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Jimena Works for a Small Company That Makes Nut Butters

question 33

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Jimena works for a small company that makes nut butters from ingredients like cashews and macadamia nuts, and jams from mixtures of tropical fruits. She reports to the CFO. It is her job to predict the costs of raw materials for the next five years. She uses various research sources, including the news, to learn who the competitors are and what they have been doing. In fact, she subscribes to an analyst e-newsletter that tells her about crop availability and weather conditions all around the globe. Every month she develops a spreadsheet for her boss indicating the likely costs of fruits and nuts given the type of weather conditions expected in each area of the world and thus the availability of particular crops. She is also involved in a team that is investigating how to cut production costs. They have recently met with Spicy Sides, a company that produces jars of condiments. Spicy Sides is considered the top company in the condiment industry, especially in its knowledge of how to pack food products in jars. Jimena's team is comparing their processes to those of Spicy Sides to see how they might improve.The spreadsheet that Jimena uses gives her a chance to examine different projections, which is a form of

Definitions:

Gross Profit

The difference between sales revenue and the cost of goods sold, indicating the efficiency of a company's core operations.

Fixed Costs

A repetitive charge that does not fluctuate with the volume of business activity, including expenses like lease payments and utility bills.

Contribution Margin

The amount of revenue remaining after deducting variable costs, used to cover fixed costs and generate profit.

Variable Costing Income Statement

A financial statement that includes only variable production costs (direct materials, direct labor, and variable manufacturing overhead) in the cost of goods sold and separates fixed overhead costs as period costs.