Question

Delta Company produces a single product. The cost of producing and selling a single unit of this product at the company’s normal activity level of 86,400 units per year is: Direct materials $ 2.40 Direct labor $ 2.00 Variable manufacturing overhead $ 0.90 Fixed manufacturing overhead $ 3.75 Variable selling and administrative expenses $ 1.40 Fixed selling and administrative expenses $ 1.00 The normal selling price is $22.00 per unit. The company’s capacity is 106,800 units per year. An order has been received from a mail-order house for 1,700 units at a special price of $19.00 per unit. This order would not affect regular sales or the company’s total fixed costs. Required: 1. What is the financial advantage (disadvantage) of accepting the special order? 2. As a separate matter from the special order, assume the company’s inventory includes 1,000 units of this product that were produced last year and that are inferior to the current model. The units must be sold through regular channels at reduced prices. The company does not expect the selling of these inferior units to have any effect on the sales of its current model. What unit cost is relevant for establishing a minimum selling price for the inferior units?

Answer 1

1. The financial advantage of accepting the special order is $20,910.

2. The relevant unit cost is the variable selling and administrative expenses of $1.40 per unit.

Step-by-step explanation:

1. What is the financial advantage (disadvantage) of accepting the special order?

Since this order would not affect regular sales or the company's total fixed costs, it implies that only the variable costs will be considered to determine the financial advantage (disadvantage) of accepting the special order.

Therefore, we have:

Total variable cost per unit = Direct materials + Direct labor + Variable manufacturing overhead + Variable selling and administrative expenses = $2.40 + $2.00 + $0.90 + $1.40 = $6.70

Special order financial advantage (disadvantage) = (Special price per unit - Total variable cost per unit) * Units of special order = ($19.00 - $6.70) * 1,700 = $20,910

Therefore, the financial advantage of accepting the special order is $20,910.

2. As a separate matter from the special order, assume the company’s inventory includes 1,000 units of this product that were produced last year and that are inferior to the current model. The units must be sold through regular channels at reduced prices. The company does not expect the selling of these inferior units to have any effect on the sales of its current model. What unit cost is relevant for establishing a minimum selling price for the inferior units?

Since these units are inferior to the current model and must be sold through regular channels at reduced prices, the unit cost that is relevant for establishing a minimum selling price for the inferior units is therefore the variable selling and administrative expenses of $1.40 per unit.