Assigning responsibility. Melrose Furniture Company is organized into two divisions, Assembling and Finishing. The Assembling Division combines raw materials into a semifinished product. The product then goes to the Finishing Division for painting, polishing, and packing.
During May, the Assembling Division had significantly higher raw materials costs than expected because poor-quality raw materials required extensive rework. As a result of the rework, Assembly transferred fewer units than expected to the Finishing Division. The Finishing Division incurred higher labor costs per unit of finished product because workers had substantial idle time. The president of the company is upset about these events.
a. Whom should the firm hold responsible for the raw materials variance in the Assembling Division? Explain.
b. Whom should the firm hold responsible for the labor (idle time) variance in the Fin- ishing Division? Explain.