The Belkin Company has three product lines of coffee mugs—A, B, and C—with contribution margins of $7, $5, and $4, respectively. The president foresees sales of 240,000 units in the coming period, consisting of 40,000 units of A, 120,000 units of B, and 80,000 units of C. The company’s fixed costs for the period are $552,000.

Required

1. What is the company’s breakeven point in units, if the given sales mix is maintained?
2. If the sales mix is maintained, what is the total contribution margin when 220,000 units are sold? What is the operating income?
3. What would operating income be if the company sold 40,000 units of A, 100,000 units of B, and 100,000 units of C? What is the new breakeven point in units if these relationships persist in the next period?
4. Comparing the breakeven points in requirements 1 and 3, is it always better for a company to choose the sales mix that yields the lower breakeven point? Explain.