What is cost stickiness? Why do managers need to be aware of cost stickiness?

Short Answer

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Answer

Variable cost and contribution margin have an inverse connection.

Step by step solution

01

Meaning of cost stickiness

When the ratio of increase in cost due to increased sales is higher than the ratio of decrease in cost to reduce in sales is known as cost stickiness.

02

Why do managers need to be aware of cost stickiness?

Due to cost stickiness, costs can behave differently than expected from their CVP analysis; that’s why managers need to be aware of cost stickiness.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

National Investor Group is opening an office in Portland, Oregon. Fixed monthly costs are office rent (\(8,100), depreciation on office furniture (\)1,700), utilities (\(2,000), special telephone lines (\)1,500), a connection with an online brokerage service (\(2,500), and the salary of a financial planner (\)5,200). Variable costs include payments to the financial planner (9% of revenue), advertising (11% of revenue), supplies and postage (4% of revenue), and usage fees for the telephone lines and computerized brokerage service (6% of revenue).

Requirements

  1. Use the contribution margin ratio approach to compute National’s breakeven revenue in dollars. If the average trade leads to \(1,000 in revenue for National, how many trades must be made to break even?
  2. Use the equation approach to compute the dollar revenues needed to earn a monthly target profit of \)12,600.
  3. Graph National’s CVP relationships. Assume that an average trade leads to \(1,000 in revenue for National. Show the breakeven point, the sales revenue line, the fixed cost line, the total cost line, the operating loss area, the operating income area, and the sales in units (trades) and dollars when monthly operating income of \)12,600 is earned.
  4. Suppose that the average revenue National earns increases to $1,500 per trade. Compute the new breakeven point in trades. How does this affect the breakeven point?

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 \(6,000 in fixed costs per month. The company desires to earn an operating profit of \)12,000 per month.

10. Calculate the required sales in units to earn the target profit using the equation method.

11. Calculate the required sales in units to earn the target profit using the contribution margin method.

12. Calculate the required sales in dollars to earn the target profit using the contribution margin ratio method.

13. Calculate the required sales in units to break even using the contribution margin method.

What is the purpose of using the high-low method?

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.)

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

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