Problem with explanation.

Cornerstones of Cost Management (Cornerstones Series)
4th Edition
ISBN:9781305970663
Author:Don R. Hansen, Maryanne M. Mowen
Publisher:Don R. Hansen, Maryanne M. Mowen
Chapter13: The Balanced Scorecard: Strategic-based Control
Section: Chapter Questions
Problem 9E: Computador has a manufacturing plant in Des Moines that has the theoretical capability to produce...
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Problem with explanation.

You manage a large retail supercenter that sells groceries and other
products to 30,000 customers per week. Currently, you employ 80 check-
out clerks and 10 automated check-out machines (customers scan and pay
for their purchases without a clerk's assistance). Each clerk is paid wages
and fringe benefits of 800 dollars per week. It also cost you 800 dollars per
week to lease each machine (price includes installation, software support
and servicing). A vendor has offered you to lease you additional machines
at this price. You estimate that by leasing 10 more machines you can meet
your service requirements with 30 fewer clerks.
1. Should you lease the aditional machines or continue to service your
customers with your current input mix?
2. You conduct additional analysis and estimate that you can service the
30,000 customers with the following combinations of clerks and machines.
Calculate the total costs for each of these combinations. What combination
of inputs serves the customer at the lowest possible cost?
Clerks
Machines
80
10
50
20
30
30
22
40
15
50
12
60
3. Suppose that the marginal product of clerks at the optimal input
combination is 500. Explain in words what this means. What is the marginal
product of machines at this point? Explain why.
4. Suppose that the cost of leasing a machine declines to $500 per week.
What is your new optimal input mix? How does this affect your graph?
5. Are there any others that should be considered in making this decision on
the optimal mix of machineries and clerks. Discuss briefly.
Transcribed Image Text:You manage a large retail supercenter that sells groceries and other products to 30,000 customers per week. Currently, you employ 80 check- out clerks and 10 automated check-out machines (customers scan and pay for their purchases without a clerk's assistance). Each clerk is paid wages and fringe benefits of 800 dollars per week. It also cost you 800 dollars per week to lease each machine (price includes installation, software support and servicing). A vendor has offered you to lease you additional machines at this price. You estimate that by leasing 10 more machines you can meet your service requirements with 30 fewer clerks. 1. Should you lease the aditional machines or continue to service your customers with your current input mix? 2. You conduct additional analysis and estimate that you can service the 30,000 customers with the following combinations of clerks and machines. Calculate the total costs for each of these combinations. What combination of inputs serves the customer at the lowest possible cost? Clerks Machines 80 10 50 20 30 30 22 40 15 50 12 60 3. Suppose that the marginal product of clerks at the optimal input combination is 500. Explain in words what this means. What is the marginal product of machines at this point? Explain why. 4. Suppose that the cost of leasing a machine declines to $500 per week. What is your new optimal input mix? How does this affect your graph? 5. Are there any others that should be considered in making this decision on the optimal mix of machineries and clerks. Discuss briefly.
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