What is the contribution margin ratio? Definition of Contribution Margin Ratio The contribution margin ratio is the percentage of sales revenues, service revenues, or selling price remaining after subtracting all of the...
What is the contribution margin ratio? Definition of Contribution Margin Ratio The contribution margin ratio is the percentage of sales revenues, service revenues, or selling price remaining after subtracting all of the...
What is the margin of safety? Definition of Margin of Safety In break-even analysis, the term margin of safety indicates the amount of sales that are above the break-even point. In other words, the margin of safety...
How do you reduce a company's break-even point? Definition of Break-even Point The break-even point is the level of sales where a company’s income statement will report exactly zero net income. The level of sales can...
What is elastic demand? Definition of Elastic Demand Elastic demand is the situation in which demand for a product or service is sensitive to price changes. Elastic demand is a major concern for a manufacturer that...
Do I buy a new machine or use an old one? One technique for deciding whether to buy a new machine or to use an old machine is to look at the future cash flows if you buy a new machine and the future cash flows if you use...
What are the limitations of the payback period? Definition of Payback Period The payback period is a common (but not the best) tool for screening a company’s potential investments. It uses the potential investment’s...
What is the discounted value of expected net receipts? Let’s first define expected net receipts. These are future receipts after deducting any related payments. For example, if you are likely to receive $1,200 one year...
How do you calculate the break-even point in terms of sales? Definition of Break-even Point in Sales Dollars The break-even point in sales dollars can be calculated by dividing a company’s total fixed expenses by the...
What is the interest coverage ratio? Definition of Interest Coverage Ratio The interest coverage ratio is a financial ratio used as an indicator of a company’s ability to pay the interest on its debt. (The required...
How much of the contribution margin is profit on units sold in excess of the break-even point? After the break-even point is reached, the entire contribution margin on the next units sold will be profit…provided the...
What is a static budget? Definition of Static Budget A static budget is a budget in which the amounts will not change even with significant changes in volume. In contrast to a static budget, a company’s sales...
What is the dividend payout ratio? The dividend payout ratio, or simply the payout ratio, is the percentage of a corporation’s earnings that is paid out in the form of cash dividends. The calculation of the dividend...
What is trend analysis? Definition of Trend Analysis In the analysis of financial information, trend analysis is the presentation of amounts from several years all expressed as a percentage of a base year. Trend analysis...
What causes an increase in break-even point? Definition of Break-even Point The break-even point is the sales volume or sales revenue that is needed to cover the company’s expenses. In other words, it is the point...
What is an unfavorable variance? Definition of a Variance In accounting the term variance usually refers to the difference between an actual amount and a planned or budgeted amount. For example, if a company’s budget...
What are pro forma financial statements? Definition of Pro Forma Financial Statement A pro forma financial statement is one based on certain assumptions and projections (as opposed to the typical financial statement...
Is a favorable variance always an indicator of efficiency in operation? In a standard costing system, some favorable variances are not indicators of efficiency in operations. For example, the materials price variance,...
Where can I find financial ratios for my industry? One source for financial ratios by industry is the RMA Annual Statement Studies Financial Ratio Benchmarks. RMA is the acronym for Risk Management Association and...
What causes an unfavorable fixed overhead budget variance? An unfavorable fixed overhead budget variance results when the actual amount spent on fixed manufacturing overhead costs exceeds the budgeted amount. The fixed...
What is cash flow net of tax? I view cash flow net of tax as the amount of cash spent minus the income tax savings when the amount is deductible on the corporation’s income tax return. To illustrate this, let’s...
What is a budget variance? A budget variance results when an actual amount is different from a planned or budgeted amount. A budget variance can occur for revenues and for expenses. Join PRO to Track Progress Mark the...
What is the payback reciprocal? The payback reciprocal is a crude estimate of the rate of return for a project or investment. The payback reciprocal is computed by dividing the digit “1” by a project’s payback...
What is separation of duties? What is Separation of Duties The separation of duties is one of various internal control techniques for safeguarding a company’s assets. By separating employee’s duties, the likelihood...
What is the meaning of a favorable budget variance? Definition of a Favorable Budget Variance A favorable budget variance means that the actual amount that occurred was better for the company (or organization) than the...
What is contribution margin? Definition of Contribution Margin In accounting, contribution margin is defined as: revenues minus variable expenses. The contribution margin can be expressed as an amount and/or as a ratio...
Why does the internal rate of return equate to a net present value of zero? Internal rate of return and net present value are discounted cash flow techniques. To discount means to remove the interest contained within the...
What is NPV? Definition of NPV NPV is the acronym for net present value, which can be calculated as follows: The present value of the future cash inflows Minus the cash investment Example of NPV Assume that a company...
What are net incremental cash flows? Net incremental cash flows are the combination of the cash inflows and the cash outflows occurring in the same time period, and between two alternatives. For example, a company could...
Adjusting Entries For multiple-choice and true/false questions, simply press or click on what you think is the correct answer. For fill-in-the-blank questions, press or click on the blank space provided. If you have...
Payroll Accounting Payroll Accounting Payroll accounting involves the recording of a company’s: Gross wages, salaries, commissions, bonuses, overtime premium, sick pay, holiday pay, and vacation pay that are earned by...
Our Explanation of Bank Reconciliation will show you the needed adjustments to the balance on the bank statement and also the adjustments needed to the balance in the related general ledger account. A comprehensive...
Cash Flow Statement For multiple-choice and true/false questions, simply press or click on what you think is the correct answer. For fill-in-the-blank questions, press or click on the blank space provided. If you have...
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