Slings-Are-Us makes slings. Traditionally, they bought fabric in quantity, and cut out the forms for their slings from large pieces, discarding the interstitial material as scrap. Due to the integrated nature of the production facility, the cost of all this fabric was considered a joint cost, allocated by the approximate relative sales value method, and the scraps were considered a waste by-product.

Recently however, an enterprising employee had the great idea to use these scraps and make small, unique slings from the heretofore-discarded pieces of fabric. The company agreed to implement this idea on a trial basis, and the accounting department decided to consider these slings a by-product using the net realizable value method.

The marketing department set the price for the by-product slings at $50, and in the first year of production, 10,000 of these scrap slings were sold. At the end of the first year, the accounting department determined that each slings incurred additional processing costs of $40 on average in materials (straps, buckles, thread, etc.), labor, and variable overhead (not including the cost of the scrap fabric from whence they came).

If Slings-Are-Us had instead accounted for the new slings as a full product instead of a by- product, how would this affect their overall profitability for the company as a whole (compared to considering the new slings a by-product)? (Note: assume all produced products were sold)

Increase profitability

Decrease profitability

No effect on profitability