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Chapter 24-Problems
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Profit Center Responsibility Reporting for a Service Company
Thomas Railroad Company organizes its three divisions, the North (N), South (S), and West (W) regions, as profit centers. The chief executive officer (CEO) evaluates divisional performance using income from operations as a percent of revenues. The following quarterly income and expense accounts were provided from the trial balance as of December 31:
Revenues—N Region | $868,700 |
Revenues—S Region | 1,063,800 |
Revenues—W Region | 1,840,300 |
Operating Expenses—N Region | 550,500 |
Operating Expenses—S Region | 633,100 |
Operating Expenses—W Region | 1,112,900 |
Corporate Expenses—Dispatching | 424,800 |
Corporate Expenses—Equipment Management | 223,600 |
Corporate Expenses—Treasurer’s | 132,100 |
General Corporate Officers’ Salaries | 291,800 |
The company operates three service departments: the Dispatching Department, the Equipment Management Department, and the Treasurer’s Department. The Treasurer’s Department and general corporate officers’ salaries are not controllable by division management. The Dispatching Department manages the scheduling and releasing of completed trains. The Equipment Management Department manages the inventories of railroad cars. It makes sure the right freight cars are at the right place at the right time. The Treasurer’s Department conducts a variety of services for the company as a whole. The following additional information has been gathered:
North | South | West | ||||
Number of scheduled trains | 4,400 | 5,300 | 8,000 | |||
Number of railroad cars in inventory | 1,300 | 2,100 | 1,800 |
Required:
1. Prepare quarterly income statements showing income from operations for the three regions. Use three column headings: North, South, and West. Do not round your interim calculations.
Thomas Railroad Company | |||
Divisional Income Statements | |||
For the Quarter Ended December 31 | |||
North | South | West | |
Revenues | $ | $ | $ |
Operating expenses | |||
Income from operations before service department charges | $ | $ | $ |
Less service department charges: | |||
Dispatching | $ | $ | $ |
Equipment Management | |||
Total service department charges | $ | $ | $ |
Income from operations | $ | $ | $ |
2. What is the profit margin of each division? Round to one decimal place.
Region | Profit Margin |
North Region | % |
South Region | % |
West Region | % |
Identify the most successful region according to the profit
margin.
3. What would you include in a recommendation to the CEO for a better method for evaluating the performance of the divisions?
Ques 1 | ||||
Thomas Railroad Company | ||||
Divisional Income Statements | ||||
For the Quarter Ended December 31 | ||||
North | South | West | Total | |
Revenues | $ 868,700 | $ 1,063,800 | $ 1,840,300 | $ 3,772,800 |
Less:Operating expenses | $ 550,500 | $ 633,100 | $ 1,112,900 | $ 2,296,500 |
Income from operations before service department charges | $ 318,200 | $ 430,700 | $ 727,400 | $ 1,476,300 |
Less service department charges: | ||||
Dispatching | $ 105,600 | $ 127,200 | $ 192,000 | $ 424,800 |
Equipment Management | $ 55,900 | $ 90,300 | $ 77,400 | $ 223,600 |
Total service department charges | $ 161,500 | $ 217,500 | $ 269,400 | $ 648,400 |
Income from operations | $ 156,700 | $ 213,200 | $ 458,000 | $ 827,900 |
for dipatching you would calculate (424800/(4400+5300+8000))=$24 per scheduled train | ||||
for eqipment you would calculate (223600/(1300+2100+1800))=$43 per railroad car | ||||
Ques 2 | ||||
North | South | West | ||
Net income(A) | $ 156,700 | $ 213,200 | $ 458,000 | |
Revenues(B) | $ 868,700 | $ 1,063,800 | $ 1,840,300 | |
Profit Margin(A/B) | 18.0% | 20.0% | 24.9% | |
the most profitable margin is West | ||||
Ques 3 | ||||
e.All of the above choices would be included |