Arthur Harris - World War II Arthur Bomber Harris Biography

Arthur Harris - World War II Arthur Bomber Harris Biography Early Life: The son a British Indian Service administrator, Arthur Travers Harris was born at Cheltenham, England on April 13, 1892. Educated at Allhallows School in Dorset, he was not a stellar student and was encouraged by his parents to seek his fortune in the military or colonies. Electing for the latter, he traveled to Rhodesia in 1908, and became a successful farmer and gold miner. With the outbreak of World War I, he enlisted as a bugler in the 1st Rhodesian Regiment. Briefly seeing service in South Africa and German South-West Africa, Harris departed for England in 1915, and joined the Royal Flying Corps. Flying with the Royal Flying Corps: After completing training, he served on the home front before being transferred to France in 1917. A skilled pilot, Harris quickly became a flight commander and later commander of No. 45 and No. 44 Squadrons. Flying Sopwith 1 1/2 Strutters, and later Sopwith Camels, Harris downed five German aircraft before the end of the war making him an ace. For his accomplishments during the war, he earned the Air Force Cross. At wars end, Harris elected to remain in the newly formed Royal Air Force. Sent abroad, he was posted to various colonial garrisons in India, Mesopotamia, and Persia. Interwar Years: Intrigued by aerial bombing, which he saw as a better alternative to the slaughter of trench warfare, Harris began adapting aircraft and developing tactics while serving abroad. Returning to England in 1924, he was given command of the RAFs first dedicated, postwar, heavy bomber squadron. Working with Sir John Salmond, Harris began training his squadron in night flying and bombing. In 1927, Harris was sent to the Army Staff College. While there he developed a dislike for the Army, though he did become friends with future Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery. After graduating in 1929, Harris returned the Middle East as Senior Air Officer in the Middle East Command. Based in Egypt, he further refined his bombing tactics and became increasingly convinced in aerial bombardments ability to win wars. Promoted to Air Commodore in 1937, he was given command of No. 4 (Bomber) Group the following year. Recognized as a gifted officer, Harris was promoted again to Air Vice Marshal and sent to Palestine and Trans-Jordan to command RAF units in the region. With World War II beginning, Harris was brought home to command No. 5 Group in September 1939. World War II: In February 1942, Harris, now an Air Marshal, was placed in command of the RAFs Bomber Command. During the first two years of the war, the RAFs bombers had suffered heavy casualties while being forced to abandon daylight bombing due to German resistance. Flying at night, the effectiveness of their raids was minimal as targets proved difficult, if not impossible, to find. As a result, studies showed that less than one bomb in ten fell within five miles of its intended target. To combat this, Professor Frederick Lindemann, a confidant of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, began advocating area bombing. Approved by Churchill in 1942, the doctrine of area bombing called for raids against urban areas with the goal of destroying housing and displacing German industrial workers. Though controversial, it was approved by the Cabinet as it provided a way to directly attack Germany. The task of implementing of this policy was given to Harris and Bomber Command. Moving forward, Harris was initially hampered by a lack of aircraft and electronic navigation equipment. As a result, early area raids often were inaccurate and ineffective. On May 30/31, Harris launched Operation Millennium against the city of Cologne. To mount this 1,000-bomber raid, Harris was forced scavenge aircraft and crews from training units. Utilizing a new tactic known as the bomber stream, Bomber Command was able to overwhelm the German night air defense system known as the Kammhuber Line. The attack was also facilitated by the use of a new radio navigation system known as GEE. Striking Cologne, the raid started 2,500 fires in the city and established area bombing as a viable concept. A huge propaganda success, it would be some time until Harris was able to mount another 1,000-bomber raid. As Bomber Commands strength grew and new aircraft, such as the Avro Lancaster and the Handley Page Halifax, appeared in large numbers, Harris raids became larger and larger. In July 1943, Bomber Command, working in conjunction with the US Army Air Force, commenced Operation Gomorrah against Hamburg. Bombing around the clock, the Allies leveled over ten square miles of the city. Heartened by the success of his crews, Harris planned a massive assault on Berlin for that fall. Believing that the reduction of Berlin would end the war, Harris opened the Battle of Berlin on the night of November 18, 1943. Over the next four months, Harris launched sixteen mass raids on the German capital. Though large areas of the city were destroyed, Bomber Command lost 1,047 aircraft during the battle and it was generally viewed as a British defeat. With the impending Allied invasion of Normandy, Harris was ordered to switch away from area raids on German cities to more precision strikes on the French railroad network. Angered by what he perceived as a waste of effort, Harris complied though he openly stated that Bomber Command was not designed or equipped for these types of strikes. His complaints proved moot as Bomber Commands raids proved highly effective. With the Allied success in France, Harris was permitted to return to area bombing. Reaching peak