14.4 Memo Problem: Profit Analysis

To: Analysis Staff
From: Project Director
Date: May 29, 2008
Re: Profit analysis for MacroSoft Software Company

A small, but up-and-coming software firm called MacroSoft has contacted us concerning a new software package they have developed. The CEO of the company, Bob Doors, has asked us to analyze three different production scenarios and to report on the findings. For each of the scenarios, he wants us to assume that the average cost of producing q million copies of the software is given by the function (with q > 0): C(q) = 0.01q2 - 0.6q + 10.

The units of this average cost function are in millions of dollars per million copies. Further, he expects that users will pay $9.95 per copy of the software. Each of the three scenarios is described below. Mr. Doors has asked that the report contain both analytical calculations and spreadsheet calculations to verify these.

Your final report should include advice for manufacturing under each scenario and an overall comparison of each scenario, including: average cost, total cost, revenue, and profits. These should be in a nice table, and should be clearly explained for Mr. Doors - I know him, and he doesn’t read anything that isn’t fully explained and absolutely clear. Further, he would like a final recommendation on which of the scenarios his company should follow at the present. Again, keep in mind that this is a start-up company with limited production capacity.

Attachment: No attachment - you should create your own file to analyze this problem.