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?

Mesa company produces wooden rocking chairs. the company has two production departments, cutting and assembly. the wood is cut and sanded in cutting and then transferred to assembly to be assembled and painted. from assembly, the chairs are transferred to finished goods inventory and then are sold.mesa has compiled the following information for the month of february: cutting department assemblydepartmentdirect materials $ 73,000 $ 13,000direct labor 73,000 108,000applied manufacturing overhead 159,000 171,000cost of goods completed and transferred out 233,000 255,000required: 1, 2, 3, & 4. prepare journal entries for the transactions in the cutting and assembly departments of mesa company. (if no entry is required for a transaction/event, select "no journal entry required" in the first account field.)