COST-VOLUME-PROFIT ANALYSIS: A Contemporary Approach Dr. D.N.S. KUMAR Professor in Finance & Associate Dean Alliance Business School Bangalore
COST-VOLUME-PROFIT ANALYSIS A cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis is a systematic method of examining the effects of changes in an organization’s volume of activity on its costs, revenue and profit. It is useful for the management in knowing how profit is influenced by sales volume, sales price, variable expenses and fixed expenses.
(xi) (xii)
Broadly, CVP analysis uses the techniques of : Break-even analysis and Profit-volume (P/V) analysis.
OBJECTIVE OF CVP ANALYSIS
The objective of the CVP analysis is to establish what will happen to the financial results if a specified level of activity or volume fluctuates.
USAGE OF CVP ANALYSIS IN MANAGERIAL DECISIONS
Product pricing
Accepting / rejecting sales orders
What product lines to promote?
What level of output is required to achieve a set level of net profit?
Feasibility of profit plan
Technology usage
ASSUMPTIONS UNDERLYING CVP ANALYSIS 1.
2.
The behavior of total revenue is linear (straight line). This implies that the price of the product or service will not change as sales volume varies within the relative range. The behavior of total expenses is linear (straight line) over the relevant range.
- Expenses can be categorized as fixed, variable, or semi variable. Total fixed expenses remain unchanged as activity varies. - The efficiency and productivity of the production process and workers remain constant 3. 4.
In multi-product organizations, the sales mix remains constant over the relevant range. In manufacturing firms, the inventory levels at the beginning and end of the period are the same. This implies that the number of units produced during the period equals the number of units sold.
CVP ANALYSIS ANSWERS THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS: -
How many photocopies must the local Kinko’s produce to earn a profit of $80,000? At what dollar sales volume will Burger King’s total revenues and total costs be equal? What profit will General electric earn at an annual sales volume of $30 billion? What will happen to the profit of Duff’s Smogasbord if there is a 20% increase in the cost of food and a 10% increase in the selling price of meals?
BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS
A break-even analysis indicates at what level cost and revenue are equal and there is no profit and no loss. BEP: Total costs = Total revenue
At BEP, Contribution = Fixed costs BES (units) = FC / CMPU Cash BEP (units) = Cash fixed cost Cash contribution per unit
BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS
Total contribution margin available to contribute to cover fixed expenses after all variable expenses
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Unit contribution margin
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Total contribution margin
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Weighted contribution margin
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Contribution-margin ratio
CASH BREAK-EVEN POINT The cash break even point indicates the minimum amount of sales required to contribute to a positive cash flow. The point below which the firm will need either to obtain additional financing or to liquidate some of its assets to meet its fixed costs. Cash Break-Even Point = (fixed costs - depreciation) / contribution margin per unit
MARGIN OF SAFETY MARGIN OF SAFETY = TOTAL SALES - BREAK EVEN SALES -
If the distance is relatively short, it indicates that a small drop in production or sales will reduce profit considerably. If the distance is large, it means that the business can still make profits even after a serious drop in production. MARGIN OF SAFETY: PROFIT ÷ P/V RATIO.
CVP-LONG-TERM TIME HORIZONS
OTHER FACTORS BESIDES VOLUME ARE LIKELY TO BE MORE IMPORTANT.
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Reduction in selling price
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Alternative advertising strategies
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Expanding product range and mix
ANGLE OF INCIDENCE
A narrow angle would show that even fixed overheads are absorbed and profit accrues at a relatively low rate of return, indicating that variable costs form a large part of cost of sales.
DONATIONS TO OFFSET FIXED EXPENSES
Non-profit organizations often receive cash donations from people or organizations desiring to support a worthy cause. Fixed expenses – Donations Unit contribution margin
COMPLEXITY RELATED FIXED COSTS
Cooper and Kaplan (1987) ‘many so-called fixed costs vary not with the volume of items manufactured but with the range of items produced’
Complexity-related fixed costs can increase as a result of changes in the items produced even though volume remains unchanged.
CHANGES IN FIXED EXPENSES For every % change in fixed expenses, it will have an equal or linear % effect on BEP. SP (Rs 10) – VC (Rs 4) = C (Rs. 4) Original estimate
New estimate 1
New estimate 2
Fixed utilities expense
1400
2600
4000
Total fixed expense
48000
49200
50600
BEP
48000/6
49200/6
50600/6
BEP
8000
8200
8433
% change in FC
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2.5
5.41
% change in BEP
-
2.5
5.41
CHANGE IN UNIT VARIABLE EXPENSES
Capacity 9000 – –
Old BEP - 8,000 units New BEP - 9,600 units
CVP analysis in such case would not solve this problem, but it will direct the management ‘s attention to potentially serious difficulties
FACTS RELATED TO FIXED COSTS
In an expanding market, managers take advantage of fixed costs to generate profitable growth as additional customers do not add much additional costs. In such cases, cost structure dominated by fixed costs is a smart managerial decision. However, it should be noted that high fixed cost structures are profitable when sales grow but results in rapid deterioration of profits when sales decline. Therefore it cannot be capitalized upon in an declining economy. In conclusion, high fixed costs can yield huge profits in the right circumstances.
CVP ANALYSIS WITH MULTIPLE PRODUCTS
Weighted Average Unit Contribution Margin = (6 × 90%) + (10 ×10%) = 6.40 BEP = FC / WAUCM
CVP ANALYSIS, ACTIVITY-BASED COSTING (ABC) AND ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SYSTEM In traditional CVP analysis setup, inspection and material handling are listed as fixed costs. They are fixed with respect to sales volume. However, are not with respect to other cost drivers, such as, the number of setups, inspections, and hours of material handling. Therefore, ABC provides a richer understanding of cost behavior and CVP relationship.
