Final answer:
Jordan Electronics should continue to make the containers, as the total relevant cost of making them ($19,300) is less than buying them from Russo Container Company ($25,760).
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the total relevant cost for Jordan Electronics to decide whether to make or buy the shipping containers, we need to consider only the costs that will change based on the decision. The costs provided are as follows:
Unit-level materials: $5,800
Unit-level labor: $6,400
Unit-level overhead: $3,900
Product-level costs: $9,600 (only one-third is avoidable if buying, so the relevant portion is $3,200)
Allocated facility-level costs: $26,600 (non-relevant as they are likely fixed and allocated broadly across the company's products)
If Jordan Electronics buys the containers from Russo Container Company at $2.80 each for 9,200 containers, the total cost would be 9,200 containers × $2.80 = $25,760. Therefore, the relevant cost of buying is $25,760.
Now, let's calculate the relevant cost of making the containers:
Unit-level materials: $5,800
Unit-level labor: $6,400
Unit-level overhead: $3,900
Relevant product-level costs: $3,200
The total relevant cost of making the containers is $5,800 + $6,400 + $3,900 + $3,200 = $19,300. Since the cost of making ($19,300) is less than buying ($25,760), Jordan Electronics should continue to produce the containers in-house.