As requested, we have evaluated the weaknesses of the existing system and the desirability of switching from it to a new system where selling cost budget standards are set on a fixed and variable basis. Our analysis involves several expense items, such as manager’s salary, office salaries, sale force compensation and so forth, to understand how the old and new systems would compute budgets for various expenses. Based on our study, we have reached the following conclusions: ?The difference between actual and budgeted numbers is lower under the new system than that under the old system. The existing sales expense budgeting system has some weaknesses that make budgeted numbers unreliable and misleading. ?We recommend that the company should abandon the existing system and replace it with the new one as it will provide more reliable and accurate budgeting information for decision making. Sales Expense Budget Analysis Our analysis begins with a budget report currently used under the existing system. It shows a difference between actual and budgeted numbers that is equal to +4512 USD, however, under the new system, the difference is reduced to +524 USD.

It means that the sales expense measured on more accurate basis. Under the new system, expenses are separated as variable with sales volume (e. g. , sales force compensation), partly variable with sales volume (e. g. , travel expense), and not related to sales volume at all (e. g. , rental and depreciation). The fixed portion is set on the minimum amount to be sold at 65% of overall factory capacity and is the amount of money our company should appropriate for the sales budget no matter how sales will fluctuate as long as it is above the 65% capacity.

As a result, the new system results in a much smaller difference because some fixed portion of the expenses do not depend on the sales volume. Weaknesses of Old System vs. Improvement of New System ?Under the existing system, the expense estimates made by the department heads cannot be traced, and checked if they are right or wrong, whereas the new system is developed after the study conducted to research sales volume, revenues, expenses and other factors in order to understand the trend.

This helps to introduce a system of calculating expenses on a historical basis, which was more representative than the subjective estimation. ?The existing system compares the actual and budgeted numbers on different sale levels, making it inconvenient for managers to implement a better control over various expense items, whereas the new system compares the two numbers on the same volume of sales, thus providing a reasonable basis for managers to control expenses.

Conclusion and Recommendation We recommend that our company abandon its current sales expense budgeting system and replace it with the new one that sets a fixed factor and a variable factor for each expense item. This will allow you to better calculate a reasonable expense budget and lead to better control and management decisions.