efficiency in the winter/spring of 1945, Bomber Command pounded German cities on a routine basis. The most controversial of these raids occurred early in the campaign when aircraft struck Dresden on February 13/14, igniting a firestorm that killed tens of thousands of civilians. With the war winding down, the final Bomber Command raid came on April 25/26, when aircraft destroyed an oil refinery in southern Norway. Postwar In the months after the war, there was some concern in the British government about the amount of destruction and civilian casualties caused by Bomber Command in the conflicts last stages. Despite this, Harris was promoted to Marshal of the Royal Air Force before he retired on September 15, 1945. In the years after the war, Harris stalwartly defended Bomber Commands actions stating that their operations conformed to the rules of the total war started by Germany. The following year, Harris became the first British commander-in-chief to not be made a peer after he refused the honor due to the governments refusal to create a separate campaign medal for his air crews. Always popular with his men, Harris act further cemented the bond. Angered by criticism of Bomber Commands wartime actions, Harris moved to South Africa in 1948, and served as a manager for the South African Marine Corporation until 1953. Returning home, he was forced to accept a baronetcy by Churchill and became the 1st Baronet of Chipping Wycombe. Harris lived in retirement until his death on April 5, 1984. Selected Sources BBC: Sir Arthur Bomber HarrisRAF: Arthur Bomber Harris

Country analysis ( Singapore) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Country analysis ( Singapore) - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, the country is criticized for running a system that churns out punishments for acts perceived to be anti-social; however, the country’s use of capital punishment that is applied mainly for drug trafficking offences hailed for stopping the growth of narcotics syndicates. A. Introduction to Country Analysis Singapore uses Singaporean Dollar (SGD) and has a total area of about 714 sq km. According to Singapore Department of Statistics, the 2009 population estimates stood at 5.18million (comprising of 3.26 citizens 0.53 million permanent residents 1.39million other foreign residents) with the population density revolving around 6671.7 sq km. Singapore government represents republic and parliamentary democracy with the official Singaporean languages include Mandarin, English, Malay, and Tamil. The major religions in Singapore include Buddhism (33%), Christian (11%), Taoism (11%), Catholicism (7%), Islam (15%), Hinduism (5%), other religions 1%, and no religion at17% ( Jancloes-Schneider, 2012). Chinese make up the bulk of Singapore population (more than 75%) while Malays (13%) and Indians (9%) make up the rest. Singapore has also a significant composition of foreign workers. This diversity has translated into a distinct mix of religions, languages, cuisines, and cultural traditions. The successful integration of these elements has fashioned stable, accommodative relations depicted by mutual respect and that promotes social cohesion (World Trade Organization, 2000). Although Singapore is predominantly a multi-party nation, the People’s Action Party has dominated the political scene since independence from Malaysia in 1965. Singapore’s vibrant economy remains largely propelled by financial services and electronics industry (Parker, 2012). B. Economic Indicators Singapore possesses a developed market-based economy that has historically centered on extended entrepot trade. Singapore GDP (constant prices, National Currency) in 2010 stood at SGD 284.561 billion (and US $238.2 billion in 2011) while GDP (current prices, US dollars) in 2010 stood at US $222.699 billion. As per 2010, Singapore GDP growth ranged around 14.471% while GDP (PPP) in 2010 stood at US $291.937 billion (GDP PPP was US $327.557 billion in 2011) (Healy Consultants,2012). Singapore’s GDP per capita (constant prices, National currency) in 2010 stood at SGD 55, 093.67 while GDP per capita (current prices, National currency) in 2010 stood at SGD 58,790. 97. In 2011, the GDP per capita stood at SGD 63,050, which amounted to US $50,123 (Jancloes-Schneider, 2012). The inflation rate in 2010 stood at 2.823% while, in 2011, the inflation rate stood at 5.2% and is estimated to be 3.5% in 2012. Unemployment rate in Singapore decreased to about 1.9% within the third quarter of 2012 right from 2% registered in the 2nd quarter of 2012. In 2011, Singapore enjoyed an annual growth of around 5.2% with the benchmark interest rate last recorded by the Monet ary Authority of Singapore standing at 0.1%. After an outstanding rebound in 2010, the Singapore economy slowed down a bit in 2011 owing to tighter economic policies and the slowdown witnessed in international trade (Jancloes-Schneider, 2012). C. Main exports and Imports Singapore’s geostrategic location, plus its developed port facilities means that a significant volume of Singapore’s merchandise exports involves entrepot trade with close to 47% of exports comprising of re-exports. The total value of exports in Singapore in 2010 stood at

Homework Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 15

