The Furniture Division of International Woodworking purchases lumber and makes tables, chairs and other wood furniture. Most of the lumber is purchased from the Portneuf Mill, also a division of International Woodworking. The furniture division and Portneuf Mill are profit centres.

The furniture division manager proposed a new chair that will sell for $150.00.The manager wants to purchase the lumber from Portneuf Mill.Production of 800 chairs is planned, using capacity in the furniture division that is currently idle.

The furniture division can purchase the lumber for each chair from an outside supplier for $60.00.International Woodworkers has a policy that internal transfers are priced at variable cost plus allocated fixed costs.

Assume the following costs for the production of one chair:

Portneuf Mill			Furniture Division
Variable costs	$40.00		Variable costs:
Allocated fixed cost	30.00		Lumber, Portneuf   Mill	$70.00
Fully absorbed costs	$70.00
			Furniture division   variable costs:
			Manufacturing	75.00
			Selling	10.00
			Total variable cost	$155.00

Required:

1. Assume that the Portneuf Mill has idle capacity and would incur no additional fixed costs to produce the required lumber.Would the furniture division manager buy the lumber for the chair from the Portneuf Mill, given the existing transfer pricing policy?Why or why not?
2. Calculate the contribution margin for the company as a whole if the manager decides to buy from Portneuf Mill and is able to sell 800 chairs.
3. What transfer price policy would you recommend if the Portneuf Mill always has excess capacity?Explain why this transfer price policy provides incentives for the managers to act in the best interests of the company as a whole.
4. Explain how the excess capacity affects the recommendation in part 3.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

1Furniture division manager would not buy the lumber from Portneuf Mill as per the existing transfer ... View the full answer