What is zero-based budgeting? Definition of Zero-Based Budgeting Zero-based budgeting, or ZBB, is a rigorous budgeting process that requires that every dollar of every expense in the budget be justified, even if the...
What is zero-based budgeting? Definition of Zero-Based Budgeting Zero-based budgeting, or ZBB, is a rigorous budgeting process that requires that every dollar of every expense in the budget be justified, even if the...
What type of expense is the purchase of propane? Technically, the purchase of propane is not an expense. Depending on the business, the propane is an asset until it is used, resold, or included in a product that is sold....
What is the difference between normal costing and standard costing? Definition of Normal Costing Normal costing for manufactured products consists of following: Actual cost of materials Actual cost of direct labor...
What is a fixed budget? Definition of Fixed Budget A fixed budget is a budget that does not change or flex for increases or decreases in volume. (“Volume” could be sales, units produced, or some other activity.) A...
Do I buy a new machine or use an old one? One technique for deciding whether to buy a new machine or to use an old machine is to look at the future cash flows if you buy a new machine and the future cash flows if you use...
What does stepped cost mean? Stepped cost refers to the behavior of the total cost of an activity at various levels of the activity. When a stepped cost is plotted on a graph (with the total cost represented by the...
In least squares regression, what do y and a represent? Here are the meanings of the components or symbols used in the least squares equation of y = a + bx: y is the dependent variable, such as the estimated or expected...
Are LIFO inventory amounts ever written-up to their market value? LIFO inventory amounts will not be written-up, even when the current market value of the inventory is far greater than the amount reported on the balance...
Why is a product that sells for $50 reported in inventory at its cost of $40? Generally, items in inventory are valued at their cost—not their selling prices—because of the cost principle. Another reason for not...
What is DCF? In accounting, DCF refers to discounted cash flows or to the discounted cash flow techniques such as net present value or internal rate of return. DCF is a preferred method for evaluating capital...
What is a long-term asset? Definition of Long-term Asset A long-term asset is an asset that is not expected to be converted to cash or be consumed within one year of the date shown in the heading of the balance sheet....
Why is the distinction between product costs and period costs important? The distinction between product costs and period costs is important to: Properly measure a company’s net income during the time specified on its...
Is the rental cost of a building considered overhead? Definition of Rent as Overhead The rental cost of a building used in manufacturing is part of manufacturing overhead. Manufacturing overhead is assigned or allocated...
What is the rule of 72? The rule of 72 is a simple formula that tells you the approximate amount of time or interest rate needed for an amount to double. The formula is Years X Rate per year = 72. Here’s how it works....
What is accrued rent? Definition of Accrued Rent Accrued rent is the amount of rent that has not yet been paid by the tenant or received by the landlord for a past period of time. [If the tenant always pays the monthly...
Where is interest on a note payable reported on the cash flow statement? Definition of Interest on a Note Payable The interest on a note payable is reported on the income statement as Interest Expense. Usually this means...
What is the difference between the current ratio and the acid test ratio? The difference between the current ratio and the acid test ratio (or quick ratio) mainly involves the current assets inventory and prepaid...
Nonmanufacturing Overhead For multiple-choice and true/false questions, simply press or click on what you think is the correct answer. For fill-in-the-blank questions, press or click on the blank space provided. If you...
What is the average collection period? Definition of Average Collection Period The average collection period is the average number of days between 1) the dates that credit sales were made, and 2) the dates that the money...
How do I calculate IRR and NPV? Definition of IRR The internal rate of return (IRR) method or model determines the interest rate that discounts all cash inflows and cash outflows to a net present value of $0. In other...
What is cumulative preferred stock? Definition of Cumulative Preferred Stock Cumulative preferred stock is a type of preferred stock for which any omitted dividends must be paid before the corporation is allowed to pay a...
What is the effective interest rate? Definition of Effective Interest Rate The effective interest rate is the true rate of interest earned. It can also mean the market interest rate, the yield to maturity, the discount...
Is rent expense a period cost or a product cost? Definition of Rent Expense Rent expense is often a monthly amount paid by a company for use of a building. Typically, the rent is due on the first day of every month that...
What are bonds payable? Definition of Bonds Payable Bonds payable are a form of long term debt usually issued by corporations, hospitals, and governments. The issuer of bonds makes a formal promise/agreement to pay...
What is the discounted value of expected net receipts? Let’s first define expected net receipts. These are future receipts after deducting any related payments. For example, if you are likely to receive $1,200 one year...
What is interest income? Definition of Interest Income Interest income is the amount of interest earned on investments (that promise to pay interest) and/or compensation for agreeing to receive cash payments from...
What is an implicit interest rate? Definition of Implicit Interest Rate An implicit interest rate is one that is not stated explicitly. Example of Implicit Interest Rate Assume that I lend you $4,623 and you agree to...
What is a learning curve? Definition of Learning Curve A common learning curve shows that the cumulative average time to complete a manual task (in which learning is involved) will decrease 20% whenever the cumulative...
What is a multiple-step income statement? Multiple-Step Income Statement Definition A multiple-step income statement presents two important subtotals before arriving at a company’s net income. For a company that sells...
What is EOQ? Definition of EOQ EOQ is the acronym for economic order quantity. The economic order quantity is the optimum quantity of an item to be purchased at one time in order to minimize the combined annual costs of...
What is meant by overabsorbed? Overabsorbed is usually used in the context of a manufacturer’s production overhead costs. Since manufacturing overhead costs are not directly traceable to products, they need to be...
What is an incremental cost? Definition of Incremental Cost An incremental cost is the difference in total costs as the result of a change in some activity. Incremental costs are also referred to as the differential...
Are bonds payable reported as a current liability if they mature in six months? Definition of Bonds Payable Bonds payable are formal, long-term obligations that promise to pay interest every six months and the principal...
What causes a variation in profit margin and turnover ratios between industries? Mega grocery stores, discount stores, and warehouse clubs often have small profit margins but have high turnover ratios. The small profit...
What is self-insurance? Self-insurance means no insurance. For example, if a retailer decides to self-insure its buildings, the retailer will not have an insurance policy to pay for losses that may occur to its...
Our Explanation of Inventory and Cost of Goods Sold will take your understanding to a new level. You will see how the income statement and balance sheet amounts are affected by the various inventory systems and cost flow...
Our Explanation of Present Value of a Single Amount discusses the time value of money and the need to discount future amounts to the time of an investment or other transaction. The present value of 1 table is used to...
Our Explanation of Standard Costing uses an easy-to-relate to example for illustrating a manufacturer's standard costs and variances. Also provided is a chart which indicates each variance, what it tells you, and where...
Variable vs Absorption Costing(Quick Test) Download PDF After you have answered all 25 questions, click "Grade This Quick Test" at the bottom of the page to view your grade and receive feedback on your answers. Note:...
Activity Based Costing(Quick Test) Download PDF After you have answered all 35 questions, click "Grade This Quick Test" at the bottom of the page to view your grade and receive feedback on your answers. Note: Some of the...
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