Homework - Coursework Example Investment in securities by companies leads to the creation of capital markets. This capital market results due to the widespread ownership, which leads to better allocation of resources thus improving the economic growth. Investment in securities such as fixed income securities ensures more of its financing is done through issuing of bonds. This results in an advantage of cash flows to the fixed income securities as the interest payments (John, 2008). Another benefit of the securities in the investment of a company is that the securities are not limited to physical assets. It ensures the non-liquidity assets are pooled and shares in the diversified pool are then issued. This ensures that the complicated process of investment is simplified therefore making it easy and efficient. It reduces risk by maximizing returns due to invest in different categories that react in a different way to the same happening. This is because if a company has only a portfolio of railway, then all trains are involved in a strike then the railway company will experience great loss but if the company had a diversification of trains and buses only part of the portfolio would be affected (Chris, 2011). There is a possibility that the road stock prices would increase, as the passengers will turn to the buses as alternative means of transportation. Diversification of different assets classes minimizes risk as they react opposite to adverse situations. Variation in asset divisions such as stocks and bonds, ensures that if there is a negative effect in one it will be counterbalanced by positive results in the other one (Chris,

C ivil rights movements Essay Example for Free

C ivil rights movements Essay This is a two-page, APA formatted paper that summarizes the purpose of Leonard Crow Dogs, the purpose of the Ghost Dance and how the U. S. government works to undermine Native American communities. It is based on a true story and is in relation to the novel â€Å"Lakota Woman† by Mary Crow Dogs. The story speaks about the hardship of Mary and the Lakota Indians. Leonard Crow Dog was a very important character in the novel, â€Å"Lakota Woman. † He was Mary’s husband and also a spiritual leader as well as a political leader of the American Indian Movement of 1960s and 70s. His purpose was to help build Mary’s self-esteem. Through Leonard’s support, Mary was able to rebuild her self esteem by performing speeches and by supporting the American Indian Movement. Leonard gave her a way to do her own spiritual rituals which she believed helped strengthen her. Because of Leonard’s leadership participation in the AIM Movement, his son was raised freely in the traditional way of his Indian culture. Leonard was also the one who restarted the Ghost Dance even thought it was previously forbidden. Due to the oppression from the Whites, Indians started a spiritual dance which they believed would deliver them from the oppression of the white men. They called it the Ghost Dance. The Ghost Dance was a way to relieve the American Native Indians from their extreme poverty, suffering and from the other hardships they encountered. They believed that the Ghost Dance would bring a messiah to them that would soon return the lands to the Indians, resurrect their dead ancestors, and restore their former ways of life (Richard P. Muniz 2006). White people feared the Ghost dance traditions believing that the dance was not proper and that the Indians would practice witchcraft on them. Therefore, the Ghost Dance was outlawed. The U. S. Government undermined the Indian communities through reservations. Indians were required to live a segregated life. They were treated as second class citizens and to make them â€Å"perfect† for the American’s way of life, the government forced their beliefs onto them. The government greatly attacked the Native American community way of life through sending the Native American children to an institution to break their ways of beliefs with the intention of molding them into a â€Å"respectful† American citizen of the white class. Using these schools were a great means to fix the Indian’s way of life. The government really believed that the schools were civilizing the Indian children and offering them a great opportunity for them to evolve into the white culture and Christianity. These schools were supposed to help them to become â€Å"first class† citizens instead of â€Å"second class. † However, the government did not understand that this was not the proper way or means to help the Indian children or Indian people at all. They were already oppressed by Indian Reservations and then placed into a school system to strip them of their cultural beliefs and then forced to accept customs that were not known to their forefathers. Mary describes the government as civilizing them with their stick or another way to say this is with discipline. Mary states that, â€Å"children were like the victims of Nazi concentration camps† (pg. 28). The Indian Sun Dance which is another common tradition of the Indian culture and their community was outlawed by the government as well as the Ghost Dance. The Government forced many Indians into slum housing after taking their tribal lands. These slum homes had no electricity, plumbing, or technology. Most of them would have to live in the dark and in small cabins. Their way of living was very limited unlike the White Americans who had electricity and plumbing. They were unable to find employment due to racial restrictions from white people which resulted in high unemployment for the Indian culture. Many Indians were killed due to being accused for murderers they didn’t commit. Mary mentions in the story that many Indian family members were killed. In addition, many Indian families were punished by the government for having civil rights movements with attempts to help their community to become strong. Mary’s husband was also one of the unfortunate one’s who was thrown in jail many times for his radical civil rights movements. References Dog, M. C. (1990). Lakota Woman. New York: New York.

