Starfax, Inc., manufactures a small part that is widely used in various electronic products such as home computers. Operating results for the first three years of activity were as follows (absorption costing basis):

	Year 1		Year 2		Year 3
Sales	$	1,160,000	$	1,044,000	$	1,160,000
Cost of goods sold		940,000		774,000		984,000
Gross margin		220,000		270,000		176,000
Selling and administrative expenses		180,000		168,000		180,000
Net operating income (loss)	$	40,000	$	102,000	$	(4,000)

In the latter part of Year 2, a competitor went out of business and in the process dumped a large number of units on the market. As a result, Starfaxs Sales dropped by 10% during Year 2 even though production increased during the year. Management had expected sales to remain constant at 40,000 units; the increased production was designed to provide the company with a buffer of protection against unexpected spurts in demand. By the start of Year 3, management could see that inventory was excessive and that spurts in demand were unlikely. To reduce the excessive inventories, Starfax cut back production during Year 3, as shown below:

	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Production in units	40,000	45,000	36,000
Sales in units	40,000	36,000	40,000

Additional information about the company follows:

a.	The companys plant is highly automated. Variable manufacturing expenses (direct materials, direct labor, and variable manufacturing overhead) total only $5.50 per unit, and fixed manufacturing overhead expenses total $720,000 per year.
b.	Fixed manufacturing overhead costs are applied to units of product on the basis of each years production. That is, a new fixed manufacturing overhead rate is computed each year.
c.	Variable selling and administrative expenses were $3 per unit sold in each year. Fixed selling and administrative expenses totaled $60,000 per year.
d.	The company uses a FIFO inventory flow assumption.

Starfaxs management cant understand why profits doubled during Year 2 when sales dropped by 10%, and why a loss was incurred during Year 3 when sales recovered to previous levels.

Prepare a contribution format variable costing income statement for each year.

Starfax, Inc.,
Variable Costing Income Statement
	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Unit sales	40,000	36,000	40,000
Variable expenses:
Total variable expenses	0	0	0
	0	0	0
Fixed expenses:
Total fixed expenses	0	0	0
Net operating income (loss)	$0	$0	$0

Compute the unit product cost in each year under absorption costing. (Round your answers to 2 decimal places.)

	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Unit product cost

Reconcile the variable costing and absorption costing net operating income for each year.

Reconciliation of Variable Costing and Absorption Costing Net Operating Incomes
	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Variable costing net operating income (loss)
Add (Deduct) fixed manufacturing overhead cost deferred in (released from) Year 2 and released in year 3
Add (Deduct) fixed manufacturing overhead cost deferred in (released from) inventory from Year 3 to the future under absorption costing
Absorption costing net operating income (loss)	$0	$0	$0

If Lean Production had been used during Year 2 and Year 3 and the predetermined overhead rate is based on 40,000 units per year, what would the companys net operating income (or loss) have been in each year under absorption costing? (Losses should be indicated by a minus sign.)

Year 1
Year 2
Year 3