What effect does an increase in sales price have on contribution margin? An increase in fixed costs? An increase in variable costs?

Short Answer

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Answer

There is an inverse relationship between variable cost and contribution margin.

Step by step solution

01

What effect does an increase in sales price have on contribution margin?

If sales price increase the contribution margin will also increase, that means there is a direct relationship between sales price and contribution margin.

02

What effect does an increase in fixed costs have on contribution margin?

Increase in fixed cost does not impact contribution margin in any manner because contribution is the difference of sales price and variable cost.

03

What effect does an increase in variable costs have on contribution margin?

There is an inverse relationship between variable cost and contribution margin. If variable costs increase contribution margin will decrease.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Calculating contribution margin ratio, preparing contribution margin income statements For its top managers, Worldwide Travel formats its income statement as follows:

Worldwide’s relevant range is between sales of \(253,000 and \)368,000. Requirements

1. Calculate the contribution margin ratio.

2. Prepare two contribution margin income statements: one at the \(253,000 sales level and one at the \)368,000 sales level. (Hint: The proportion of each sales dollar that goes toward variable costs is constant within the relevant range.)

A furniture manufacturer specializes in wood tables. The tables sell for \(100 per unit and incur \)40 per unit in variable costs. The company has $6,000 in fixed costs per month.

6. Prepare a contribution margin income statement for one month if the company sells 200 tables.

7. What is the total contribution margin for the month when the company sells 200 tables?

8. What is the unit contribution margin?

9. What is the contribution margin ratio?

Using terminology Match the following terms with the correct definitions:

1. Costs that do not change in total over wide ranges of volume.

2. Technique that estimates profit or loss results when conditions change.

3. The sales level at which operating income is zero.

4. Drop in sales a company can absorb without incurring an operating loss.

5. Combination of products that make up total sales.

6. Net sales revenue minus variable costs.

7. Describes how a cost changes as volume changes.

8. Costs that change in total in direct proportion to changes in volume.

9. The band of volume where total fixed costs and variable cost per unit remain constant.

a. Breakeven point

b. Contribution margin

c. Cost behavior

d. Margin of safety

e. Relevant range

f. Sales mix

g. Fixed costs

h. Variable costs

i. Sensitivity analysis

On the CVP graph, where is the breakeven point shown? Why?

Before you begin this assignment, review the Tying It All Together feature in the chapter.

Best Buy Co., Inc. is a leading provider of technology products. Customers can shop at more than 1,700 stores or online. The company is also known for its Geek Squad for technology services. Suppose Best Buy is considering a particular HDTV for a major sales item for Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, known as one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Assume the HDTV has a regular sales price of \(900, a cost of \)500, and a Black Friday proposed discounted sales price of \(650. Best Buy’s 2015 Annual Report states that failure to manage costs could have a material adverse effect on its profitability and that certain elements in its cost structure are largely fixed in nature. Best Buy, like most companies, wishes to maintain price competitiveness while achieving acceptable levels of profitability. (Item 1A. Risk Factors.)

Requirements

1. Calculate the gross profit of the HDTV at the regular sales price and at the discounted sales price.

2. Assume that during the November/December holiday season last year, Best Buy sold an average of 150 of this particular HDTV per store. If the HDTVs are marked down to \)650, how many would each store have to sell this year to make the same total gross profit as last year?

3. Relative to Sales Revenue, what type of costs would Best Buy have that are fixed? What type of costs would be variable?

4. Because Best Buy stated that its cost structure is largely fixed in nature, what might be the impact on operating income if sales decreased? Does having a cost structure that is largely fixed in nature increase the financial risk to a company? Why or why not?

5. In the Tying It All Together feature in the chapter, we looked at the cost of advertising. Is advertising a fixed or variable cost? If the company has a small margin of safety, how would increasing advertising costs affect Best Buy’s operating income? What would be the effect of decreasing advertising costs?

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