Platoon Plot Essay -- essays research papers

Platoon is a story of a soldier’s perspective of the Vietnam War. The movie is for the most part told out of the eyes of members of one platoon of the 25th Infantry Division. It is a movie dedicated to all of the people who fought in the Vietnam War. In the movie, Chris Taylor is a young man from a wealthy family, but while in college, chooses to help his country and do his duty in the Vietnam War. He is sent to Vietnam gets put in the 25th Infantry Division. Chris first has some rough times while over there. He gets bitten by ants while traveling through the jungle, and gets blamed for falling asleep while he was on watch. The North Vietnamese tried and were unsuccessful at ambushing them. However, it was not Chris’s fault (It was a soldier named Junior who fell asleep). Chris starts to miss home after some of these events happen. After being put on light duty, he gets mixed up in what some of the other soldiers were doing to deal with their depression - drugs and alcohol. He also meets some nice people such as King and Big Harold in the process. The Platoon soon sets out again, patrolling the jungle. They discover a Vietnamese bunker complex and soon after discover something else: Manny, one of their soldiers is missing. The soldiers go through all of the fortified area, and two of them set off a mine. Lieutenant Wolfe then gets word to move his men to a nearby village, which was thought to have Vietnamese soldiers in hiding. On their way, they discover Manny dead, tied t...

Competition Bikes, Inc. Costing Method and CVP Report Essay

A1. Costing Method Recommendation This report has been prepared to analyze the current costing method at Competition Bikes, Inc. (CBI) and provide a recommendation for improvement. To support this analysis, the differences between traditional based costing and activity based costing will be examined, along with the benefits and drawbacks for each method. A cost-volume-profit evaluation with break-even analysis for both sales units and sales dollars for the CarbonLite and Titanium bike lines will also be provided. The main differences between activity-based costing and the traditional costing: Traditional costing includes both direct and indirect components. Indirect costs (overhead) are grouped together. There’s only one cost driver (such as direct labor hours) used to calculate costs regardless of what they are. Activity-based costing breaks down the overhead costs into activity cost pools. All overhead costs are then allocated into these activity cost pools. This method of costing does require more time to c ompute the cost to the activity yet it earns that money back plus dividends by having a more accurate forecast of the true costs that are associated with each activity. In addition to a better understanding of costs, implementation of activity-based costing can drive improved financial results in the long run. By looking at each product and what drives its specific costs, management can have a much more detailed sense of the true costs involved in producing each product. They can then compare the activity-based costs with the costing system they have been using to discover what products they may be overpricing, or underpricing for sale in the market. They can also spot potential money wasting activities in their manufacturing process, and work to make those activities more efficient. If management has a better understanding of costs, they can present a stronger business case to get future capital projects funded. The downside to activity-based costing is that it requires a substantial commitment of personnel and financial resources up front. Management must be willing to examine their operations rigorously and the data that is gathered may be difficult to accept, particularly by those who are believe the current costing system is just fine and are resistant to change. Traditional costing, on the other hand, is much easier to calculate than activity-based costing, and this makes manager’s jobs easier. However, traditional costing is so generally calculated that it may be hiding inefficiencies in the supply chain. Products may be overpriced or underpriced, and this can negatively impact the company’s bottom line in the long run. By moving to the activity-based cost system, CBI could pinpoint if they have been overpricing items, losing market share to competitors. On the flip side, if they underprice an item, they are likely losing money as the price may be lower than what it costs to produce the bike. They would lose potential revenue to further fund research and development to improve the product for the future. If prices are significantly lower than those of the competition, customers may even