Question

“I know headquarters wants us to add that new product line,” said Dell Havasi, manager of Billings Company’s Office Products Division. “But I want to see the numbers before I make any move. Our division’s return on investment (ROI) has led the company for three years, and I don’t want any letdown.”

Billings Company is a decentralized wholesaler with five autonomous divisions. The divisions are evaluated on the basis of ROI, with year-end bonuses given to the divisional managers who have the highest ROIs. Operating results for the company’s Office Products Division for this year are given below:

Sales	$	22,000,000
Variable expenses		13,500,000
Contribution margin		8,500,000
Fixed expenses		6,000,000
Net operating income	$	2,500,000
Divisional average operating assets	$	4,443,500

The company had an overall return on investment (ROI) of 16.00% this year (considering all divisions). Next year the Office Products Division has an opportunity to add a new product line that would require an additional investment that would increase average operating assets by $2,289,300. The cost and revenue characteristics of the new product line per year would be:

Sales	$9,155,000
Variable expenses	65% of sales
Fixed expenses	$2,543,950

Required:

1. Compute the Office Products Division’s ROI for this year.

2. Compute the Office Products Division’s ROI for the new product line by itself.

3. Compute the Office Products Division’s ROI for next year assuming that it performs the same as this year and adds the new product line.

4. If you were in Dell Havasi’s position, would you accept or reject the new product line?

5. Why do you suppose headquarters is anxious for the Office Products Division to add the new product line?

6. Suppose that the company’s minimum required rate of return on operating assets is 13% and that performance is evaluated using residual income.

a. Compute the Office Products Division’s residual income for this year.

b. Compute the Office Products Division’s residual income for the new product line by itself.

c. Compute the Office Products Division’s residual income for next year assuming that it performs the same as this year and adds the new product line.

d. Using the residual income approach, if you were in Dell Havasi’s position, would you accept or reject the new product line?

Answer 1

Requirement 1:-

The Office Products Division's ROI for this year is calculated as follows:-

	Office Product division	New Product	Total
Particulars	Amount	Amount	Amount
Sales	22,000,000	9,155,000	31,155,000
Variable cost	13,500,000	5,950,750	19,450,750
Contribution margin	8,500,000	3,204,250	11,704,250
Fixed costs	(6,000,000)	(2,543,950)	(8,543,950)
Net Operating Income	2,500,000	660,300	3,160,300
Invested Capital	4,443,500	2,289,300	6,732,800
Return on Investment	56.26%	28.84%	46.94%

Return on Investment = $2,500,000 / $4,443,500Return on Investment = Net Income/Invested Capital

Return on Investment = 56.26%

Requirement 2:-

Division ROI for new product alone is 28.84%

Requirement 3:-

Return on Investment for next year = 46.94%

Requirement 4:-

If i were in Dell Havasi's position, i would reject the new product line as it results in a decreased Return on Investment.

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