The cost of avocados is rising. For example, the price of a 20-pound box of avocados from the state of Avocado prices from Michoacán state in Mexico has jumped to $38 from $21, which is an 81% increase. The current price of avocados is the highest price on record in data that goes back to […]
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What would be the impact of the polysilicon cost increase on Canadian Solar’s gross profit and on its standard variances?
March 23, 2018 
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Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ) and other solar panel manufacturers are facing a shortage of a key raw material used in the production of solar panels, polysilicon. Environmental regulators in China shut down several factories, triggering the shortage. The cost of polysilicon has risen by as much as 35% in the past several months. A kilogram […]
Continue readingHow does the drop in the price of eggs impact Kellogg’s® variances for its Eggo® Homestyle waffles?
October 17, 2017 0 Comments
In 2015, when the avian flu hit egg producers hard, there was a shortage of eggs. Egg prices increased dramatically. Over the years since 2015 however, egg production has ramped back up as egg producers have restocked their flocks of egg-laying chickens. There is now a glut of eggs, putting causing the price of eggs […]
Continue readingIf the AMD Ryzen 16-Core CPU saves $1,000 per computer manufactured, how would computer manufacturers’ variances be impacted?
May 2, 2017 2 Comments
AMD is rumored to be releasing a new 16-core, 32 thread CPU, that would be significantly more powerful than its competitors – and it would be about $1,000 less expensive than the closest Intel CPU. This AMD chip is named “AMD Ryzen” and it has six more cores than Intel’s current primary desktop CPU – […]
Continue readingHow would the strike at Just Born, the maker of Peeps, impact its standard costing variances?
November 10, 2016 0 Comments
Just Born Quality Confections (Just Born) makes marshmallow Peeps, Mike and Ikes, Hot Tamales, and other candies. The company has approximately 600 employees and is privately-held. Its headquarters and Peeps factory are in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. In September 2016, the factory employees represented by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union of America Local 6 […]
Continue readingIs a favorable raisin quantity variance good for Kellogg’s Raisin Bran?
August 25, 2016 0 Comments
Kellogg’s Raisin Bran is famous for its advertising slogan of “Two scoops of raisins in every box.” The current box design for Raisin Bran shows two scoops of raisins on the front of the box. A few months ago, a post went viral on Reddit that showed a picture of the raisins actually found in […]
Continue readingWhen the chocolate used in Cadbury Creme Eggs was changed to a less expensive chocolate, what variances would have been impacted?
February 23, 2016 0 Comments
A Cadbury Creme Egg is an egg-shaped chocolate candy that weighs about 35 grams, or a little more than 1.2 ounces. It is filled with a white fondant and a smaller amount of yellow fondant, meant to mimic an actual egg. (Fondant is a type of sugar syrup.) In the U.S., Cadbury Creme Eggs are […]
Continue readingHow does the rising cost of hazelnuts impact NUTELLA®?
February 6, 2015 0 Comments
Hazelnuts are used in high-end chocolate items such as pralines and truffles. In addition, hazelnuts are used in Nutella spread. Turkey supplies more than 70% of the world’s hazelnuts. In 2014, there was a widespread frost in Turkey that damaged hazelnut flowers and cut production of hazelnuts by 28%. The price of hazelnuts more than […]
Continue readingHow will cost standards be impacted at PEZ Candy Inc. by the rising cost of sugar and labor?
January 27, 2015 0 Comments
PEZ Candy Inc. produces the popular small candy that is dispensed in collectible flip-top dispensers. PEZ candy was invented as a breath mint in Vienna, Austria, in 1927. The name PEZ is derived from “pfefferminz” which is the word for peppermint in German. In the United States, PEZ candies are produced in a factory in […]
Continue readingHow does the renegotiated labor contract impact the standard cost of cars for GM?
February 24, 2014 2 Comments
A few years ago, Chrysler renegotiated its labor contract with the United Auto Workers (UAW) union. New hires were to be paid $14 per hour, down from the $28 per hour veteran workers received. That cut resulted in an average combined wage and benefit rate per hour in 2011 of $49, compared to $76 per […]
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