hesitate to purchase the product, as they could wonder why the bike is priced so much lower than all the others in the market and have a perception that sub-par materials or manufacturing processes have been used. Since these bikes are a specialty product built to order, customers are generally not as price sensitive as shoppers looking for ready-made bikes. By switching to the activity based costing (ABC) method, CBI is also taking advantage of the in-depth knowledge of costs that will result in savings for the company. In the overhead analysis, six manufacturing overhead items and their cost drivers are identified, with a comparison provided between ABC costing, and Traditional costing assuming 900 units produced for the Titanium line, and 500 units produced for the Carbonlite line. The cost driver for manufacturing overhead using the traditional method is not identified, but the totals are given in the Competition Bikes spreadsheet and are reflected below. Traditional costing method -Titanium line manufacturing overhead cost: $239,020 -Carbonlite line manufacturing overhead cost: $232,380 Total traditional manufacturing overhead cost: $471,400 ABC costing method -Titanium line manufacturing overhead cost: $188,415 -Carbonlite line manufacturing overhead cost: $282,985 Total traditional manufacturing overhead cost: $471,400 It’s important to note that the manufacturing overhead totals are identical when calculated using both traditional and ABC methods. This is because it’s not a difference in overhead, but instead a change in where the overhead is allocated. In the case of CBI, the allocation is quite different between methods. For the Titanium line, the total manufacturing overhead cost with ABC costing is $50,605 lower than with traditional costing – a difference of 21%. In other words, CBI has overestimated manufacturing overhead for the Titanium line by 21% using traditional costing. Looking at unit costs, the traditional method per unit cost is $713, while the ABC unit cost is $656. The higher unit cost in the traditional costing method makes sense given that the allocation for manufacturing overhead was higher. CBI may be overpricing this bike, which could result in a negative effect on sales. If they could lower the price to a number closer to the true unit cost, they will likely see sales rise. For the Carbonlite line, the total manufacturing overhead cost with ABC costing is $50,605 higher than with traditional costing. CBI had underestimated manufacturing overhead for the Carbonlite line by 18% using traditional costing. Looking at unit costs, the traditional method per unit cost is $1,359, while the ABC unit cost is $1,460. The unit cost calculated using ABC costing was higher than CBI had realized; they are likely underpricing this bike, losing out on potential revenues. A review of competitors’ prices may be in order, to evaluate what the market will bear, as well as an analysis of the impact of raising prices and how that affects sales. Once they have this data, CBI management can make an informed decision whether or not to adjust the Carbonlite sales price, and by how much. A2a. Cost-volume-profit and break-even point evaluation: Current scenario CVP Analysis: Cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis is a tool that managers and businesses often use to estimate future levels of operational activity needed to avoid financial losses, to break even, and to generate a profit. This analysis also helps to target future revenues. CVP analysis can also be used to estimate production levels needed to generate revenues sufficient to recoup capital expenditures such as operational expansion. CVP analysis examines changes in profits in response to changes in sales volumes, costs and prices. The basic CVP equation is sales minus variable costs = contribution margin. Sales revenues per unit for the Titanium product are set at $900. The variable cost per unit (costs that vary directly with volume) for the Titanium product is $679. Based on these numbers, the resulting contribution margin (sales revenue minus variable cost) per unit is $900 – $679 = $221. Contribution margin is the amount of profit left after variable costs are subtracted; therefore they c an be considered the ‘contribution’ to profit for each unit sold. For the Carbonlite product, the sales revenue per unit is higher at $1,495 due to the specialized materials and increased amount of labor required to manufacture the product. Variable cost is $1,384. The resulting contribution margin per unit is $1,495 – $1,384 = $111. It’s worth noting that the contribution margin for this product is much smaller than that for the Titanium line. A smaller contribution margin generally means the product is not