represent more desirable peaches. The pie grade peaches, the good bits and pieces from bruised peaches, are relatively less desirable and are assigned a lower weight.
Frequently, weight factors are predetermined and set up as part of either an estimated cost or a standard cost system. The use of carefully constructed weight factors enables the cost accountant to give more attention to several influences and, therefore, results in more reasonable allocations. The real danger, of course, is was weights may be used that are either inappropriate in the first place or become so through the passage of time. Obviously, if arbitrary rates are used, the resulting costs of individual products will be arbitrary.
Allocation Based on Relative Market Value
Many accountants believe that joint costs should be allocated to individual products
according to their ability to absorb joint costs. The advantage of this
approach is that joint cost allocation will not produce consistently profitable or unprofitable items. The rationale for using ability to bear is the assumption that costs would not be incurred unless the jointly produced products together would yield enough revenue to cover all costs plus a reasonable return. On the other hand, fluctuations in the market value of any one or more of the end products automatically it costs no more or no less to produce than before.
The relative market value approach to joint cost allocation is better than the physical units approach if two conditions hold: (1)the physical mix of output can be altered by incurring more(less) total joint costs and (2)this alteration produces more(less) total market value. Several variants of the relative market value method are found in practice.
Sales-Value-at-Split-Off Method
The sales-value-at-split-off method allocates joint cost based on each products proportionate share of market or sales value at the split-off point. Under this method, the higher the market value, the greater the share of joint cost charged against the product. As long as the prices at split-off are stable, or the fluctuations in prices of the various products are synchronized(not necessarily in amount, but in the rate of change), their respective allocated costs remain constant. Cornerstone7.9 shows how and why to allocate joint costs using the sales-value-at-split-off method.