Apex Corporation Manufactures a Complete Line of High Quality Bits

question 47

Essay

Apex Corporation manufactures a complete line of high quality bits for electric drills. Apex has a good record for product innovation and effective marketing and distribution. An increase in domestic and international competition during the past two years has limited the firm's sales growth to 3 percent per year, down from the previous five-year average annual growth of 5 percent. In addition, market share declined by 0.5 percent this past year. Apex is experiencing profit reductions caused by price competition and manufacturing cost increases.
Required:
Choose one of the 13 contemporary management techniques introduced in Chapter 1: Explain why the technique you selected is appropriate in helping Apex develop a plan for reversing the decline in sales growth and controlling the growth in costs.

Analyze additional business considerations based on variable and fixed costs.

Understand relevant and irrelevant costs for decision making.

Identify the steps involved in managerial decision-making.

Understand the concept of opportunity cost in decision making.

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Definitions:

Fixed Component

The part of cost or expense that remains constant in total regardless of fluctuations in the level of activity or volume.

Predetermined Overhead Rate

An estimated rate used to allocate manufacturing overhead costs to individual products or job orders, calculated at the beginning of an accounting period.

Overhead Efficiency

The measurement of how effectively a company uses its overhead costs in the production of goods or services.

Predetermined Overhead Rate

This is a rate used to allocate manufacturing overhead costs to products or job orders, estimated by dividing total estimated overhead costs by an allocation base, such as direct labor hours or machine hours.