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Cost Management
Measuring, Monitoring, and Motivating Performance
Chapter 8
Measuring and Assigning Support
Department Costs
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 1
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support
Department Costs
Learning objectives
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Q1: What are support departments, and why are their costs
allocated to other departments?
Q2: What process is used to allocate support department costs?
Q3: How is the direct method used to allocate support costs to
operating departments?
Q4: How is the step-down method used to allocate support costs
to operating departments?
Q5: How is the reciprocal method used to allocate support costs to
operating departments?
Q6: What is the difference between single- and dual-rate
allocations?
Q7: How do support cost allocations affect decisions and
managerial incentives?
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 2
Q1: Support versus Operating Departments
• The operating departments of an organization
produce products or services that generate
revenue.
• The support departments of an organization
produce products or provide services to the
operating and other support departments.
• The support department costs are common
costs that are shared between two or more
other departments.
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 3
Q1: Reasons for Allocating Support
Department Costs
• External reporting
• Motivation
• appropriate consumption of support
department resources
• efficiency of support department
• monitor consumption of support
department services
• Decision making
• product pricing
• make or buy decisions
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 4
Q1: Support Department Allocation Process
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 5
Q2: Process for Allocating Support
Department Costs
1. Clarify allocation purpose
2. Identify cost pools
3. Assign costs to cost pools
4. Choose allocation bases for each cost pool
5. Choose allocation method; allocate support
department costs
6. Allocate updated operating department costs to
units of goods or services, if relevant
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 6
Q2: Process for Allocating Support
Department Costs
1. Clarify allocation purpose
•
if the purpose is to motivate the use of the services
of a newly formed department, perhaps no costs
should be allocated
•
if the purpose is to discourage operating department
managers from over-use of the services of support
departments, then a rate per unit of service might be
large and not based on actual costs
•
if the purpose is to determine the full cost of products
or services for long-term pricing decisions, then all
support costs should be allocated
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 7
Q2: Process for Allocating Support
Department Costs
2. Identify cost pools
• the purpose will determine whether both fixed
and variable support department costs
should be allocated
• the purpose will determine which costs
should be allocated
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 8
Q2: Process for Allocating Support
Department Costs
3. Assign costs to cost pools
• some costs will be direct to the cost pool
(e.g. toner cartridge costs would be direct to
the “variable copying costs” cost pool)
• some costs will be indirect to the cost pool
(e.g. rent costs for an entire facility would be
indirect to the “information technology costs”
cost pool)
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 9
Q2: Process for Allocating Support
Department Costs
4. Choose allocation bases for each cost pool
• an allocation base with a good cause-andeffect relationship with the cost pool provides
a reasonable allocation rate
• users of support department services will
carefully monitor their consumption of the
allocation base
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 10
Q2: Process for Allocating Support
Department Costs
5. Choose allocation method and allocate support
department costs
• in this chapter we cover three allocation
methods
• each of these three methods could be
implemented using
• a single- or dual-rate approach (covered later)
• actual or budgeted costs and allocation bases
(covered later)
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 11
Q2: Process for Allocating Support
Department Costs
6. Allocate updated operating department costs to
units of goods or services, if relevant
• for some decisions, this may not be relevant
• for long-term pricing decisions, this is likely to
be relevant
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 12
Q3: The Direct Method of Allocating
Support Department Costs
• The direct method ignores the fact that
support departments use each others’
services.
• Each support department’s costs are
allocated only to operating departments.
• This method is the easiest
computationally and the easiest to
explain.
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 13
Q3: The Direct Method Example
Philco Toys makes metal and plastic toys in separate departments. It has
two support departments, Accounting and Information Systems. Philco has
decided to allocate Accounting department costs based on the number of
employees in each department and Information Systems costs based on
the number of computers in each department. Given the information below,
use the direct method to allocate support department costs.
Support Dep’ts
Total department costs
Number of employees
Number of computers
Operating Departments
AccInfo
Plastic
Metal
ounting Systems Products
Products
Total
$48,000 $72,000 $386,000 $182,000 $688,000
3
4
22
16
45
4
6
3
3
16
Allocate costs:
Accounting
(48,000)
Information Systems
Totals
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
$0
27,789
20,211
$0
(72,000)
36,000
36,000
$0
$0
$449,789
$238,211
$688,000
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 14
Q3: The Direct Method Example
Plastic Products is allocated
Plastic and Metal Product share
22/(22+16) of Accounting
Info Systems costs equally
department costs, and Metal
because they have the same
Products is allocated
number of computers in each
16/(22+16). Notice that the
department. Notice that the
number of employees in the
number of computers in the
support departments is ignored
departments
is ignored
Support Dep’ts support
Operating
Departments
under the direct method.
under the direct method.
