The Eastern Division sells goods internally to the Western Division at Tennessee Company. The quoted external price in industry publications from a supplier near Eastern is $200 per ton plus transportation. It costs $20 per ton to transport the goods to Western. Eastern's actual market cost per ton to buy the direct materials to make the transferred product is $100. Actual per-ton direct labor is $50. Other actual costs of storage and handling are $40. Tennessee Company's president selects a $220 transfer price. This is an example of: (CIA adapted)

Market based transfer pricing

Explanation:

A transfer price is the price which is charged by one division of an organization for the product or service which is supplied to another division of the same organization.

The three main criteria which must be satisfied by transfer pricing system in the decentralized company are:

(1) provision of information that allows central management to assess the divisions based on their contribution to total profit of the company

(2) stimulate every manager’s efficiency without the loss of the division’s autonomy.

(3) motivation of the divisional managers in order to accomplish their own profit goal in a way that contributes to the success of the company.

This is market based transfer pricing because the $220 transfer price that is selected is based on quoted external price.