In: Finance
The following matrix, illustrates each support department’s cost and how it spends its time:
| 
 Support Department  | 
||||
| 
 User of Support Service  | 
 Personnel  | 
 Accounting & Administration  | 
 Marketing  | 
 Fleet Operations  | 
| 
 Personnel  | 
 5%  | 
|||
| 
 Accounting & Administration  | 
 5%  | 
 8%  | 
||
| 
 Marketing  | 
 10%  | 
 10%  | 
||
| 
 Fleet Operations  | 
 5%  | 
 10%  | 
||
| 
 Gardening Center  | 
 15%  | 
 25%  | 
 40%  | 
 7%  | 
| 
 Landscaping  | 
 25%  | 
 30%  | 
 30%  | 
 40%  | 
| 
 Lawn Care  | 
 40%  | 
 20%  | 
 30%  | 
 45%  | 
| 
 TOTAL COST  | 
 $50,000  | 
 $80,000  | 
 $240,000  | 
 $200,000  | 
Using the step-down method of support department cost allocation, determine the total support cost allocated to each operating department. Allocate costs in the following order: A&A, Personnel, Fleet Operations, Marketing.
Explain why the order of allocation given in part 1, above, may have been chosen.
| A&A | Personnel | Fleet Operations | Marketing | Gardening Center | Landscaping | Lawn Care | Total | |
| $ 80,000 | $ 50,000 | $ 2,00,000 | $ 2,40,000 | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ 5,70,000 | |
| Allocation of A&A costs in the ratio of 5:10:10:25:30:20 | $ -80,000 | $ 4,000 | $ 8,000 | $ 8,000 | $ 20,000 | $ 24,000 | $ 16,000 | $ - | 
| Total costs | $ - | $ 54,000 | $ 2,08,000 | $ 2,48,000 | $ 20,000 | $ 24,000 | $ 16,000 | |
| Allocation of Personnel costs in the ratio of 5/10/15/25/40 | $ - | $ -54,000 | $ 2,842 | $ 5,684 | $ 8,526 | $ 14,211 | $ 22,737 | $ - | 
| Total costs | $ - | $ - | $ 2,10,842 | $ 2,53,684 | $ 28,526 | $ 38,211 | $ 38,737 | |
| Allocation of Fleet operations cost in the ratio of 7/40/45 | $ - | $ - | $ -2,10,842 | $ - | $ 16,042 | $ 91,671 | $ 1,03,129 | $ -0 | 
| Total costs | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ 2,53,684 | $ 44,568 | $ 1,29,882 | $ 1,41,866 | |
| Allocation of marketing costs in the ratio of 4/3/3 | $ -2,53,684 | $ 1,01,474 | $ 76,105 | $ 76,105 | $ - | |||
| Final allocated costs | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ - | $ 1,46,042 | $ 2,05,987 | $ 2,17,971 | $ 5,70,000 | 
| Explanation for choosing the order of allocation: | ||||||||
| The department rendering service to the maximum number of other departments is to be chosen. Hence, the order would be: | ||||||||
| Personnel and A&A-Rank 1 as they do service to 6 departments. | ||||||||
| But, as A&A has higher cost at $80000 it will be given Rank 1 and Personnel Rank 2. | ||||||||
| Then fleet operations (4 departments) and finally marketing (3 departments). | ||||||||