Refer to the HR Reports in the Inquirer. Through past investments in recruiting and training Chester has obtained a productivity index of 109.4%. This means that Chester's labor costs would be increased by 9.4% 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? a) $3,143
b) $3,065
c) $29,809
d) $821

Note:

I wasn't able to access the Chester Income Statement but I successfully accessed a similar question Digby.

The Complete Question is as under:

Refer to the HR Reports in the Inquirer. Through past investments in recruiting and training Digby has obtained a productivity index of 109.6%. This means that Digby's labor costs would be increased by 9.6% if it did not have these productivity improvements. This is a competitive advantage that Digby can sustain or even widen further if its competitors have no HR initiatives. Now, refer to the Income Statement in Digby's Annual Report. How much did Digby's productivity improvements save it in direct labor costs (in thousands) last year?

A. $766

B. $29818

C. $3137

D. $3211

Option D. $3,137

Explanation:

The Productivity Index of 9.6% shows that if the improvement plan is implemented then the efficiency gains would result in saving of 9.6% of total direct cost. So if we total the direct cost for the year for all of the four products then we have an amount of $32,680 which is given at the second last column.

The amount saved last year would be:

Savings = $32,680 * 9.6% = $3,137

Hence the option C is correct here.

of the three mortgage options that demarco and tanya have to choose from, the balloon payment mortgage would be their best option, over adjustable payment and fixed payment plans.ultimately, the balloon payment plan would save demarco and tanya overall, in interest, would cost less monthly, and they would only have to make these payments for 8 years, opposing to 30 years for adjustable or fixed payment plans. 

overall, demarco and tanya would save $80,811 if they chose balloon payments over fixed payments, and would save $116,711 if they choose balloon payments over adjustable payments. benefits with choosing fixed payments over adjustable payments is that, in the end, the payments will still be $836.30 a month, while with adjustable payments, the initial monthly payments will be $763.38 to $1082.70 a month, ultimately leading to a more costly purchase. benefits with choosing fixed payments over balloon payments are not present. benefits in choosing adjustable payments over is that it has a lower interest rate, and starts with lower monthly payments initially. benefits in choosing adjustable payments over balloon payments include a lower interest rate, and lower initial monthly payments. benefits in choosing balloon payments over fixed payments include lower interest rates, lower overall price, lower monthly payments, takes less time to pay off, and does not require a downpayment. benefits in choosing balloon payments over adjustable payments include, lower monthly payments (when averaged), takes less time to pay off, and lower overall price.

hence, option c, balloon payments, is the best option for demarco and tanya to make this purchase, for it will save them a minimum of $80811, and a maximum of $116,711.