Rita Arthurs, the sales manager is discussing the possible outcome of the forthcoming election with Paulo Farmer, the production manager. She noted that if one of the major political parties wins the election and forms government, there is a strong possibility that alternative energy sources such as wind-generated electricity may no longer be as actively supported by the new government as is the case under the current government. Rita’s primary concern is that the current market for alternative power generation equipment is already volatile and subject to significant uncertainty. Paulo is also concerned about his plans to build the new highly automated manufacturing facility on the land to be purchased in February. This new manufacturing facility will enable him to manufacture, in-house, the major two parts he is now purchasing for assembly and to significantly automate the assembly process that is currently somewhat labour intensive. His projections for the new facility indicate a reduction in direct material and direct labour costs of 25% but that his fixed manufacturing overheads are likely to increase by 50%due to the increased investment in production capacity.

Required:

Write a brief report addressing Rita’s concerns, using some of the concepts about Accounting and management decisions. Your report should also include a discussion of the impact of Paulo’s intended investment in new manufacturing capacity. Not discuss the current political situation, environmental issues, or the marketing of alternate energy sources etc. or other interesting but otherwise irrelevant issues. (at least 300 words)