Chapter 22 Solution

22-22 (30 min.) Transfer pricing, general guideline, goal congruence.

1. Using the general guideline presented in the chapter, the minimum price at which the Airbag Division would sell airbags to the Tivo Division is $90, the incremental costs. The Airbag Division has idle capacity (it is currently working at 80% of capacity). Therefore, its opportunity cost is zero—the Airbag Division does not forgo any external sales and as a result, does not forgo any contribution margin from internal transfers. Transferring airbags at incremental cost achieves goal congruence.

2. Transferring products internally at incremental cost has the following properties:

a. Achieves goal congruence—Yes, as described in requirement 1 above.

b. Useful for evaluating division performance—No, because this transfer price does not cover or exceed full costs. By transferring at incremental costs and not covering fixed costs, the Airbag Division will show a loss. This loss, the result of the incremental cost-based transfer price, is not a good measure of the economic performance of the subunit.

c. Motivating management effort—Yes, if based on budgeted costs (actual costs can then be compared to budgeted costs). If, however, transfers are based on actual costs, Airbag Division management has little incentive to control costs.

d. Preserves division autonomy—No. Because it is rule-based, the Airbag Division has no say in the setting of the transfer price.

3. If the two divisions were to negotiate a transfer price, the range of possible transfer prices will be between $90 and $125 per unit. The Airbag Division has excess capacity that it can use to supply airbags to the Tivo Division. The Airbag Division will be willing to supply the airbags only if the transfer price equals or exceeds $90, its incremental costs of manufacturing the airbags. The Tivo Division will be willing to buy airbags from the Airbag Division only if the price does not exceed $125 per airbag, the...