $5,320,000/$5,250,000 = 1.3%
Broadly speaking, keep the majority of comments about
non-financial aspects to part (b). (2) Average admission prices were:
Perform some preliminary calculations to ascertain the 20X4: $5,250,000/150,000 = $35 per person
relative movements been between the two years. 20X5: $5,320,000/140,000 = $38 per person
In this type of question, it makes most sense to look at An increase of $38/$35 = 8.57%
% increase or decrease in each figure (see Workings).
(3) Directors pay up by $160,000/$150,000 = 6.7%
Note the absence of a calculation for “other costs”.
This is because the movement in it from year to year is (4) Directors bonuses levels up from $15,000/$150,000 or
so small that it is not worth mentioning. 10% to $18,000/$160,000 or 12.5% of turnover. An
increase of 20%
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PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT
(5) Wages are down by ($2,500,000 – A poor answer on sales would be this:
$2,200,000/$2,500,000) or 12%
“Sales
(6) Routine maintenance down by ($80,000 –
$70,000)/$80,000 = 12.5% These have increased by 1.3% in the year.”
(7) Repairs up by ($320,000 – 260,000)/$260,000 = 23% A good answer for sales would read as follows:
(9) Profits up by $1,372,000/$1,045,000 = 31.3% Sales have increased by 1.3% (W1) in 20X5, as compared to
20X4. Since inflation was 1%, the increase is barely above
(10) Return on assets: the inflation rate. This means that, in real terms, sales have
hardly increased at all. From the financial information
20X4: $1,045,000/$13,000,000 = 8.03%
provided, we can see that the number of visitors in 20X5 has
20X5: $1,372,000/$12,000,000 = 11.4%
fallen from 150,000 to 140,000. This means that the average
Using calculations and setting out your answer admission price in 20X5 was $38 per person, compared to
$35 per person in 20X4, an increase of 8.57% (W2). While it
These calculations are merely a starting point.
is good that the company has been able to secure an increase
“Assessing the financial performance” means
in admission price, it is not good that this has potentially
discussing it and commenting on whether it is poor or
been partly responsible for a fall in visitor numbers.
strong.
The good answer starts with the percentage increase
It is important that your answer does not become “a sea
from the referenced working and adds to it other
of words” (i.e. just pages of writing with no headings
information from the question or from the workings that
and no structure). Your headings could be taken from
is relevant to the figure being discussed (in this case,
your workings (e.g. “sales”, “directors’ pay and
inflation and admission prices). Only then is it possible
bonuses” etc).
to make comments that have any kind of validity.
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PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT
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INTERPRETING FINANCIAL DATA
INTERPRETING FINANCIAL DATA In most questions there will be some background information
– you should use it. Ties only operated in a competitive
For the full article see the ACCA’s website.
environment – as stated in the question – and so a 61%
The purpose of this article is to point students in the right increase in one-quarter sounds pretty good in a competitive
direction when studying the interpretation of financial data – situation, and to say so will earn a mark. It was also the first
which is a major topic in the F5 syllabus. two quarters of the business year and so this level of growth
is impressive – another mark. If you then go on to say that
Students are advised to look at the question “Ties only” while
such high growth rates are often hard to maintain, you will
reading this article, as extracts from the question are used to gain another mark. Top-scoring students should be aiming to
illustrate points and explain the techniques needed. make these kinds of observations.
“Ties only” is available on ACCA’s www (in December 2007
Hypothesising as to why the growth is happening is also a
exam) and included in Becker’s Study Question Bank. source of marks. Revenue growth can be the result of extra
Assessing financial performance volume or increasing prices. In the case of Ties Only, it is
much more likely to be increased volume; the price will
Candidates were asked to assess the financial performance of surely be constrained by competition, and from the
the business in its first two quarters, when sales had jumped information provided in Part (b), you can work out that prices
61% from Quarter 1 to Quarter 2. This calculation should are falling (although that calculation was not required).
present no problem ((Q2/Q1)-1) expressed as a % increase). Suggesting that Ties Only has secured more customers and
However, an “assessment” requires a qualitative comment or hence increased volume of sales, scored a mark.
two. A percentage alone will not gain a pass mark.
Candidates must be brave and commit themselves. You must
express an opinion. It is not acceptable to suggest that
management investigate. Although in the real world this may
well happen, in the exam hall you have to demonstrate that
you know where to look.
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PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AND THE BALANCED SCOREDCARD
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PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AND THE BALANCED SCOREDCARD
Proposal 2 – selling noncurrent assets at their net book value Residual income = 2.35million – (11 million × 10%) = 1.25
of $2.3 million. This would reduce profits by 0.3 million. million.
The proceeds from sale would be remitted to head office (i.e. Comment
they would reduce divisional investment.) 0.15 million
The return of the proposal is = 15%.
Division X’s cost of capital is 10%. 1 million
Required: Since this exceeds the cost of capital, from the overall
Calculate the current ROI and residual income of the company point of view, the proposal should be accepted.
division. Show how they would change under each of the If the manager of the division is judged on ROI however, the
proposals. proposal may be rejected, as it would reduce the divisional
ROI from the current 22% to 21.4%. Thus ROI can result in
dysfunctional behaviour.
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PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AND THE BALANCED SCOREDCARD
The proposal generates positive residual income however, so Relative merits of ROI and residual income
would be accepted by a manager who is judged on this.
ROI is a relative measure. This ignores the absolute
If proposal 2 is accepted profit – for example an investment of $100 invested at
25% would only generate $25, while an investment of
2.2 million - 0.3 million $1 million invested at a rate of 15% generates
ROI = = 24.7%
10 million - 2.3 million $150,000. Which would you prefer?
Residual income = 1.9million – (7.7 million × 10%) = 1.13 Residual income is consistent with net present value
million. approach to investment appraisal. This is the
theoretically superior way to make investment
Comment decisions. (Net present value is not in the F5 syllabus.)
This proposal should be rejected, as the return on the assets On the other hand residual income makes it difficult to
disposed of is 13%. If ROI were used as the performance compare the performance of divisions of different sizes.
measure, however, the proposal would be accepted as it
increases the divisions ROI. If residual income were used, Both methods suffer from the fact that if assets are
the proposal would be rejected. valued at net book value, the ROI and residual income
improve as the assets get older. This may encourage
Conclusion – in both cases, ROI has led to dysfunctional managers to retain old machinery.
behaviour, while the use of residual income has led to the
right decision being made.
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PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AND THE BALANCED SCOREDCARD
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PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT AND THE BALANCED SCOREDCARD
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TRANSFER PRICING
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TRANSFER PRICING
The economic transfer price rule The economic rule leads to decisions in the interests of
the group as a whole:
Minimum transfer price (fixed by transferring division)
marginal cost of transfer-out division. If the final selling price (for Division B) were to
fall to $25, the group could not make a contribution
Maximum transfer price (fixed by receiving division) as the group’s variable cost is $28 ($18 + $10).
net marginal revenue of transfer-in division.
The transfer price that would make both divisions
Example trade must be no less than $18 for Division A, but
Division A Division B no greater than $15 (net marginal revenue) for
$ $ Division B. No workable transfer price is available
Transfer-in price – 50 and the divisions would not trade with each other.
Own costs Variable 18 10
Fixed 12 10 Problems with this approach
Divisional profit/mark up 20 40
Variable costs and final selling prices will change
––– –––
continually in the real world.
Transfer-out/final sale price 50 90
––– ––– The range of transfer prices set (from $18 to $80) is
large, and therefore the respective profits of the two
The minimum transfer price acceptable to Division A
divisions could vary vastly depending on where within
would be $18, as this is the marginal cost of production.
the range they agree the final price.
For Division B the transfer-in price should be no greater
than the net marginal revenue (marginal revenue less
own marginal costs) = $80 ($90 $10).
A $50 transfer price would work, since it is $18 and
$80. Both parties will find it worth trading at that price.
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TRANSFER PRICING
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EXAMINER’S REPORT – DECEMBER 2015
This is a summary of the examiner’s reports for September Some failed to achieve full marks as they only
and December 2015. The questions referred to are those in addressed half of the requirement.
ACCA’s “hybrid” paper for September/December 2015. The
full reports can be found on the ACCA web site. ! Candidates should break up their written answers with
headings where:
Section A
to give the answer structure; and
The majority attempted all the questions.
to ensure that the whole requirement is met.
Section B
Question 2 (10 marks)
Question 1 (10 marks)
This question required candidates to assess the performance
Part (a) required knowledge of the steps involved in target of a company.
costing.
Part (b) required a discussion whether a statement made by
This was well answered by most candidates. the company’s managing director regarding performance was
Part (b) required candidates to discuss the benefits and true. The statement made two key points – stronger answers
difficulties faced in implementing target costing within a took each point in turn and assessed its validity.
service provider. A significant minority misinterpreted (or did not read?)
It was pleasing to see that many were aware of how the requirement and discussed the performance of the
service providers differ from manufacturers. company, and how it might improve.
A common error was to explain the characteristics of Part (c) tested knowledge of the terms efficiency and
service providers but not apply them to target costing. effectiveness in a VFM framework and their application in
this scenario.
! Read the question – the requirement asked for benefits and A pleasing number scored very well on this part –
difficulties; two separate things. applying knowledge to the information in the scenario.
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EXAMINER’S REPORT – DECEMBER 2015
Question 3 (10 marks) Many simply took the mean of the individual
contribution to sales ratios.
Part (a) required calculation of materials mix and materials
yield variances. Part (c) asked for a multi-product breakeven chart.
Was generally well done. Many answers gave a P/V chart.
Many used standard price per unit rather than standard
! Read requirements carefully.
price per kilogram in the mix variance.
In calculating standard quantity in standard mix (for the Question 5
yield variance) many used standard cost card quantities Part (a) required calculations of ROI and a justification of the
rather than standard quantity for actual output. figures being used.
Part (b) asked for reasons why an adverse variance yield Many forgot or otherwise failed to justify their figures.
variance might arise. Common errors/ issues were:
Controllable profit should have been used. (However,
Giving reasons for a favourable variance. if net profit was used with appropriate justification, it
Failure to expand on why an issue may cause an would have been acceptable.)
adverse yield. In part (b) the bonuses of the managers had to be calculated.
Question 4 Inattention to detail let down a majority; how the bonus
This covered multi-product CVP analysis for a business was to be calculated needed to be read carefully.
selling three products.
It was encouraging to see that many were well prepared
for these questions.
Part (a) required calculation of the weighted average
C/S ratio and was well-answered by most.
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ANALYSIS OF SPECIMEN AND PAST EXAMINATIONS
1
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ANALYSIS OF SPECIMEN AND PAST EXAMINATIONS
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ANALYSIS OF SPECIMEN AND PAST EXAMINATIONS
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ANALYSIS OF SPECIMEN AND PAST EXAMINATIONS
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EXAMINATION TECHNIQUE
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EXAMINATION TECHNIQUE
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EXAMINATION TECHNIQUE
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