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Gregor Company makes and sells brooms and mops. It takes the following actions, not necessarily in the order given. For each action (a–e), state whether it is a planning decision or a control decision. a. Gregor asks its advertising team to develop fresh advertisements to market its newest product. b. Gregor calculates customer satisfaction scores after introducing its newest product. c. Gregor compares costs it actually incurred with costs it expected to incur for the production of the new product. d. Gregor's design team proposes a new product to compete directly with the Swiffer. e. Gregor estimates the costs it will incur to distribute 30,000 units of the new product in the first quarter of next fiscal year.

Short Answer

Expert verified
a. Planning decision b. Control decision c. Control decision d. Planning decision e. Planning decision

Step by step solution

01

Action a

: Gregor asks its advertising team to develop fresh advertisements to market its newest product. This action involves planning promotional activities for the new product, so it is a planning decision.
02

Action b

: Gregor calculates customer satisfaction scores after introducing its newest product. This action involves assessing the performance of the new product, so it is a control decision.
03

Action c

: Gregor compares costs it actually incurred with the costs it expected to incur for the production of the new product. This action involves evaluating the efficiency of the production process by comparing actual costs with expected costs, so it is a control decision.
04

Action d

: Gregor's design team proposes a new product to compete directly with the Swiffer. This action involves developing a new product strategy in order to remain competitive, so it is a planning decision.
05

Action e

: Gregor estimates the costs it will incur to distribute 30,000 units of the new product in the first quarter of the next fiscal year. This action involves predicting the future expenses to allocate resources accordingly, so it is a planning decision.

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Key Concepts

These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.

Planning Decision in Accounting
The cornerstone of an organization's success lies in strategic forecasting and devising actionable plans. In accounting, planning decisions revolve around anticipating future events and crafting a roadmap to achieve the desired outcomes.
These include budgeting, setting sales targets, and determining resource needs. Taking the Gregor Company's actions as an example, when their design team proposed a competitive new product, they were engaged in a planning decision. Similarly, the process of estimating costs for distributing new products also exemplifies planning.
Effective planning decisions ensure that a company like Gregor stays ahead by creating products that meet market demand and allocating resources to maximize profitability.
Control Decision in Accounting
After setting the stage with planning, organizations must measure performance and take corrective action when necessary. Control decisions in accounting focus on this aspect.
Tracking customer satisfaction scores and comparing actual costs with expected ones are quintessential control decisions. They serve as a feedback mechanism for Gregor Company, helping to determine if their products meet customer expectations and if their production process is cost-efficient.
Through consistent control decisions, companies like Gregor can adjust strategies, refine processes, and ensure accountability in achieving their business objectives.
Cost Comparison
The art of managing finances prudently involves continuous analysis. Cost comparison is an essential analytical tool that allows businesses to weigh actual expenses against predetermined budgets or standards.
Gregor's action of comparing the actual incurred costs with expected costs showcases this critical task in accounting. It helps in identifying inefficiencies, uncovering variances, and fostering informed decisions related to production methods, pricing strategies, and cost control measures.
By regularly engaging in cost comparison, organizations maintain financial health and enhance their ability to adapt to competitive market conditions.
Product Strategy
Developing a product strategy is akin to charting a course through uncharted waters—it requires both vision and adaptability. This strategy entails decisions about product design, target markets, and competitive positioning.
Gregor's intention to launch a product rivaling the Swiffer indicates a proactive approach to product strategy aimed at capturing market share and differentiating their offerings. Crafting a product strategy is not a one-time event but a dynamic process that evolves with market trends and consumer preferences, ensuring a company's offerings remain relevant and competitive.
Resource Allocation
At the heart of efficiency and operational effectiveness is the principle of resource allocation. This pertains to distributing a company's assets—be it financial, human, or material resources—in a way that maximizes the potential for achieving strategic goals.
For Gregor Company, projecting the costs of distributing their new product units is a fundamental part of resource allocation. By doing so, they ensure that the right amount of resources are in place to support the production and distribution efforts, optimizing the balance between resource inputs and business outcomes. Proper resource allocation enables a company to thrive even in the face of limited resources and escalating business demands.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Planning and control decisions, Internet company. PostNews.com offers its subscribers several services, such as an annotated TV guide and local-area information on weather, restaurants, and movie theaters. Its main revenue sources are fees for banner advertisements and fees from subscribers. Recent data are as follows: $$\begin{array}{lccc} & & \text { Actual Number } & \text { Monthly Fee per } \\ \text { Month/Year } & \text { Advertising Revenues } & \text { of Subscribers } & \text { Subscriber } \\ \hline \text { June 2015 } & \$ 415,972 & 29,745 & \$ 15.50 \\ \text { December 2015 } & 867,246 & 55,223 & 20.50 \\ \text { June 2016 } & 892,134 & 59,641 & 20.50 \\ \text { December 2016 } & 1,517,950 & 87,674 & 20.50 \\ \text { June 2017 } & 2,976,538 & 147,921 & 20.50 \end{array}$$ The following decisions were made from June through 0 ctober 2017 : a. June 2017 : Raised subscription fee to \(\$ 25.50\) per month from July 2017 onward. The budgeted number of subscribers for this monthly fee is shown in the following table. b. June 2017 : Informed existing subscribers that from July onward, monthly fee would be \(\$ 25.50\). c. July 2017 : Offered \(e\) -mail service to subscribers and upgraded other online services. detober 2017 : Dismissed the vice president of marketing after significant slowdown in subscribers and subscription revenues, based on July through September 2017 data in the following table. e. 0 ctober 2017 : Reduced subscription fee to \(\$ 22.50\) per month from November 2017 onward. Results for July-September 2017 are as follows: $$\begin{array}{lccc} & \text { Budgeted Number } & \text { Actual Number } & \text { Monthly Fee per } \\ \text { Month/Year } & \text { of Subscribers } & \text { of Subscribers } & \text { Subscriber } \\ \hline \text { July 2017 } & 145,000 & 129,250 & \$ 25.50 \\ \text { August 2017 } & 155,000 & 142,726 & 25.50 \\ \text { September 2017 } & 165,000 & 145,643 & 25.50 \end{array}$$ 1\. Classify each of the decisions (a-e) as a planning or a control decision. 2\. Give two examples of other planning decisions and two examples of other control decisions that may be made at PostNews.com.

