Solve both scenarios below:
1. Mars Corporation has three departments. Condensed income statement data are as follows:
| |Department A |Department B |Department C |Total |
|Sales |$300,000 |$280,000 |$120,000 |$700,000 |
|Variable Expenses |160,000 |175,000 |105,000 |440,000 |
|Contribution Margin |140,000 |105,000 |15,000 |260,000 |
|Fixed Expenses |65,000 |35,000 |40,000 |140,000 |
|Net Income |$75,000 |$70,000 |$(25,000) |$120,000 |
If Department C is discontinued, fixed expenses would drop $24,000 since the departmental supervisor would leave; the remaining fixed expenses would continue. Sales in Department A would drop 5%; Department B would be unaffected.
Required:
Should Department C be discontinued? Explain fully and show your computations.
The chart below is how Mars Corporation’s income statement data would look if department C were to be discontinued. While this decision would be cutting an unprofitable department, it would result in a loss in net income for a couple of reasons. Firstly, while some of the fixed expenses would be shed, note that Department A and B would still inherit $26,000 collectively from the discontinuance of Department C. That in itself makes up more than the loss in net income that Department C was resulting in to begin with. On top of this, the 5% sales drop in department A would cost the company $15,000 in sales. All things...