Shown below is a segmented income statement for Hickory Company's three wooden flooring product lines:

Strip Plank Parquet Total

Sales revenue $ 400,000 $200,000 $300,000 $900,000

Less: Variable expenses 225,000 120,000 250,000 595,000

Contribution margin $175,000 $ 80,000 $ 50,000 $305,000

Less direct fixed expenses:

Machine rent (5,000) (20,000) (30,000) (55,000)

Supervision (15,000) (10,000) (5,000) (30,000)

Depreciation (35,000) (10,000) (25,000) (70,000)

Segment margin $120,000 $ 40,000 $ (10,000) $150,000

Hickory's management is deciding whether to keep or drop the parquet product line. Hickory's parquet flooring product line has a contribution margin of $50,000 (sales of $300,000 less total variable costs of $250,000). All variable costs are relevant.

Relevant fixed costs associated with this line include 80% of parquet's machine rent and all of parquet's supervision salaries. In addition, assume that dropping the parquet product line would reduce sales of the strip line by 20% and sales of the plank line by 20%. All other information remains the same.

Required:

1.If the parquet product line is dropped, what is the contribution margin for the strip line?

2.For the plank line?

$

3.Which alternative (keep or drop the parquet product line) is now more cost effective and by how much?

by $