Sustainability and cost estimation (Learning Objective 2)
SUSTAINABILITY
Moonlight Entertainment is a provider of cable, Internet, and on-demand video services. Moonlight currently sends monthly bills to its customers via the postal service. Because of a concern for the environment and recent increases in postal rates, Moonlight management is considering offering an option to its customers for paperless billing. In addition to saving printing, paper, and postal costs, paperless billing will save energy and water (through reduced paper needs, reduced waste disposal, and reduced transportation needs.) Although Moonlight would like to switch to 100% paperless billing, many of its customers are not comfortable with paperless billing or may not have online access, so the paper billing option will remain regardless of whether Moonlight adopts a paperless billing system or not.
The cost of the paperless billing system would be $288,600 per quarter with no variable costs since the costs of the system are the salaries of the clerks and the cost of leasing the computer system. The paperless billing system being proposed would be able to handle up to 990,000 bills per quarter (more than 990,000 bills per quarter would require a different computer system and is outside the scope of the current situation at Moonlight).
The company has gathered its cost data for the past year by quarter for paper, toner cartridges, printer maintenance costs, and postage costs for its billing department. The cost data are as follows:
Requirements
- 1. Calculate the variable cost per bill mailed under the current paper-based billing system. Use the high-low method.
- 2. Assume that the company projects that it will have a total of 760,000 bills to mail in the upcoming quarter. If enough customers choose the paperless billing option so that 45% of the mailings can be converted to paperless, how much would the company save from the paperless billing system (be sure to consider the cost of the paperless billing system)?
- 3. What if only 40% of the mailings are converted to the paperless option (assume a total of 760,000 bills)? Should the company still offer the paperless billing system? Explain your rationale.
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionChapter 6 Solutions
Managerial Accounting (5th Edition)
- 1. Explain which of the conversion methods would be suitable for the following. Justify your choice: Upgrading the software for an Automatic Banking Machine (ABM/ATM) Adding a new inventory system along with new computerized cash registers in a supermarket Implementing a student course management system in a university 2. List four reasons why your participation as a user of an information system is critical during the systems development life cycle, linking the concepts of user involvement and change management in a software implementation project. 3. Why is it so important to understand how a business process works when trying to develop a new information system? TASK B: In the context of the impact of a change on an organization, How would you characterize the following changes? Adding electronic scoreboards to a cricket grounds. A Telco consolidating call centres in one country. A Telco installing fibre-to-the-home to replace copper wires. A Telco launching a TV service.arrow_forwardYou wish to take an Excel course. You may enroll at one within your school or you may take a community class at the local library. You've gathered the following information to aid in your decision-making process: Costs/Benefits College Course Community Course Cost $4,300 $1,190 Distance to course 0.20 miles (walking distance) 18 miles (driving distance) Timing of course Weekday Weekend Number of meetings 16 8 Qualitative considerations Convenience, quality of instruction Flexibility, brief duration Pretend transportation (gas, mileage, and parking) cost $220 per class session at the library. If you consider solely the cost - including transportation - of each alternative, which would you choose? Multiple Choice College course Community course Both alternatives Neither alternativearrow_forwardIntroduction, key issue/s, analysis and recommendation sections for each separate scenario. ACC2273 “Is there anything wrong?” Scenario 1 You run a small business that takes older machines and refurbishes them to sell at a “charitable” price. You are doing good for the environment and helping those who need these machines get one at a reasonable price when otherwise they would not have been able to afford one. … yes, business is and can be about helping others, it is not all about making a profit and selling stuff to people that don’t necessarily need stuff. As the owner you have hired a few people to run the business. They look after purchasing and selling, collecting and distributing. You charge (sell the machines for) a small “up-charge” of 5% over cost to cover your operating costs. Some pertinent financial data for 2022: beginning inventory $5,000, ending inventory $6,000, purchases for the year $61,000 and sales for the year $15,000. Is there anything wrong with your…arrow_forward
- HOMEWORK Question 1 Compute the incremental profit (or loss) from accepting the special order. Please solve and explain. MSI has been approached by a fourth-grade teacher from Portland about the possibility of creating a specially designed game that would be customized for her classroom and environment. The teacher would like an educational game to correspond to her classroom coverage of the history of the Pacific Northwest, and the state of Oregon in particular. MSI has not sold its products directly to teachers or school systems in the past, but its Marketing Department identified that possibility during a recent meeting. The teacher has offered to buy 1,000 copies of the CD at a price of $5 each. MSI could easily modify one of its existing educational programs about U.S. history to accommodate the request. The modifications would cost approximately $500. A summary of the information related to production of MSI’s current history program follows: Direct materials$1.50Direct…arrow_forwardAlameda Tile sells products to many people remodeling their homes and thinks that it could profitably offer courses on tile installation, which might also increase the demand for its products. The basic installation course has the following (tentative) price and cost characteristics. Need Assistance with Req C2, Req C3, Req C4arrow_forwardConrad Coding Institute (CCI) offers online courses in coding. One of CCI's most popular courses is the introductory course that teaches basic coding skills. CCI prices this course aggressively, because of the potential for creating demand for the more advanced (and more profitable) courses. The Introductory coding course has the following price and cost characteristics: Tuition Variable costs (instruction, support, and so on) Fixed costs (advertising, salaries, and so on) Required: 4. Suppose that fixed costs for the year are 15 percent lower than projected, whereas variable costs per swuent are 15 percent higher than projected. What would be the operating profit/loss for the Introductory coding course for the year? Complete this question by entering your answers in the tabs below. Req A Req B Operating profit Req C1 Req C2 $ 65 per student 40 per student 180,000 per year Req C3 Show lessarrow_forward
- (Learning Objective 2: Distinguish a capital expenditure from an immediate expense)LimeBike, located in San Mateo, California, is a startup founded in 2017. Its mission isto make shared bicycles accessible and affordable. The company has taken the basic idea ofshared bicycles and eliminated the need to return the bike to a docking station, which may notbe near the cyclist’s destination. LimeBike charges $1 per 30 minutes of riding, or $0.50 perride for students.To use LimeBike, you first use the LimeBike app to locate one of the citrus-colored bikesnear your location. Once you are at the bike, you scan the QR code on the bike or enter thebike’s plate number into the app to unlock the bike. When you are finished using the bike, youpark the bike by a bike rack or post––anywhere that is legal and visible. Once you press downthe back-wheel lock, the trip is finalized and your payment is processed by LimeBike’s app.LimeBike does not depend on government funding, making it appealing to…arrow_forwardBE5.7 - Using Excel to Determine Profitability Given a Constrained Resource Student Work Area PROBLEM Required: Provide input into cells shaded in yellow in this template. Input the required mathematical formulas or functions with cell references to the Problem area or work area as indicated. Rachel wants to use her knitting skills to make a little extra money so she can enjoy a theatre weekend with her besties. She’s got the pattern down for a hat, scarf, and mittens, but she realizes that her available time is limited. She should be able to sell as many of any item as she can make, but she wants to make sure she’s making the best use of her time. Cost and time information are provided here. Calculate the contribution margin per unit of the scarce resource for each item. Hat Scarf Mittens Hat Scarf Mittens Contribution margin per Time in minutes 20 30…arrow_forwardPlease review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Please refer to the directions in the Student Success Center.Paul Duncan, financial manager of EduSoft Inc., is facing a dilemma. The firm was founded 5 years ago to provide educational software for the rapidly expanding primary and secondary school markets. Although EduSoft has done well, the firm's founder believes an industry shakeout is imminent. To survive, EduSoft must grab market share now, and this will require a large infusion of new capital.Because he expects earnings to continue rising sharply and looks for the stock price to follow suit, Mr. Duncan does not think it would be wise to issue new common stock at this time. On the other hand, interest rates are currently high by historical standards, and the firm's B rating means that interest payments on a new debt issue would be prohibitive.…arrow_forward
- 8 https://www.linkedin.com/learning/exams/summative/courses/accounting-foundations-2018 NG What is the best way for a small hardware store to compete against Home Depot, when Home Depot can charge less for the same products? Select an answer: Focus on customer service, and create relationships. Try to convince Home Depot to close its store. Buy cheaper, inferior products. Try to find suppliers who will charge less for their products. Skip Previous e to searcharrow_forwardLime (formerly known as LimeBike), located in San Mateo, Califomia, is a startup founded in 2017. Its mission is to make shared bicycles accessible and affordable. The company has taken the basic idea of shared bicycles and eliminated the need to return the bike to a docking station, which may not be near the cyclist's destination. Lime charges $1 per 30 minutes of riding, or $0.50 per ride for students. (Click the icon to view additional information.) Read the requirements. Requirement 1. For each of the following items, identify whether the cost of the item would be expensed or capitalized at Lime: Item a. Customized bikes from Trek and Specialized b. Development costs of Lime's app for locating, paying, and returning bikes c. Salary of the salesperson who works to get cities to adopt Lime's program d. Replacement tires for bikes e. Routine bike maintenance including chain lubrication, brake pad replacement, and drivetrain cleaning f. Electricity and other utilities in the company's…arrow_forwardEthical Behavior Consider the following scenario between Dave, a printer, and Steve, an assistant in the local universitys athletic department. Steve: Dave, our department needs to have 10,000 posters printed for the basketball team for next year. Heres the mock-up, and well need them in a month. How much will you charge? Dave: Well, given the costs I have for ink and paper, 1 can come in at around 5,000. Steve: Great, heres what I want you to do. Print me up an invoice for 7,500. Huts our budget. Then, when they pay you, you give me a check for 2,500. Ill make sure that you get the job. Required: CONCEPTUAL CONNECTION Is Steves proposal ethical? What should Dave do?arrow_forward
- Managerial Accounting: The Cornerstone of Busines...AccountingISBN:9781337115773Author:Maryanne M. Mowen, Don R. Hansen, Dan L. HeitgerPublisher:Cengage LearningBusiness/Professional Ethics Directors/Executives...AccountingISBN:9781337485913Author:BROOKSPublisher:Cengage