The San Carlos Company is an electronics business with eight product lines. Income data for one of the products (XT-107) for June 2011 are as follows: Revenues, 200,000 units at average price of $100 each $20,000,000 Variable costs Direct materials at $35 per unit $7,000,000 Direct manufacturing labor at $10 per unit 2,000,000 Variable manufacturing overhead at $6 per unit 1,200,000 Sales commissions at 15% of revenues 3,000,000 Other variable costs at $5 per unit 1,000,000 Total variable costs 14,200,000 Contribution margin 5,800,000 Fixed costs 5,000,000 Operating income $ 800,000 Abrams, Inc., an instruments company, has a problem with its preferred supplier of XT-107. This supplier has had a three-week labor strike. Abrams approaches the San Carlos sales representative, Sarah Holtz, about providing 3,000 units of XT-107 at a price of $75 per unit. Holtz informs the XT-107 product manager, Jim McMahon, that she would accept a flat commission of $8,000 rather than the usual 15% of revenues if this special order were accepted. San Carlos has the capacity to produce 300,000 units of XT-107 each month, but demand has not exceeded 200,000 units in any month in the past year.
• 1. If the 3,000-unit order from Abrams is accepted, how much will operating income increase or decrease?
• 2. McMahon ponders whether to accept the 3,000-unit special order. He is afraid of the precedent that might be set by cutting the price. He says, "The price is below our full cost of $96 per unit. I think we should quote a full price, or Abrams will expect favored treatment again and again if we continue to do business with it." Do you agree with McMahon? Explain.