What Assumptions Does Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) Analysis Make?

To summarize, the most important assumptions underlying CVP analysis are:

•Selling price, variable cost per unit, and total fixed costs remain constant through the relevant range. This means that a company can sell more or fewer units at the same price and that the company has no change in technical efficiency as volume changes.

•In multi-product situations, the product mix is known in advance.

•Costs can be accurately classified into their fixed and variable portions.

Critics may call these assumptions unrealistic in many situations, but they greatly simplify the analysis.

CVP Graph

What Assumptions Does Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) Analysis Make?

This video review the components of the CVP Chart or graph.

The assumptions that accountants impose when calculating CVP ratios are sources of possible limitations of the technique. Most CVP analyses are based on the static cost concept.

One assumption is that all costs can be classified into two categories: fixed costs and variable costs. This assumption is not always true because certain costs (e.g., depreciation) cannot be determined exactly. Different depreciation methods may yield different results.

There is also a third category of costs known as semi-variable costs. These costs are also called mixed costs because part of the cost is fixed and part is variable (for example, telephone expenses).

Another assumption is that fixed costs will not change at all levels of sales within the assumed relevant range of activity.

Other assumptions are that selling price per unit remains constant and that variable costs vary in direct proportion to changes in activity (i.e., as a percentage of sales revenue). In the second case, they remain constant.

Additionally, the sales mix is assumed to remain constant if more than one product is sold. Furthermore, the projections are over a short period only.

The limitations and assumptions of CVP analysis mentioned above impair but do not destroy the usefulness of the technique for managers. As such, CVP analysis still serves as a useful profit planning tool.

The main assumptions that accountants make when using cvp analysis are that fixed costs will not change within the relevant range of activity, all costs can be classified into fixed and variable, the selling price per unit will stay constant, and fixed costs remain constant.

What is the semi-variable cost?

A semi-variable cost is a mixed cost because part of the cost is fixed and part is variable (for example, telephone expenses).

What are the limitations of CVP analysis that may impair its usefulness as a planning tool for managers?

The limitations of cvp analysis are its assumptions. This means that it is assumed that the selling price per unit remains constant, variable costs vary in direct proportion to changes in activity, the projections cover only a short period, and the sales mix will remain constant if more than one product is sold.

What is the price per unit assumption?

The selling price per unit assumption means that any changes in activity will not affect selling prices within the relevant range of activity.

What are the assumptions when the sales mix is assumed to remain constant?

The assumptions when the sales mix is assumed to stay constant are that all products of a company will be treated equally, selling prices do not change with changes in product mix, and total variable costs remain constant.

What Assumptions Does Cost-Volume-Profit (CVP) Analysis Make?

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Certain underlying assumptions place definite limitations on the use of CVP analysis. Therefore, it is essential that anyone preparing CVP information should be aware of the underlying assumptions on which the information is to be derived. If these assumptions are not recognized, serious errors may result and incorrect conclusions may be drawn from the analysis.

Some of the key assumptions underlying cost-volume-profit analysis are as follows:

1. All costs can be classified as fixed and variable

while developing and applying cost-profit-analysis including the break-even analysis, it is assumed that all costs can be classified into fixed and variable costs. In fact, it is difficult to identify each and every cost element as fixed and variable. In the traditional type of recording costs, it is very difficult to segregate costs into fixed and variable. Moreover, the flexible policy of the company also makes it more difficult to identify the cost as fixed and variable.

If anyone fails to identify the cost as fixed and variable, the application of cost-volume-profit analysis becomes almost impossible.

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2. Behavior or costs will be linear within the relevant range

Cost-volume-profit (CVP) analysis assumes that total fixed costs do not change in the short-run within the relevant range. Total variable costs are exactly proportionate to sales volume. But in reality, cost behavior may not remain constant.



3. Difficulty of steps fixed costs Relevant range for many costs is very short. In that case it becomes very uncomfortable to compute the required volume because it is difficult to say that which the relevant range for our needed volume is.


4. Selling price remains constant for any volume

Indeed, most often quantity discount is offered for different lots of purchase. This causes difficulty in determining the contribution margin per unit(CMPU) and contribution margin ratio.

Cost–volume–profit (CVP), in managerial economics, is a form of cost accounting. It is a simplified model, useful for elementary instruction and for short-run decisions.

A critical part of CVP analysis is the point where total revenues equal total costs (both fixed and variable costs). At this break-even point, a company will experience no income or loss. This break-even point can be an initial examination that precedes a more detailed CVP analysis.

CVP analysis employs the same basic assumptions as in breakeven analysis. The assumptions underlying CVP analysis are:

  • The behavior of both costs and revenues is linear throughout the relevant range of activity. (This assumption precludes the concept of volume discounts on either purchased materials or sales.)
  • Costs can be classified accurately as either fixed or variable.
  • Changes in activity are the only factors that affect costs.
  • All units produced are sold (there is no ending finished goods inventory).
  • When a company sells more than one type of product, the product mix (the ratio of each product to total sales) will remain constant.

