Jorgansen Lighting, Inc., manufactures heavy-duty street lighting systems for municipalities. The company uses variable costing for internal management reports and absorption costing for external reports to shareholders, creditors, and the government. The company has provided the following data:

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Inventories Beginning (units) Ending (units) Variable costing net operating income 200 160 $290,000 160 200 $269,000 200 220 $260,000 The company's fixed manufacturing overhead per unit was constant at $550 for all three years. Required: 1. Calculate each year's absorption costing net operating income. (Enter any losses or deductions as a negative value.) Reconciliation of Variable Costing and Absorption Costing Net Operating Incomes Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Variable costing net operating income Add (deduct) fixed manufacturing overhead deferred in (released from) inventory under absorption costing Absorption costing net operating income 2. Assume in Year 4 that the company's variable costing net operating income was $260,000 and its absorption costing net operating income was $290,000. a. Did inventories increase or decrease during Year 4? O Increase O Decrease b. How much fixed manufacturing overhead cost was deferred or released from inventory during Year 4? Fixed manufacturing overhead cost inventory during Year 4