The Salinas Company produces three products, X, Y, and Z, from a joint process. Each product can be sold at the split-off point or processed further. Additional processing requires no special facilities, and the production costs of further processing are entirely variable and traceable to the products involved. Last year all three products were processed beyond split-off. Joint production costs for the year were $80,000. Sales values and costs needed to evaluate Salinas' production policy follow:

 

		Sales Value at	If All Units Processed Further
Product	Units Produced	Split-Off Point	Sales Value	Additional Costs
X	5,000	$25,000	$55,000	$9,000
Y	4,000	$41,000	$45,000	$7,000
Z	1,000	$24,000	$30,000	$8,000

Joint production costs = $80,000

Required

1. Determine the unit cost and gross profit for each product if Salinas allocates joint production costs in proportion to the relative physical volume of output.

2. Determine unit costs and gross profit for each product if Salinas allocates joint costs using the sales value method.

3. Should the firm sell any of its products after further processing?

4. Salinas has been selling all of its products at the split-off point. Selling any of the products after further processing will entail direct competition with some major customers. What strategic factors does the firm need to consider in deciding whether to process any of the products further?