Refer to the HR Reports in the Inquirer. Through past investments in recruiting and training Chester has obtained a productivity index of 109.5%. This means that Chester's labor costs would be increased by 9.5% if it did not have these productivity improvements. This is a competitive advantage that Chester can sustain or even widen further if its competitors have no HR initiatives. Now, refer to the Income Statement in Chester's Annual Report. How much did Chester's productivity improvements save it in direct labor costs (in thousands) last year?

You are chairman of the board of a successful technology firm. there is a nominal federal corporate tax rate of 35 percent, yet the effective tax rate of the typical corporation is about 12.6%. your firm has been clever with use of transfer pricing and keeping money abroad and has barely paid any taxes over the last 5 years; during this same time period, profits were $28 billion. one member of the board feels that it is un-american to use various accounting strategies in order to avoid paying taxes. others feel that these are legal loopholes and corporations have a fiduciary responsibility to minimize taxes. one board member quoted what the ceo of exxon once said: “i’m not a u. s. company and i don’t make decisions based on what’s good for the u. s.” what are the alternatives? what are your recommendations? why do you recommend this course of action?

phillips, inc. had the following financial data for the year ended december 31, 2019. cash $ 41,000 cash equivalents 75,000 long term investments 59,000 total current liabilities 149,000 what is the cash ratio as of december 31, 2019, for phillips, inc.? (round your answer to two decimal places.)

Ardmore farm and seed has an inventory dilemma. they have been selling a brand of very popular insect spray for the past year. they have never really analyzed the costs incurred from ordering and holding the inventory and currently fave a large stock of the insecticide in the warehouse. they estimate that it costs $25 to place an order, and it costs $0.25 per gallon to hold the spray. the annual requirements total 80,000 gallons for a 365 day year. a. assuming that 10,000 gallons are ordered each time an order is placed, estimate the annual inventory costs. b. calculate the eoq. c. given the eoq calculated in part b., how many orders should be placed and what is the average inventory balance? d. if it takes seven days to receive an order from suppliers, at what inventory level should ardmore place another order?