Final answer:
The company's selling price is 50% above its variable cost per unit.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks what percentage above the variable cost per unit the company's selling price is. To find this percentage, we can use the formula for percentage increase: ((new value - old value) / old value) x 100. The variable cost per unit is $48, and we can calculate the selling price as follows:
Selling price = Variable cost per unit + Profit per unit
Profit per unit = Selling price - Variable cost per unit
Substituting the given values:
Profit per unit = $72 - $48 = $24
Using the percentage increase formula:
((selling price - variable cost per unit) / variable cost per unit) x 100 = (($72 - $48) / $48) x 100 = 50%.
Therefore, the company's selling price is 50% above its variable cost per unit.