Response to the following problem:
SkyChefs, Inc., prepares in-flight meals for a number of major airlines. One of the company's products is grilled salmon in dill sauce with baby new potatoes and spring vegetables. During the most recent week, the company prepared 4,000 of these meals using 960 direct labor-hours.
The company paid these direct labor workers a total of $9,600 for this work, or $10.00 per hour.
According to the standard cost card for this meal, it should require 0.25 direct labor-hours at a cost of $9.75 per hour.
Required:
1. What direct labor cost should have been incurred to prepare 4,000 meals? How much does this differ from the actual direct labor cost?
2. Break down the difference computed in (1) above into a labor rate variance and a labor efficiency variance.