Exam 6: Differential Analysis: the Key to Decision Making

Boney Corporation processes sugar beets that it purchases from farmers. Sugar beets are processed in batches. A batch of sugar beets costs $53 to buy from farmers and $18 to crush in the company's plant. Two intermediate products, beet fiber and beet juice, emerge from the crushing process. The beet fiber can be sold as is for $25 or processed further for $18 to make the end product industrial fiber that is sold for $39. The beet juice can be sold as is for $32 or processed further for $28 to make the end product refined sugar that is sold for $79. Which of the intermediate products should be processed further?

Otool Inc. is considering using stocks of an old raw material in a special project. The special project would require all 240 kilograms of the raw material that are in stock and that originally cost the company $2,112 in total. If the company were to buy new supplies of this raw material on the open market, it would cost $9.25 per kilogram. However, the company has no other use for this raw material and would sell it at the discounted price of $8.35 per kilogram if it were not used in the special project. The sale of the raw material would involve delivery to the purchaser at a total cost of $71 for all 240 kilograms. What is the relevant cost of the 240 kilograms of the raw material when deciding whether to proceed with the special project?

Costs associated with two alternatives, code-named Q and R, being considered by Albiston Corporation are listed below: Required: a. Which costs are relevant and which are not relevant in the choice between these two alternatives? b. What is the differential cost between the two alternatives?

Vanik Corporation currently has two divisions which had the following operating results for last year: Because the Rubber Division sustained a loss, the president of Vanik is considering the elimination of this division. All of the division's traceable fixed costs could be avoided if the division was dropped. None of the allocated common corporate fixed costs could be avoided. If the Rubber Division was dropped at the beginning of last year, the financial advantage (disadvantage) to the company for the year would have been:

In a sell or process further decision, consider the following costs: I. A variable production cost incurred prior to split-off. II) A variable production cost incurred after split-off. III) An avoidable fixed production cost incurred after split-off. Which of the above costs is (are) not relevant in a decision regarding whether the product should be processed further?

The management of Woznick Corporation has been concerned for some time with the financial performance of its product V86O and has considered discontinuing it on several occasions. Data from the company's accounting system for this product for last year appear below: In the company's accounting system all fixed expenses of the company are fully allocated to products. Further investigation has revealed that $30,000 of the fixed manufacturing expenses and $13,000 of the fixed selling and administrative expenses are avoidable if product V86O is discontinued. What would be the financial advantage (disadvantage) from dropping product V86O?

Suire Corporation is considering dropping product D14E. Data from the company's accounting system appear below: All fixed expenses of the company are fully allocated to products in the company's accounting system. Further investigation has revealed that $72,000 of the fixed manufacturing expenses and $48,000 of the fixed selling and administrative expenses are avoidable if product D14E is discontinued. Required: a. According to the company's accounting system, what is the net operating income earned by product D14E? Show your work! b. What would be the financial advantage (disadvantage) of dropping product D14E? Should the product be dropped? Show your work!

The Bharu Violin Corporation has the capacity to manufacture and sell 5,000 violins each year but is currently only manufacturing and selling 4,800. The following data relate to annual operations at 4,800 units: Woolgar Symphony Orchestra is interested in purchasing Bharu's excess capacity of 200 units but only if they can get the violins for $350 each. This special order would not affect regular sales or the total fixed costs. If the special order from Woolgar Symphony Orchestra is accepted, the financial advantage (disadvantage) Bharu for the year should be:

The Tolar Corporation has 400 obsolete desk calculators that are carried in inventory at a total cost of $26,800. If these calculators are upgraded at a total cost of $10,000, they can be sold for a total of $30,000. As an alternative, the calculators can be sold in their present condition for $11,200. The sunk cost in this situation is:

Future costs that do differ among the alternatives are not relevant in a decision.

Kneller Co. manufactures and sells medals for winners of athletic and other events. Its manufacturing plant has the capacity to produce 12,000 medals each month; current monthly production is 9,600 medals. The company normally charges $99 per medal. Cost data for the current level of production are shown below: The company has just received a special one-time order for 500 medals at $89 each. For this particular order, no variable selling and administrative costs would be incurred. This order would also have no effect on fixed costs. Assume that direct labor is a variable cost. Required: Should the company accept this special order? Why?

Boney Corporation processes sugar beets that it purchases from farmers. Sugar beets are processed in batches. A batch of sugar beets costs $53 to buy from farmers and $18 to crush in the company's plant. Two intermediate products, beet fiber and beet juice, emerge from the crushing process. The beet fiber can be sold as is for $25 or processed further for $18 to make the end product industrial fiber that is sold for $39. The beet juice can be sold as is for $32 or processed further for $28 to make the end product refined sugar that is sold for $79. What is the financial advantage (disadvantage) for the company from processing the intermediate product beet juice into refined sugar rather than selling it as is?

The Wester Corporation produces three products with the following costs and selling prices: The company has insufficient capacity to fulfill all of the demand for these three products. If machine hours are the constraint, then the ranking of the products from the most profitable to the least profitable use of the constrained resource is:

United Industries manufactures a number of products at its highly automated factory. The products are very popular, with demand far exceeding the factory's capacity. To maximize profit, management should rank products based on their:

Cranston Corporation makes four products in a single facility. Data concerning these products appear below: The milling machines are potentially the constraint in the production facility. A total of 28,200 minutes are available per month on these machines. Up to how much should the company be willing to pay for one additional minute of milling machine time if the company has made the best use of the existing milling machine capacity? (Round your intermediate calculations to 2 decimal places.)

Kinsi Corporation manufactures five different products. All five of these products must pass through a stamping machine in its fabrication department. This machine is Kinsi's constrained resource. Kinsi would make the most profit if it produces the product that:

Anglen Co. manufactures and sells trophies for winners of athletic and other events. Its manufacturing plant has the capacity to produce 18,000 trophies each month; current monthly production is 14,400 trophies. The company normally charges $103 per trophy. Cost data for the current level of production are shown below: Variable costs: Direct materials \ 460,800 Direct labor \ 316,800 Selling and administrative \ 15,840 Fixed costs: Manufacturing \ 404,640 Selling and administrative \ 74,880 The company has just received a special one-time order for 900 trophies at $48 each. For this particular order, no variable selling and administrative costs would be incurred. This order would also have no effect on fixed costs. Assume that direct labor is a variable cost. Required: Should the company accept this special order? Why?

Companies often allocate common fixed costs among segments. For example, common fixed corporate costs are often allocated to divisions and appear as part of the divisional performance reports. Required: What dangers are there in allocating common fixed costs to segments when involved in a decision to possibly drop a segment such as a product or a division?

The Jabba Corporation manufactures the "Snack Buster" which consists of a wooden snack chip bowl with an attached porcelain dip bowl. Which of the following would be relevant in Jabba's decision to make the dip bowls or buy them from an outside supplier?

Part S51 is used in one of Haberkorn Corporation's products. The company makes 12,000 units of this part each year. The company's Accounting Department reports the following costs of producing the part at this level of activity: An outside supplier has offered to produce this part and sell it to the company for $37.70 each. If this offer is accepted, the supervisor's salary and all of the variable costs, including direct labor, can be avoided. The special equipment used to make the part was purchased many years ago and has no salvage value or other use. The allocated general overhead represents fixed costs of the entire company. If the outside supplier's offer were accepted, only $17,000 of these allocated general overhead costs would be avoided. The annual financial advantage (disadvantage) for the company as a result of buying the part from the outside supplier would be: