Break$-$Even Point

Schweser Satellites Inc. produces satellite earth stations that sell for $$110,000$ each. The firm's fixed costs, F$,$ are $$3$ million, $50$ earth stations are produced and sold each

year, profits total $$400,000,$ and the firm's assets $($all equity financed$)$ are $$5$ million. The firm estimates that it can change its production process, adding $$4$ million to

assets and $$500,000$ to fixed operating costs. This change will reduce variable costs per unit by $$12,000$ and increase output by $20$ units. However, the sales price on all

units must be lowered to $$100,000$ to permit sales of the additional output. The firm has tax loss carryforwards that render its tax rate zero, its cost of equity is $13\%,$ and it

uses no debt.

a$.$ What is the incremental profit? Enter your answer in dollars. For example, an answer of $$4$ million should be entered as $4,000,000,$ not $4.$ Round your answer to the

nearest dollar.

$

To get a rough idea of the project's profitability, what is the project's expected rate of return for the next year $($defined as the incremental profit divided by the

investment$)?$ Round your answer to two decimal places.

$\%$

Should the firm make the investment?

$,($yes$,$ or no$)$ since the project's expected rate of return for the next year

$($exceed$,$ does not exceed$)$ the cost of equity.

b$.$ Would the firm's break$-$even point increase or decrease if it made the change?

The change would

the break$-$even point.

c$.$ Would the new situation expose the firm to more or less business risk than the old one?

I. The new situation would obviously have less business risk than the old one.

II$.$ It is impossible to state unequivocally whether the new situation would have more or less business risk than the old one.

III. The new situation would obviously have more business risk than the old one.