Monster Trucks Inc. is a medium-sized toy manufacturer that makes RC (radio-controlled)
truck toys. Monster Trucks operates in a highly competitive industry against some very large toy manufacturers such as Mattel and Hasbro. To compete effectively in this industry Monster must keep costs low while keeping quality high. The following information has been gathered for Monster Trucks for 2009 and 2010.
2010 2009
Toys made 4,800 3,950
Plant capacity 6,000 6,000
# of Toys scrapped 120 142
Selling price $45 $42.50
DM Cost per unit $15 $13
Direct labour hours 2500 2150
Conversion costs $50,000 $42,500
Selling and administrative costs $18,000 $17,000
# of Research staff 2 2
R&D Costs $38,000 $42,000
Conversion costs for Monster Trucks are made up of direct labour and overhead costs.
Direct labour is charged at a rate of $10 per hour. All overhead costs are fixed.
Required:
1. Calculate operating income for Monster Trucks for both 2009 and 2010.
2. Is Monster Trucks pursuing a cost leadership or differentiation strategy? Support your answer.
3. Develop a balanced scorecard for Monster Trucks. Provide at least 10 measures in your BSC.
Provide the calculation that will be used to monitor each measure on your BSC. If you can calculate the measure using the above information, provide a calculation and interpretation of the measure for 2009 and 2010. Otherwise, provide your rationale for including each measure (i.e., why is the measure important).