Relevant Information for Special Decisions 2015 McGrawHill Education Relevant Information Two primary characteristics distinguish relevant from useless information Relevant information ID: 148860
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Chapter Thirteen
Relevant Information for Special Decisions
© 2015 McGraw-Hill Education.Slide2
Relevant Information
Two primary characteristics distinguish relevant from useless information:
Relevant information
differs
among the alternatives under consideration.Relevant information is future oriented.
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Sunk Cost
A sunk cost has been incurred in a past transaction and cannot be changed. It is not relevant for making current decisions.
I wish I hadn’t bought that stock. Cost me $25,000, and now it’s worth only $15,000. I really need a car but don’t have the cash!
Just sell the stock and buy the car!
You’ve already taken the loss. The $25,000 is a sunk cost. Like I said, sell the stock and buy the car you need.
I don’t want to take the loss!
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Opportunity Costs
An opportunity cost is the sacrifice that is incurred in order to obtain an alternative opportunity.
I think I am beginning to see what you mean.
The opportunity cost of owning the stock is $15,000. That is the amount you could receive if you decide to sell.
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Relevance is an Independent
Concept
Management at Better Bakery Products is debating whether to add a new product, either cakes or pies, to the company’s product line. Projected costs are shown:
Under either alternative, a new production supervisor must be hired at a cost of $25,000 per year. Cakes are distributed under a nationally advertised label. Pies are marketed under the company’s own name and will require new advertising.
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Relevance is an Independent
Concept
Which costs are relevant?
Material costs are relevant because they differ. Fifty cents can be avoided by choosing cakes instead of pies. Labor costs and the supervisor’s salary are not relevant because they do not differ. The advertising costs can be avoided if the company elects to make cakes. The franchise fee can be avoided if the company elects to make pies.
Whether a cost
is
fixed or variable has no bearing on its relevance
.
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Relevance is
Context-Sensitive
A particular cost that is relevant in one context may be irrelevant in another.
A department store sells men’s, women’s, and children’s clothing. The store manager’s salary could not be eliminated if the store eliminated the line of children’s clothing. Is the store manager’s salary relevant to the decision to stop selling children’s clothing?
No, the store manager’s salary will be the same if children’s clothing is no longer sold.
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Relevance is
Context-Sensitive
A particular cost that is relevant in one context may be irrelevant in another.
Would the store manager’s salary be a relevant cost, if the company was thinking about closing the store completely?
Yes, it is a relevant cost. If the store remains open, the company will incur the manager’s salary. If the store is closed, the cost will be eliminated.
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Relationship Between
Relevance and Accuracy
Information need not be exact to be relevant.
You may be considering the purchase of a laptop computer. You may decide to delay your decision because you think the price will decrease. You are not sure of the amount of the price drop, but you do believe part of the cost can be avoided by waiting.
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A quantitative focus considers the cost, increase in profits, or other numerical aspects of the decision
.
Quantitative Versus Qualitative Characteristics
Relevant information can have both quantitative and qualitative characteristics.
A qualitative focus considers non-quantitative aspects such as the impact on people and attractiveness of the products.
For example, suppose you are deciding which of two laptops to purchase. Computer A costs $300 more than Computer B. Both computers satisfy your technical requirements; however
Computer A has a more attractive appearance
Computer A
Computer B
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Differential Revenue and Avoidable Cost
Relevant revenues
must (1) be future oriented and (2) differ for the alternatives under consideration. Since relevant revenues differ between the alternatives, they are sometimes called differential revenues
.
Avoidable
costs
are the costs managers can eliminate by making specific choices.
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Relevant (Avoidable) Costs
Unit-level
Costs
Batch-level
Costs
Product-level
Costs
Facility-level
Costs
Avoided by eliminating one
unit of product.
Avoided when a batch of
work is eliminated.
Avoided if a product line
is eliminated.
Some costs may be avoided
if a business segment is eliminated.
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Relevant Information and
Special Decisions
Occasionally, a company receives an offer to sell its product at a price significantly below its normal selling price. The company must make a
special order decision
to accept or reject the offer.
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Outsourcing Decisions
Companies can sometimes purchase products needed in the manufacturing process for less than it would cost to make them. Buying goods and services from other companies rather than producing them internally is commonly called
outsourcing.
That test was so easy. How did you score so low?
I outsourced my homework!!
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Segment Elimination Decisions
A three step decision:
Determine the amount of relevant revenue that pertains to eliminating the segment.
Determine the amount of cost that can be avoided if the segment is eliminated.
If the relevant revenue is less than the avoidable cost, eliminate the segment. If not, continue to operate it.
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Qualitative Considerations
Employee lives will be disrupted.
Sales of different product lines are frequently interdependent.
What will happen to the space freed by the eliminated segment?
Volume changes can affect elimination decisions.
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Summary of Relationships Between Decision Type and Level of Cost Hierarchy
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Equipment Replacement Decisions
The equipment replacement decision should be based on profitability rather than physical deterioration. Consider the following:
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Equipment Replacement Decisions – Quantitative Analysis
The original cost, current book value, accumulated depreciation, and annual depreciation expense are measures of cost of the old machine relating to prior periods. They are irrelevant because they are sunk costs.
The $14,000 market value of the old machine is an opportunity cost and is relevant to the replacement decision.
The salvage value of the old machine reduces the opportunity cost. The opportunity cost of using the old machine for five more years is $12,000 ($14,000
– $2,000).
The $45,000 operating expenses of using the old machine can be avoided if it is replaced. It is a relevant cost.
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What are the relevant costs if Premier purchases and uses the new machine?
The cost of the new machine can be avoided by keeping the old machine. It is a relevant cost.
The relevant cost of purchasing the new machine is $25,000 ($29,000
– $4,000)
.
The $22,500 of operating expenses can be avoided by keeping the old machine. The operating expenses are relevant costs.
Let’s summarize the relevant costs for the two machines.
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Equipment Replacement Decisions
Our analysis shows that Premier should acquire the new machine. Over a five-year period the company will save a total of $9,500
($57,000
– $47,500).
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End of Chapter Thirteen
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