Bramble Family Instruments makes cellos. During the past year, the company made 6,460 cellos even though the budget planned for only 5,700. The company paid its workers an average of $15 per hour, which was $1 higher than the standard labor rate. The production manager budgets four direct labor hours per cello. During the year, a total of 24,450 direct labor hours were worked.
Required:
a. Calculate the direct labor rate and efficiency variances.

Which of the following is one of the advantages primarily associated with a performance appraisal? (a) it protects employees against discrimination on the basis of race. (b) it motivates employees to work on their shortcomings. (c) it encourages employees to play the role of the whistle-blower. (d) it accurately measures the resources of the firm.

Laval produces lamps and home lighting fixtures. its most popular product is a brushed aluminum desk lamp. this lamp is made from components shaped in the fabricating department and assembled in the assembly department. information related to the 22,000 desk lamps produced annually follows.direct materials $280,000direct labor fabricating department (8,000 dlh × $24 per dlh) $192,000assembly department (16,600 dlh × $26 per dlh) $431,600machine hours fabricating department $15,200mhassembly department $20,850mhexpected overhead cost and related data for the two production departments follow.fabricating assemblydirect labor hours 150,000dlh 295,000dlhmachine hours 161,000mh 128,000mhoverhead cost $400,000 430,000required1. determine the plantwide overhead rate for laval using direct labor hours as a base.2. determine the total manufacturing cost per unit for the aluminum desk lamp using the plantwide overhead rate.3. compute departmental overhead rates based on machine hours in the fabricating department and direct labor hours in the assembly department.4. use departmental overhead rates from requirement 3 to determine the total manufacturing cost per unit for the aluminum desk lamps.

(a) what was the opportunity cost of non-gm food for many buyers before 2008? (b) why did they prefer the alternative? (c) what was the opportunity cost in 2008? (d) why did it change?