Total department costs
Number of employees
Number of computers
AccInfo
Plastic
Metal
ounting Systems Products
Products
Total
$48,000 $72,000 $386,000 $182,000 $688,000
3
4
22
16
45
4
6
3
3
16
Allocate costs:
Accounting
(48,000)
Information Systems
Totals
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
$0
27,789
20,211
$0
(72,000)
36,000
36,000
$0
$0
$449,789
$238,211
$688,000
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 15
Q4: The Step-Down Method of Allocating
Support Department Costs
• The step-down method allocates some (but not all)
support department costs to other support
departments.
• The first support department’s costs are allocated
to all operating and support departments that use
its services.
• Each subsequent support department’s costs are
allocated to all operating and support departments
that use its services, except any support
department whose costs were already allocated.
• Allocation order must be determined.
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 16
Q4: The Step-Down Method Example
Given the information for Philco, use the step-down method to allocate
support department costs. Allocate the costs of the support department that
provides the largest percentage of its services to the other support
department first.
First determine
allocation order:
Accounting provided 4/(4+22+16) = 4/42
= 9.5% of its services to Info Systems.
Information Systems provided 4/(4+3+3) = 4/10 = 40% of its
services to Accounting, so Information Systems goes first.
Support Dep’ts
Total department costs
Number of employees
Number of computers
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Operating Departments
AccInfo
Plastic
Metal
ounting Systems Products
Products
Total
$48,000 $72,000 $386,000 $182,000 $688,000
3
4
22
16
45
4
6
3
3
16
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 17
Q4: The Step-Down Method Example
Given the information for Philco, use the step-down method to allocate
support department costs.
Now perform the allocation:
Support Dep’ts
Total department costs
Number of employees
Number of computers
Operating Departments
Metal
Plastic
Info
AccTotal
Products
ounting Systems Products
$48,000 $72,000 $386,000 $182,000 $688,000
45
16
22
4
3
16
3
3
6
4
Allocate costs:
Accounting
(76,800)
(48,000)
Information Systems
28,800
$0
Totals
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
44,463
27,789
32,337
20,211
$0
$0
(72,000)
21,600
21,600
21,600
$0
$0
$0
$435,389
$452,063
$223,811
$235,937
$659,200
$688,000
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 18
Q4: The Step-Down Method Example
Info Systems costs are allocated
to Accounting, Plastic, & Metal
based on each department’s
number of computers compared
to total non-Info Systems
Support Dep’ts
computers: 4+3+3=10.
Total department costs
Number of employees
Number of computers
Accounting costs are allocated
only to Plastic & Metal based on
each department’s number of
employees compared to total
non-Accounting and non-Info
Operatingemployees:
Departments
Systems
22+16=38
AccInfo
Plastic
Metal
ounting Systems Products
Products
Total
$48,000 $72,000 $386,000 $182,000 $688,000
3
4
22
16
45
4
6
3
3
16
Allocate costs:
Accounting
(76,800)
Information Systems
28,800
$0
Totals
44,463
32,337
$0
(72,000)
21,600
21,600
$0
$0
$452,063
$235,937
$688,000
Total costs allocated out of Accounting are now higher because of
the Info Systems costs allocated to Accounting.
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 19
Q4: The Step-Down Method Example
(22/38) x $76,800
(4/10) x $72,000
(16/38) x $76,800
(3/10) x $72,000
Support Dep’ts
Total department costs
Number of employees
Number of computers
(3/10) x $72,000
Operating Departments
AccInfo
Plastic
Metal
ounting Systems Products
Products
Total
$48,000 $72,000 $386,000 $182,000 $688,000
3
4
22
16
45
4
6
3
3
16
Allocate costs:
Accounting
(76,800)
Information Systems
28,800
$0
Totals
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
44,463
32,337
$0
(72,000)
21,600
21,600
$0
$0
$452,063
$235,937
$688,000
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 20
Q5: The Reciprocal Method of Allocating
Support Department Costs
• The reciprocal method allocates all support
department costs to other support
departments.
• The first step is to compute the total costs of
each support department when its usage of
other support department services is taken
into consideration.
• Support department costs are then allocated
to all other operating and support
departments that consume its services.
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 21
Q5: The Reciprocal Method Example
Given the information for Philco, use the reciprocal method to allocate
support department costs.
First determine total costs for each support department by writing an equation for its
costs (use A and IS as abbreviations).
A = $48,000 + [4/(4+3+3)] x IS; IS = $72,000 + [4/(4+22+16)] x A
Then solve: A = $48,000 + (4/10) x [$72,000 + (4/42) x A]
A = $48,000 + $28,800 + (16/420) x A]
(404/420) x A = $76,800
A = $76,800 x (420/404) = $79,842
IS = $72,000 + (4/42) x $79,842 = $79,604
Support Dep’ts
Total department costs
Number of employees
Number of computers
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Operating Departments
AccInfo
Plastic
Metal
ounting Systems Products
Products
Total
$48,000 $72,000 $386,000 $182,000 $688,000
3
4
22
16
45
4
6
3
3
16
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 22
Q5: The Reciprocal Method Example
Given the information for Philco, use the reciprocal method to allocate
support department costs.
