Consider how the choice among normal capacity utilization, master-budget capacity utilization,
and practical capacity affects the evaluation of a marketing manager. Normal
capacity utilization is often used as a basis for long-run plans. Normal capacity utilization
depends on the time span selected and the forecasts made for each year. However,
normal capacity utilization is an average that provides no meaningful feedback to the
marketing manager for a particular year. Using normal capacity utilization as a reference
for judging current performance of a marketing manager is an example of misusing a
long-run measure for a short-run purpose. Master-budget capacity utilization, rather
than normal capacity utilization or practical capacity, should be used to evaluate a marketing
manager’s performance in the current year, because the master budget is the principal
short-run planning and control tool. Managers feel more obligated to reach the
levels specified in the master budget, which should have been carefully set in relation to
the maximum opportunities for sales in the current year.