Eagle Power is a market leader in making batteries. The company has been operating for a number of years in the industry and has earned considerable reputation. The company has the operating budget for April 2013 as followed:

Number of batteries

15,000

Selling price per battery

$20

Variable cost per battery

$8

Fixed costs for the month

145,000

However, the actual results for the April 2013 were as follows:

Number of batteries produced and sold

12,000

Average selling price per battery

$21

Variable cost per battery

$7

Fixed costs for the month

150,000

The managing director of the company noticed that the operating income for April 2013 was much worse than expected, although there is a higher-than-budgeted selling price and a lower-than-budgeted variable cost per unit. As the company's management accountant, you have been asked to provide explanations for the unsatisfactory April results.

Required:

1.Prepare a master-budget-based variance analysis of the April performance for the company.

2.Prepare a flexible-budget-based variance analysis of the April performance for the company.

3.Why might the company management find the flexible-budget-based variance analysis more informative than the master-budgeted-based variance analysis? Explain your answer.