Drugs-R-Us, Inc., produces equipment for manufacturing drugs. The costs of manufacturing and marketing this equipment at the company's normal volume of 3,000 units per month are shown in Exhibit 1.

EXHIBIT 1 - Costs per Unit for Equipment

Unit manufacturing costs:

Variable materials $200

Variable labor 300

Variable overhead 150

Fixed overhead 240

Total unit manufacturing costs $ 890

Unit marketing costs:

Variable $100

Fixed 280

Total unit marketing costs $ 380

Total unit costs $1,270

QUESTIONS

The following questions refer only to the data given above. Unless otherwise stated, assume there is no connection between the situations described in the questions; each is to be treated independently. Unless otherwise stated, a regular selling price of $1,580 per unit should be assumed. Ignore income taxes and other costs that are not mentioned in Exhibit 1 or in the question.

1. What is the contribution margin per unit and in total for the equipment? What does this mean?

2. What is the breakeven volume in units? In sales dollars?

3. Market research estimates that monthly equipment production could be increased to 3,500 units which is well within production capacity limitations, if the price were cut from $1,580 to $1,400 per unit. Assuming the cost behavior patterns implied by the data in Exhibit 1 are correct, would you recommend that this action be taken? What would be the impact on monthly sales, costs, and income?

4. Drugs-R-Us has an opportunity to enter a foreign market in which price competition is keen. An attraction of the foreign market is that demand there is greatest when demand in the domestic market is quite low; thus, idle production facilities could be used without affecting domestic business. Unlike many foreign markets there are no government restrictions. An order for 1,000 units is being sought at a below-normal price in order to enter this market. Additional shipping and handling costs for this order will amount to $150 per unit, while the cost of obtaining the contract (marketing costs) will be $8,000 in addition to the normal variable marketing costs. Domestic business would be unaffected by this order. What is the minimum (e.g. breakeven) unit price Drugs-R-Us should consider for this order of 1,000 units?