Question

The company intends to classify these costs and expenses into the following categories: (a) direct materials, (b) direct labor, (c) manufacturing overhead, and (d) period costs.

Answer 1

Answer:

Property taxes on the factory building - period costs.

Property taxes are period costs because it is a cost associated with a particular period of time (tax season), and because this cost cannot be capitalized in inventory, fixed assets, or prepaid expenses.

Production superintendents’ salaries - period costs.

The salaries of management workers such as superintendents are period costs because they are not direct labor.

Memory boards and chips used in assembling computers - direct materials.

The memory boards and chips are direct materials used to assemble the computers, therefore, they are a direct materials cost.

Depreciation on the factory equipment - period costs.

Depreciation is a period cost because it cannot capitalized in fixed assets, since it actually reduces the value of those.

Salaries for assembly-line quality control inspectors - period costs.

Inspectors and supervisors are part of lower-management, and as result, their salaries are also considered period costs.

Sales commissions paid to sell laptop computers - period costs.

A sale commission is a period cost because it is a selling expense. The comission is an incentive for sellers to perform better, by it is not in itself a part of the cost of goods sold.

Electrical components used in assembling computers - direct materials.

The electrical components are used to assemble the computers, therefore, they represent a direct materials cost.

Wages of workers assembling laptop computers - direct labor.

The workers are directly making the computers, without them, the computers could not be assembled. Therefore, their wages are a direct labor cost.

Soldering materials used on factory assembly lines - manufacturing overhead.

The assembly line is needed to make the goods, but it is not in itself a part of the good. Besides, the cost of running the assembly line does not depend directly on the number of goods produced. It varies relatively close to that number, but the relation is not exact, and linear. Therefore, these soldering materials are manufacturing overhead.

Salaries for the night security guards for the factory building - period costs.

Night security guards are an administrative cost. They are not necessarily needed to produce the goods, they are hired to protect the factory's security. And administrative costs are considered period costs.