Thornton Boot Co. sells mens, womens, and childrens boots. For each type of boot sold, it operates a separate department that has its own manager. The manager of the mens department has a sales staff of nine employees, the manager of the womens department has six employees, and the manager of the childrens department has three employees. All departments are housed in a single store. In recent years, the childrens department has operated at a net loss and is expected to continue to do so. Last years income statements follow.

	Mens Department				Womens Department				Childrens Department
Sales	$	700,000			$	500,000			$	200,000
Cost of goods sold		(273,500	)			(182,800	)			(104,875	)
Gross margin		426,500				317,200				95,125
Department managers salary		(68,000	)			(57,000	)			(37,000	)
Sales commissions		(122,200	)			(91,600	)			(35,900	)
Rent on store lease		(37,000	)			(37,000	)			(37,000	)
Store utilities		(20,000	)			(20,000	)			(20,000	)
Net income (loss)	$	179,300			$	111,600			$	(34,775	)

Required

1. a. Calculate the contribution to profit. Determine whether to eliminate the childrens department.

2. b-1. Calculate the net income for the company as a whole with the children's department.

3. b-2. Confirm the conclusion you reached in Requirement a by preparing income statements for the company as a whole with and without the childrens department.

4. c. Eliminating the childrens department would increase space available to display mens and womens boots. Suppose management estimates that a wider selection of adult boots would increase the stores net earnings by $48,000. Would this information affect the decision that you made in Requirement a?