Direct Materials Purchase-Price Variance and Foreign Exchange Rates Jonas Materials Science (JMS) purchases its materials from several countries. As part of its cost-control program, JMS uses a...

Direct Materials Purchase-Price Variance and Foreign Exchange Rates Jonas Materials Science (JMS) purchases its materials from several countries. As part of its cost-control program, JMS uses a standard cost system for all aspects of its operations, including purchases of direct materials. The company establishes standard costs for direct materials at the beginning of each fiscal year. Pat Butch, the purchasing manager, is happy with the result of the year just ended. He believes that the purchase-price variance for direct materials for the year will be favorable and is very confident that his department has at least met the standard prices. The preliminary report from the controller’s office confirms his jubilation. Following is a portion of the preliminary report:

In the fourth quarter, the purchasing department increased purchases from the budgeted normal volume of 5,000 to 25,000 kilograms to meet the increased demands, which was a result of the firm’s unexpected success in a fiercely competitive bidding. The substantial increase in the volume to be purchased forced the purchasing department to search for alternative suppliers. After frantic searches, it found suppliers in several foreign countries that could meet the firm’s needs and could provide materials with higher quality than that of JMS’s regular supplier. The purchasing department was very reluctant to make the purchase because the negotiated price was $77.00 per kilogram, including shipping and import duty. However, this original reluctance disappeared upon learning that the actual cost of the purchases would be much lower than expected due to currency devaluations (the result of financial turmoil in several of the countries in the region). Patricia Rice, the controller, does not share the purchasing department’s euphoria. She is fully aware of the following quarterly purchases of direct materials:

Required 1. Calculate the direct materials purchase-price variance (to nearest whole dollar) for the fourth quarter and for the year. How much of each purchase-price variance is attributable to changes in foreign currency exchange rates? 2. Evaluate the purchasing department’s performance.