Hamilton printing company prints specialty calendars, diaries, stationery, etc. to customer order. each order is unique and therefore each order received is costed as a separate job. the company’s business exhibits a strong seasonal pattern. the four months of september through december are extremely busy months, while business is usually slack during the remaining eight months of the year. production activity is measured in terms of direct labor hours. during a typical busy month production activity is 20,000 direct labor hours, while during a slack month it is 10,000 labor hours.

the company maintains a permanent work force of 10,000 direct labor hours a month, at a wage rate of $10 per hour. during the busy months of september through december, it supplements its work force by hiring 5,000 hours per month of temporary , and by allowing its permanent workforce to work 5,000 hours overtime. the temporary workers are paid $12 per hour, and overtime work is paid $15 per hour.