Maria's Food Service provides meals that nonprofit organizations distribute to handicapped and elderly people. The following is her forecasted income statement for April, when she expects to produce and sell 3,000 meals:

AmountPer UnitSales revenue$18,000$6.00Costs of meals produced13,5004.50Gross profit$4,500$1.50Administrative costs2,1000.70Operating profit$2,400$0.80

Fixed costs included in this income statement are $4,500 for meal production and $600 for administrative costs. Maria has received a special request from an organization sponsoring a picnic to raise funds for the Special Olympics. This organization is willing to pay $3.50 per meal for 300 meals on April 10. Maria has sufficient idle capacity to fill this special order. These meals will incur all of the variable costs of meals produced, but variable administrative costs and total fixed costs will not be affected.

Required:

a.What impact would accepting this special order have on operating profit?(Select option "higher" or "lower", keeping Status Quo as the base. Select "none" if there is no effect.) (chart below)

Status Quo Alternative 3,000 units Difference

Sales revenue

Variable costs:

Meals

Administrative

Contribution margin

Fixed costs

Operating profit