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Super Scenary Inc. (SSI) manufactures lawn fertilizer. Because of the products very high quality, SSI often receives special orders from agricultural research groups. For each type of fertilizer sold, each bag is carefully filled to have the precise mix of components advertised for that type of fertilizer. SSIs operating capacity is 33,000 one-hundred-pound bags per month, and it currently is selling 31,000 bags manufactured in 31 batches of 1,000 bags each.

The following information is provided about SSIs current operations:

Sales and production cost data for 31,000 bags, per bag:
Sales price	$	46
Variable manufacturing costs		12
Variable selling costs		3
Fixed manufacturing costs		21
Fixed marketing costs		7

The firm just received a request for a special order of 7,200 one-hundred-pound bags of fertilizer for $200,000 from AMEX, a research organization. The production costs would be the same, but there would be no variable selling costs. Delivery and other packaging and distribution services would cause a one-time $4,400 cost for SSI. The special order would be processed in two batches of 3,600 bags each. (No incremental batch-level costs are anticipated. Most of the batch-level costs in this case are short-term fixed costs, such as salaries and depreciation.) No marketing costs would be associated with the special order. Because the order would be used in research and consistency is critical, AMEX requires that SSI fill the entire order of 7,200 bags.

Required:

1. What is the total relevant cost of filling this special sales order?

2. What would be the change in operating income if the special order is accepted?

3. What is the break-even selling price per unit for the special sales order (i.e., what is the selling price that would result in a zero effect on operating income)?

4. Prepare comparative income statements, using the contribution format, for both the current situation and assuming the special order is accepted at the break-even price determined in requirement 3.