Chapter 25: Q9RQ (page 1406)
Question: Explain the difference between price-takers and price-setters.
Answer
Price-takers are the companies who accept the prices as permarket competition. In contrast, price-setters are companies that control the price setting of theirproducts and services.
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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 รท 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.
Snappy Plants operates a commercial plant nursery where it propagates plants for garden centers throughout the region. Snappy Plants has \(5,100,000 in assets. Its yearly fixed costs are \)650,000, and the variable costs for the potting soil, container, label, seedling, and labor for each gallon-size plant total \(1.90. Snappy Plantsโs volume is currently 500,000 units. Competitors offer the same plants, at the same quality, to garden centers for \)4.25 each. Garden centers then mark them up to sell to the public for \(9 to \)12, depending on the type of plant.
Requirements
1. Snappy Plantsโs owners want to earn a 11% return on investment on the companyโs assets. What is Snappy Plantsโs target full product cost?
2. Given Snappy Plantsโs current costs, will its owners be able to achieve their target profit?
3. Assume Snappy Plants has identified ways to cut its variable costs to \(1.75 per unit. What is its new target fixed cost? Will this decrease in variable costs allow the company to achieve its target profit?
4. Snappy Plants started an aggressive advertising campaign strategy to differentiate its plants from those grown by other nurseries. Snappy Plants does not expect volume to be affected, but it hopes to gain more control over pricing. If Snappy Plants has to spend \)105,000 this year to advertise and its variable costs continue to be $1.75 per unit, what will its cost-plus price be? Do you think Snappy Plants will be able to sell its plants to garden centers at the cost-plus price? Why or why not?
Members of the board of directors of Security Team have received the following operating income data for the year ended March 31, 2018:
SECURITY CHECK Income Statement For the Year Ended May 31, 2018 |
Product Line |
Industrial Systems | Household Systems | Total |
Net Sales Revenue | \( 300,000 | \) 330,000 | \( 630,000 |
Cost of Goods Sold: | |||
Variable | 35,000 | 42,000 | 77,000 |
Fixed | 210,000 | 63,000 | 273,000 |
Total Cost of Goods Sold | 245,000 | 105,000 | 350,000 |
Gross Pro๏ฌt | 55,000 | 225,000 | 280,000 |
Selling and Administrative Expenses: | |||
Variable | 66,000 | 77,000 | 143,000 |
Fixed | 39,000 | 28,000 | 67,000 |
Total Selling and Administrative Expenses | 105,000 | 105,000 | 210,000 |
Operating Income (Loss) | \) (50,000) | \( 120,000 | \) 70,000 |
Members of the board are surprised that the industrial systems product line is losing money. They commission a study to determine whether the company should drop the line. Company accountants estimate that dropping industrial systems will decrease fixed cost of goods sold by \(81,000 and decrease fixed selling and administrative expenses by \)15,000.
Requirements
1. Prepare a differential analysis to show whether Security Team should drop the industrial systems product line.
2. Prepare contribution margin income statements to show Security Teamโs total operating income under the two alternatives: (a) with the industrial systems line and (b) without the line. Compare the difference between the two alternativesโ income numbers to your answer to Requirement 1.
3. What have you learned from this comparison in Requirement 2?
Brik, located in San Antonio, Texas, produces two lines of electric toothbrushes: deluxe and standard. Because Brik can sell all the toothbrushes it can produce, the owners are expanding the plant. They are deciding which product line to emphasize. To make this decision, they assemble the following data:
Per Unit
Deluxe Toothbrush Standard Toothbrush
Sales price \(88 \)54
Variable expense 22 18
Contribution margin \(66 \)36
Contribution margin ratio 75.0% 66.7%
After expansion, the factory will have a production capacity of 4,900 machine hours per month. The plant can manufacture 65 standard electric toothbrushes or 27 deluxe electric toothbrushes per machine hour.
Requirements
1. Identify the constraining factor for Brik.
2. Prepare an analysis to show which product line the company should emphasize.
What questions should managers answer when considering dropping a product or segment?
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