Create a 9-slide presentation in which you analyze cost accounting practices to make a recommendation about whether or not to accept a purchase offer at a lower price than normal. You may either record the presentation or write a 2-3 page supporting report.
Scenario
The Acme Pickle Company has distributed pickles under the “Florida’s Best” brand for eight years from its production facility in Jacksonville, Florida. It sells the pickles to stores in the southeastern United States. Acme normally produces between 8,000 and 10,000 cases of pickles a month but has the capacity to produce 12,000 cases without adding equipment or personnel.
The owner of a twenty-store supermarket chain in Wisconsin, called Super Deals, visits friends in Florida and is impressed with the quality of “Florida’s Best” pickles. He approaches you, an Acme Pickle account manager, with an offer to buy 2,000 cases of pickles to use in a special promotion at his stores. He is thinking of something such as:
“Free jar of Florida’s Best pickles with every purchase of forty dollars or more—this month only!”
He offers Acme a price of $9.50 per case, knowing that it is a very substantial discount from the normal selling price of $20 a case. Acme’s management is inclined to turn the offer down, because their cost is calculated at $10.00 a case. They believe they would lose money if they sold at $9.50 a case. You, on the other hand, believe that some errors have been made in the cost accounting.
Your Role
You are the account manager for Acme Pickles.
Requirements
Your analysis for the Controller and Sales Manager is needed to suggest a different way of calculating the pricing of the pickles that may be lower. As part of your analysis, address the following items:
- Explain why some production costs are variable and some are fixed.
- Analyze the benefit of recalculating the cost of pickle production.
- How would you recalculate it?
- What would the result be?
- What is the benefit to the company of recalculating the cost?
- Analyze how financial accounting of production cost differs from managerial accounting of production cost.
- Explain the difference between the two accounting methods.
- Identify the benefits and drawbacks of each method.
- Recommend a plan of action to management regarding Super Deals’ offer.
Below is the cost report for a recent month. In this month, Acme produced 9,000 cases and sold them at $20 per case, which is Acme’s normal selling price. Nine thousand cases are well beyond Acme’s break-even point, enabling Acme to record a substantial profit at the nine-thousand-case level.
| Acme Pickle Company Cost Report | |
| Item | Cost |
| Cucumbers | $15,000 |
| Spices and vinegar | 11,000 |
| Jars and lids | 10,000 |
| Direct labor, paid by the case | 30,000 |
| Line supervisors, on salary | 10,000 |
| Depreciation on factory | 10,000 |
| Property taxes on factory | 3,000 |
| Insurance on factory | 1,000 |
| Total Costs: | $90,000 |
| Cost per case (9,000 cases produced) $10.00 | |
Deliverable Format
Your team lead wants to share this analysis across remote locations of the organization and is hoping you will set the standard for how analyses and decisions of this type should be presented and supported. Your team has requested either a recorded presentation (including slides and notes) or a presentation and supporting reporting that can be distributed as a model. Prepare a presentation of at least 9 slides using PowerPoint or software of your choice detailing your recommendation and the information you used to make your recommendation. You can either record the presentation or prepare a separate report supporting the presentation.
If you choose to record your presentation, you may use Capella-supported Kaltura Media or another technology of your choice that produces a shareable URL. Kaltura is recording software that can be used to create webcam, screen, and audio recordings. Refer to the MBA Program Resources for the Using Kaltura tutorial to prepare for this option. If you choose to use something other than Kaltura Media, ensure that it creates a shareable URL and can be embedded in the course room to ensure faculty can access your recording.
Recommendation requirements:
- Presentation slides:
- Create at least 9 slides detailing your recommendation and the information you used to make your recommendation.
- Include additional details as slide notes.
- Supporting information. Choose one of the following options:
- Record your presentation.
- Create a 2–3 page report to support your slides.
Related company standards:
- The recommendation report is a professional document and should therefore follow the corresponding MBA Academic and Professional Document Guidelines, including single-spaced paragraphs.
- In addition to the presentation or report materials, include:
- Title (slide or page).
- References (slide or page).
- Appendix with supporting materials.
- At least two APA-formatted references.
Evaluation
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies through corresponding scoring guide criteria:
- Competency 1: Explain how accounting concepts and practices impact financial reporting.
- Explain why some production costs are variable and some are fixed.
- Competency 2: Apply principles of accounting to assess financial performance.
- Analyze how financial accounting of production cost differs from managerial accounting of production cost.
- Competency 3: Analyze accounting information to support business decisions.
- Analyze the benefit of recalculating the cost of pickle production.
- Recommend a plan of action to management.
- Competency 4: Communicate financial information with multiple stakeholders.
- Communicate accounting information clearly.
- Marshall, D., McManus, W., & Viele, D. (2020). Accounting: What the numbers mean (12th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
- Droms, W. G., & Wright, J. O. (2015). Finance and accounting for nonfinancial managers: All the basics you need to know. New York, NY: Basic Books.
- Diffley, E. A., & Greenstein, A. (2016). Presenting non-GAAP financial measures in the face of increased scrutiny. Insights, 30(6)
