Decisions over semi-variable costs, such as marketing expenses, may be made based on the number of units you need to sell, but they likely are not unit-specific—unless, for example, the marketers decide to give away something free with each purchase. However, if we were to add an additional $5,000 in marketing expense to our 5,000-unit run, we add an additional dollar in semi-variable cost to each item. The same $5,000, spent on the 10,000-unit run, would add an additional 50 cents per piece.
The net cost, then, on the 5,000 unit run jumps to $8 per unit. Costs for the 10,000 unit run jump to $6.50. The net profit margins are $1 and $2.50 per unit, respectively.
Even with these costs applied, it should be evident that the higher this particular production run, the wider the profit margin. That’s all part of the sales income, to be sure. But the profitability per unit is determined primarily by the fixed and semi-variable costs. And that’s influenced by the budgeting procedure.