The purpose of this case study is to help you integrate the managerial accounting concepts that were covered in class and apply them to a real-world business setting.

Business Description

You will assume the role of an entrepreneur to start a small company. Your company will rent a retail cart inside the Mall of America to imprint T-shirts with exclusive original designs by a famous artist who is a friend of yours.  Your friend has agreed to design these T-shirt pictures for you each year at a special discount.  Your target customers are teenagers and young adults who have your kind of good taste.  Your business is scheduled to launch on January 1, 2017.

Cost information:

1. Mall of America charges you $2,500 rent per month, which includes utilities, cleaning, and maintenance.

2. You will order white, cotton T-shirts from a T-shirt wholesaler.  Each T-shirt costs $3.00 to purchase (cost includes taxes, shipping, and handling).

3. To store T-shirts that were bought, but not yet imprinted, you will rent a storage unit.  The storage unit costs $75 per month.

4. You agreed to pay your artist friend a $3,000 annual contract fee for twelve T-shirt designs.  This same term is renewable for the next 3 years.  Each T-shirt picture will only be used for one year.  Therefore, in the second year, 12 new pictures will be designed for another $3,000 annual contract fee.

5. You will buy several items before the start of your business:

a. Computer and printer - cost $5,000.  They are expected to last 3 years without salvage value.  Straight-line method of depreciation should be used. 

b. Heat press machine - cost $2,500.  The machine is used for imprinting T-shirts only and is expected to last 3 years without salvage value.

c. Transfer paper - Each case of transfer paper costs $400 and contains 1,000 sheets of 8.5 x 11 transfer paper.  One transfer paper is used to print one T-shirt.

d. Ink-jet cartridges - On average, each cartridge costs $50 and can make 500 prints.  Each T-shirt requires one print.

6. Each T-shirt costs about $0.20 to wrap and box. 

7. Students are hired as part-time workers.  On average it takes one labor hour to print 10 shirts.  Folding and packaging 20 shirts takes about one labor hour.  Each worker is paid $10 per hour.

8. A liability insurance policy is purchased at a cost of $3,600 per year to protect the business from legal obligations.