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Chapter 20: Q-23RQ (page 1120)
What is the margin of safety? What are the three ways it can be expressed?
Answer
Margin of safety is a cushion between profit and loss.
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You have just begun your summer internship at Omni Instruments. The company supplies sterilized surgical instruments for physicians. To expand sales, Omni is considering paying a commission to its sales force. The controller, Matthew Barnhill, asks you to compute: (1) the new breakeven sales figure, and (2) the operating profit if sales increase 15% under the new sales commission plan. He thinks you can handle this task because you learned CVP analysis in your accounting class.
You spend the next day collecting information from the accounting records, performing the analysis, and writing a memo to explain the results. The company president is pleased with your memo. You report that the new sales commission plan will lead to a significant increase in operating income and only a small increase in breakeven sales.
The following week, you realize that you made an error in the CVP analysis. You overlooked the sales personnel’s $2,800 monthly salaries, and you did not include this fixed selling cost in your computations. You are not sure what to do. If you tell Matthew Barnhill of your mistake, he will have to tell the president. In this case, you are afraid Omni might not offer you permanent employment after your internship.
Requirements
1. How would your error affect breakeven sales and operating income under the proposed sales commission plan? Could this cause the president to reject the sales commission proposal?
2. Consider your ethical responsibilities. Is there a difference between (a) initially making an error and (b) subsequently failing to inform the controller?
3. Suppose you tell Matthew Barnhill of the error in your analysis. Why might the consequences not be as bad as you fear? Should Barnhill take any responsibility for your error? What could Barnhill have done differently?
4. After considering all the factors, should you inform Barnhill or simply keep quiet?
What are the three approaches to calculating the sales required to achieve the breakeven point? Give the formula for each one.
England Productions performs London shows. The average show sells 1,300 tickets at\(60 per ticket. There are 175 shows per year. No additional shows can be held as thetheater is also used by other production companies. The average show has a cast of65, each earning a net average of \)340 per show. The cast is paid after each show. Theother variable cost is a program-printing cost of \(8 per guest. Annual fixed costs total\)728,000.
Requirements
1. Compute revenue and variable costs for each show.
2. Use the equation approach to compute the number of shows England Productionsmust perform each year to break even.
3. Use the contribution margin ratio approach to compute the number of showsneeded each year to earn a profit of $5,687,500. Is this profit goal realistic? Giveyour reasoning.
4. Prepare England Productions’s contribution margin income statement for175 shows performed in 2018. Report only two categories of costs: variableand fixed.
Calculating breakeven point for two products, margin of safety, andoperating leverage
The contribution margin income statement of Delectable Donuts for May 2018follows:
DELECTABLE DONUTS Contribution Margin Income Statement Month Ended May 31, 2018 |
Net Sales Revenue | \(125,000 | |
Variable cost | ||
Cost of goods sold | \)32,100 | |
Selling cost | 17,400 | |
Administrative cost | 500 | \(50,000 |
Contribution Margin | \)75,000 | |
Fixed cost | ||
Selling cost | \(37,800 | |
Administrative cost | 12,600 | \)50,400 |
Operating income | \(24,600 |
Delectable sells five dozen plain donuts for every dozen custard-filled donuts. A dozenplain donuts sells for \)4.00, with a variable cost of \(1.60 per dozen. A dozen custardfilled donuts sells for \)8.00, with a variable cost of $3.20 per dozen.
Requirements
1. Calculate the weighted-average contribution margin.
2. Determine Delectable’s monthly breakeven point in dozens of plain donuts and custard-filled donuts. Prove your answer by preparing a summary contribution nmargin income statement at the breakeven level of sales. Show only two categories of costs: variable and fixed.
3. Compute Delectable’s margin of safety in dollars for May 2018.
4. Compute the degree of operating leverage for Delectable Donuts. Estimate thenew operating income if total sales increase by 20%. (Round the degree of operating leverage to four decimal places and the final answer to the nearest dollar.Assume the sales mix remains unchanged.)
5. Prove your answer to Requirement 4 by preparing a contribution marginincome statement with a 20% increase in total sales. (The sales mix remainsunchanged.)
Owner Shan Mu is considering franchising her Noodles by Murestaurant concept. She believes people will pay \(10.00 for a large bowl ofnoodles. Variable costs are \)5.00 per bowl. Mu estimates monthly fixed costsfor a franchise at \(9,000.
Requirements
1. Use the contribution margin ratio approach to find a franchise’s breakevensales in dollars.
2. Mu believes most locations could generate \)61,500 in monthly sales. Isfranchising a good idea for Mu if franchisees want a minimum monthlyoperating income of $21,000? Explain your answer.
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