Now perform the allocation:
Support Dep’ts
Total department costs
Number of employees
Number of computers
Operating Departments
AccInfo
Plastic
Metal
ounting Systems Products
Products
Total
$48,000 $72,000 $386,000 $182,000 $688,000
3
4
22
16
45
4
6
3
3
16
Allocate costs:
Accounting
Information Systems
Totals
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
(79,842)
7,604
41,822
(79,842)
7,604
41,822
31,842 (79,604)
(79,604)
23,881
31,842
23,881
$0
$0 $451,703
$451,703
$0
$0
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
30,416
30,416
23,881
23,881
$0
$0
$236,297
$236,297
$688,000
Slide # 23
Q5: The Reciprocal Method Example
These numbers are the
solutions to the
simultaneous equations.
(4/42) x $79,842
(22/42) x $79,842
(16/42) x $79,842
Support Dep’ts
Total department costs
Number of employees
Number of computers
Operating Departments
AccInfo
Plastic
Metal
ounting Systems Products
Products
Total
$48,000 $72,000 $386,000 $182,000 $688,000
3
4
22
16
45
4
6
3
3
16
Allocate costs:
Accounting
Information Systems
Totals
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
(79,842)
7,604
41,822
(79,842)
7,604
41,822
31,842 (79,604)
(79,604)
23,881
31,842
23,881
$0
$0 $451,703
$451,703
$0
$0
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
30,416
30,416
23,881
23,881
$0
$0
$236,297
$236,297
$688,000
Slide # 24
Q5: The Reciprocal Method Example
(4/10) x $79,604
(3/10) x $79,604
(3/10) x $79,604
Support Dep’ts
Total department costs
Number of employees
Number of computers
Operating Departments
AccInfo
Plastic
Metal
ounting Systems Products
Products
Total
$48,000 $72,000 $386,000 $182,000 $688,000
3
4
22
16
45
4
6
3
3
16
Allocate costs:
Accounting
Information Systems
Totals
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
(79,842)
7,604
41,822
(79,842)
7,604
41,822
31,842 (79,604)
(79,604)
23,881
31,842
23,881
$0
$0 $451,703
$451,703
$0
$0
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
30,416
30,416
23,881
23,881
$0
$0
$236,297
$236,297
$688,000
Slide # 25
Q6: Single- versus Dual-Rate Allocation
• In single-rate allocation, each cost pool
includes fixed and variable costs.
• In dual-rate allocation, fixed and variable
costs are in separate cost pools.
• Both methods can be employed with the
direct, step-down, or reciprocal methods.
• The prior three examples used the singlerate allocation method.
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 26
Q6: Single- versus Dual-Rate Example
Philco has decided to use the direct method and allocate variable
Accounting costs based on the number of transactions and fixed
Accounting costs based on the number of employees. The Info Systems
variable costs will be allocated based on the number of service requests
and fixed costs will be allocated based on the number of computers. The
required information is presented below.
Support Dep’ts
Total department variable costs
Total department fixed costs
Number of transactions
Number of employees
Number of service requests
Number of computers
Operating Departments
AccInfo
Plastic
Metal
ounting Systems Products
Products
$20,000 $22,000 $186,000 $100,000
$28,000 $50,000 $200,000
$82,000
20
32
140
86
3
4
22
16
18
5
12
8
4
6
3
3
Now perform the allocation…
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 27
Q6: Single- versus Dual-Rate Example
Total department variable costs
Total department fixed costs
Number of transactions
Number of employees
Number of service requests
Number of computers
Support Dep’ts
Operating Departments
AccInfo
Plastic
Metal
ounting Systems Products
Products
$20,000 $22,000 $186,000 $100,000
$28,000 $50,000 $200,000
$82,000
20
32
140
86
3
4
22
16
18
5
12
8
4
6
3
3
Allocate variable costs:
Accounting
(20,000)
12,389
7,611
(22,000)
13,200
8,800
$0
$211,589
$116,411
$0
(50,000)
$0
16,211
25,000
$241,211
11,789
25,000
$118,789
$0
$0
$452,800
$235,200
Information Systems
Total variable costs
Allocate fixed costs:
Accounting
Information Systems
Total fixed costs
Total fixed and variable costs
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
$0
(28,000)
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 28
Q7: Decision Making with Support Costs
• Support costs need to be considered when
evaluating decisions such as make/buy, keep/drop,
special order, and constrained resource
• Necessary to isolate relevant support costs
– This may not be the same as the allocated support costs
– For example, outsourcing an operating department may
not result in a reduction in support department costs
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 29
Q7: Establishing Transfer Prices for
Support Departments
• Transfer prices should be set to motivate efficient
use of the support department resources
– If transfer price is set too high, user departments may
outsource the service
– If transfer price is set too low, user departments may
utilize the support department inefficiently
• The best transfer pricing approach is the
Opportunity Cost approach
– Each department is charged an amount that reflects the
value of any opportunities forgone by not using the
service for its next best alternative use.
