Question:

Performance Reports: below is a performance report that compares budgeted and actual profit in the sporting goods department of Maxwell's department store for the month of December.

Maxwell's department store

Sporting Goods

Performance Report

December 2008

Budget Actual Difference

Sales $600, 000 $675,000 $75,000

Less:

Cost of merchandise $300,000 $375,000 $75,000

Salaries of sales staff $60,000 $68,000 $8,000

Controllable profit $240,000 $232,000 $8,000

Required:

A. Evaluate the department in terms of its increases in sales and expenses. Do you believe it would be useful to investigate either or both of the increase in expenses?

B. Consider storewide electricity cost. Would this cost be a controllable or noncontrollable cost for the manager sporting goods? Would it be useful to include a share of storewide electricity cost on the performance report for sporting goods?