Final answer:
The fruit division of Grove Company currently has a return on investment (ROI) of 45%. If management plans to improve the contribution margin by $72,000, the new ROI would be 55%.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the return on investment (ROI) for the fruit division of Grove Company, we can use the formula: ROI = (Contribution Margin / Average Operating Assets) x 100%. Given that the contribution margin is $324,000 and the average operating assets are $720,000, we can plug in these values to find the ROI: ROI = ($324,000 / $720,000) x 100% = 45%.
If management plans to improve the contribution margin by $72,000, the new contribution margin would be $324,000 + $72,000 = $396,000. Since the fixed costs don't change, the ROI would still be calculated using the original average operating assets: ROI = ($396,000 / $720,000) x 100% = 55%.