Simon Companys year-end balance sheets follow.

At December 31	Current Yr					1 Yr Ago			2 Yrs Ago
Assets
Cash		$	31,800			$	35,625		$	37,800
Accounts receivable, net			89,500				62,500			50,200
Merchandise inventory			112,500				82,500			54,000
Prepaid expenses			10,700				9,375			5,000
Plant assets, net			278,500				255,000			230,500
Total assets		$	523,000			$	445,000		$	377,500
Liabilities and Equity
Accounts payable		$	129,900			$	75,250		$	51,250
Long-term notes payable secured by mortgages on plant assets			98,500				101,500			83,500
Common stock, $10 par value			163,500				163,500			163,500
Retained earnings			131,100				104,750			79,250
Total liabilities and equity		$	523,000			$	445,000		$	377,500

The companys income statements for the Current Year and 1 Year Ago, follow. Assume that all sales are on credit:

For Year Ended December 31	Current Yr						1 Yr Ago
Sales				$	673,500					$	532,000
Cost of goods sold	$	411,225					$	345,500
Other operating expenses		209,550						134,980
Interest expense		12,100						13,300
Income tax expense		9,525						8,845
Total costs and expenses					642,400						502,625
Net income				$	31,100					$	29,375
Earnings per share				$	1.90					$	1.80

(3-a) Compute inventory turnover. (3-b) For each ratio, determine if it improved or worsened in the current year.