Ethical challenges, global company environmental concerns. Contemporary Interiors (C) manufactures high-quality funiture in factories in North Carolina for sale to top American retailers. In \(1995,\) c purchased a lumber operation in Indonesia, and shifted from using American hardwoods to Indonesian ra min in i is products. The ramin proved to be a cheaper alternative, and it was widely accepted by American consumers. Cl management credits the early adoppion o f Indonessian wood for i is ability to keep its North Carolina factories open when so many competitrors closed their doors. Recently, however, consumers have become increasingly concerned about the sustainability of tropical woods, including ramin. Cl has seen sales begin to fall, and the company was even singled out by an environmental group for boycot. It a ppears that a shift to more sustainable woods before year-end will be necessary, and more costly In response to the looming jincrease in material costs, CE0 Geoff Armstrong calls a meeting of upper management The group generates the following ideas to address customer concerns and/or salvage company profits for the current year: a. Pay local officials in Indonesia to "certify" the ramin used by Cl as sustainable. It is not certain whether the ramin would be sustainable or not. Put highly visible tags on each piece of furniture to inform consumers of the change. b. Make deep cuts in pricing through the end of the year to generate additional revenue. c. Record executive year-end bonus compensation accrued for the current year when it is paid in the next year after the December fiscal year-end. d. Reject the change in materials. Counter the bad publicity with an aggressive ad campaign showing the consumer products as "made in the USA," since manufacturing takes place in North Carolina. e. Redesign upholstered furniture to replace ramin contained inside with less expensive recycled plastic. The change in materials would not affect the appearance or durability of the furniture. The company would market the furniture as "sustainable." f. Pressure current customers to take early delivery of goods before the end of the year so that more revenue can be reported in this year's financial statements. g. Begin purchasing sustainable North American hardwoods and sell the Indonesian lumber subsidiary. Initiate a "plant a tree" marketing program, by which the company will plant a tree for every piece of furniture sold. Material costs would increase \(25 \%\), and prices would be passed along to customers. h. Sell off production equipment prior to year-end. The sale would result in one-time gains that could offset the company's lagging profits. The owned equipment could be replaced with leased equipment at a lower cost in the current year. i. Recognize sales revenues on orders received but not shipped as of the end of the year. 1\. As the management accountant for Contemporary Interiors, evaluate each of the preceding items (a-i) in the context of the "Standards of Ethical Behavior for Practitioners of Management Accounting and Financial Management," Exhibit \(1-7\) (page 17 ). Which of the items are in violation of these ethics standards and which are acceptable? 2\. What should the management accountant do with regard to those items that are in violation of the ethical standards for management accountants?

Distinguish planning decisions from control decisions.

How does management accounting differ from financial accounting?

Where does the management accounting function fit into an organization's structure?

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