Sea Blue manufactures flotation vests in Charleston, South Carolina. Sea Blue's contribution margin income statement for the month ended December 31, 2018, contains the following data:
Sea Blue
Income Statement
For the Month Ended December 31, 2018
Sales in Units 32,000
Net Sales Revenue $608,000
Variable Costs:
Manufacturing 96,000
Selling and Administrative 108,000
Total Variable Costs 204,000
Contribution Margin 404,000
Fixed Costs:
Manufacturing 124,000
Selling and Administrative 94,000
Total Fixed Costs 218,000
Operating Income $186,000
Suppose Overboard wishes to buy 4,600 vests from Sea Blue. Sea Blue will not incur any variable selling and administrative expenses on the special order. The Sea Blue plant has enough unused capacity to manufacture the additional vests. Overboard has offered $15 per vest, which is below the normal sales price of $19.
1. Identify each cost in the income statement as either relevant or irrelevant to Sea Blue's decision.
a. Variable Manufacturing Costs
b. Variable Selling and Administrative Costs
c. Fixed Manufacturing Costs
d. Fixed Selling and Administrative Costs
2. Prepare a differential analysis to determine whether Sea Blue should accept this special sales order.
3. Identify long-term factors Sea Blue should consider in deciding whether to accept the special sales order. In addition to determining the special order's effect on operating profits, Sea Blue's managers also should consider the following:
A. Will Sea Blue's other customers find out about the lower sale price Sea Blue accepted from Overboard? If so, will these other customers demand lower sale prices?
B. Will the special order customer come back again and again, asking for the same reduced price?
C. How will Sea Blue's competitors react? Will they retaliate by cutting their prices and starting a price war?
D. All of the above
E. None of the above