Jones Ltd produces four products, namely Pl, P2, P3 and P4. The following figures represent the budget  information  per  unit  of each product:
| 
   
 | 
 Annualvolume 
 | 
   
 | 
 Material per unit 
 | 
   
 | 
 Direct labour hours 
 | 
   
 | 
 Selling priceper unit 
 | 
| 
 (units) 
 | 
   
 | 
 £ 
 | 
   
 | 
 per unit 
 | 
   
 | 
 £ 
 | 
| 
 P1 
 | 
 100 
 | 
   
 | 
 60 
 | 
   
 | 
 5 
 | 
   
 | 
 110 
 | 
| 
 P2 
 | 
 1,000 
 | 
   
 | 
 60 
 | 
   
 | 
 5 
 | 
   
 | 
 110 
 | 
| 
 P3 
 | 
 100 
 | 
   
 | 
 180 
 | 
   
 | 
 15 
 | 
   
 | 
 330 
 | 
| 
 P4 
 | 
 1,000 
 | 
   
 | 
 180 
 | 
   
 | 
 15 
 | 
   
 | 
 330 
 | 
The budgeted cost per direct labour hour is £5. The company currently absorbs overheads into products on the basis  of  a direct labour overhead absorption rate. The budgeted overhead for the year is £66,000 and the amount related to each activity is shown below:
Annual                                       Annual  consumption of overhead            Cost        cost  driver  by product
Activity                cost  (£)              driver         P1     P2     P3     P4   Total
| 
 Setting up 
 | 
 30,000 
 | 
  Number of 
 | 
  2 
 | 
  10 
 | 
  5 
 | 
  13 
 | 
  30 
 | 
| 
 jobs 
 | 
   
 | 
 set ups 
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
| 
 Ordering 
 | 
 15,000 
 | 
 Number of 
 | 
 4 
 | 
 4 
 | 
 2 
 | 
 5 
 | 
 15 
 | 
| 
 material 
 | 
   
 | 
 material 
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
| 
   
 | 
   
 | 
 orders 
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
| 
 Material handling 
 | 
 21,000 
 | 
 Number of times 
 | 
 6 
 | 
 50 
 | 
 20 
 | 
 24 
 | 
 100 
 | 
| 
   
 | 
   
 | 
 material 
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
| 
   
 | 
   
 | 
 handled 
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
   
 | 
 66,000 
 | 
 
The company uses a full cost plus pnong system. The  sales manager of the company is  currently  worried  about  P4  since sales of this product seem to be under pressure from competitors in  a  market  which  is becoming  particularly  price sensitive.
You  are required  to:
(a) Calculate the unit cost per product using the company's tradi tional method of absorbing overheads into products.
(b) Calculate the unit cost per product using activity based costing as the method of absorbing overhead costs into the products.
(c) Discuss the results disclosed by a comparison between the two methods of absorbing overheads  into the  products and the implications for the company.