The components of CVP analysis are:

  • Level or volume of activity.
  • Unit selling prices
  • Variable cost per unit
  • Total fixed costs
  • Manpower Cost Direct and indirect

CVP assumes the following:

  • Constant sales price;
  • Constant variable cost per unit;
  • Constant total fixed cost;
  • Units sold equal units produced.

These are simplifying, largely linearizing assumptions, which are often implicitly assumed in elementary discussions of costs and profits. In more advanced treatments and practice, costs and revenue are nonlinear, and the analysis is more complicated, but the intuition afforded by linear CVP remains basic and useful.

One of the main methods of calculating CVP is profit–volume ratio, which is (contribution /sales)*100 = this gives us profit–volume ratio.

  • Contribution stands for sales minus variable costs.

Therefore, it gives us the profit added per unit of variable costs.

The assumptions of the CVP model yield the following linear equations for total costs and total revenue (sales):

Total costs = fixed costs + (unit variable cost × number of units) Total revenue = sales price × number of unit

These are linear because of the assumptions of constant costs and prices, and there is no distinction between units produced and units sold, as these are assumed to be equal. Note that when such a chart is drawn, the linear CVP model is assumed, often implicitly.

In symbols:

TC = TFC + V × X {\displaystyle {\text{TC}}={\text{TFC}}+V\times X}   TR = P × X {\displaystyle {\text{TR}}=P\times X}  

where

  • TC = Total costs
  • TFC = Total fixed costs
  • V = Unit variable cost (variable cost per unit)
  • X = Number of units
  • TR = S = Total revenue = Sales
  • P = (Unit) sales price

Profit is computed as TR-TC; it is a profit if positive, a loss if negative.

Break down

Costs and sales can be broken down, which provide further insight into operations.

One can decompose total costs as fixed costs plus variable costs:

TC = TFC + V × X {\displaystyle {\text{TC}}={\text{TFC}}+V\times X}  

Following a matching principle of matching a portion of sales against variable costs, one can decompose sales as contribution plus variable costs, where contribution is "what's left after deducting variable costs". One can think of contribution as "the marginal contribution of a unit to the profit", or "contribution towards offsetting fixed costs".

In symbols:

TR = P × X = ( ( P − V ) + V ) × X = ( C + V ) × X = C × X + V × X {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}{\text{TR}}&=P\times X\\&={\bigl (}\left(P-V\right)+V{\bigr )}\times X\\&=\left(C+V\right)\times X\\&=C\times X+V\times X\end{aligned}}}  

where

  • C = Unit Contribution (Margin)

Subtracting variable costs from both costs and sales yields the simplified diagram and equation for profit and loss.

In symbols:

PL = TR − TC = ( C + V ) × X − ( TFC + V × X ) = C × X − TFC {\displaystyle {\begin{aligned}{\text{PL}}&={\text{TR}}-{\text{TC}}\\&=\left(C+V\right)\times X-\left({\text{TFC}}+V\times X\right)\\&=C\times X-{\text{TFC}}\end{aligned}}}  

 

Diagram relating all quantities in CVP.

These diagrams can be related by a rather busy diagram, which demonstrates how if one subtracts variable costs, the sales and total costs lines shift down to become the contribution and fixed costs lines. Note that the profit and loss for any given number of unit sales is the same, and in particular the break-even point is the same, whether one computes by sales = total costs or as contribution = fixed costs. Mathematically, the contribution graph is obtained from the sales graph by a shear, to be precise ( 1 0 − V 1 ) {\displaystyle \left({\begin{smallmatrix}1&0\\-V&1\end{smallmatrix}}\right)}  , where V are unit variable costs.

CVP simplifies the computation of breakeven in break-even analysis, and more generally allows simple computation of target income sales. It simplifies analysis of short run trade-offs in operational decisions.

CVP is a short run, marginal analysis: it assumes that unit variable costs and unit revenues are constant, which is appropriate for small deviations from current production and sales, and assumes a neat division between fixed costs and variable costs, though in the long run all costs are variable. For longer-term analysis that considers the entire life-cycle of a product, one therefore often prefers activity-based costing or throughput accounting.[1]

When we analyze CVP is where we demonstrate the point at which in a firm there will be no profit nor loss means that firm works in breakeven situation

1. Segregation of total costs into its fixed and variable components is always a daunting task to do. 2. Fixed costs are unlikely to stay constant as output increases beyond a certain range of activity. 3. The analysis is restricted to the relevant range specified and beyond that the results can become unreliable. 4. Aside from volume, other elements like inflation, efficiency, capacity and technology impact on costs 5. Impractical to assume sales mix remain constant since this depends on the changing demand levels. 6. The assumption of linear property of total cost and total revenue relies on the assumption that unit variable cost and selling price are always constant. In real life it is valid within relevant range or period and likely to change.

  • Contribution margin
  • CVP analysis

  1. ^ The Controversy over the contribution margin approach, in MAAW, Chapter 11.

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