Use of materials and manufacturing labor variances for benchmarking, you are a new junior accountant at Clear view Corporation, maker of lenses for eyeglasses. Your company sells generic-quality lenses for a moderate price. Your boss, the Controller, has given you the latest month’s report for the lens trade association. You do not know which firm is which, except that you know that you are firm A.

1. Calculate the total variable cost per unit for each firm in the trade association. Compute the percent of total for the material, labor, and variable overhead components.

2. Using Firm A as the benchmark, calculate direct materials and direct manufacturing labor price and efficiency variances for the other three firms. Calculate the percent over standard for each firm and each variance.

3. Write a brief memo to your boss outlining the advantages and disadvantages of belonging to this trade association for benchmarking purposes. Include a few ideas to improve productivity that you want your boss to take to the department heads’ meeting.

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Unit Variable Costs - Member Firms For the month ended September 30, 2010 Firm B Firm A Firm C Firm D 2.50 Materials input Materials price Labor hours used Wage rate Variable overhead rate oz. of glass per oz. hours per DLH per DLH 2.00 1.95 $ 5.50 1.10 2.15 $ 5.00 0.75 $15.00 $ 9.00 $ 5.00 $ 4.50 0.85 0.80 $16.00 $ 7.50 $15.50 $16.50 $13.50 $11.25