ACCT 002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Cost Driver, Management Accounting, Fixed Cost
Document Summary
Gross margin is the difference between sales revenue and cost of goods sold: It shows how much the firm is making over and above the cost of the units sold. Gross margin does not equal operating income or profit as it is computed without subtracting selling and administrative expenses. If gross margin is positive, the firm is charging prices that cover the product cost. A company can compare gross margin percentage with the average for its industry to see if its experience is within the ballpark range for other firms in the industry. Gross margin percentage varies significantly by industry. As you saw in cornerstone 2. 7, selling and administrative expenses for the period are subtracted from gross margin to arrive at operating income. Operating income = gross margin selling and administrative expenses. Operating income is the key figure from the income statement; it is profit, and shows how much the owners are actually earning from the company.