18-22. Activity-Based Costing and Traditional Costs Compared Cuisinart, a Conair Corporation, manufactures outdoor gas cookers and charcoal smokers. Assume that Cuisinart only makes a single model of each product and that the following information pertains to the total manufacturing costs for the products in the current month. Manufacturing overhead follows: REQUIRED a. Determine the total and per-unit costs of manufacturing the Gas Cooker and Charcoal Smoker for the month, assuming all manufacturing overhead related to these two products is assigned on the basis of direct labor dollars. b. Determine the total and per-unit costs of manufacturing the Gas Cooker and Charcoal Smoker for the month, assuming manufacturing overhead is assigned using activity-based costing. 18-23. Activity-Based Costing Versus Traditional Costing Refer to the previous exercise in E18-22 for Cuisinart. REQUIRED a. Comment on the differences between the solutions to requirements (a) and (b). Which is more accurate? What errors might managers make if all manufacturing overhead costs are assigned on the basis of direct labor dollars? b. Cuisinart's manufacturing process has become increasingly automated over the past few years. Discuss how this will likely impact its ability to accurately measure product costs. c. Comment on the adequacy of the preceding data to meet management's needs. 18-22. Activity-Based Costing and Traditional Costs Compared Cuisinart, a Conair Corporation, manufactures outdoor gas cookers and charcoal smokers. Assume that Cuisinart only makes a single model of each product and that the following information pertains to the total manufacturing costs for the products in the current month. Manufacturing overhead follows: REQUIRED a. Determine the total and per-unit costs of manufacturing the Gas Cooker and Charcoal Smoker for the month, assuming all manufacturing overhead related to these two products is assigned on the basis of direct labor dollars. b. Determine the total and per-unit costs of manufacturing the Gas Cooker and Charcoal Smoker for the month, assuming manufacturing overhead is assigned using activity-based costing. 18-23. Activity-Based Costing Versus Traditional Costing Refer to the previous exercise in E18-22 for Cuisinart. REQUIRED a. Comment on the differences between the solutions to requirements (a) and (b). Which is more accurate? What errors might managers make if all manufacturing overhead costs are assigned on the basis of direct labor dollars? b. Cuisinart's manufacturing process has become increasingly automated over the past few years. Discuss how this will likely impact its ability to accurately measure product costs. c. Comment on the adequacy of the preceding data to meet management's needs