DuraDisc Corporation produces two types of compact discs: standard and high-grade. The standard CDs are used primarily in computer drives and are designed for data storage rather than accurate sound reproduction. The company only recently began producing the higher-quality, high-grade model to enter the lucrative musicrecording market. Since the new product was introduced, profits have seen only a modest increase. Management expected a significant profit increase related to rapidly growing sales of the high-grade discs. Management believes the accounting system may not be accurately allocating costs to products. Management has asked you to investigate the cost allocation problem. You find that manufacturing overhead is currently assigned to products based on the direct labor costs in the products. Last year%u2019s manufacturing overhead was $880,000, based on production of 320,000 standard CDs and 120,000 high-grade CDs. Selling prices last year averaged $3.60 per standard disc and $5.80 per high-grade disc. Direct labor and direct materials costs for last year were as follows:
a. How much of the overhead will be assigned to each product if the three cost drivers are used to allocate overhead? What would be the cost per unit produced for each product?
b. How much of the overhead would have been assigned to each product if direct labor cost had been used to allocate overhead? What would have been the total cost per unit produced for each product?
c. How might the results explain why profits did not increase as much as managementexpected?