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Jonathan Macintosh is a highly successful Pennsylvania orchardman who has formed

ID: 2505341 • Letter: J

Question

Jonathan Macintosh is a highly successful Pennsylvania orchardman who has formed his own company to produce and package applesauce. Apples can be stored for several months in cold storage, so applesauce production is relatively uniform throughout the year. The recently hired controller for the firm is about to apply the high-low method in estimating the company's energy cost behavior. The following costs were incurred during the past 12 months:


Month Pints of Applesauce Produced Energy Cost

Required:

1.

Use the high-low method to estimate the company's energy cost behavior and express it in equation form. Use the formula Y = a + bX, where Y denotes energy cost for a month and X denotes pints of applesauce produced.


Total energy cost = $_____ + $______ X


2.

Predict the energy cost for a month in which 78,000 pints of applesauce are produced

Energy cost $

January 109,000   $ 70,600         February 67,000   66,100      March 70,000   66,800      April 76,000   67,950      May 94,000   69,100      June 100,000   70,250      July 124,000   70,300      August 94,000   68,800      September 94,000   69,400      October 88,000   68,500      November 127,000   72,700      December 121,000   71,400  

Explanation / Answer

variable cost per pint of apple sauce produced


= 72700 - 66100 / (127000 - 67000)


= 0.11



total cost at 127000 units = 72700


variable cost at 127000 units = 127000 * 0.11 = 13970


fixed cost = 58730


COST EQUATION


total energy cost Y = 58730 + 0.11 X


2) energy cost = 58730 + (0.11 * 78000) = 67310