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Chapter 25: Q18E (page 1414)

Cool Systems manufactures an optical switch that it uses in its final product. The switch has the following manufacturing costs per unit:

Direct materials \(5.00

Direct labor 3.00

Variable overhead 6.00

Fixed overhead 7.00

Manufacturing product cost \)21.00

Another company has offered to sell Cool Systems the switch for $15.00 per unit. If Cool Systems buys the switch from the outside supplier, the idle manufacturing facilities cannot be used for any other purpose, yet none of the fixed costs are avoidable.

Prepare an outsourcing analysis to determine whether Cool Systems should make or buy the switch.

Short Answer

Expert verified

The company shouldmake the product in-house.

Step by step solution

01

Meaning of Avoidable Fixed Cost

Avoidable fixed cost refers to the expenses that are not required to be incurred by acompany if the production does not occur. In addition, avoidable fixed costs are relevant for making decisions such asoutsourcing and dropping a product or service.

02

Preparation of outsourcing analysis


Outsourcing Analysis
Outsourcing Analysis

Particulars

Make ($)

Buy ($)

Variable cost per unit:

Direct material

5

Direct labor

3

Variable overhead

6

Purchase price offered by outside supplier

15

Total

$14

$15

Decision:

The making cost of the product is less than the outsourcing price. The company, therefore, should continue making the product instead of outsourcingit.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Heavenly Dessert processes cocoa beans into cocoa powder at a processing cost of \(9,700 per batch. Heavenly Dessert can sell the cocoa powder as is, or it can process the cocoa powder further into either chocolate syrup or boxed assorted chocolates. Once processed, each batch of cocoa beans would result in the following sales revenue:

Cocoa powder \)14,500

Chocolate syrup 103,000

Boxed assorted chocolates 204,000

The cost of transforming the cocoa powder into chocolate syrup would be \(72,000. Likewise, the company would incur a cost of \)183,000 to transform the cocoa powder into boxed assorted chocolates. The company president has decided to make assorted boxed chocolates due to their high sales value and to the fact that the cocoa bean processing cost of $9,700 eats up most of the cocoa powder profits. Has the president made the right or wrong decision? Explain your answer. Be sure to include the correct financial analysis in your response.

Grimm Company makes decorative wedding cakes. The company is considering buying the cakes rather than baking them, which will allow it to concentrate on decorating. The company averages 100 wedding cakes per year and incurs the following costs from baking wedding cakes:

Direct materials \(500

Direct labor 1,000

Variable manufacturing overhead 200

Fixed manufacturing overhead 1,200

Total manufacturing cost \)2,900

Number of cakes ÷ 100

Cost per cake \(29

Fixed costs are primarily the depreciation on kitchen equipment such as ovens and mixers. Grimm expects to retain the equipment. Grimm can buy the cakes for \)25.

  1. Should Grimm make the cakes or buy them? Why?
  2. If Grimm decides to buy the cakes, what are some qualitative factors that Grimm should also consider?

Green Thumb operates a commercial plant nursery, where it propagates plants for garden centers throughout the region. Green Thumb has \(5,300,000 in assets. Its yearly fixed costs are \)625,000, and the variable costs for the potting soil, container, label, seedling, and labor for each gallon-size plant total \(1.70. Green Thumb’s volume is currently 490,000 units. Competitors offer the same plants, at the same quality, to garden centers for \)4.00 each. Garden centers then mark them up to sell to the public for \(9 to \)12, depending on the type of plant.

Requirements

1. Green Thumb’s owners want to earn an 10% return on the company’s assets. What is Green Thumb’s target full product cost?

2. Given Green Thumb’s current costs, will its owners be able to achieve their target profit?

3. Assume Green Thumb has identified ways to cut its variable costs to \(1.55 per unit. What is its new target fixed cost? Will this decrease in variable costs allow the company to achieve its target profit?

4. Green Thumb started an aggressive advertising campaign strategy to differentiate its plants from those grown by other nurseries. Green Thumb does not expect volume to be affected, but it hopes to gain more control over pricing. If Green Thumb has to spend \)135,000 this year to advertise and its variable costs continue to be $1.55 per unit, what will its cost-plus price be? Do you think Green Thumb will be able to sell its plants to garden centers at the cost-plus price? Why or why not?

What questions should managers answer when setting regular prices?

Tread Light produces two types of exercise treadmills: regular and deluxe. The exercise craze is such that Tread Light could use all its available machine hours to produce either model. The two models are processed through the same production departments. Data for both models are as follows:

Per Unit

Deluxe Regular

Sales price \(1,030 \)610

Costs:

Direct materials 320 130

Direct labor 88 180

Variable manufacturing overhead 270 90

Fixed manufacturing overhead* 102 34

Variable operating expenses 121 63

Total costs 901 497

Operating income \(129 \)113

*allocated on the basis of machine hours

Requirements

1. What is the constraint?

2. Which model should Tread Light produce? (Hint: Use the allocation of fixed manufacturing overhead to determine the proportion of machine hours used by each product.)

3. If Tread Light should produce both models, compute the mix that will maximize operating income.
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