The $260 favorable spending variance simply reveals that, in the aggregate, Helado Company spent less on variable overhead than expected. Even if the variance was insignificant, it reveals nothing about how well costs of individual variable overhead items were controlled. Control of variable overhead requires line-by-line analysis for each individual item. Exhibit 9-8 presents a performance report that supplies the line-by-line information essential for proper control of variable overhead. Assuming that Helado investigates any item that deviates more than 10 percent from budget, the cost of gas would be the only item that would be investigated. The investigation reveals that the utility company lowered the price of natural gas as a result of a state regulatory hear
Part