Tag Archives: managerial accounting;

What happens to the breakeven point when Sports Illustrated lays off all six staff photographers and uses freelancers instead?

Sports Illustrated announced in late January 2015 that it would be laying off all six of its staff photographers.  Instead, it will be using freelance photographers around the world.  Sports Illustrated is one of 90 magazines owned by Time Inc. (TIME).  Published 56 times a year, Sports Illustrated is read by over 23 million people […]

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How would using drones or bike messengers to deliver products affect Amazon’s cost structure and risk?

Amazon is a huge retailer, but it still struggles to compete against bricks-and-mortar stores when customers want the item “right now.” Amazon is currently testing two options to provide one hour deliveries: drones and bike messengers. A drone is an aircraft that flies without a human on board.  It may be operated via remote control, […]

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Would a Pizza Studio franchisee need to use job-costing or process costing for its made-to-order pizzas?

Pizza Studio is a relatively new pizza chain that takes the made-to-order model used by Chipotle and Subway and applies it to pizzas.  At a counter, customers order their pizzas with exactly the crust, sauce, cheese, and toppings they want – and then watch as the pizza travels through a conveyor-belt oven, being blasted with […]

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How does the rising cost of hazelnuts impact NUTELLA®?

Hazelnuts are used in high-end chocolate items such as pralines and truffles.  In addition, hazelnuts are used in Nutella spread.  Turkey supplies more than 70% of the world’s hazelnuts. In 2014, there was a widespread frost in Turkey that damaged hazelnut flowers and cut production of hazelnuts by 28%.  The price of hazelnuts more than […]

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How will cost standards be impacted at PEZ Candy Inc. by the rising cost of sugar and labor?

PEZ Candy Inc. produces the popular small candy that is dispensed in collectible flip-top dispensers.  PEZ candy was invented as a breath mint in Vienna, Austria, in 1927.  The name PEZ is derived from “pfefferminz” which is the word for peppermint in German. In the United States, PEZ candies are produced in a factory in […]

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What items are product costs versus period costs at the U.S. PEZ Candy Inc. facilities in Connecticut?

PEZ Candy Inc. produces the popular small candy that is dispensed in collectible flip-top dispensers.  In the United States, PEZ candies are produced in a factory in Connecticut. The Connecticut location also houses PEZ’s US headquarters and a PEZ Visitors Center.  PEZ candy is made from sugar, fruit flavoring, coloring, and corn syrup; the ingredients […]

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Should the City of Ravenna outsource its income tax department?

The City of Ravenna in Ohio has an income tax on its residents of 2%.  For many years, the City had its own income tax department with two employees who processed all of the tax returns from residents.  The annual cost of that income tax department was most recently estimated to be $173,000 (“Ravenna will […]

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What impact do lower fuel costs and other changes have on American Airline’s break even point?

American Airlines Group (AAL), the world’s biggest airline, has been reporting record profits in recent quarters.  United Continental Holdings and Southwest Airlines also reported record profits. Part of what has contributed to the record profits has been the decline in the cost of oil. The price of oil has fallen during 2014; we are spending […]

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How should the French grocer, Intermarché, set prices for ugly produce?

At least one third of fresh produce is discarded, according to estimates from the United Nations Environment Programme (see “Students from France, Mexico and United Kingdom Recognized for Taking up Fight against Food Waste,” United Nations Environment Programme, December 16, 2014, http://www.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=2814&ArticleID=11110&l=en .) Some of the produce is discarded because it is less than perfect […]

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How does the change in selling price impact the break even point for Amazon’s Fire Phone?

In July of 2014, Amazon came out with a smartphone, the Amazon Fire phone.  The phone sports 3-D visuals and is tightly integrated into the Amazon ecosystem.  For example, the Firefly feature can scan and recognize over 70 million products that the consumer is able to purchase or look up immediately from his or her […]

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