– This is often difficult in practice so most companies use a
cost based or market based transfer pricing policy
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 30
Q7: Estimated versus Actual
Support Costs and Rates
A department’s allocation
of support department costs
=
the allocation
rate
x
the department’s
consumption
of the allocation base
Either of these could be estimated or actual.
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 31
Q7: Estimated versus Actual
Support Costs and Rates
the allocation
rate
x
the department’s
consumption
of the allocation base
Using actual rates and actual consumption provides the
best measure of the cost of support services; it is the
most accurate but the least timely.
The purpose of the cost allocation will determine
whether actual or estimated rates, and actual or
estimated consumption, should be used.
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 32
Q7: Estimated versus Actual
Support Costs and Rates
• Actual rates and consumption may be
required for some types of government
contracts.
• Most federal grants to educational institutions
allow the use of estimates.
• Using an actual rate means that support
service users are affected by
• inefficiencies of support department managers
• changes in the consumption of support services by other
users
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 33
Q7: Other Common Cost Allocation Methods
• Other cost allocation purposes may require the
allocation to
• be perceived as “fair”
• be based on the user’s “ability to bear” the cost
• Under the stand-alone method, a common cost is
allocated based on information about the users’
consumption of the cost.
• Under the incremental cost allocation method, a
“primary user” is allocated the bulk of the common
cost and the secondary user is allocated only the
increment in cost that it caused.
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 34
Q7: Stand-Alone versus Incremental Cost
Allocation Methods Example
Leslie has a job interview with Big Co. next month in New York City. Her
plane ticket cost $300, and she will need to spend $125/night for 2 nights in
a hotel. She estimates that she will spend $50 in cab fares and $50 for
food. Big Co. has promised to reimburse her actual costs. After this trip
was arranged, Small Co., also located in New York City, called her for an
interview. If she interviews with Small Co. while she’s there, she will spend
an additional $125 for another night at a hotel, and another estimated $40
in cab fares and food. Think of at least two ways to allocate Leslie’s travel
costs using the stand-alone method. Discuss the merits of each.
1. Compute the total cost of the trip and divide it by 2, since
there are 2 interviews.
2. Compute the total cost of the trip and allocate 2/3 of it to
Big Co. and 1/3 to Small Co. since she is spending 2 of
the 3 nights in NYC for the Big Co. interview.
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 35
Q7: Stand-Alone versus Incremental Cost
Allocation Methods Example
Perform the calculations for your two versions of the cost allocation under
the stand-alone method. Then allocate the travel costs using the
incremental cost allocation method. Which is more appropriate? Why?
Estimated total costs:
Plane ticket
Hotel
Cab fares & food
Total
If shared equally, then this is
$300 $407.50 for each company; if
375 Big Co. is allocated 2/3 of the
140 cost then $543.33 is allocated
$815
to Big Co. and $271.67 is
allocated to Small Co.
Under the incremental cost allocation method, Big Co. is most
likely to be considered the primary user. Since Leslie’s budgeted
travel costs were $300 + $250 + $50 + $50 = $650 before she
was offered the Small Co. interview, Big Co. is allocated $650
and Small Co. is allocated $815 – $650 = $165.
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 36
Q7: Fixed Price versus Cost-Based Contracts
• Under fixed price contracts, vendors provide
products or services for a specified price.
• Under cost-based contracts, the price is
computed based on the actual cost of the
products or services.
• may be necessary for research & new product development
• vendors are not motivated to control costs
• vendors may be motivated to inappropriately allocate
common costs
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 37
Appendix 8A: Excel Solver
and the Reciprocal Method
• Solving the simultaneous equations required for
the reciprocal method can be tedious when
there are 3 or more support departments.
• Excel Solver can be used to solve these
equations.
• Refer to Appendix 4A for help with using
Excel Solver.
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 38
Appendix 8A: Excel Solver
and the Reciprocal Method
• Set up a “change cell” for each support
department’s total costs.
• The target function is the sum of the change
cells.
• The simultaneous equations are entered as
constraints; one constraint per equation.
© John Wiley & Sons, 2011
Chapter 8: Measuring and Assigning Support Department Costs
Eldenburg & Wolcott’s Cost Management, 2e
Slide # 39