as profitable. When multiple product lines are included in the analysis, to calculate total break-even sales units, a weighted average contribution margin (WACM) must be calculated. This is important because various products in the sales mix contribute different amounts of profit. The WACM is calculated by multiplying the unit contribution margin by the percentage of the total sales mix for each product. Expressed as a formula: WACM = Product one unit contribution margin (product one sales mix percentage) + product two unit contri bution margin (unit two contribution margin percentage) Incorporating the CBI data, with the sales mix proportion of 9 units of Titanium for every 5 units produced of Carbonlite, the WACM is calculated as 221 (.643) + 111 (.357) = $181.71. This number is what the average unit  contributes to CBI’s profit on a per unit basis. When the WACM is known, the Total Contribution Margin Dollars can be calculated. This is the amount of money that the company has to pay fixed costs. Any money left over after fixed costs are paid is profit. If total contribution margin dollars equal fixed costs, the company is at break-even. If total contribution margin dollars are less than fixed costs, that represents a loss for the company. The equation for this figure is: Total Contribution Margin Dollars: Units sold multiplied by the WACM Break-even analysis Break-even sales units can be calculated if the WACM and Total Contribution Margin Dollars needed to break-even are known, as follows: Total Contribution Margin Dollars/WACM. To calculate sales units and sales dollars required for break-even, a few steps are required. The first step is to calculate the break-even point in units of sales mix. Break-even point in units of sales mix = Total fixed cost/WACM per unit For CBI, break-even point in units of sales mix is $400,000/$181.71 = 2201 The next step is to calculate the number of units of Titanium and Carbonlite units at the break-even point. The equation is as follows: Number of units at break-even point = Sales mix ratio (total break even units) Break-even point in units for Titanium: 0.643 (2201) = 1415 Break-even point in units for Carbonlite: 0.357 (2201) = 786 The last step is to calculate the break-even point in dollars. The equation is as follows: Break-even point in dollars = Product units at break-even point (sales price per unit) Break-even point in dollars for Titanium: 1415 (900) = $1,273,500 Break-even point in dollars for Carbonlite: 786 (1495) = $1,175,070 Total sales needed to break-even: $1,273,500 + $1,175,070 = $2,448,570. To summarize, CBI would need to sell 1415 units of Titanium and 786 units of Carbonlite, generating sales revenues of $2,448,570 to break-even (revenues and costs are equal). A2b. Cost-volume-profit and break-even point evaluation: Variable and fixed cost increase scenarios Suppose management needed to increase the cost of direct materials by 10% as well as add  $50,000 in fixed costs to the production facility. What effect would this have on the break-even point? Because the equations are based on the contribution margin as well as the WACM, an increase in the cost of direct materials (variable costs) by 10% will have a significant impact. Let’s first examine how cost-volume-profit and break-even point would be impacted if management needed to increase direct materials cost by 10%. I will analyze the $50,000 fixed cost increase separately. Variable cost increase (10% direct materials increase) scenario CVP Analysis: Contribution Margin per unit for Titanium: $900 – $709 = $191 Contribution Margin per unit for CarbonLite: $1495 – $1451 = $44 The contribution margins for both product lines decreased. Titanium decreased by 13%, and of particular note is the whopping 60% reduction in contribution margin for Carbonlite. This makes sense given that Carbonline has a higher variable cost and lower volume, so a percentage increase in variable cost has a greater impact. This product is even more expensive to produce in this scenario, and generating very low profits for the company at this point. With the sales mix proportion of 9 units of Titanium for every 5 units produced of Carbonlite, the WACM per unit is calculated as 191 (.643) + 44 (.357) = $138.50. CVP Summary: the 10% increase in direct materials resulted in a 24% decrease in WACM per unit. The bikes are contributing 24% less profit towards profits. Break-even Analysis: Break-even point in units of sales mix is $400,000/$138.50 = 2888 Break-even point in units for Titanium: 0.643 (2888) = 1857 Break-even point in units for Carbonlite: 0.357 (2888) = 1031 Break-even point in dollars for Titanium: 1857 (900) = $1,671,300 Break-even point in dollars for Carbonlite: 1031 (1495) = $1,541,345 