Break Even Analysis
From ControllingWiki
Introduction
The Break Even Analysis is used to compaire different business cases to identify the most economical case. The analysis based on the calculation of the Break Even Point which is defined as the specific point when the total costs equals the total revenue of a production or a sales. Expenditure and income are the same and the company makes neither a profit nor a loss. Break-even analysis is a technique widely used by production management and management accountants.
Definition
Before you can start to calculate the break even point for different cases, you need to identify the costs. Cost are shared in two parts of cost, fixed cost and variable cost.
Fixed Cost (FC) - Cost in a specific period of time which are not dependent on the activities of the business.
Examples
- depreciation
- insurance
- interest
- rent
- salaries
- wages
Variable Cost (VC) - Cost in a specific period of time which are varies, more or less, in step with the output of the business. Variable Cost needs to calculate per unit.
Examples
- raw material
- energy usage
- labor
- distribution cost
Total Cost (TC) - sum of Variable Cost per unit plus Fixed Cost
TC = (VC*Unit) + FC
Break-Even Chart
In its simplest form, the break-even chart is a graphical representation. The point at which neither profit nor loss is made is known as the "break-even point" and is represented on the chart below by the intersection of the two lines:
Potential locations for company to do the business can be compared on an economic basis. Berlin (X) , Hong Kong (Y) and Denver(Z) are the places you have to analyse based on a specific break even calculation.
Berlin (X) 75 (VC) 4000 (U) 150,000 (FC) Hong Kong (Y) 50 (VC) 4000 (U) 200,000 (FC) Denver (Z) 40 (VC) 4000 (U) 400,000 (FC)
calculate the Total Cost (TC) for each location
Berlin(X) : TC = $150,000+$75(4000)=$450,000
Hong Kong (Y) : TC = $200,000+$50(4000)=$400,000
Denver(Z): TC = $400,000+$25(4000)=$500,000
The most economical site is Y because it is the least expensive.
Katrin Kirsch-Brunkow AK Berlin/Brandenburg
