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Activity-Based Budget

Olympus, Inc., manufactures three models of mattresses: the Sleepeze, the Plushette, and the Ultima. Forecast sales for next year are 15,260 for the Sleepeze, 12,070 for the Plushette, and 5,150 for the Ultima. Gene Dixon, vice president of sales, has provided the following information:

Salaries for his office (including himself at $64,700, a marketing research assistant at $42,900, and an administrative assistant at $27,700) are budgeted for $135,300 next year. Depreciation on the offices and equipment is $22,600 per year. Office supplies and other expenses total $19,250 per year. Advertising has been steady at $19,200 per year. However, the Ultima is a new product and will require extensive advertising to educate consumers on the unique features of this high-end mattress. Gene believes the company should spend 15 percent of first-year Ultima sales for a print and television campaign. Commissions on the Sleepeze and Plushette lines are 3 percent of sales. These commissions are paid to independent jobbers who sell the mattresses to retail stores. Last year, shipping for the Sleepeze and Plushette lines averaged $50 per unit sold. Gene expects the Ultima line to ship for $70 per unit sold since this model features a larger mattress.

Suppose that Gene is considering three sales scenarios as follows:

Pessimistic Expected Optimistic Price Quantity Price Quantity Price Quantity Sleepeze $183 12,800 $205 15,260 $205 18,380 Plushette 295 9,860 345 12,070 353 14,530 Ultima 860 1,840 980 5,150 1,160 5,150

Suppose Gene determines that next year's Sales Division activities include the following:

Researchresearching current and future conditions in the industry

Shippingarranging for shipping of mattresses and handling calls from purchasing agents at retail stores to trace shipments and correct errors

Jobberscoordinating the efforts of the independent jobbers who sell the mattresses

Basic adsplacing print and television ads for the Sleepeze and Plushette lines

Ultima adschoosing and working with the advertising agency on the Ultima account

Office managementoperating the Sales Division office

The percentage of time spent by each employee of the Sales Division on each of the above activities is given in the following table:

Gene Research Assistant Administrative Assistant Research - 70 % - Shipping 30 % - 20 % Jobbers 10 15 20 Basic ads - 15 40 Ultima ads 25 - 10 Office management 35 - 10

Additional information is as follows:

Depreciation on the office equipment belongs to the office management activity. Of the $19,250 for office supplies and other expenses, $4,700 can be assigned to telephone costs which can be split evenly between the shipping and jobbers' activities. An additional $2,100 per year is attributable to Internet connections and fees, and the bulk of these costs (70 percent) are assignable to research. The remainder is a cost of office management. All other office supplies and costs are assigned to the office management activity.

Required:

1. Prepare an activity-based budget for next year by activity. Use the expected level of sales activity. If required, round answers to the nearest dollar.

Olympus, Inc. Activity-Based Budget For Next Year Research: $ $ Shipping: $ Jobbers: $ Basic ads: $ Ultima ads: $ Office management: $ Total $

2. On the basis of the budget prepared in Requirement 1, advise Gene regarding actions that might be taken to reduce expenses.

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