Total sales needed to break-even: $1,671,300 + $1,541,345 = $3,212,645 Break-even summary: the 10% increase in direct materials cost resulted in a reduced contribution margin per unit for both products. Given that fixed costs in this example were unchanged at $400,000, it makes sense that an increase in variable costs would require an increase in the break-even point to cover the additional expense. In this scenario, the break-even point in units and total sales need to break-even increased by 24% from the current scenario. It’s clear that an increase in variable costs can have a disproportionate impact on profits and the break-even point. Fixed cost increase ($50,000) scenario For this scenario, I assumed that variable costs remained unchanged from the current scenario (no 10% increase in variable costs) and that fixed cost for the production facility increased from $400,000 to $450,000. CVS Analysis: Contribution margin per unit for Titanium: $900 – $679 = $221 Contribution margin for per unit for Carbonlite: $1,495 – $1,384 = $111 With the sales mix proportion of 9 units of Titanium for every 5 units produced of Carbonlite, the WACM per unit is calculated as 221 (.643) + 111 (.357) = $181.71. CVS Summary: Since variable costs did not change in this scenario, the contribution margin per unit and weighted average contribution margin/unit are at the same level as the original example. Break-even Analysis: Break-even point in units of sales mix is $450,000/$181.71 = 2476 Break-even point in units for Titanium: 0.643 (2476) = 1592 Break-even point in units for Carbonlite: 0.357 (2476) = 884 Break-even point in dollars for Titanium: 1592 (900) = $1,432,800 Break-even point in dollars for Carbonlite: 884 (1495) = $1,321,580 Total sales needed to break-even: $1,432,800 + $1,321,580 = $2,754,380 Break-even summary: Compared to the current scenario, the $50,000 increase in fixed costs (11% over the $400,000 example in the current scenario) had an impact of increasing the break-even point in units of sales mix by 275  units, or 11%. Since the contribution margin was unchanged in this example, the increase is less than in the scenario with 10% increase in direct materials. The break-even point in dollars also increased by 11%. The fact that the increase in the break-even point exactly matches the increase in fixed costs illustrates that as fixed costs rise, the break-even point will rise in proportion assuming the sales mix remains unchanged. Comparing all three scenarios, the CVP and break-even analysis provides insight on how increases in variable and fixed costs affect contribution margins and break-even numbers. Variable cost increases have a disproportionate impact on increasing margins and break-even numbers, while the fixed cost increases result in a proportionate impact on increasing these measures. CBI’s management should consider these impacts when considering cost increases for their product lines.

Changing from Base 10 to Base 2 in Mathematics

Suppose we have a number in base 10 and want to find out how to represent that number in, say, base 2. How do we do this? Well, there is a simple and easy method to follow. Let’s say I want to write 59 in base 2. My first step is to find the largest power of 2 that is less than 59.So let’s go through the powers of 2: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64. Okay, 64 is larger than 59 so we take one step back and get 32. 32 is the largest power of 2 that is still smaller than 59. How many â€Å"whole† (not partial or fractional) times can 32 go into 59? It can go in only once because 2 x 32 64 which is larger than 59. So, we write down a 1. 1 Now, we subtract 32 from 59: 59 – (1)(32) 27. And we move to the next lower power of 2. In this case, that would be 16. How many full times can 16 go into 27? Once. So we write down another 1 and repeat the process. 1 1 27 – (1)(16) 11. The next lowest power of 2 is 8.How many full times can 8 go into 11?Once. So we write down another 1. 111 11 11 – (1)(8) 3. The next lowest power of 2 is 4.How many full times can 4 go into 3?Zero.So, we write down a 0. 1110 3 – (0)(4) 3. The next lowest power of 2 is 2.How many full times can 2 go into 3?Once. So, we write down a 1. 11101 3 – (1)(2) 1. And finally, the next lowest power of 2 is 1. How many full times can 1 go into 1?Once. So, we write down a 1. 111011 1 – (1)(1) 0. And now we stop since our next lowest power of 2 is a fraction.This means we have fully written 59 in base 2. Exercise Now, try converting the following base 10 numbers into the required base 16 into base 416 into base 230 in base 449 in base 230 in base 344 in base 3133 in base 5100 in base 833 in base 219 in base 2 Solutions 1001000013211000110101122101314410000110011