CURVILINEAR BREAK-EVEN ANALYSIS
In reality there may not be a linear relationship between total sales and total cost line.
CURVILINEAR BREAK-EVEN POINT
PROFIT / VOLUME (P/V) ANALYSIS -
Effects of factor changes and management decisions alternatives on profits. i. CHANGES IN SELLING PRICES
Increase in selling price - it increases P/V ratio, and the rate of fixed cost recovery is increased. The BEP declines, profit-beyond BEP increases, losses below the BEP declines. Decrease in selling price – it decreases P/V ratio, and the rate of fixed cost recovery declines. BEP increases.
PROFIT / VOLUME (P/V) ANALYSIS ii. CHANGES IN VARIABLE COSTS
Increase in variable cost: it decreases P/V ratio and the rate of fixed cost recovery is slower. The BEP moves to higher level; profits above one BEP decreases; loses before the BEP increases.
Decreases in variable cost: a higher P/V and rate of fixed cost recovery is increased. The BEP declines, profit beyond BEP are higher; losses before the BEP are lower.
PROFIT / VOLUME (P/V) ANALYSIS iii. CHANGES IN FIXED COSTS
Increase in fixed cost: BEP will be higher, profit above BEP will be lower by the amount of the increase in FC; below the BEP losses increases by the amount of increase in FC.
Decrease in fixed cost: it lowers the BEP. The profits are greater by the amount of the decrease, and losses are smaller by the amount of the decrease in FC.
LIMITATIONS OF CVP ANALYSIS
CVP analysis suffers from a limitation that it does not include adjustments for risk and uncertainty.
Contribution itself is not a guide if there is some key or limiting factor.
Decisions by sales staff and marketing personnel may lead to low profits or loss.
AREAS OF APPLICATION IN INDUSTRY
Banking
Hotel
Software
Non-Profit-Organistions
Newspaper Industry
AREAS OF APPLICATION IN INDUSTRY
Bearing Industry
Foundry Industry
Higher Educational Institutions
Sugar Industry
Manufacturing Industry
CASE STUDY: AMRITA TEA By Prof. K Balakrishnan (C) 1977 by the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmadabad.
Amrita tea of Darjeeling had always sold its products through a sole selling agency. The government started devising schemes to eliminate middlemen and Amrita wanted to respond to the new public policy towards private distribution. This year, Amrita had made a net profit before tax (NPBT) of 10 percent on sale of Rs 20 lakhs. It is feared that elimination of the sole selling agency and selling directly to retailers would result in a 40 percent drop in sales next year. Fixed expenses would increase from the present figure of Rs 2.0 lakhs to 3.0 lakhs owing to the additional warehousing, distribution, and other marketing efforts.
CASE STUDY: AMRITA TEA Elimination of middlemen would, of course, save Amrita a substantial chunk of variable costs. They were not willing to give the details of the sole selling agency agreement and how much variable cost they would eliminate by the switch-over. Instead, they wanted advice on the following: 3.
How much the variable costs need to be reduced next year in order to make the same NPBT (not in terms of percentage, but in absolute amount), under the new scheme as they made this year.
2. If they are likely to make a NPBT of Rs 1.8 lakhs next year under the new arrangement, what do you think is happening to their breakeven? Would they have a larger or smaller “margin of safety,” and by how much?
ANALYSIS OF THE CASE STUDY Sales = Rs 20,00,000 Profit = 10% Rs 20,00,000 Fixed Cost = Rs 2,00,000 Variable Cost = Sales – (F+P) = 20,00,000 – (2,00,000+2,00,000) =16,00,000
ANALYSIS OF THE CASE STUDY Contribution
= sales –variable cost = 20,00,000 - 16,00,000 = 4,00,000
P/V Ratio
= C/S × 100 = 4,00,000/20,00,000 × 100 = 20%
IX.
B.E.P to earn a profit of Rs 2,00,000 = fixed cost + desired profit/ P/V Ratio = 2,00,000+2,00,000/ 20 × 20,00,000 = 20,00,000
ANALYSIS OF THE CASE STUDY II. Margin of Safety = AS –BES = 20,00,000-10,00,000 = 10,00,000 i.e., (M/S)/AS × 100 = 50%
7)
V.C. to be reduced to make a profit of Rs 2,00,000 = 16,00,000 – 40% = 16,00,000 – 6,40,000 = 9,60,000
ANALYSIS OF THE CASE STUDY
Variable cost = Sales-(FC+Profit) =12,00,000-(3,00,000+2,00,000) = 7,00,000 Reduction in Variable Cost; =9,60,000-7,00,000 =2,60,000 Contribution : 12,00,000-7,00,000 =5,00,000 P/V ratio= 5,00,000/12,00,000*100 = 41.67%
ANALYSIS OF THE CASE STUDY
BEP= 3,00,000/.4167 = 7,19,942 M/S = 12,00,000-7,19,942 = 4,80,058 M/S in % = 4,80,058/12,00,000*100 = 40%
ANALYSIS OF THE CASE STUDY 2) Sales to make a profit of Rs 1,80,000 VC + Profit + FC Therefore; 7,00,000+1,80,000+3,00,000 = Rs 11,80,000 Contribution = S – V.C. = 11,80,000-7,00,000 = 4,80,000 P/V Ratio
= C/S × 100 = 4,80,000/11,80,000 × 100 = 40.68%
ANALYSIS OF THE CASE STUDY BEP = 3,00,000/40.68 × 100 = 7,37,463 M/S
= 11,80,000 – 7,37,463 = 4,42,537
M/S in % = MS/AS × 100 = 4,42,537/11,80,000 × 100 = 37.5% V.C. Reduction: from 80% to 59.32% i.e., 20.68%
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