Required information

[The following information applies to the questions displayed below.] Simon Companys year-end balance sheets follow.

At December 31	Current Yr					1 Yr Ago			2 Yrs Ago
Assets
Cash		$	32,200			$	35,250		$	38,600
Accounts receivable, net			86,800				63,500			50,000
Merchandise inventory			111,500				81,800			54,500
Prepaid expenses			10,400				9,350			4,600
Plant assets, net			279,000				253,000			231,000
Total assets		$	519,900			$	442,900		$	378,700
Liabilities and Equity
Accounts payable		$	130,000			$	72,000		$	50,600
Long-term notes payable secured by mortgages on plant assets			96,000				101,000			82,800
Common stock, $10 par value			160,000				160,000			160,000
Retained earnings			133,900				109,900			85,300
Total liabilities and equity		$	519,900			$	442,900		$	378,700

The companys income statements for the Current Year and 1 Year Ago, follow.

For Year Ended December 31	Current Yr						1 Yr Ago
Sales				$	715,000					$	590,000
Cost of goods sold	$	421,850					$	377,600
Other operating expenses		221,650						141,600
Interest expense		11,600						13,000
Income tax expense		9,300						8,800
Total costs and expenses					664,400						541,000
Net income				$	50,600					$	49,000
Earnings per share				$	3.16					$	3.06

For both the Current Year and 1 Year Ago, compute the following ratios:

(1-a) Profit margin ratio. (1-b) Did profit margin improve or worsen in the Current Year versus 1 Year Ago?

(2) Total asset turnover.

(3-a) Return on total assets. (3-b) Based on return on total assets, did Simon's operating efficiency improve or worsen in the Current Year versus 1 Year Ago?