Mini Case 1-1: Hudson's Dilemma

question 38

Essay

Mini Case 1-1: Hudson's Dilemma
Bill Hudson was a real craftsman when it came to being a machinist. Bill had learned almost all that he knew from Hugo Huffman, his first and only employer. Bill Hudson was married and had three young children. He was 33 years old and had worked for Hugo ever since he finished his tour in the Army. In 12 years, Bill had polished his skills under the watchful and critical eye of Hugo Huffman. Hugo was quick to recognize Bill's talent for the trade. Bill had a positive attitude about learning and displayed a drive for perfection that Hugo admired.
Hugo's Machine Shop was a successful small business. Its success was based mostly on the reputation for quality that had been established over its 42 years in operation. Hugo had come to this country with his new wife, Hilda, when he was in his late twenties. Now the business was a success, but Hugo remembered the early years when he and Hilda had to struggle. Hugo wanted the business to continue to produce the highest quality craftsman products possible. On a Friday evening, he called Bill into his office at closing time, poured him a cup of half-day-old coffee, and began to talk with him about the future.
"Bill, Hilda and I are getting old and I want to retire. It has been 42 years of fun but these old hands need a rest. In short, Hilda and I would like you to buy the business. We both feel that your heart is in this craft and that you would always retain the quality that we have stood for." Bill was taken back by the offer. He, of course, knew Hugo was getting older, but had no idea Hugo would retire. Bill and his wife, Anna, had only $4,200 in the bank. Most of Bill's salary went for the normal costs of rearing three children. Hugo knew Bill did not have the money to buy the business in cash, but he was willing to take a portion of the profits for the next 15 years and a modest initial investment from Bill.
Bill had, for the past four years, made most of the technical decisions in the shop. Bill knew the customers and was well respected by the employees. He had never been involved in the business side of the operation. He was a high school graduate but had never taken business courses. Bill was told by Hugo that even after deducting the percentage of the profits he would owe under the sales agreement, he would be able to almost double his annual earnings. Bill would have to take on all the business functions himself because Anna had no business training either.
-What steps should Bill take to avoid the pitfalls common to a small business?

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Definitions:

Overhead Costs

Indirect costs incurred during the production process or in the performance of services, not directly tied to a specific product or service.

Activity Cost Pools

Groupings of individual costs, typically by department or activity, used in activity-based costing to allocate costs to products or services.

Time-Driven

A method or approach that relies on time as the main factor to drive processes, activities, or costing.

Activity-Based Costing

A costing method that assigns costs to products or services based on the activities they require, aiming to provide more accurate cost information.