Tracey Douglas is the owner and managing director of Heritage Garden Furniture, Ltd., a South African company that makes museum-quality reproductions of antique outdoor furniture. Ms. Douglas would like advice concerning the advisability of eliminating the model C3 lawnchair. These lawnchairs have been among the companys best-selling products, but they seem to be unprofitable.

A condensed absorption costing income statement for the company and for the model C3 lawnchair for the quarter ended June 30 follows:

	All Products		Model C3 Lawnchair
Sales	R	3,110,000	R	321,000
Cost of goods sold:
Direct materials		780,000		124,100
Direct labor		701,000		74,100
Fringe benefits (15% of direct labor)		105,150		11,115
Variable manufacturing overhead		30,100		5,700
Building rent and maintenance		32,100		6,100
Depreciation		77,100		21,200
Total cost of goods sold		1,725,450		242,315
Gross margin		1,384,550		78,685
Selling and administrative expenses:
Product managers' salaries		96,000		7,000
Sales commissions (5% of sales)		155,500		16,050
Fringe benefits (20% of salaries and commissions)		50,300		4,610
Shipping		141,000		54,625
General administrative expenses		466,100		47,300
Total selling and administrative expenses		908,900		129,585
Net operating income (loss)	R	475,650	R	(50,900)

The currency in South Africa is the rand, denoted here by R.

The following additional data have been supplied by the company:

a.	Direct labor is a variable cost.
b.	All of the companys products are manufactured in the same facility and use the same equipment. Building rent and maintenance and depreciation are allocated to products using various bases. The equipment does not wear out through use; it eventually becomes obsolete.
c.	There is ample capacity to fill all orders.
d.	Dropping the model C3 lawnchair would have no effect on sales of other product lines.
e.	Work in process and finished goods inventories are insignificant.
f.	Shipping costs are traced directly to products.
g.	General administrative expenses are allocated to products on the basis of sales. There would be no effect on the total general administrative expenses if the model C3 lawnchair were dropped.
h.	If the model C3 lawnchair were dropped, the product manager would be laid off.

Required:
1a.	Calculate the effect on the overall company's net operating income if the Model C3 lawnchair is dropped? (Input the amount as a positive value.)

(Click to select)IncreaseDecrease in net operating income

R

1b.

Would you recommend that the model C3 lawnchair be dropped?

	No
	Yes

2.	What would sales of the model C3 lawnchair have to be, at minimum, in order to justify retaining the product?

Break-even point

R