Beech Company produces a single product. The company has 50,000 units in its beginning inventory. Beech's variable production costs during the year were $10 per unit and fixed manufacturing overhead costs were applied at $30 per unit (which was the same as last year). The company's net operating income is $120,000 lower under variable costing than it is under absorption costing; and the company uses FIFO and closes any over- or under-applied overhead directly to cost of goods sold. Given these facts, what was the number of units of product in ending inventory

Closing inventory = 54,000 units

Explanation:

The difference between profit under variable costing and under absorption costing is simply the value of the change in inventory.

Usually, a decrease in inventory would cause profit under absorption costing to be lower . This is so because cost of goods sold would become higher leading to a lower profit

Difference in profit = POAR × change inventory

POAR- fixed overhead cost per unit- $10,

Difference in profit - $120,000

let the change inventory be y

120,000 = 30 ×   y

y= 120,000/30

y = 4000 units

Inventory at the end = opening inventory  + change inventory

                               = 50,000 + 4000  

                               = 54,000 units

Note; An increase in inventory will produce a higher profit using absorption costing. Hence, we added the change inventory to the opening inventory, to reflect an increase in inventory