PRESTIGE TELEPHONE COMPANY

In deciding whether to continue, discontinue or sell a subsidiary company, we should consider the benefits and disadvantages of each option. We gauge the contribution of a subsidiary not only by looking at its profitability but also the advantage it can give to the parent company particularly in reducing its costs. Having a low profitability or even a net loss does not necessarily mean that the decision of retaining the subsidiary is wrong. Separating the relevant costs from the irrelevant costs helps the parent company determine how the subsidiary can be a factor in its overall operation. We may not know, but continuing could most likely be the best decision. Identifying cost objects and cost drivers are essential in determining the price, profit and breakeven levels of a firm. Differentiating fixed costs from the variable costs is also very important. Subtracting the variable cost from the selling price (or total revenues minus total variable costs) will give us the contribution margin which “contributes” to recovering the fixed costs, and the excess of which will increase the operating income of the company.

Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) analysis is very helpful in making sound business decisions for the short term, as well as for long-range planning, particularly in this case for product features and pricing. For a company to avoid operating losses, like in the case of Prestige Data Services, the managers should be interested in looking at the breakeven point of the company. By doing this, they would know the level of output needed for the operating income/loss to be equal to zero; hence, they would be targeting sales volume higher than the breakeven point to be profitable. Also with the use of CVP analysis, companies can make projections on the operating level to succeed in achieving its targeted operating income.

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