Textbook Problem

Profit center responsibility reporting

A-One Freight Inc. has three regional divisions organized as profit centers. The chief executive officer (CEO) evaluates divisional performance using operating income as a percent of revenues. The following quarterly income and expense accounts were provided from the trial balance as of December 31. 20Y3.

The company operates three service departments: Shareholder Relations, Customer Support, and Legal. The Shareholder Relations Department conducts a variety of services for shareholders of the company. The Customer Support Department is the company's point of contact for new service, complaints, and requests for repair. The department believes that the number of customer contacts is an activity base for this work. The Legal Department provides legal services for division management. The department believes that the number of hours billed is an activity base for this work. The following additional information has been gathered:

Divisionmanagement does not control activities related to the shareholder relations department and general corporate officers' salaries.

Instructions

Provide a recommendation lo the CEO for a belter method for evaluating the performance of the divisions. In your recommendation, identify the major weakness of the present method.