What is the production volume variance? Definition of Production Volume Variance The production volume variance is associated with a standard costing system used by some manufacturers. This variance arises when there is...
What is the production volume variance? Definition of Production Volume Variance The production volume variance is associated with a standard costing system used by some manufacturers. This variance arises when there is...
What is a non-discount method in capital budgeting? Definition of Non-discount Method of Capital Budgeting A non-discount method of capital budgeting is one that does not consider the time value of money. In other words,...
What is elastic demand? Definition of Elastic Demand Elastic demand is the situation in which demand for a product or service is sensitive to price changes. Elastic demand is a major concern for a manufacturer that...
What is an unfavorable variance? Definition of a Variance In accounting the term variance usually refers to the difference between an actual amount and a planned or budgeted amount. For example, if a company’s budget...
What are pro forma financial statements? Definition of Pro Forma Financial Statement A pro forma financial statement is one based on certain assumptions and projections (as opposed to the typical financial statement...
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 cash flow net of tax? I view cash flow net of tax as the amount of cash spent minus the income tax savings when the amount is deductible on the corporation’s income tax return. To illustrate this, let’s...
How do you calculate the break-even point in terms of sales? Definition of Break-even Point in Sales Dollars The break-even point in sales dollars can be calculated by dividing a company’s total fixed expenses by the...
What is a rolling budget? Definition of Rolling Budget A rolling budget often refers to a company’s operating budget which presents the future monthly budgets for the next 12 months. A rolling budget is also known as 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 are the limitations of the payback period? Definition of Payback Period The payback period is a common (but not the best) tool for screening a company’s potential investments. It uses the potential investment’s...
What is contribution margin? Definition of Contribution Margin In accounting, contribution margin is defined as: revenues minus variable expenses. The contribution margin can be expressed as an amount and/or as a ratio...
What is the difference between correlation and cause and effect? Definition of Correlation Correlation refers to the association between two or more variables. The association is measured by a statistic known as the...
How much of the contribution margin is profit on units sold in excess of the break-even point? After the break-even point is reached, the entire contribution margin on the next units sold will be profit…provided the...
What are the benefits of a revenue budget? The main benefit of a revenue budget is that it requires looking into the future. The revenue budget should contain the assumptions made about the future and the details about...
What is the interest coverage ratio? Definition of Interest Coverage Ratio The interest coverage ratio is a financial ratio used as an indicator of a company’s ability to pay the interest on its debt. (The required...
How do you reduce a company's break-even point? Definition of Break-even Point The break-even point is the level of sales where a company’s income statement will report exactly zero net income. The level of sales can...
What is the internal rate of return? Definition of Internal Rate of Return The internal rate of return is the interest rate that will discount an investment’s future cash amounts to be equal to cash paid at the...
How do you reduce the break-even point? Definition of Break-even Point The break-even point is the number of units or amount of revenues needed for the company’s income statement to report zero net income or zero net...
Should a company focus on cash flows or accounting profits when making a capital expenditure decision? Using the incremental cash flows and discounting them to reflect the time value of money is the preferred method. The...
What causes an increase in break-even point? Definition of Break-even Point The break-even point is the sales volume or sales revenue that is needed to cover the company’s expenses. In other words, it is the point...
Is a favorable variance always an indicator of efficiency in operation? In a standard costing system, some favorable variances are not indicators of efficiency in operations. For example, the materials price variance,...
Why does the internal rate of return equate to a net present value of zero? Internal rate of return and net present value are discounted cash flow techniques. To discount means to remove the interest contained within the...
How do we deal with a negative contribution margin ratio when calculating our break-even point? Definition of Negative Contribution Margin A negative contribution margin ratio indicates that a company’s variable costs...
What is the margin of safety? Definition of Margin of Safety In break-even analysis, the term margin of safety indicates the amount of sales that are above the break-even point. In other words, the margin of safety...
What causes an unfavorable fixed overhead budget variance? An unfavorable fixed overhead budget variance results when the actual amount spent on fixed manufacturing overhead costs exceeds the budgeted amount. The fixed...
What is the dividend payout ratio? The dividend payout ratio, or simply the payout ratio, is the percentage of a corporation’s earnings that is paid out in the form of cash dividends. The calculation of the dividend...
What is the contribution margin ratio? Definition of Contribution Margin Ratio The contribution margin ratio is the percentage of sales revenues, service revenues, or selling price remaining after subtracting all of the...
What is ROI? Definition of ROI ROI is the acronym for return on investment. Traditionally, ROI related 1) the income statement profit to the 2) the balance sheet investment. A drawback of ROI is that the accounting...
How do you calculate Return on Capital Employed (ROCE)? Return on capital employed is used as a measurement of the performance of a division of a company. It assumes that the division is not responsible for its financing...
What is disinvestment? In business, disinvestment means to sell off certain assets such as a manufacturing plant, a division or subsidiary, or product line. Disinvestment is sometimes described as the opposite of capital...
What do negative variances indicate? Definition of Negative Variances on Accounting Reports Negative variances are the unfavorable differences between two amounts, such as: The amount by which actual revenues were less...
What is the payback reciprocal? The payback reciprocal is a crude estimate of the rate of return for a project or investment. The payback reciprocal is computed by dividing the digit “1” by a project’s payback...
Where can I find financial ratios for my industry? One source for financial ratios by industry is the RMA Annual Statement Studies Financial Ratio Benchmarks. RMA is the acronym for Risk Management Association and...
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...
Of The Insurance Premiums Paid Wrong. The Expired Portion Of The Insurance Premiums Paid Wrong. The Unexpired Portion Of The Insurance Premiums Paid Right! The ending balance in the asset account Prepaid Insurance...
a new machine at a cost of $20,000 by writing a check for $12,000 and promising to pay $8,000 in six months, the company will debit the asset Machinery for $20,000; credit Cash for $12,000; and credit Loans Payable or...
or Circular E) is a guide to U.S. payroll taxes. It is published annually by the Internal Revenue Service and it can be downloaded from irs. gov at no cost. State Unemployment Tax State unemployment tax is a tax paid by...
of the assets is different from the cost less depreciation shown on the balance sheet. In addition the corporation's management team, customer allegiance, and many of its brands may not be listed on the balance...
Our Explanation of Bank Reconciliation will show you the needed adjustments to the balance on the bank statement and also the adjustments needed to the balance in the related general ledger account. A comprehensive...
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