Awuah deals in online business, importing and selling printers. The cost of each set of printers varies depending on the number purchased, although printers can only be purchased in batches of 1,000 units. Awuah also has to pay import taxes which vary according to the quantity purchased. Awuah has already carried out some market research and identified that sales quantities are expected to vary depending on the price charged.

The following data has been established for the first month:

Number of Batches Imported and Sold Average Cost per Unit (Including Import Taxes) (GH¢) Total Fixed Costs per Month (GH¢) Expected Selling Price per Unit (GH¢)
1 10.00 10,000 20
2 8.80 10,000 18
3 7.80 12,000 16
4 6.40 12,000 13

Required:

Determine the number of batches of printers Awuah should import and sell to maximize profit.

Computation of Profit for Different Batch Levels

Batches Imported Units Sold Selling Price per Unit (GH¢) Total Revenue (GH¢) Variable Cost per Unit (GH¢) Total Variable Cost (GH¢) Fixed Costs (GH¢) Total Cost (GH¢) Profit (GH¢)
1 1,000 20 20,000 10.00 10,000 10,000 20,000 0
2 2,000 18 36,000 8.80 17,600 10,000 27,600 8,400
3 3,000 16 48,000 7.80 23,400 12,000 35,400 12,600
4 4,000 13 52,000 6.40 25,600 12,000 37,600 14,400

Decision:

Awuah should import and sell four batches (4,000 units) of printers since this option yields the highest profit of GH¢14,400 for the month.