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Revenue, Costs, Profits and Cash

Contribution and the break-even point

  • 3 things to know
  • Papers 1 and 3

Overview

Contribution per unit and total contribution, the break-even point and its condition, the contribution formula for break-even output, calculating break-even output, break-even revenue and profit or loss, how changes in price, variable cost and fixed cost move break-even, target profit output, and the break-even chart.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Numbers

How is break-even output worked out from a product's price and its costs?

Key term

Define contribution per unit.

Numbers

State the formula for contribution per unit.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Define contribution per unit.

    Model answer

    Contribution per unit is the selling price of a unit minus the variable cost of producing it.

  2. 2

    State the formula for contribution per unit.

    Model answer

    Contribution per unit = selling price − variable cost per unit.

  3. 3

    A product sells for £25 and has a variable cost of £15 per unit. Calculate the contribution per unit.

    Model answer

    Contribution is £10 per unit.

  4. 4

    What does contribution contribute towards?

    Model answer

    It contributes first towards covering the firm's fixed costs, and once those are fully covered the contribution from every further unit is profit.

  5. 5

    State the formula for total contribution.

    Model answer

    Total contribution = contribution per unit × number of units sold.

  6. 6

    Define the break-even point.

    Model answer

    The break-even point is the level of output and sales at which total revenue exactly equals total costs, so the firm makes neither a profit nor a loss.

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